46 pages • 1 hour read
Kami Garcia, Margaret StohlBeautiful Creatures
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2009A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 10-19Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 10 Summary: “9.24: The Last Three Rows”
Ethan asks Lena out on a date to the movies. At the movies, Lena accidentally touches the locket in Ethan’s jacket pocket. They experience another flashback: Genevieve runs up the steps to Greenbrier, thinking she might be able to save her sister and mother. One of the Union soldiers drags her down the stairs. Genevieve hears gunshots, and the soldier falls over. She turns around and sees Ethan lying on the ground, covered in blood.
Chapter 11 Summary: “10.09: Gathering Days”
Ethan sits with Lena in the lunchroom, and everyone stares at them. Most people ignore Ethan at school, except for Link. After school, Ethan sees a girl with long blond hair sucking on a lollipop. She introduces herself as Ridley, Lena’s cousin. She is visiting for Gathering Day, the family’s harvest holiday. Ridley persuades him to get in the car with her. At Ravenwood, Ridley’s mother, Aunt Del, looks surprised to see her daughter. Ridley’s little sister, Ryan, tries to run to Ridley, but Macon stops her.
Ridley tells Macon she has come as Ethan’s guest. Ethan feels frozen, although he does not know why. They sit at the table, and Lena comes in from the kitchen. She drops the tray she is carrying when she sees Ridley. As everyone gathers at the table, Ridley introduces Ethan to her older sister, Reece; her father, Barclay; and her brother, Larkin. Ridley taunts Lena and tells her that Ethan has a right to know that Lena has no idea if she is Light or Dark. Ethan feels cold and starts to lose consciousness as a storm erupts in the dining room. Ethan sees Lena standing in the middle of the storm as a gust of wind sucks Ridley out of the house.
Chapter 12 Summary: “10.09: A Crack in the Plaster”
Ethan wakes up in Lena’s room. Lena looks relieved to see him awake and explains about the other members of her family. She tells Ethan that Aunt Del can pass through time and Ridley is a Siren, which means she has the power of persuasion. Larkin is an Illusionist, and Ryan’s powers have not developed yet. Lena tells him that Macon thinks that she is a Natural, which is one of the most powerful types of Casters.
She shares that Ridley was her best friend and that they lived together for years. On the night before Ridley’s 16th birthday, Ridley left because she could feel herself going Dark, and she did not want to hurt anyone she loved. In their family, everyone is Claimed on their 16th birthday. Lena says that Mortals and other Casters can choose if they want to be good or bad, but Lena’s family is cursed, and their fate is chosen for them. Lena worries that her parents were Dark, which is why no one wants to talk about them.
Ethan kisses Lena and feels electricity moving through him. Lena worries about getting involved with him before she knows her fate, but Ethan promises that they will figure it out together.
Chapter 13 Summary: “10.09: The Greats”
In the middle of the night, Ethan hears footsteps downstairs and sees Amma leaving the house. He follows her to a swamp where Macon meets her. He tells her that they need to discuss Genevieve’s locket and that Ethan still has the locket and has been spending time at Ravenwood. Macon asks her how she did not foresee Ethan finding the locket since she is a Seer. Amma tells him not to insult her ancestors, The Greats. Macon starts to say a woman’s name but then stops himself. They speak cryptically about a woman who is coming after Lena. Macon reminds her that they are running out of time and that Ethan must have some kind of power because Lena seems safe with him.
Chapter 14 Summary: “10.10: Red Sweater”
Lena picks Ethan up. He tells her about the conversation he overheard and that Amma and Macon said that the locket is “some kind of Dark talisman” (210). Ethan believes that the locket will give them answers. He takes her hand while holding the locket, and they experience another flashback.
Genevieve holds Ethan Carter Wate as he struggles to breathe. Ethan tells Genevieve that he loves her, and Genevieve tries to heal him with her magic, but it does not work. Lena and Ethan open their eyes and see blood on the ground in front of them. Lena wonders if Macon and Amma know that she will go Dark. Ethan promises her that he will find a way to stop that from happening.
Chapter 15 Summary: “10.13: Marian the Librarian”
Ethan wishes he could talk to his mom. He walks by the door to his father’s study, and Ethan feels shocked when the door swings open on its own. He wonders if his mother opened it for him. He starts to go in when Amma stops him.
Lena meets Ethan at the library so they can speak with Marian. When they enter the library, Marian takes them into her private archive where she researched with Ethan’s mom. In the room, Ethan sees a picture of Genevieve with her locket. Marian says that Genevieve was in love with Ethan Carter Wate. She tells them that Ethan Carter Wate gave the locket to Genevieve, which she wore every day after he died. Marian tells them that the locket “was said to be a powerful talisman, the broken bond of a broken heart” (236). Ethan, Marian, and Lena join hands as Ethan holds the locket, and they experience a flashback together.
In the flashback, Genevieve decides that she cannot lose Ethan. She asks Ivy for the book, and Ivy leads her to the family cemetery, where they find the Book of Moons. Genevieve rushes back to Ethan Carter Wate, opens the book, and finds the Binding Spell, the one “To Bind Death to Life” (240). Ivy reminds her that with this kind of spell, there is a bargain, and the book will take something in return. Genevieve tells her that she does not care about the price because she loves Ethan and must save him.
When they come out of the vision, Marian asks to see Genevieve’s locket. Marian reveals that she is a Keeper, a Mortal entrusted with recording the history of Casters. Marian tells Ethan that she can take them to the Caster Library, where they may find more information, but that she cannot get involved in Casters’ business.
Chapter 16 Summary: “10.31: Hallow E’en”
When they arrive at school on Halloween, the cheerleaders, led by Emily and Savannah, dress up as witches to mock Lena. To punish them, Lena magically changes their Halloween makeup to Sharpie markings so that they cannot remove it.
That night, Ethan jerks awake as he hears Lena screaming for him in his head. He knows that Lena is in trouble and drives over to Ravenwood. Ethan rushes inside and finds Lena lying on a table with her family surrounding her in a circle, chanting in Latin. Ethan enters the circle to help Lena and feels something powerful pushing against him. Ethan grabs Lena’s hand, and the pushing stops. Macon tells the family that he knew Ethan had power because a normal Mortal would not be able to fight against Sarafine.
Chapter 17 Summary: “11.01: The Writing on the Wall”
The next morning, Ethan wakes up in Lena’s room. They discuss the Dark Caster named Sarafine that Ethan heard her family talking about, although Lena does not know her. Ethan kisses Lena. It feels like electricity surges through his body. He starts to black out and feels like he cannot breathe. Ryan comes into the room and heals him, revealing her power.
Chapter 18 Summary: “11.27: Just Your Average American Holiday”
On Thanksgiving, Amma surprises Ethan by inviting Lena over. At the house, Ethan introduces Lena to his family. When they are at the table, everyone in the room freezes. Although Ethan cannot move, he hears Amma and Lena talking. Amma tells Lena that The Greats intervened so that the two of them could talk in private. Amma explains that The Greats are her ancestors from the Otherworld who act on her behalf when she asks them to. Amma tells her that Sarafine, the Dark One, is coming for Lena. Sarafine is Lena’s mother, who did not die in an accident like Macon told Lena. Amma explains that Sarafine is the Darkest Caster alive.
When they return to Ravenwood, Lena confronts Macon. Macon tells Lena that he was trying to protect her from Sarafine, but Lena refuses to accept this.
Chapter 19 Summary: “11.28: Domus Lunae Libri”
Marian takes Lena and Ethan to the Caster Library, which lies underneath the DAR building. The library looks like a maze. Lena suggests that they use the locket to see if they can discover where to find the book.
In a flashback, Genevieve casts the spell to bring Ethan Carter Wate back to life. When she finishes, Ethan’s eyes flicker open. He tells her he loves her and presses a locket into her hands before closing his eyes. Genevieve passes out. When she wakes up, Ivy tells her that Ethan did not survive. Ivy pulls back from her, realizing that Genevieve’s eyes have turned yellow. Ivy tells her that they must ask her ancestors in the Otherworld what her eye color means. Ivy communes with the spirits of her ancestors and discovers that the spell turned Genevieve Dark. The curse extends to every Duchannes child after her—the book will choose for them whether they will be Light or Dark.
After the flashback, Marian, Lena, and Ethan return to Ravenwood and discuss what Lena and Ethan saw in their vision. Ethan tells Macon that they need to find the book; they might be able to break the curse with it so Lena can choose to be Light. Macon tells them that the Book of Moons has been missing for 100 years.
Chapters 10-19 Analysis
Ethan experiences Prejudice and Social Exclusion as his relationship with Lena grows more serious. The novel characterizes him as brave: He is determined to prove everyone at school wrong by inviting Lena to sit with him in the lunchroom. Although Ethan does not have the confidence to defy the rules set by the popular kids, he chooses Lena over them because he loves her, and he no longer wants to be associated with people who discriminate against others because of their differences.
In the lunchroom scene, the narrative tries to get the reader to suspend their disbelief that they are reading a fictional work by emphasizing the reality of Ethan’s world. As Ethan says,
If this was a movie, we would’ve sat down at the table with the guys, and they would’ve learned some kind of valuable lesson, like not to judge people by the way they look, or that being different was okay. And Lena would’ve learned that all jocks weren’t stupid and shallow (158).
Instead, as Ethan brings Lena to sit with him, the head of the basketball team gives him a look that says, “[I]f you bring her over here, you’re done” (158).
This section explores Fate Versus Free Will. Although Ethan knows that Lena is a Caster, he does not understand her lack of agency until Ridley exposes her secret. When Lena tells Ethan that no one in her family controls their destiny, Ethan refuses to believe that such a thing is possible. He tells her that he does not believe in “[a]ll that destiny garbage. Nobody can decide what happens to you. Nobody but you” (191). Ethan starts to prove to Lena that they can decide their own fate when he dispels Sarafine from the house to save her. In fact, Lena’s family learns that Ethan and Lena’s love is so strong that “no Caster can come between them” (270). Even though Ethan is a Mortal, his love for Lena endows him with a Caster-type of power. This gives Lena hope that she may be able to choose her own fate, even though she finds it difficult to believe at times.
Genevieve’s one mistake takes away the free will of every Duchannes child. Now, every time a Duchannes child turns 16, “the Book will choose” for them if they will be Light or Dark (315). However, Ethan believes that the flashbacks prove that Lena can Claim herself if they can find the Book and break the curse. Ethan’s ability to have free will gives him hope that there is meaning behind the flashbacks and a way to give Lena agency.
Amma’s connection with The Greats mirrors Ivy’s connection with the Spirits in the Otherworld. Through a flashback, Ethan learns that Amma’s powers have been passed down through generations, like the Casters’. Ivy’s power stems from a direct connection to her ancestors and heritage as a Black woman in the South, in the same way that Amma’s power does. Both Amma and Ivy use their powers only when they need to and always with respect and reverence to their ancestors.
Amma and Ivy’s power contrasts sharply with Genevieve and Lena’s chaotic power. Genevieve’s individualism created the curse on the Duchannes family: She could not see past her grief over Ethan’s death to contemplate the consequences of her actions for future generations. Ivy tried to warn Genevieve that her attempt to bring Ethan back to life would cost her, although neither of them knew that she would curse her entire family for generations to come. This is a common motif in supernatural works: Magical powers have the potential to yield great things, but at a terrible price.
