Renee Ahdieh
Published By: Hoddel and Stroughton
Publication Date: October 8, 2019
Date Read: August 26, 2019
Genre: YA - Paranormal Romance
Source: ARC from Hodder
Format: Paperback
Pages: 432
From Goodreads:
New York Times bestselling author Renée Ahdieh returns with a sumptuous, sultry and romantic new series set in 19th century New Orleans where vampires hide in plain sight.
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 Le Cour des Lions, after catching the eye of the group's leader, the enigmatic Sèbastien Saint Germain. When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in the lair of Le Cour des Lions, Celine battles her attraction to him and suspicions about Sèbastien'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.
"When life becomes difficult, the only source of strength we have is love. Love of others, love of self, love of life in its entirety."
There are no words to explain just how excited I am to have already read The Beautiful. I am a huge fan of Renee Ahdieh and have read all of her books to date and loved them all. I was so excited to see her go into a new genre and I have to say I loved every single second of this book.
The Beautiful is very different from Renee's previous books and honestly, I think this may be my favourite of hers to date. It's dark, romantic and unputdownable. The Beautiful is set in 1800s New Orleans, a city ran by vampires. Celine has just arrived in New Orleans and finds that there seems to be a string of murders. Never one to back away from danger she is determined to find the culprit before someone else is killed... but has she just put herself in the killers sights?
One thing I adored about this book is that it is not your typical YA vampire book. I was so excited to see a new vampire book but at the same time a little bit worried, as I feel like vampire romance books were so overdone back a few years ago after the rise of Twilight. I needn't have worried at all! This is not your typical vampire romance. It is so, so much more and it was beautiful and perfect. I am a sucker for anything serial killer-eske so to find that at the forefront of this story was perfect for me. I was so engrossed in this story and trying to figure out who the killer was. I loved that it was essentially a murder mystery but with vampires and magical creatures. I loved every single second of it.
Renee Ahdieh is one of my all time favourite authors and this book shows why. She's strayed away from her typical genre of epic high fantasy, and honestly she does paranormal/mystery even better. I don't think there is anything this woman can write that I won't fall in love with. The world was incredible. Her world building of 1800s New Orleans was fantastic and I truly felt like I was in that time period while I was reading it. The glitz, the glamour and the danger was all entwined in this fantastic tale. The characters were just incredible. I loved Celine and how she is warring with a darkness within herself and how she is drawn to the magical Court of the Lions. And don't even get me started on Sebastian. He is just the most incredible character and I am well and truly in love!
The Beautiful was everything I could have wanted and more. It was stunning and beautiful and there are no words to truly describe my utter love and obsession with this book. It is one of my favourite reads of the year so far. I already just want to go back and read it again and cherish every word. I am so excited for the second book already. If there is one book you're going to read this Autumn/Fall then make sure it is this one. You will not be disappointed. Come to the dark side and get caught up in the gorgeous and dangerous Court of the Lions.
"Love of any kind is a weapon to be used against you, when weilded by the right hand."
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