Now that Harry Potter is no more, authors everywhere are trying to out-charm one another with their own brand of literary magic to fill that mystical, money-making void. Amidst the chaos are best friends and co-authors Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, whose own young adult saga, “Beautiful Creatures,” is battling its way to the top. The series, in the fictional southern town of Gatlin during the Civil War era, is an epic tale chronicling the forbidden love between Ethan and Lena, which suffers from Ethan’s “curse.”
In their third installment, “Beautiful Chaos,” out now, Garcia and Stohl bring more dark powers and twisty plot lines to the books. In fact, the whole series has been a thrilling tale filled with danger and drama — yet at the same time, it’s beautifully poetic (they use a great deal of classic poems and literary quotes). This is due to the authors’ immense love and appreciation for classic literature.
“We love all the great classics and the poems; and when we are writing, it feels natural to add them into our story,”?Garcia explains. “They have been a great influence.”
A healthy dose of classic literature is not the only motif dominant in the “Beautiful Creatures” series. The themes of rejection and acceptance are constantly explored, examined and elaborated.
“Adults still feel like teenagers trying to fit in, and the pressure is even greater for the teenagers. They are afraid of being rejected and are always trying to find a place in their own lives,” Stohl says.
“So we want to send them a message to ‘claim yourself’ and just be the person you really are,” Garcia adds.
