I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh Series: The Beautiful #1
Published by Hodder & Stoughton on October 8, 2019
Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Historical, Young Adult
Pages: 432
Format: E-Arc
Source: Netgalley
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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.
The Beautiful is a lavish, gothic tale in which we follow Celine, a girl who has fled Paris, carrying a dark secret and ended up in New Orleans. Celine has ended up in a convent wit six other girls as they try to find suitable matches in the city.
But with the otherworldly nature of the French quarter beckoning, sensible normal choices just aren’t going to cut it. And with the mysterious Bastien and his group floating around what more mystery do you need? So a few bodies drained of blood are dotted around the city.
A normal, murder mystery, with a dark creature stalking the city and who has taken a serious liking to Celine. Luckily, not only does Celine has the gorgeous Bastien to look after, she also has the young handsome Police Detective Micheal. Who to be honest feels like he is a bit of a plot ploy for a love triangle and cause a bit of agro in the next book. But we will see.
The Beautiful was an enjoyable read, that got better as the story went on. Especially as towards the end I seemed to have more of an understanding of what was happening. And in many ways I think that the next book will be bigger and better.
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