The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh

The Beautiful (Beautiful, #1)

by Renée Ahdieh

Now in paperback, the first book--an instant bestseller--in the sumptuous, sultry, and romantic YA vampire series from New York Times bestselling author Renee Ahdieh.

In 1872, New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead. But to seventeen-year-old Celine Rousseau, New Orleans is a safe haven after she's forced to flee her life as a dressmaker in Paris. Taken in by the sisters of the Ursuline convent, Celine is quickly enraptured by the vibrant city becoming embroiled in the glitzy underworld, known as La Cour des Lions, after catching the eye of the group's enigmatic leader, Sébastien Saint Germain.

When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in Sébastien's own lair--the second dead girl to turn up in recent weeks--Celine must battle her attraction to Sébastien and suspicions about his guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret.

Reviewed by Kat @ Novels & Waffles on

2 of 5 stars

Share
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.

Read the Full Review・ Novels & Waffles Blog・ Twitter ・ Instagram

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 5 January, 2020: Finished reading
  • 5 January, 2020: Reviewed