Beautiful Redemption (Beautiful Creatures, #4)

by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

[Kim Deister]

My review: This is the long-awaited conclusion to the Beautiful Creatures saga. And, honestly, it was my least favorite of the entire series. I had huge hopes for the book and, while I did enjoy it, I didn't love it as much as I would have expected or liked.
The story was told from the switching POVs of Lena and Ethan, as they were apart for much of the book. While I didn't mind the back and forth (it was a necessary thing), I thought that the story dragged a bit during the time during which they essentially had separate lives. Unfortunately, at times it was difficult to really understand how much time was even passing in the story.

I loved Ethan in this story, with his dedication and loyalty. I had a hard time pinning Lena down in this book, however. Sometimes she seemed powerful, the world's strongest Caster. Other times, she seemed a bit weak and "damsely." I came away from this series almost feeling as if her entire being was dependent upon Ethan's presence in order to have a life and a personality.

All of that being said, I did enjoy the new twists and turns and the deep seated need to know how it would end for them kept me turning the pages!

Things to love about Beautiful Redemption...

--The ending. I liked how it ended and I liked the underlying message of love and loyalty.
--The mythology. The mythology of the Caster world was pretty fascinating and we got a lot of it in this book.

Things I wanted more of...

--Ethan and Lena together.

My recommendation: If you have read the other books in the series, this is a must-read to close out this wonderful series!

My rating: A 3.5 mugs.