I admit, I have a weakness for well written vampire characters. And this one, whatever their name, seems fascinating. I wasn't too interested in Celine until the very end when she speaks with Odette about fashion. My other guilty pleasure? Yup, fashion. Especially the construction of custom made clothes and all the talk that revolves around it. It's a pretty short preview, but I'm hooked!

On the other hand, why must even the Kindle excerpt be in pdf form? This book is already published. There are ebook copies in readable formats out there already.

As a fan of The Wrath and the Dawn, I was so excited to read this sneak peek of The Beautiful. This excerpt immediately grabbed my interest with the rich descriptions of the world, meeting Celine, and the sense of dark mystery throughout. What I love about Renée Ahdieh's books are how they are filled with beautiful details, gorgeous writing, and her books are impossible to put down. I will absolutely be buying this book, as I can't wait to see how the story continues!

This is not a full and comprehensive review, but merely a summary of my thoughts on the book. It does contain spoilers.
My Rating: ##/5

PLOT:
#/5 – The plot is very limited and seems very slow.

STRUCTURE:
###/5 – The structure is well-thought-out, but the pace is so slow, that I started to lose interest.

WORLD-BUILDING:
##/5 – Here is a city that has so much rich history and culture. The potential is limitless. If you think of New Orleans, you see vibrant colors and celebration, you hear music, you feel curious and intrigued by mystery and a little frightened of all the rumors and legends.

THEME:
#/5 – The theme is unclear, and I am not even sure if there are actual vampires?

DIALOGUE:
#/5 – Most of the dialogue are thoughts and memories. Very little is spoken between characters and when done, feels disjointed and has you wondering: “what did I miss??”.

Based on what I read, I think the story holds a lot of promise, it could be the book that brings back the vampire phenomena, I can't wait for my complete copy to get here so I can finally pick it up.

The Beautiful is an engaging and scintillating read that is sure to send chills up your spine. There is something particularly riveting about this sneak peek that has me salivating and longing for far more of this dark and mysterious adventure. I long to unravel the promising decadence that drips from each word and sends shivers and gooseflesh over my skin. Oh to feel and experience the full glory of this uniquely and tantalizing provocative work of art!

I loved the sneak peak of The Beautiful! The story has already sucked me in and I will definitely be buying the book. I loved that the story is set in New Orleans in the late 1800’s, very intriguing!

This looks to be a good story. A young woman moves to New Orleans to run away from her past and make a new life. A monster lurks in the shadows. This is about all in this sneak peek, but promises much more

This was a riveting, gorgeous excerpt! Renee's The Wrath and the Dawn was my absolute favorite, and this one didn't seem to disappoint. Additionally, seeing that this is a vampire book and I rarely read books from that genre, it wasn't the cliched 'dark and broody' bad boy that the main character falls for. Rather, it was apparent there was more layers to the vampire character, and I am excited to find out what exactly they are! Wonderfully mysterious.

"I am not so captivated by the beautiful, monsieur. For I know beauty is only a moment in time." — Celine

Vampires have regained their fame this year. As an old fan of Twilight, I can’t deny that I’m quite pleased. Many people today have been enlightened to Bella Swan’s flaws, particularly her overdependence on Edward Cullen. Also, we grown-up readers have learned to abhor the latter’s corny declaration:


If men are predators, are women their prey? This brand-new novel says otherwise. It asserts that its heroine is a feisty lion, not a helpless lamb. I’m not sure if Renee Ahdieh meant to throw shade on Twilight. But with a metaphor like that, comparisons are inevitable. I dare say that this book is Twilight done well in that it’s more appropriate to today’s generation of powerful women and sensitive men.

The Beautiful is the survival story of Celine Rousseau, a French girl who moves to a convent in New Orleans, hoping for a clean slate. The city is magical as she expected. However, Celine’s new beginning is ruined when her fellow refugees go missing. Supernatural forces are at work, and Celine might be at their center. A rich snob named Sébastien Saint Germain seems to know what’s going on, but Celine isn’t sure if she should trust him. Can she still find happiness in New Orleans, home of La Cour des Lions?

I liked this book because most of it was shrouded in mystery. Renee’s writing was luscious as usual, complementing the dark yet glitzy atmosphere of the setting. The first chapter was already intriguing because I didn’t know what prompted Celine to leave her home. She had supposedly murdered someone, but she didn’t say who and why. Whenever she berated herself for taking someone’s life without an ounce of regret, I scratched my head in confusion.

The second enigma was Sébastien and his so-called court. He and his underlings resided in a fancy hotel wherein all kinds of debauchery took place. I immediately assumed that they were vampires. However, if the publisher hadn’t marketed The Beautiful as a vampire novel, I might have thought differently because Sébastien just acted like a very reserved elitist.

The third mystery was the villain of the story. Some chapters were told from their point of view. But they never disclosed their identity. All I knew was that they wanted to take revenge on Sébastien and his weird family. So when Celine finally met the serial killer, I was very surprised. Most YA fantasies are easy to predict, but this one was an exception.

Celine was strong indeed. Still, I didn’t appreciate her (or the author’s) constant reminders. As far as her wit and fortitude were concerned, there was more telling than showing. Even smart characters have stupid moments. For example, Celine’s plan to use herself as bait and “trap” the killer was pointless; she only put Sébastien and herself in grave danger.


Nonetheless, Celine’s impulsiveness paved the way for the harrowing yet beautiful ending. Other readers might have disliked what happened, but I loved it because Celine and Sébastien weren’t good for each other. How can you fall in love with someone whom you liken to the devil himself? My principles made me rejoice in their separation. Sorry but not sorry!

Overall, The Beautiful is a fine piece of gothic fiction, especially when you compare it to YA classics that dealt with vampirism. It isn’t Renee Ahdieh’s best work, but its lyrical writing and gripping plot prove why she’s one of my auto-buy authors.

I see why this is a must read! The excerpt drew me into the world and left me with so many questions that I can't wait to read the whole book. The setting of New Orleans is perfect for a magic/vampire book, and I like the teasing of Celine's past as I was greedy to know more about what had happened in France to make her leave. I was interested in the book while reading but as soon as I read the Noemie scene, I knew I was hooked, I also loved Pippa's character and am interested into how her relationship with Celine unfolds and what adventures await them.

This review is for the excerpt . I quite enjoyed this and plan on reading the rest of it . We begin with a ship full of Europeans heading to New Orleans to begin a new life and perhaps find a husband . Elsewhere in New Orleans a young girl is met with death by a seductive creature of the night . The story was intriguing and I am interested enough to continue

I did enjoy this sneak peek because I’m a lover of all things supernatural. There is a sexiness to the book and characters that I was drawn to. The only negative thing I have to say, and it’s not a huge negative, is that I’m not sure why it is set in the 1870s when not much is done with that being the time period. However, I will buy the book to finish reading it! The almost sex scene was super promising!!

This book is definitely a must read. The characters are lovely, the plot is fast paced and engaging. The romance was delicious. This reminded me of why vampire books became and will always be popular.

AWESOME! And can not wait for the sequel. This was the first book I read by Ahdieh and I really loved it. The writing and storyline kept me enthralled!

I absolutely adore the world this takes place in, I loved all the characters we had a chance to meet. Renee did a great job creating the wonderful atmosphere of this novel and its characters, Celine chose to live her home because she murdered a man, she wears this tragedy as a way to justify all the bad things that have happened to her, we do not know why she murdered a man but from how it is portrayed it is obviously not so black and white as she makes it seem.

I love all of Renee's work and I will be purchasing a finished copy so I can get to this right away

I was able to review the sneak peek of The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh. I was happily absorbed in the story within the first few pages. The action begins right away and made me want to learn the secrets of both Celine and Pippa. I cannot wait to be able to read the story in its entirety!

I was provided a (temporary, digital) sneak peak excerpt of The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh to read and review by NetGalley... and I admit the sneak peak did exactly what it intended to do.... made me want to read more!!

I love that the setting is in New Orleans, which I long to visit and see right now! It has been on my bucket list for a long time... and seeing it up close and personal from the 1800's was great! I loved the idea of these ladies escaping their lives and going to live in a convent that is supposed to help marry them off.

Good setting, good characters although I need to read more to really get a grip on the characters. So enjoyed reading it and looking forward to more from this author! The vampire twist seems like it is really going to make the book interesting!

5 stars.

I enjoyed this except of The Beautiful. The storyline pulled me in and made me interested in reading more. I love the concept of vampires in new orleans.

I received a free copy of this book from the author. I had the opportunity to review or not.

The very first vampire book I read was Dracula, and I loved it. I have read a few more that I thoroughly enjoyed, but this is not one. I found the characters flat and could not connect with them. I was disappointed. I won’t say that I will not read the book when it comes out, but I can’t say that I will either.

I expected more from this author. I hope she delivers.

This is a short sneak peek and I can say that I am now looking forward to reading the full book. Great characters!