ARC-REVIEW: Unbreakable (The Legion #1) by Kami Garcia

Title: Unbreakable
Series: The Legion #1
Author: Kami Garcia
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: October 1st 2013
Pages: Hardcover, 320 pages
Source: ARC from BEA

Summary from Goodreads:
Supernatural meets The Da Vinci Code in this action-packed paranormal thriller, the first book in a new series from New York Times bestselling author Kami Garcia.

I never believed in ghosts. Until one tried to kill me.

When Kennedy Waters finds her mother dead, her world begins to unravel. She doesn’t know that paranormal forces in a much darker world are the ones pulling the strings. Not until identical twins Jared and Lukas Lockhart break into Kennedy’s room and destroy a dangerous spirit sent to kill her. The brothers reveal that her mother was part of an ancient secret society responsible for protecting the world from a vengeful demon — a society whose five members were all murdered on the same night.

Now Kennedy has to take her mother’s place in the Legion if she wants to uncover the truth and stay alive. Along with new Legion members Priest and Alara, the teens race to find the only weapon that might be able to destroy the demon — battling the deadly spirits he controls every step of the way.

Suspense, romance, and the paranormal meet in this chilling urban fantasy, the first book in a new series from Kami Garcia, bestselling coauthor of the Beautiful Creatures novels.

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• Unbreakable was a pretty fast read, there is a whole lot going on.  The chapters were suspenseful and full of action.  
• Legion.  The entire premise was interesting and enjoyable.  As mentioned above, you can see the parallels to the Da Vinci Code like plot.  While I did enjoy the similarities I felt it was still lacking in development.  

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• Unbreakable was a little bit out there.  I can accept supernatural books and even would consider it one of my favorite genres but I like it to be well done.  The execution of the plot was weak and I felt like the supernatural elements lacked substance.    
• The romance felt forced and unnecessary.  
• Lastly, I felt that the story line was rather forced.  The drama/main focus in the story was a stretch.  Now I am not a huge mythology person so it may in fact be following the actual myth but Awaken just seemed to be a book there to simply end the character's story.  
• The characters had a young and sometimes immature voice that I just could not overlook.  It just dragged my opinion of them down and made it hard to truly root for the characters. 

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Unbreakable was a blend of crazy spirit/ghost hunters and secret societies. Parts reminded me of Tomb Raider.  The whole idea is definitely intriguing but I felt the characters were mediocre and the romance and supernatural aspects were lacking.
  

MOVIE: Beautiful Creatures & BOOK: Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

So I saw the movie this past weekend. I dragged my boyfriend along and he had an open mind about the movie(as much as any non-book-reading male can), but 15 minutes into it he was thoroughly confused at everything that happened on the screen and cringed the rest of the way through. So it was hard to have a book vs. movie discussion with him so I figure I would see what others thought of the movie. He did say that not having read the books, he got a bit lost in the movie. I just finished book three in the series (I finished the first book a couple years ago, so it is not fresh in my mind for a super detailed comparison). I liked the casting for the characters and thought the movie wasn't bad but it was not fantastic either. I also went in with very LOW expectations as most books turned to movies do not live up to the book. I can't say I hated the characters/actors (like I disliked Kristin Stewart...there was none of that here) it was more of a plot issue. I thought the setting was well done and I also like the costumes :) Side note though: I pictured Amma a little differently and was wondering where Marian was; she continues to be an important character throughout the books.

So what did you guys think??

Title: Beautiful Chaos (Castor Chronicles #3)
Author: Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
Publisher: Little, Brown, and Company
Release Date: October 18, 2011
Pages: 518 Hardcover
Source: Audiobook
Rating:  4 Stars

Summary from Goodreads:
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.

***THERE MAY BE SPOILERS ****

The Beginning: It started off a bit slow, but picked up right where book 2 ended. Gatlin is facing the consequences of Lena's claiming; there are locusts, sweltering heat, and all the Castor's powers are out of wack. Lena and Ethan are back together and doing much better than in book 2 which is quite refreshing.  There is no longer really any love triangle, just their cute, powerful love story. 

The Middle: I really enjoyed the story as the plot progressed. I found the fact the Ridley was in public school to be quite entertaining. Kami Gracia and Margaret Stohl do an incredible job of developing the secondary characters.  John Breed now is even a likeable character.  But my favorite sidekick characters have to be Ridley and Link!  The fact that Link is part incubus now makes for a great twist; he is now super popular and buff and Savannah Snow is fanning all over him.  Link is probably one of the reasons this story is a 4 star read for me, his friendship with Ethan is so genuine and now with his new powers he is just goofier than ever.

The End: HMM… without spoiling the book, I would have to say that the ending was definitely interesting. I am curious to see what they are going to do for the fourth book. It did take me for surprise though, I really thought the Crucible was going to be someone else.

Overall, this book was a 4 star read. I enjoyed it much more than book 2 so I am glad I continued on. There is definitely more about the creepy castor world and lots more drama and intensity. The beautifully enchanting world of the Castors and Mortals continues to collide into a dangerous and complicated story.


Audiobook review: The narration is the same as the first two books in the series which is nice since it gives consistency from book to book. But be aware it is  LONG audiobook.  I enjoyed the reader and the voices for the other characters were also well done. Some parts were a bit creepy yet corny (when the Lilium talks). I would also give the narration 4 stars.