Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

This is the second installment of the Beautiful Creatures series. At the end of the last book Lena was able to avoid being claimed for good or dark but her uncle Macon died and she's unsure where her mother has gone.

Ethan feels confused about that night. Did something happen to him? Lena and Amma are acting strangely. Lena seems drawn to a newcomer who is both caster and demon. Her eyes are also turning gold--the sign of a dark caster...will she choose the dark side?

OK, this installment was a bit on the cheesier side. The authors let Lena explore a bit of her dark side. We learn more about the link between Lena and Ethan and more about the history of Uncle Macon and Ethan's mom. Well, lots more history which makes the book big.

This series isn't the best written. But I really like it. It's just good fun. It doesn't take itself too seriously. I would let my teenage daughter (if I had one) read this book without fear of wanting a controlling and abusive/stalker boyfriend. I mean, it still has its star-crossed lovers trope. They literally can't have sex because Ethan will burn into ashes....kind of silly. But I guess it allows them to have lust and passion without getting into the nitty gritty of sexuality with teens. But it's still all heavy-handed about true love and soul mates, while romantic and great for fantasies, isn't healthy for teens.

But despite the faults, it's a great fun series. The world they create is amazing. I love the Caster world. They have created an amazing world. The characters aren't nearly as great as the world they live in. I think it's worth it just for that.