Secrets, strangers, and curses will lure you into the first book of the New York Times bestselling contemporary gothic fantasy series, where a stirring paranormal romance unfolds in an isolated southern town. Perfect for fans of Cassandra Clare and Maggie Stiefvater.

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps, and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who's been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

"A potent mix of the gothic, the mythic, and the magical ... With original characters, complex world building, and crackling prose, this is masterful storytelling." —Deborah Harkness, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Discovery of Witches

An instant New York Times bestseller
A William Morris YA Debut Award finalist
A New York Public Library "Book for the Teen Age"

Read the Beautiful Creatures series:
Beautiful Creatures
Beautiful Darkness
Beautiful Chaos
Beautiful Redemption