Okay, first things first... BEAUTIFUL CREATURES is crazy long. At 563 pages, I figured it would only take a day or two for me to finish, given that it's a YA paranormal fiction (and those usually go pretty fast for me). 
 So, I was wrong. This one took about a week to read. And, it's really not just the length. This was a SLOW read. I'm not sure WHAT was so slow about it, but it really just took forever. I think I read HOUSE OF LEAVES by Mark Danielewski in less than a week, and that one had footnotes and sideways writing and cross-referencing and all kinds of insanities (but was AMAZING, believe me). 
 As for the story, this one is told from the point of view of Ethan, who is a popular, athletic high-school IT-boy who has the world at his fingertips. Although he enjoys the spotlight as a well-liked jock at his school, he feels a little separated from this crowed and he hides himself and interests (like reading) from them to maintain his popularity. 
 He lives in a small all-American town where nothing happens and nothing changes -- ever. The biggest event of the town is the annual Civil War reenactment, and nobody ever really moves in or moves out. 
 That is, until Lena moves to town. She's dark, creepy, and mysterious and everyone assumes she's somehow supernatural, especially when she moves in with her uncle who is pretty much known to be the creepy town recluse in a deserted, haunted house. Somehow, though, Ethan falls in love with Lena and is willing to risk everything to give it a shot with this new girl. 
 Of course, Lena does have secrets (which I won't reveal, but which you will probably figure out given that the series is called "The Caster Chronicles.") It also seems that Lena's family has been cursed by an ancient spell which may fatefully spin her into a future of EVIL herself. 
 My biggest criticism of BEAUTIFUL CREATURES is that it just feels uneventful for a book of over 500 pages. I think the authors could have easily cut 200 pages without losing anything. 
 Also, I won't get into it because I'm adamant about refraining from spoilers, but there were just parts of this story (especially near the end) that made no sense. I'm not even sure this is something that could be "resolved" in book 2 because it doesn't seem to be a lack of knowledge on the reader's behalf. Parts just seemed.. nonsensical, even for a paranormal YA book. 
 Even so, I don't want to leave the impression that this was a bad book. The story was interesting and I did manage to trudge through until the end. There WERE sections that had me at the edge of my seat, and there were characters who were endearing. In a reduced form, I could see BEAUTIFUL CREATURES being a pretty decent movie. 
 I haven't decided yet if I'll move on with book 2. I'm sure it's another 500 pages, and I'm just not sure if I have the patience for that again.