The Damned (Beautiful, #2)

by Renée Ahdieh

New York Times bestselling author Renée Ahdieh returns with the second instalment of her new sumptuous, sultry and romantic series, The Beautiful.

'Singularly original' Sabaa Tahir, author of An Ember in the Ashes

Forced to flee her home in Paris, Celine Rousseau hoped New Orleans would be a haven, where she could lead a new life in safety. But before long she was drawn into its dark underbelly by the enigmatic leader of the group known as La Cour des Lions, Sébastien Saint Germain.

Loving him has proved costly: still recovering from injuries sustained during a night she can't quite remember, Celine's dreams are troubled. And a chain of events has been set in motion that could unveil a truth about herself she is not ready to learn - and even lead to her demise.

Now cursed and changed forever, Sébastien, too, has not emerged unscathed, while the tenuous treaty between the Fallen and the Brotherhood has been broken beyond repair. War between the immortals seems imminent.

Forces hiding in the shadows have been patiently waiting for this moment. And just as Bastien and Celine begin to uncover the danger around them, they realise their love could tear them apart . . .

Praise for Renée Ahdieh

'One of YA's biggest rising stars' Entertainment Weekly

'Wholly satisfying' The Nerd Daily

'Will leave you wanting so much more' Seventeen

'Lushly atmospheric' Publishers Weekly

• ISBN10: 1529368340
• ISBN13: 9781529368345
• Publish Date: 7 July 2020
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 17 August 2022
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Hodder & Stoughton
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 416
• Language: English

Reviews

[chillywilly]

Definitely liked this one much better than the first one. This one moved a little bit faster than the last. The romance is slow due to the plot line but the action is more abundant. We learn more about the world the characters are living in this time around as well. Some of the previous mysteries of book one that were mentioned with no explanation as to what any of it meant are answered. There's less repetition of thoughts and feelings as well. We don't have Celine going on and on for a full page about the same thing. We actually get more of Bastien's perspective this time and a few others are thrown in as well, which seemed a little out of place even though it kept the book moving. The book ends on another cliff hanger but its not nearly has dramatic as the first book. I feel like it ends but doesn't necessarily leave the reader with wanting more.

[littleread1]

Is this ... a duology or no? Because I have questions. The story moved through a lot of events and revelations pretty quickly with minimal reactions and left a LOT of things (basically everything) unresolved. So, if this is the last book in the series I would have to say 2 stars. If there is more coming, then 4, which is why I settled on 3. I legitimately can't find info at this time telling me if there is another book or not. I am so confused.

[roundtableknight]

This book could be described as an off brand camomile tea: you can enjoy it for what it is, but it’s nothing that special.