Book Review:
Title: The Beautiful
Author: Renee Ahdieh
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
I received an early copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
“Don’t fall in love with me,” she warned again, her words breathless. “You’re not good for me. And I’m not good for you.”
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.
Having read the Flame in the Mist duology and now The Beautiful, I can honestly say that no one writes descriptions of food quite like Renee Ahdieh can. One simply cannot read a book by Renee without feeling hungry - the descriptions are exquisite.
If you're someone who loves to really visualise what your reading or you struggle to visualise books, I'd recommend trying a Renee Ahdieh book. I think that's what I love most about Renee's writing and books - the way she describes everything, from the food, to the people, to the world she has built - her descriptions are always just so on point and vivid.
The Beautiful is set in 1872, New Orleans, and I'm not going to lie, I don't know much about that time period, but Renee's descriptions and imagery of the world seemed vividly realistic and authentic. Just the general atmosphere she created through the clothing and the mannerisms of the characters, it all really came together.
Although I must admit, occasionally I was hoping for a bigger focus on moving the plot along and less focus on descriptions - at times I did find myself waiting for something exciting to happen again and for me to become completely immersed in the story.
The best stories are the ones where you feel like you've only been reading for 20 minutes, but really you've devoured half of the book, and while sometimes this did happen (more so near the end,) it did feel a little slow and repetitive at times. But if you're someone who really appreciates a fleshed out world and atmosphere, then this is a book for you.
The characters were another high point in this book for me. Celine is a great protagonist, who doesn't take any shit from anyone and will happily stick up for herself. Growing up in a time period where women aren't appreciated or respected enough is not easy by any means, but Celine doesn't let it stop her - she's fierce and loyal.
Bastien was another great character - quite mysterious! My favourite thing about him was that he never really treated Celine as an inferior - he spoke to and treated her exactly as he spoke to and treated his male friends.
Also, we got Vampires!! The biggest thing I was excited about when this book was first announced was that Renee was bringing Vampires back! When I was younger, I was very much into paranormal romances so this was very exciting news for me, especially since I think Vampires went out of fashion before we could really explore more complex directions a Vampire story can take.
I think Renee did a great job of encompassing a very new, intriguing and mysterious take on them, but I was left wanting just a little more.
We kind of get small hints about there being Vampires, but they don't really fully come into play until the end of the book, and even then it's still quite tame and vague-ish. I guess I was expecting more blood-sucking and other Vampire-ish things.
BUT, from how the book ended (which was just cruel!) I think we will get a much more forefront view of Vampires in the sequel which I am so excited for! Ms Ahdieh really knows how to leave you craving more, like a Vampire trying to get their next fix of blood!
Overall, I think The Beautiful was a great start to this duology and I can't wait to see where Renee takes Celine and Bastien's story! It looks like is going to be one angsty romantic ride (which is simply my cup of tea!)
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