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A review by beyond_bookish
The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Can I just say how atmospheric this book is! The setting is New Orleans in 1872 and you experience the vibes and culture that this city has to offer. Celine has arrived from Paris after fleeing for her life with the hope to start over in a convent of all places. However, this book turns into a very interesting murder mystery as people are being murdered and Celine becomes intertwined not too long after her arrival.
Let’s talk characters! Two female characters I adore are Pippa and Odette. Celine builds a cute friendship with Pippa throughout this book after they meet on the ship to New Orleans and we watch as they both try to protect and care for one another the best way they know how. Odette on the other hand, is similar to Celine in many ways. She hires Celine to make her a gown after noticing her impressive skills and Celine’s world is forever changed upon this interaction. They are very strong women who are ahead of their time when it comes to what society expects of them. Odette also brings a bit of LGBTQ+ representation which I hope is explored later in the series.
Then we have the love interest, Sébastien Saint Germain. Celine and Sébastien have a strong attraction and you can tell they really see each other for who they are and not what they present to the world. Celine hates him instantly upon their first encounter and for a good chunk of the story. Sébastien is charming, handsome, witty and highly privileged which Celine despises yet she is drawn to him. She has met her match - the male version of herself. Throughout this book she proves how strong, stubborn, witty and intelligent she is and I enjoyed the fact that she is morally grey. She’s torn between two duelling traits (good and evil) that are fighting within her and at the same time she also feels like there is something missing within; she is not wholly complete. There are hints throughout the book that leads me to believe that Celine is no mere mortal but alas that reveal was not uncovered in this book. Sébastien is highly intrigued with Celine but he sees her as distraction and tries to keep his distance because he has a lot of responsibility that he must focus on and nothing is more important than his found family and wealth. Love and family are a recurring theme in this book and Ahdieh explores this for all her characters.
Also we have a mysterious first person POV of the villain throughout the book. This entire book I could not guess who this person was and boy was I shocked at the reveal. I did not foresee the betrayal nor the reveal so kudos to Ahdieh! I do have so many questions about the villain and I can’t wait to get the full backstory.
Additionally, I enjoyed the writing and have a few favourite quotes from this book. However, I must note that there was some language that felt out of place given the time period. I do love how Ahdieh interwove French dialogue without direct translation constantly but through context and in a very realistic conversational tone which seems common for multilingual speakers. Also, I liked the social commentary on POC and women’s position in society during this time and I think Ahdieh handled this well.
In terms of pacing, I would describe it as slow in the beginning and medium throughout. There are so many things happening at once that I was not bored at all.
The paranormal or fantastical elements in this book is subtle. Ahdieh does not outrightly tell you for most of the book that these characters are vampires, werewolves etc but she gives you descriptions and scenarios where you can derive this for yourself. A bit of background of these fantastical beings is sprinkled throughout the book so it never felt info dumpy at all.
There is so much more I can say but I think it’s best for the reader to experience this book with the least amount of knowledge to get the most enjoyment. As the book wrapped up some questions are answered but you will be left with so many more
Let’s talk characters! Two female characters I adore are Pippa and Odette. Celine builds a cute friendship with Pippa throughout this book after they meet on the ship to New Orleans and we watch as they both try to protect and care for one another the best way they know how. Odette on the other hand, is similar to Celine in many ways. She hires Celine to make her a gown after noticing her impressive skills and Celine’s world is forever changed upon this interaction. They are very strong women who are ahead of their time when it comes to what society expects of them. Odette also brings a bit of LGBTQ+ representation which I hope is explored later in the series.
Then we have the love interest, Sébastien Saint Germain. Celine and Sébastien have a strong attraction and you can tell they really see each other for who they are and not what they present to the world. Celine hates him instantly upon their first encounter and for a good chunk of the story. Sébastien is charming, handsome, witty and highly privileged which Celine despises yet she is drawn to him. She has met her match - the male version of herself. Throughout this book she proves how strong, stubborn, witty and intelligent she is and I enjoyed the fact that she is morally grey. She’s torn between two duelling traits (good and evil) that are fighting within her and at the same time she also feels like there is something missing within; she is not wholly complete. There are hints throughout the book that leads me to believe that Celine is no mere mortal but alas that reveal was not uncovered in this book. Sébastien is highly intrigued with Celine but he sees her as distraction and tries to keep his distance because he has a lot of responsibility that he must focus on and nothing is more important than his found family and wealth. Love and family are a recurring theme in this book and Ahdieh explores this for all her characters.
Also we have a mysterious first person POV of the villain throughout the book. This entire book I could not guess who this person was and boy was I shocked at the reveal. I did not foresee the betrayal nor the reveal so kudos to Ahdieh! I do have so many questions about the villain and I can’t wait to get the full backstory.
Additionally, I enjoyed the writing and have a few favourite quotes from this book. However, I must note that there was some language that felt out of place given the time period. I do love how Ahdieh interwove French dialogue without direct translation constantly but through context and in a very realistic conversational tone which seems common for multilingual speakers. Also, I liked the social commentary on POC and women’s position in society during this time and I think Ahdieh handled this well.
In terms of pacing, I would describe it as slow in the beginning and medium throughout. There are so many things happening at once that I was not bored at all.
The paranormal or fantastical elements in this book is subtle. Ahdieh does not outrightly tell you for most of the book that these characters are vampires, werewolves etc but she gives you descriptions and scenarios where you can derive this for yourself. A bit of background of these fantastical beings is sprinkled throughout the book so it never felt info dumpy at all.
There is so much more I can say but I think it’s best for the reader to experience this book with the least amount of knowledge to get the most enjoyment. As the book wrapped up some questions are answered but you will be left with so many more
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Death
Minor: Rape