The Beautiful was my White Whale of 2019. I read an early extract and fell in love with it, but was unable to get my hands on an ARC to read ahead of release *choked sobbing* But the book was worth the wait!
About The Beautiful
Publisher: Penguin Teen | Release Date: October 8, 2019 | Pages: 448
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy | Format: Hardcover | Source: Purchased
In 1872, New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead. But to seventeen-year-old Celine Rousseau, New Orleans provides her a refuge after she’s forced to flee her life as a dressmaker in Paris. Taken in by the sisters of the Ursuline convent along with six other girls, Celine quickly becomes enamored with the vibrant city from the music to the food to the soirées and—especially—to the danger. She soon becomes embroiled in the city’s glitzy underworld, known as La Cour des Lions, after catching the eye of the group’s leader, the enigmatic Sébastien Saint Germain. When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in the lair of La Cour des Lions, Celine battles her attraction to him and suspicions about Sébastien’s guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret.
When more bodies are discovered, each crime more gruesome than the last, Celine and New Orleans become gripped by the terror of a serial killer on the loose—one Celine is sure has set her in his sights . . . and who may even be the young man who has stolen her heart. As the murders continue to go unsolved, Celine takes matters into her own hands and soon uncovers something even more shocking: an age-old feud from the darkest creatures of the underworld reveals a truth about Celine she always suspected simmered just beneath the surface.
At once a sultry romance and a thrilling murder mystery, master storyteller Renée Ahdieh embarks on her most potent fantasy series yet: The Beautiful.
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My Review for The Beautiful
Narrative style: third person | Perspective(s): single (Celine with mystery Vampire POV)
Friends, I know this sounds dramatic, but CALL THE POLICE! I’ve been personally victimized by this amazing book. The writing is lush and captivating, the characters are vivid, and the chemistry between characters oozes off the page. Honestly, it has been three months since I read this book and I could write this review from memory. (Which is no small feat since I have the memory of a goldfish.)
The atmosphere of this book is all-encompassing. Set in 1870s New Orleans, the city comes alive for the reader. I’ve been there once and felt like the book transported me back onto its streets. The lush descriptions paint such a full picture of being there and draws in the senses. Food is an important part of the city’s culture so it has a place of importance in the story and how Celine experiences New Orleans. The city itself is definitely a character in its own right.
The pacing of the book is slow at first. You can tell that Ahdieh was focused on the atmosphere and slowly building it up as the plot progresses towards the climax. I was so enraptured by the characters and setting that I didn’t mind the pacing, but it may be difficult for some readers, especially if you are coming in expecting an action-packed vampire tale. I thought that Ahdieh did a fantastic job weaving tension into the narrative with the Vampire POV; I was hopelessly hooked from start to finish!
“I am not the worst thing that’s ever happened to me, nor am I the worst thing I’ve ever done. Nothing in life is that simple.”
This is a narrative – barring the Secret Murdering Vampire POV – that delves into the inner thoughts and feelings of the main character Celine. At 17, she has fled her home in Paris to escape her past and start life anew at the Ursuline convent in New Orleans. Her past haunts her and she is fearful it will catch up with her. She’s at a crossroads of who she fears she will be (inner darkness) and who she wants to be.
“Every place she went, life insisted on confining her.”
Celine feels trapped by not only her past but also society and its expectations of her. It’s the 1870s after all, so her fierce and independent nature is looked down upon by pretty much everyone. The life she thought she would have is no longer within reach, but she isn’t quite sure she wants the one waiting for her either.
“Knowing who you are is necessary in order to determine who you want to be.”
The Beautiful draws on the multicultural history of the city and is gloriously diverse. I love the sense of feeling accepted and home that Celine feels straight away in NOLA because of it is a blending of so many cultures. This is historical fantasy done right: accurate for the times but not falling into the traps of being racist and sexist. Celine and other characters buck at the expectations of society, while others prefer subterfuge.
“She wanted to create something and be part of the world instead of merely observing it.”
I loved the characters of this book. Bastien and his Panama hat. Odette with her pretty dresses and pants “Some days I adore wearing corsets and dresses. But sometimes it pays to wear pants.” Pippa and her steadfast friendship to Celine. Every single one of them (and more) are fully realized with their own desires and backstories. Celine is just doing her best but she makes mistakes and is a flawed character, which I appreciate.
“You’re nothing like them. They’re leeches. You’re a lion.”
The romance and chemistry between Bastien and Celine is the slowest burn, and friends, I am here for it. Their chemistry oozes off of the page whenever they are in the same room, a certain kind of magnetism that I don’t often find depicted well in books. The longing and desire is intense. (Unrelated but I just remembered the ending of the book and am in need of the sequel right now.)
I know some people were disappointed that the plot kind of dances around the vampires, who don’t really show up until the end of the book. And that is a valid complaint, although for me I was so enthralled with Celine and her story that it didn’t bother me at all. For me, this was a compelling coming-of-age romance with some paranormal mysteries I wanted to uncover. There is a secret vampire perspective interwoven into the story and I was sleuthing to figure out who he was. Everything was built up so well to the climax and The Damned is set up so well, I need it. Now. Please?
I absolutely loved The Beautiful with every ounce of my being and it is one of my favorite books from 2019. I was swept away by the beautiful writing and transported 150 years into the past. I dream of beignets. And Bastien. But this is more than just a paranormal romance with vampires; it’s a coming of age story and love letter to the city of New Orleans. Celine, like the city, is biracial and This is a book where it pays to just be drawn into the narrative and just let it flow around you, answers do come at the end of the book and thankfully we have a short wait for The Damned.
Representation: biracial rep, racially diverse world, lgbtqiap+ (Odette is lesbian & also might be genderfluid)
Content warnings: attempted rape, blood, death, murder, violence
More Books by Renee Ahdieh
Have you read The Beautiful yet, or is it on your TBR? Who is your favorite vampire of all-time? (Mine is Spike!)
great review!! I keep HEARING GOOD THINGS ABOUT THIS so of course I need it now!
Ugh this book is so good, I honestly can’t wait for The Damned to be in my hands because I have a mighty need. I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did!
I am so happy to hear you liked this book! I have read some mixed reviews and have been in doubt whether I should buy a copy and read it or not. But after reading your review I know I am going to read this book <3
Oh wow, I am so honored that my review has encouraged you off of the fence, I hope that you enjoy the book as much as I did!
I’m so happy you loved this! I have a copy but just haven’t had time to get to it. I’ve seen so many mixed reviews that I’ve been a little hesitant, but you’ve renewed my excitement!
Yea this seems to be a pretty polarizing book depending on what your expectations are when you go into reading it. It’s such a beautiful story with lush writing though, so I hope you enjoy it when you have the chance to pick it up!
Oh wow, this is an amazing review, Kal! I’ve heard mixed reviews about this book, but your review is really detailed and really intrigued me now. Glad to hear you loving this book!
Thank you so much, and I;m glad you are intrigued now! The book is really lovely, but I think expectations can really make or break a book. I get why there are mixed reviews, but since I wasn’t really looking for vampire-heavy story, I wasn’t disappointed by them being relegated mostly to the sequel.
I’m so glad that you loved this book as much as you did, Kal! I agree with you 10000% about the lush, atmospheric writing – that was something that really stood out for me as well. Sadly, I wasn’t really a huge fan of the romance myself, and ended up being slightly disappointed, but isn’t it so great that one book can elicit so many different feelings and reactions from different readers. BOOKS ARE MAGIC!!!
Awww, I am sorry to hear that the romance left you a bit disappointed! I kind of loved Bastien from the first time we met him, but since the romance is such a big part of the story itself, I can see how not being a fan would hamper a reading experience. BOOKS ARE INDEED MAGIC, though! Thanks for reading & sharing your thoughts! xoxo
AHH THE BEAUTIFUL!! I loved reading this.
The characters were definitely a hit and they’re now my favourite.
I think my favourite vampire is probably Selene from the Underworld franchise! But what I’ve seen of Spike he seems to be a good contender.
AHHH, I am so glad you also loved this one! (I feel like we have very similar reading tastes!) I loved the characters so much and honestly it’s been months and I can’t stop thinking about this book. And Spike is bae.
The Beautiful is on my TBR! And wow your review sounds so amazing, Kal. I can’t wait to get my hands on this book 😀
Oh my gosh, I hope you love it as much as I do! I honestly want to read it again but can’t do that to myself without the sequel in hand
This is one I’m really excited for myself, glad to see you giving it such high praise!
I hope you enjoy the book as much as I do, Lisa! I legit think about this book a lot.
This is moving higher and higher on my TBR with every review I read, and I don’t even like vampires that much. 😂 But really, it sounds so immersive and full, and I love that??? Also, why do I have a suspicion that I’m going to LOVE Odette? I am…so predictable…
Really, though, great review!!
GOOD. Honestly, not liking vampires much probably means you will really enjoy this book because they aren’t really much of a prominent part until the end. The writing is so immersive and lush, and honestly it’s been months and I keep thinking about the book. Odette is an icon
I’m glad you enjoyed this book so much. I’ve heard many good things about it but I’m still hesitant to pick it up. Maybe because it’s young adult and I own way too many vampire books already. I can’t just pick one favorite vampire but I think my all time faves are Spike (of course!) and Kol Mikaelson. There’s too many amazing vampire characters in both TV shows and books, so I could spend whole day talking about them.
I am actually surprised you haven’t read this one yet because you love vampires so much, but I actually get the whole “I have so much” already. The book doesn’t read as YA if that makes sense? There’s definitely crossover appeal, especially since so much of Celine’s struggles and growth are related to the murder she ran away from.
I mean YOU ALREADY KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS BOOK. This book is just so wonderful and I am so excited for the next book in the series!!!
THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD! I really need The Damned in my life immediately, hopefully arcs will be available soon since the pub date was moved up a week!
I need to read this NOW. It’s been screaming at me from the shelf. But now, I want to wait until The Damned is about to be released! Gorgeous review as always! I love knowing that New Orleans is well-represented as it’s one of my favorite cities!
YES YOU DO! I swear, I know you will probably fall for Bastien and his stupid Panama Hat and we can screech about him <3 The book is so atmospheric and really transported me back to NOLA!
Wonderful review, Kal!! I’m so glad that you enjoyed this one! Although I was never able to get into this one, I completely agree that the atmosphere and slow burn romance between Celene and Bastien is superb! Ahdieh truly has talent for creating angsty romances and lush atmospheres! I loved many of the side characters and the multicultural aspect of New Orleans, but for whatever reason, I could not become invested in the overall plot. I’m really glad that it worked out for you and became a favorite read of the year! <3
Thank you so much for your comment, and I am sorry to hear this one didn’t completely blow you away. It’s always so frustrating when you enjoy a book but for some reason – that you can’t figure out – it doesn’t pop for you and spark intense feelings.
I was excited about this one for the vampires originally but I have been warned enough to know that it is not really going to vampire a lot. So now I am mostly excited for this one because I am here for the lush and captivating writing, and here for the characters and romance. I am still excited, but it has shifted for me!
YESSSSS good way to alter your expectations going in! the book is really lush and atmospheric, and the vampires are set up well for book 2, so hopefully you will enjoy the book as much as I do!
OMG Mystery Vamp POV and you said the slowest of burns and I was like ‘OMGGGGGG’ I have this from the fairyloot box and I really wanted to read it in October but it escaped me, thanks to you, it’s going on my Pondathon TBR NOW.
Muahahahaa, yes read it my pretty and then screech at me in DMs. For reasons.