The Beautiful (The Beautiful Quartet)

Quick Stats: Overall: 5/5 Stars Characters: 5/5 Setting: 5/5 Writing: 5/5 Plot and Themes: 4.5/5 Awesomeness Factor: 5/5 “We forget our dreams, but nightmares linger with us evermore.” // Content Warning: Violence, Death, Gun Violence, Torture, Rape Mention, Rape, Murder, Racism, Racist Slurs, Misogyny // “There was no way for us to turn back. The tinder has been collected. The match has been struck. Only one of us can survive the fires of Hell.” Release Date: 10/8/2019 Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers Page Count: 448 Premise: The Beautiful follows Celine as she flees her life in Paris and goes to New Orleans. Staying in the convent, Celine falls in love with the city she's taken refuge in. But when young girls start being found dead, Celine must delve into the dark underworld of the city to find the murderer. “I am the spider. I set silken traps. I watch as you step into my web. I wait to strike. But do not fear. I promise I will never forget you.” - Writing & Setting- There are two aspects of this book that I think are causing people to not enjoy it. The first- the writing. If you’re familiar with Renee Ahdieh’s books, then you know her writing style. The prose is elegant, while still including fun banter between the characters and interesting asides. The majority of the book is in 3rd person, following Celine and Bastien, but there are 1st person chapters interjected, told from the point of view of the mystery murderer. While I loved each perspective, I think the mystery murderer was the most interesting (plus they quoted Aida so I love them now). However, the reason I think the writing might be a downside to some people, is that it’s a little dense. If you’ve read Renee Ahdieh, this will be no surprise to you (in fact, I think her writing has gotten even better than previous books), but if you’re coming into this expecting something easy to jump into, you’ll be disappointed. There is a benefit to the denseness of her writing- it really, really helps set the scene and make the setting feel alive. You can tell Renee Ahdieh did her research when writing this book. The way she describes the food and fashion of the time is absolutely mesmerizing. She captures the sights and smells of 1870’s New Orleans so well, you feel transported there while you’re reading. “No matter where she went, danger followed. And it horrified her. Just as it thrilled her.” - Plot - Now for the second reason why people might not like this book (or why they might love it!)- the plot. This book is primarily a romance, with a hint of murder mystery, but overall it’s heavily character driven. This book is about Celine, Bastien, and the murderer. It’s about uncovering each characters past and seeing how and why it’s influencing the present. I know a lot of people were excited about the vampires, but the entire vampire aspect really doesn’t play a large role until the latter half of the book, and even then, it isn’t quite what most people (myself included) expected. I think a lot of people were thinking this book would be more like Twilight or other previous YA paranormal romances, but the paranormal aspect really doesn’t come to play until close to the end. For the majority of the book, it’s a historical romance with an interesting mystery. Despite it not being what I expected, I really did love the plot of this book. It was a little slower, but it was so worth it. And when the plot picks up, it picks up. I didn’t want this book to end. The twists and reveals were amazing, and the suspense was killing me throughout the book. I couldn’t put it down. “I am not so captivated by the beautiful, monsieur. For I know beauty is only a moment in time.” - Characters - The Beautiful has a few important characters, and I love them all so much. Celine, the main protagonist, is such a strong character, whose backstory is really interesting. I wish I could elaborate more on it, but no spoilers. I will just say- they handled it really well. Bastien, the main love interest, is such a fun character. Their romance is rooted in them being equals (and Shakespeare). The side characters are also really compelling, all of them were well rounded and interesting on their own. My only complaint is that by the end, some of the character motivations (and a little bit of the paranormal stuff) are a little murky. And by some of the characters, I really just mean one specific character. However, I think this will all be dealt with in the sequel. Have I mentioned yet that I’m dying for the sequel?! “The truth is not always what you see.” - Conclusion - Pros- Great characters, great writing, great world-- basically great everything Cons- Don’t go into this book expecting your typical paranormal romance. It’s a lot slower and denser than your average vampire book, but it's still amazing! Overall- 5/5 stars. While I can understand why someone may not love this book, I still would recommend it to anyone who is interested. This is definitely one of my favorite books of the year. But oh god that ending killed me and I don’t know how to cope. “It always ends in blood.”

The Beautiful was one of my most anticipated fall reads for this year and I have to say that Renee Ahdieh out did herself with this one! While it wasn’t the full fledge vampire tale my dark little heart was pining for, it was still a darkly, beautiful tale indeed. Celine escapes her past in Paris by venturing with other girls to New Orleans where they are meant to better themselves and find suitable husbands and all that jazz of the 1800s life for young women. We quickly learn that Celine actually killed a man, though the circumstances of why filter through later on, but after knowing Celine for a handful of pages, you know it’s not something she would’ve done lightly. Celine is a seamstress and when another young woman named Odette asks her to create a gorgeous gown for the upcoming costume masquerade, she agrees despite the Mother Superior of the convent advising against it. It’s when she and her friend, Pippa, another of the girls from the convent are off to meet Odette for measurement that they meet the mysterious Sebastien Saint Germain. While other girls normally swoon, Celine isn’t as impressed and already we have moments strife with tension brewing between these two. During this time the body of a young girl is found brutally murdered and a second body appears the day after Celine meets Sebastien. I will admit that the pacing to this one was a little slower than I expected. It wasn’t bad as there’s marvelous story development happening along the way, but all the while I kept wondering where are my vampires? Sadly, they are not necessarily front and center in this story as I had hoped but they are there in the shadows hiding somewhere. It’s really not until the very end that they make an appearance while before they were only alluded to. I was making suspicions over the who’s and what’s and was rather surprised by the outcome. Renee is definitely a master at writing those slow-burning, hate-to-love romances! I feel like her previous duologies had this sort of amnesty between the characters before they submitted to their building feelings. Though I have to say there’s a slight difference to this one. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly but as you’re reading you’ll notice it in the most subtle of ways. For while Celine and Bastien weren’t head over heels for one another at first glance, there was still an attraction that was immediate between them, yet, of course, because of circumstances, they could not pursue anything. What I found interesting about this one within the murder mystery was getting excerpts from the killer’s point of view. It was slightly trippy in some sense as Celine and Sebastien’s points of view were told in third person, then the killer pop ups and it’s first person. It did make that point of view stand out from the others but as I said, it was sort of trippy if you know what I mean! Lol. I feel like there’s still a LOT we don’t know about this story and the wait for The Damned will likely drive me insane! A great deal happened in the final moments of the book and soooo many other things were revealed that had me gasping in shock! It was seriously one surprise after another! And while I found it exciting when reading, it all came to a crashing halt when reality kicked in that I have another 8 months of waiting for the sequel! The ending was a jaw-dropping experience and that’s putting it mildly! I went into The Beautiful expecting a sweeping tale of vampires, romance, and murder and while two out of the three isn’t bad, I was pining for those vampires! Yes, they are in the story to some extent, but I was hoping for a more focal point of view of them. Alas, it seems I will be getting just that in the sequel possibly, it’s that pesky matter of waiting that I hate contending with. I suppose if I’ve waited nearly 10 years for a fresh tale of vampires I can wait another 8 months…*grumbling* The Beautiful was not the vampire tale I was hoping for, instead I was swept away with a dark mystery filled with murder and suspense! The characters were absolutely pleasing and relatable and this book was pretty much everything else I had hoped it to be and I would absolutely recommend this one to anyone really. Just be aware that the vampires, while there, are a little hard to find…this time around! Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars

So…this book, “The Beautiful”, was totally unexpected and hooked me from the beginning with a mysterious murder. I read this book using the Kindle app and listening to the narration after downloading the whisper sync technology through Amazon & Audible, which is pretty handy especially with this book that includes lots of French words that I alone would have butchered completely. The narrators accents, pronunciation and inflection were such a great bonus to the authors story. Anyway, I had to know what happened especially with the multiple pov’s alternating from our two main characters and the killer. I hadn’t expected to like it so much. I’m really glad I came across this book and can’t wait to read the sequel, “The Damned”. I appreciate the author giving us strong female characters that don’t take any crap from the guys. Our main character, Celine, isn’t afraid to speak her mind and I admire that trait. While I really liked this book, I do wish the book was longer, had more world building and more angst between to two main characters but I always want more lol I enjoyed the friendship between Celine and her female friends, Odette & Pippa- makes me long for such loyal friends. Anyway, I’m off to go start “The Damned” 😉

This is the first book by Renée Ahdieh that I have read. I have her other books, but I haven't had the chance to read them yet. I was drawn to this one because of that absolutely stunning cover, and the fact that I wanted to read something a little different and darker - and the whole subject of vampires and late 1800's New Orleans really intrigued me. I noticed that a lot of other people, including reviewers that I really trust when it comes to what books I tend to read, rated this one a little lower than I expected. I still bought it and read it anyway. "New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead." Seventeen year old Celine, a girl who is skilled with making beautiful gowns and studied under some of the most impressive in Paris, where she lived, has found herself setting sail to America - New Orleans to be exact - after horrible events unfold in her home. She refuses to be arrested - or worse, executed - so she runs away to make a new life for herself, where she can leave her past behind her. Only as usual, the past has a way of not staying there. When Celine and her friend, Pippa, meet Odette, a striking young woman who is searching for a gown for a party, Celine agrees to make her one. When Celine goes into the city to find Odette, she gets more than she bargained for. "Proper young women certainly wouldn't feel so enlivened by the very idea of danger. Nor would they already be seeking out the next chance to feel their hearts pound in their ears and their faces flush as though they were close to a candle flame." Celine meets Bastien, a young man with a very different worldview and a lot of mystery behind him - and she instantly develops feelings for him, despite her character denying it. Bastien is dangerous, and Celine is tired of being the good girl, and wants something a little dangerous in her life. Unfortunately, the murder of another girl who lives at the convent with Celine and Pippa starts off a mystery - especially when a symbol is present next to the murdered girl. "They were like two trains set on a collision course. Better for all those involved if they did not relish each other's company. At least that way they could avoid colliding at all." As Celine continues to meet Odette to work on her dress, and as she and Bastien fight feelings for each other and finally admit that they are fond of each other's company, more murders pop up - each time they happen it occurs around Celine. So Bastien and Celine try to fight their feelings and stay away from each other, but it doesn't help when Celine realizes that she needs his help to trap and stop a killer - and she can't do it alone. "The first time Celine had visited Jacques', she'd come to the conclusion that the members of La Cour des Lions were not ordinary humans. Of course that knowledge raised the question: if they weren't exactly human, then what were they?" Celine finds herself taken up in a whirlwind of immorality, evil, murder, and falling in love with someone forbidden - all while trying to figure out who killed these innocent victims, why, and how. Part of me is glad that I picked this one up. Another part of me feels as though I honestly could have skipped it. This book had a lot of issues for me, particularly with the pacing and the way it just took forever to get anywhere. This is the kind of book that I felt could have wrapped up about one hundred pages less than what's here...there was just so much detail (maybe a bit too much in this case), and as far as vampires go, there wasn't really anything vampire-related for like the first 3/4 of the book. That was a huge bummer. The characters were also so difficult to really develop any kind of feelings for. Character development in this book was almost nonexistent, and aside from Celine's friend, Pippa, I honestly didn't have any feelings toward any of them one way or the other. The characters just felt kind of flat and really basic, with not so much flair behind them to make them memorable. The setting and world building of this book was beautiful, however, and I found myself drawn to the beautiful New Orleans of the 1870s. Renée Ahdieh did such a great job of painting this picture and bringing the past to life. I almost felt like I was there. I've never actually been to New Orleans (and obviously I wasn't around in 1872 either), but I felt like through this book, I hopped into a time machine and went back to this time and place and had the chance to experience it. I enjoyed that. The murder mystery aspect of The Beautiful was interesting - I did find myself wondering what the symbols next to all the victims was about, and I especially didn't guess who the killer was - totally didn't see that one coming. If you like Renée Ahdieh's other books, then don't skip this one. If it's an action-filled book with plenty of vampires, this isn't really for you. I am eager to see what Renée Ahdieh does with the sequel to this one, though - I'll definitely pick it up because I'm really eager to see how that ending played out into the next book.

I have read all of Renee Ahdieh's books at this point. I usually stick to Kindle Unlimited but did try The Beautiful based on a recommendation and then read all of her others. I think this series is the author's best. Her character development has improved over time and the chemistry between Celine and Bastian is tangible. Celine is a terrific female character - strong, resourceful and loyal. Bastian is flawed but has a good soul. I like the overlay of the fey world and how that develops in the sequel, The Damned, but I felt that there was not enough time given to a description of how that world shattered - perhaps we will get more details on the third installment of the series. I think the author's biggest strength is not necessarily in individual character development but in developing the emotional connection between her lead male and female characters. You simply cant imagine them with anyone else and see them as better together than apart despite all the adversity they face. This was similar to character development in the author's earlier series but was stronger and more well defined in The Beautiful. In all honestly I have pre-ordered the third book in this series. If you like the paranormal and romance you will enjoy this series.

This book was absolutely amazing! I even bought the second book in the series when I was only 1/4 of the way into it, knowing I was going to love it and want to continue reading the series. This author writes so beautifully and lyrically. I’m able to picture New Orleans from a time long ago. It was fully immersive and I can’t wait to dive into the next book. It also has me guessing because I didn’t know who was possibly a villain and who was a hero. I’m definitely a fan of this author now!

When I first heard about this book I was excited to read it. Having always been a vampire fan, I thought this one sounded a bit unique compared to the books that I have read in the past, and I was right. I had some initial concerns about the setting being in 19th century New Orleans, but those concerns were quickly laid aside. The setting for the book was perfect, and Andieh worked her characters and story into the fabric of 19th century New Orleans perfectly. The plot of the story was particularly intriguing and added a little bit of additional mystery to the story. I also found the story to be engaging and suspenseful. I didn't want to put the book down, and finished it fairly quickly. I also particularly enjoyed the characters. I specifically found Celine to be intriguing. Andieh did a fantastic job of giving her an interesting backstory that supported her actions throughout the rest of the book. I really enjoyed Andieh's writing style. She was easy to read and the pacing was very consistent throughout the book. I didn't feel like the book was rushed nor did I feel as though the book was slow. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and I'm looking forward to reading the next installment in the series.

I was in need of beautiful writing and gripping storytelling and I knew that Renée Ahdieh would deliver. I love her writing, I was sucked into the story from the beginning. I know there have been quite a few reviews complaining that there were not vampires until the end of the book. So I want to address this first, this isn’t really the case. Now hear me out I think the issue is vampire culture has changed over the years (twilight onward). I’m not criticizing the change so don’t come after me, but this book relies on old vampire lore knowledge. They are everywhere in the book if you know how to look for them. I loved this book. I liked that I finally got a vampire book to read that sticks to the old culture, maybe I am just showing my age but oh well. I personally just can not get into the “twilight age” of vampire books. This is going to be either you love it or you hate it kind of book. So I am interested in seeing your thoughts below if you liked it or not. The next book in this series is supposed to be out on June 2, 2020, and I really hope that the date does not change. I cannot wait to pick it up.