Book Review: Beautiful Chaos

Ethan Wate thought he was getting used to the strange, impossible events happening in Gatlin, his small Southern town. But now that Ethan and Lena have returned home, strange and impossible have taken on new meanings. Swarms of locusts, record-breaking heat, and devastating storms ravage Gatlin as Ethan and Lena struggle to understand the impact of Lena's Claiming. Even Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals is affected - and their abilities begin to dangerously misfire. As time passes, one question becomes clear: What - or who - will need to be sacrificed to save Gatlin?

For Ethan, the chaos is a frightening but welcome distraction. He's being haunted in his dreams again, but this time it isn't by Lena - and whatever is haunting him is following him out of his dreams and into his everyday life. Even worse, Ethan is gradually losing pieces of himself - forgetting names, phone numbers, even memories. He doesn't know why, and most days he's too afraid to ask.

Sometimes there isn't just one answer or one choice. Sometimes there's no going back. And this time there won't be a happy ending.

Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl is book 3 in the Caster Chronicles. I liked Beautiful Creatures, and I liked Beautiful Darkness even more, so I had high hopes for Beautiful Chaos. It didn't disappoint. I feel like I've been saying that in a lot of my reviews lately: it didn't disappoint. But it's true. I guess I've been on a roll with excellent books lately.

Ethan is back as our wonderful narrator. He is one of my favorite YA boys. He's smart, charming, charismatic, and protective without being overbearing. And his caster girl, Lena, is going through even tougher stuff after coming face-to-face with her evil mother in the last installment. And don't forget sidekick Wesley Lincoln, aka Link, aka Linkubus. I must admit I was never a fan of his til now. I mean, I liked him okay, but his character was so much more fun here, that I really like him.

One thing I love about these books are the characters: Amma, Macon, Ridley, the aunts, Marian... The list keeps going. It's impossible not to love than all. Except the baddies, of course. And the setting is amazing. I'm not from the south, but I'm close enough that I've been to the area where the fictional Gatlin would be if it existed. It's a beautiful area. But the gothic twist with secrets and interesting history weaves everything together so beautifully.

I'm seriously in love with Ethan Wate and these books. I can't wait to see what happens after the way Beautiful Chaos ends.