This sneak peak was so good! It makes me want to read the whole story so bad. I will be purchasing this book so I can read it and then start on the second one!

The review is for the sneak peak for The Beautiful. The writing is amazing and dreamy. The world building and characters are intriguing. After reading the sneak peak I actually picked up the book and it is every bit amazing!

I didn't realize this wasn't a full book! That being said, I found the concept intriguing, and will pick it up when the full version is available.

Review based solely on an excerpt provided by Netgalley, not the entire finished book.

I never thought I would say this, but apparently, vampires are back! This goth girl is smiling.
I thought that trope was dead (or undead). So it was really surprising to see that cover (one can tell it's a vampire story with just one look at it, so I guess it did the trick) all over Bookstagram.
The beginning is catching. I've never been to New Orleans, but I immediately found myself there. Soon I was set aside from the Twilight mood to the more appropriate Interview With The Vampire mood. The descriptive narrative Renée Ahdieh uses creates such an atmospheric dark setting in my mind.
The one thing I wasn't a fan of is the confusing behavior of the main character. She wants to start over but then manipulates her superior to let her go to something clearly dangerous. It is an excerpt tho, so I guess I'll read the book before saying anything else. I just hope this isn't one of the stories where the girl gets into trouble that is seen a mile away without a really good reason.
Looking forward for more!

Pulled me in immediately and had me hooked. With its historical setting I was already enjoying it, but the plot is just too hard to resist. I'm waiting for my copy to arrive so I can finish reading it! Once I finish the book I'll review it as a whole on my blog.

It's 1872 and Celine has come from Paris to New Orleans where she is living with nuns. In exchange for work, they may help her find a husband. It is not clear what Celine is running from, but she is definitely running. She befriended other young women on the voyage to New Orleans. There is something alluring, intriguing, and perhaps a bit unnerving in the atmosphere of New Orleans. Celine is watchful, paying attention to her environment. She is also a bit bored and eagerly takes advantage of an opportunity that takes her out into the city after sunset.

This promises to be an atmospheric story with a strong sense of time and place and otherworldliness. We are just starting to meet the characters, so it's unclear how those relationships will continue to form and impact the story.

I love the cover of this book and I love a vampire story. The sneek peak gave me an insight into this world where immortals inhabit. Introducing a group of young woman from Europe who have travelled to stay at a convent in the city of New Orleans. Beautiful writing, with a hint of humour, this book is on my vampire stories to be read list.

A stunning look into an amazing story. This first look sucked me in and left me wanting for more. I can’t wait to read the full book!

Celine Rousseau is 17 years old. She is going to NewOrleans to Athens Ursuline convent during carnival season. She is fleeing from from Paris. Why? She learned to be a dressmaker (under a famous dressmaker in Paris). At the convent she is given the task with two other girls to raise funds for the convent. Celine doesn’t know what she will do.to raise funds. She wants to explore the city of New Orleans but the convent won’t let her. They tell her, that they will find her and the other girls she travel with must wait until they find a suitable husband for them. As she sits in front of the convent where she sells the lace handkerchiefs she has made, she sees a male figure that she saw on her ride to the convent. The next few days, she catches him watching her but doesn’t come near her. Who is that man? Will she meet him?

I have enjoyed this sneak peek of the book. I found it engaging. It is mysterious and compelling. I am sure it will become a best seller.

This was a fun sneak peak of this book! I was excited about the world and the historical setting and I can't wait to get back into it once I can get my hands on the whole thing. I love Renee's writing and have loved her previous books as well. I'm always down for another vampire story and the dark lush writing is right up my alley. Can't wait to go on to finish.

I was already interested in "The Beautiful" because of Renee Ahdieh but after reading this sneak peek, I know I NEED to pick up this book asap!

I enjoyed this book. I like Renee's writing and typically speed right through it! This was a fun plot and I was interested to see how it ended.

Interesting though I felt the writing is amateurish. Needs a lot of work with the plot that is rather complicated and not easy to follow. Full of suspense but rather jumpy and discreet. Also there are sentences and dialogues in French without subtitles.

I found this sneak peak to be great! It is very descriptive, I could tell exactly where I was in the book and what it looked like. Which is what I love in a book. Makes me feel like i am really there and can get lost in the book. I think you did a great job describing the character I knew exactly who was who and what they were all about. I would like to see maybe at the bottom of the page a translation of what was being said in a foreign language, only because when they were speaking I had no idea what they were saying. I can not wait to read the book when it comes out and see what Celine runs into. P;us find out who this mystery man is. (assuming it is a man)

I love Renée Ahdieh's writing style so when I saw she had another book coming out, I jumped at the chance to read it. Unlike her other books, this book is grounded in a more recent historical setting and I really loved that. I also loved the intermittent chapters narrated by someone who I am assuming is the villain. They are dark and creepy and I'm so excited to read more.

This book feels like Renée Ahdieh's style but also feels fresh and new. The story is darker than her other works and I really love the mystery and moral grey-ness of the main character.

The excerpt was a wonderful sneak peek into a dark, atmospheric alternate of New Orleans. I enjoyed the setting and the characters immensely. Between the historical fantasy setting, the vampires I got just a small glimpse into, and the lyrical prose, it sets the scenes up really well.
I did not like the swapping of first to third POV so much, but reading the full length of the book may change my mind. The sneak peek definitely hooked me!

I am such a big fan of Renée Ahdieh so I was already really looking forward to reading this book! After reading the sneak peek I can now officially say that I am already obsessed. Set in New Orleans? Vampires? Complex main characters with a mysterious past, and a nameless evil stalking the city? I AM HERE FOR IT!

I enjoyed this sneak peek, and look forward to the publication of this book so I can read it in full. New Orleans, Creatures of the Night? I am intrigued to see where it leads!

This review is based of an excerpt and not the whole, finished copy.

This sneak peak of The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh sets the tone for an atmospheric, historical fantasy set in mysterious New Orleans. There is enough suspense woven throughout the first few chapters to keep the reader engaged and wanting to learn more, while still keeping the tone set by the first chapter.

The prose is lyrical and the word choices interesting, however the flow and sentence structure prevented it from running as smoothly as it could. However, it was still a good match to the atmosphere created by the setting and plot, and remained engaging though it had rough sections.

I would definitely consider reading the full novel now, because the sneak peak provided just enough material to keep me hooked, and I enjoyed what I read.

Title:: The Beautiful (Excerpt)
by Renée Ahdieh
PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group
G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Genre: Teens & YA
Pub Date: 08 Oct 2019
Review: Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3195140444?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

This review is based on an excerpt of the unfinished manuscript.

Set in the 1900's we meet Celine who has had to join a ship of young woman who are bound for the Americas. Something tragic has taken place in Celine's life and the only way she can have a life is to find a new one. Little does she know that she might be about to face a much deadlier path. Her first day in New Orleans makes Celine aware that there is a type of magic in this place. A murder leaves her wondering if her new life at the convent is as it seems.

I felt that in the short excerpt I was given there was too much tell and not enough show. Within 47 pages we were told numerous times that Celine was a dress maker. It seemed to be referenced on almost every page. Could that information have waited until the jobs were listed, or until she made the handkerchiefs?! The chapter in which Celine travels to the nunnery is so all over the place I feel I have been asked to jump up and down on the spot, rubbing my stomach anti-clockwise while patting my head and learning the dictionary off by heart.

Also not only does the point of view change but so does the narration. We go from third person to first. I was disappointing with the first killing scene, it felt to be straight out of an Anne Rice novel.

I think with adjustment such as, fewer similes, less telling and picking either first or third person narrative the book would be much improved.