The Beautiful (Beautiful, #1)

by Renée Ahdieh

#1 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.

'Incredibly ornate [and] lush . . . nail-biting and swoony and satisfying and tense all at the same time' Sabaa Tahir

In 1872, New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead.


But to seventeen-year-old Celine Rousseau, it's also a safe haven after she's forced to flee her life in Paris. Quickly enraptured by the vibrant city, from its music to its extravagant soirées and even its danger, she soon becomes embroiled in the city's glitzy underworld, and particularly the group known as La Cour des Lions.


But when a body is found in their lair, Celine is forced to battle her attraction for the group's enigmatic leader, Sébastien Saint Germain, and suspicions about his guilt, along with her own secrets.


As more bodies are discovered, New Orleans becomes gripped by the terror of a serial killer on the loose - one who seems to have Celine in his sights. But when she finally takes matters into her own hands, she finds herself caught in the midst of an age-old feud between the darkest creatures of the night, where the price of forbidden love is her life.

• ISBN10: 1529368138
• ISBN13: 9781529368130
• Publish Date: 8 October 2019
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 3 March 2021
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Hodder & Stoughton
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 448
• Language: English

Reviews

[mhintofg]

3.8

Instalove
No grieving after death
No shock after witnessing death
No feelings beside for their SO
Villain is some side character
No shock after discovering the supernatural exists
No character development
Not one developed character

[chillywilly]

I really wanted to like this book more, I just had a hard time getting through it. It was a slow start and I don't feel like it picked up until 75% way through. The author did leave a good cliffhanger for the second book though, so I will read it because I want to know what happens. The main character, Celine, was likable and witty. I think the main part of the story was about Celine finding a home in New Orleans and the relationships that she makes and the secondary plot was the murders.

[writehollydavis]

4.5/5. The Beautiful has the most beautiful writing!! Lovely descriptions, drool worthy prose, and a well crafted plot and cast of characters. I was so intrigued by the mysteries that unraveled as the story went on, including the other POV that finally gets revealed at the very end! I usually don't read historical fiction but this story drew me in and refused to let go. Can't wait for the sequel!

[Brittany]

This is more like a 3.5 for me. Overall I enjoyed it but the murder mystery stuff bored the life out of me. No fault to how it was done, that sort of thing just doesn’t interest me in books.

[tweetybugshouse]

This is a beautiful story one about wanting to find your place in life, wanting to love those you love, and developing a strong sense of confidence. I was not sure how it was going to play out as it reminds me a bit of some other vampire stories. I was blown away by this novel once you start you don’t want to stop.

The story starts out with Celine having flown from her previous life in Paris in the wake of a deep dark secret that she is deeply ashamed of. She living in a convent in the hopes of finding a secure man to marry. She develops a deep friendship with Piper and by chance one day is drawn into the dark underbelly of New Orleans.

Celine has no idea what or who she develop a love interest in and as the story unfolds all the delicious dark terror of the most haunting vampire scenes are unveiled. I was very sad about how the ending of this first book goes but i am ready to see what happens next in Celine in Bastien story. If you like dark vampire tales The Beautiful is perfect.

[Kat @ Novels & Waffles]

The Beautiful is full of rich, lavish, and utterly atmospheric writing that lives up to its name. However, for a book that promises vampires, there was a disturbing lack of just that.

THINGS I LIKED:
-The writing is utterly beautiful and completely luscious. Ahdieh knows how to use word choice to her advantage; she can create a velvety, sumptuous world with just a few sentences.

-I adored all the mouth-watering food descriptions, as well as the long paragraphs describing the fashions of the time and the colorful city of New Orleans. They were so vivid and vibrant!

THINGS I LIKED...LESS:
-Although the writing is undeniably beautiful, it was distracting at times. The author was so focused on creating a mood and crafting the perfect metaphor, that it took away from the action. It bogged down the pacing.

-There was too much inner dialogue, and not enough focus on the action. This led to the book dragging in places. Even though exciting things were happening (death!! murder!! intrigue!!), the writing style made me feel detached and distanced from it all.

-Ahdieh's stories are, first and foremost, romances. And yet, I couldn't get myself to care that much about the romance between Celine and Sèbastien.

-The mythology of the world felt hastily glossed over. Terms such as, "The Sylvan Vale," "The Sylvan Wyld," "The Brotherhood," and "The Fallen," were used briefly, but never fully explained. And while I don't necessarily want a gigantic info dump, some more clarity would have been nice. Hopefully things will become more understandable in Book 2.

- The big selling point of this book was VAMPIRES, but they were mysteriously absent for the majority of the story.

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[Quirky Cat]

The Beautiful is the first novel in a new series written by Renee Ahdieh. I knew that I had to pick this book up from the moment I saw the cover. I just go head over heels for simple and elegant designs. But then I kept hearing about The Beautiful, and I knew it was something worth following up on.
Set in 1872, New Orleans, The Beautiful follows Celine Rousseau. She’s moved to New Orleans from Paris thanks to a local convent. She may be running from her past, but that isn’t going to stop her from trying to make a new future here.
But there’s more than meets the eye happening in New Orleans. There’s a killer on the loose, and they’re targeting young and beautiful women. It’s only a matter of time before Celine finds herself in the killer’s sights.
Celine Rousseau has never been a woman to be intimidated. A serial killer being on the loose is not enough to change her plans. Or force her into hiding. That’s just the sort of person she is. She’s charming and determined all in one. And she’s going to find a way to take this serial killer down.
The Beautiful is a lovely mix of murder mystery and romance. And thus is perfect for anybody that finds themselves enjoying either genre – though ideally both. Oh, and did I mention that there are vampires involved? It is New Orleans, after all.

“We forget our dreams, but nightmares linger with us evermore.”

The Beautiful was a thrilling and fast-paced murder mystery novel. It seemed like Celine herself was determined to drive the plot forward, as she rushed headlong into danger again and again. It certainly made for a fascinating read!
Renee Ahdieh wasted no time in introducing us to this world of intrigue. Right off the bat, it’s clear that there’s something going on in Celine’s past, though the truth takes a while to be fully revealed. It is one of those secrets that grabs the reader’s attention and demands resolution.
From the description, I knew to anticipate something supernatural (aka: vampires). And I was not disappointed. I actually quite enjoyed the air of mystery placed upon them. I honestly would have loved to see more of La Cour des Lions and its inhabitants. Then again, this is the first in a series, so I’m sure my wish will be granted (with time).
I’ll be honest here: the romantic subplot did not go at all how I expected. And I’m not complaining about that fact. I actually love that it defied expectations and chose its own path (well, Ahdieh’s path).
I took a moment to check out other reviews before finishing my own, and it seems like The Beautiful was slightly hit or miss for some people. So my advice would be this: if you enjoy romance, murder mysteries, and supernatural creatures, then this is a novel worth checking out. If you don’t enjoy any one of those three elements, it might be best to just steer clear.
I for one enjoyed it, and I am looking forward to the next novel in the series (which has been titled The Damned, for anybody out there who is curious). I can’t wait to learn more about it!

For more reviews check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[liz089]

My second disappointment by one of my favourite authors in a short time. After struggling through Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo I was really hoping this one would lift my spirits again, but alas.

I don't know how it all went so wrong, but I just had so much trouble with this novel. I could not get a grasp on the plot at all. I was lost. I did not understand. I did not care.
It was so weird, but not in a good way. Of course, there is nothing wrong with not understanding what is going on at the beginning, and you're making your way through the story and things fall into place. But that last part never happened, I just... Don't get it.
I think mainly because of that I did not care about the characters or what was going on. It was all so confusing it kept distracting me from immerging into the story.
I don't know yet if I will read the second novel ?
This all sucks so much because I LOVE The Wrath and the Dawn, what happened ???

[girlinthepages]

We were all thinking the same thing, weren’t we? As soon as the news of a vampire YA book coming out hit, we were all hoping this would revive our emo little Twilight hearts (at least, this is certainly what happened to me). After many, many years of vampires being almost taboo in mainstream YA after the slew of paranormal novels that followed the Twilight craze, burning everyone out on the topic. I, however, always bemoaned the decline in popularity of paranormal YA literature so you can bet that when I heard of The Beautiful it instantly shot to the top of my 2019 must-read priority list. However, after the book’s release review after review came out stating it was…not what everyone was expecting it to be. Armed with that information, I was able to go into The Beautiful with reasonable expectations and was overall able to mostly enjoy it for what it was- which was NOT the revival of vampires in YA that we were all expecting.

I would primarily categorize The Beautiful as a historical fiction novel, which is great! I love historical fiction. Set in the late 1800s, it follows protagonist Celine as she flees Paris and arrives in New Orleans determined to start over. Celine was an apprentice of a master dress maker in Paris, and I loved reading about the creations that she makes and the historical detail that goes into the descriptions of clothing in the novel. It’s unique and is a trait that sets Celine apart from other protagonists. Her skill with a needle leads to her introduction to a set a rich, mysterious group of wealthy folks from New Orleans who are part of a “court” which ultimately leads sets the stage for the paranormal activity to begin, driven by the continued mysterious murders of young women happening across the city. But there’s still not really any overt signs that “this is a vampire novel happening” even after Celine becomes involved with the court.

While there were not as many vampires as I would have hoped, like vampire novels of past there IS a love triangle. Now I don’t mind a love triangle if it is well done, however I just couldn’t bring myself to care about either love interest and honestly thought Celine was way more interesting than both of them. The main love interest, Bastien, really felt like a “this is what a hot, mysterious historical fictional alpha male love interest” should be and I really didn’t feel like he had a personality until maybe the end of the book. I was much more intrigued by the female cast of characters, from Pippa, Celine’s new best friend who is running from her own demons in England to Odette, a mysterious member of the court who claims she is a seer. It was also hinted that everyone in the court had some sort of paranormal power but this was all really glossed over and never really explained in detail and I personally kept forgetting who the different members of the court were *shrug* It was also hard to really feel the stakes because I felt like I didn’t have any backstory on the court, their powers, Bastien’s scary uncle, etc. Basically any part of the story that wasn’t about Celine’s own journey was sort of lost on me.

The end of the book ended on quite a big cliffhanger, and the events lead me to believe that the sequel will actually focus more on vampires and the paranormal than this novel did. Despite some of my lackluster thoughts on this particular story, I’m intrigued enough to continue on and hope that book two will bring more vampires to the table.

Overall: While The Beautiful was a book rich in setting, description, and personality of the protagonist, it really lacked substance and definitely lacked vampires. The writing was pretty and I’m intrigued enough to continue on with the second book (though it’s not at the top of my TBR) I don’t feel it’s a book that’s really going to stick as a staple in the YA paranormal genre- although hopefully it is hinting at a revival of it!This review was originally posted on Girl in the Pages