New Reads:

This week, I'm reading Beautiful Redemption by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. It's the fourth and final installment in the Beautiful Creatures series. I stumbled upon the first one a few years ago and despite my loathing for Twilight-ish books in general, I gave it a shot. I have to say that the writing is worlds better than anything Stephanie Meyers could have written. And the story is more ingenious. It's not your basic boy-meets-girl-with-magical-powers story. There are no vampires. The girl does not spend the entire novel trying to get the boy to bite her (ugh). In this series, the guy is actually the one who's normal(ish) and the girl spends a lot of the time trying to separate herself from him, which I can appreciate. I enjoy a strong and independent female character (hello, Jane Eyre). And there are a lot of other types of creatures in this series, not just witches. And there is a lot of history. I feel like I learned some new things as well as had enjoyed some pretty good storytelling. 

So here's how the last book wraps up (from the inside cover -- no spoilers):

"Is death the end... or only the beginning?

Ethan Wate has spent most of his life longing to escape the stiflingly small town of Gatlin. He never thought he would meet the girl of his dreams, Lena Duchannes, who unveiled a secret, powerful, and cursed side of Gatlin, hidden in plain sight. And he never could have expected that he would be forced to leave behind everyone and everything he cares about. So when Ethan awakes after the chilling events of the Eighteenth Moon, he only has one goal: to find a way to return to Lena and the ones he loves. 

Back in Gatlin, Lena is making her own bargains for Ethan's return, vowing to do whatever it takes -- even if that means trusting old enemies and risking the lives of the family and friends Ethan left to protect. 

Worlds apart, Ethan and Lena must once again work together to rewrite their fate, in this stunning finale to the Beautiful Creatures series."

I'm anxious to finish it to see how it all goes down. But as with all series, I will be sad to see it end. I really did enjoy it. And that's hard for me to say about something that can be found in the Teen Paranormal Romance section of the bookstore.