Antonina Beaulieu comes to visit her cousin in the city of Loisail during the Grand Season in the hopes of securing a husband. Nina commits many faux pas in the company of The Beautiful Ones (the elite in the city). She has had telekinetic abilities since childhood that have resulted in her being labeled a witch and frowned upon by society. During her debut, Nina meets Hector Auvray, who is a popular telekinetic showman. Hector begins to court Nina and help her learn to control her talents, but she is unaware that he has ulterior motives. A love triangle of sorts is soon unfolding as the characters try to find happiness, revenge, and acceptance.

I love the slight magical element of this novel. It adds a fantastic layer to the story being spun. The book is set in a fictional place, and has a historical fiction feel similar to novels of Jane Austen. I found myself rooting for Nina to find love and happiness as she was criticized by the socialites for her telekinesis and her quirkiness. I also felt a lot of sympathy for Hector and his difficult past, though I was also very perturbed by his treatment of Nina in the first part of the story.

The writing in this book is beautiful. The characters were very well developed and I was totally immersed in their stories. Silvia Moreno-Garcia is such a good story-teller, and each of her books is very unique. The book is a bit slower paced as you learn about the characters and their stories, but it is not boring. Instead, the characters’ desires and passions grow as the story develops.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars - I really ended up enjoying this book, but the beginning of it was hard to get into. While I don't ultimately love novels of manners, I think Moreno-Garcia did a fantastic job keeping me completely invested in the characters. The two main female characters - one the protagonist, the other an antagonist - were absolutely fantastic. Valerie was such an evil character, but you completely understood where she was coming from and why she behaved the way that she did. Nina was her completely opposite - while she was far more naive than the aforementioned, she was very strong and stood for what she wanted. I just loved their relationship and how complex it was. I really liked how Moreno-Garcia subverted the manner novel and really went into analyzing the different power structures women (and men) have. This book felt like a period drama and I was here for it! Speaking of, I actually really enjoyed the men in the novel. I think they were all perfectly placed to make the female characters shine (although I really wanted to punch Henry in the face sometimes). I have two small complaints of the novel; the beginning pacing felt a little slow for me, I found it took a long time to get into the novel, but this could be a "me thing" because, as mentioned, I find manner novels a tad difficult to get into. My second complaint is the "fantasy" aspect of the novel, as I felt it was really just there to serve its purpose at the end to "save" the characters in a very <i>deus ex machina</i> type of way, which is a big pet peeve for me. However, despite those complaints, I ended up being very surprised by the novel and would really recommend it to people, especially Jane Austen fans of the modern era!

I did very much enjoyed this book. It is well written and kept me reading. If it weren’t for the fact I hadn’t been feeling well these past few days ( headaches and was feeling so tired ) I would have read this book in a day or 2. I didn’t want to put the book down but had to only read a couple of chapters here and there but I did enjoy it.
I will be adding this to my pile of books I want to read again in the near future.

I do recommend this.

I give this 4 out of 5.

This was a well crafted tale of old desire, jealousy and innocence. The descriptions were rich in detail and characters well-rounded and real.

This book is the perfect mix of magic and historical romance. The characters are unique and engaging and the story is very well thought out and presented.

This is my first read by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, even though Mexican Gothic has been on my tbr pile for an age!

I loved the storytelling and love triangle picture that was painted, intertwined with the unique sci-fi/fantasy element of Nina's blossoming talents, encouraged by Hector, the love interest. There were hints of Jane Austin too, with the scheming of Valerie & Luc. The characters were written in a way that had me routing for them from beginning to end, I won't spoil how it turns out!

Originally published in 2017, this novel has been reissued for paperback.

Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Netgalley for a copy of the ARC in return for my honest review.

"The De Villers prided themselves on attracting the cream of the crop to their functions-- The Beautiful Ones, rather than the New People. The barons of barely minted empires of telegraphy wires and fresh steel could socialize elsewhere."

If you're going off the synopsis of this book alone you'll be disappointed with what you receive; however on the other hand if you go in with no expectations then you'll be happy. I enjoyed The Beautiful Ones overall and the romance was really good in my opinion. The telekinetic aspect was on the backburner and Moreno-Garcia made it seem like telekinesis was something that some people could be born with, and not super rare and treasured. I would have liked to see the building of the telekinesis in the story and in the world but that is my only problem with The Beautiful Ones .

The three main characters Nina, Hector, and Valerie gave me a range of emotions throughout the book. I will say Moreno-Garcia did a great job with all of the characters going in-depth into their reasoning and their motivations. She did a great job showing the character growth and character unravelling throughout the entire book. I will say I rooted for Nina the entire time I was reading but Hector and Valerie.... geez they made me so flipping made. Nina was as the book portrays innocent and in the throes of first love; she's someone who grows throughout the whole book and I applaud her for continually learning, growing, and knowing what she wants while going after it. Hector was trapped by the dream of someone that he used to know (hehehe) and someone who he made up in his mind. I enjoyed seeing him unravel his projections with the actual person in front of him. Once again his growth was good to see throughout the book too. Valerie..... gosh what can I say about her. She's evil and she needs to burn in hell for eternity. I went back and forth from feeling bad for her to hating her and ending up hating her. She is mentally insane. She's a woman who never learned how to be happy on her own without things and people. The ending was the worse for her because everything she was was stripped away from her. I think she is also a complex character and I'm truly glad that Moreno-Garcia gave her depth and meaning. I enjoyed the peeks into Valerie's mind and the screenshots on my phone of her thoughts still have me reeling when I read them now.

The plot had drama and tension throughout the whole thing. As far as romance goes, I love yearning it always plays a big part in romance for me. There's everything in this book; love hate vengeance death hope depression broken hearts etc. I was truly pleased with The Beautiful Ones

Thank you @torbooks @netgalley for my review copy!

Let me just say that when I started this book, hell even halfway through this book, I did not think it was going to be a 5⭐️ read for me. I thought it was kind of slow and even though I was liking it, it felt a bit long winded in getting to the point.

Then I started the second half and I just fell in love with this book. It felt like I knew these characters and I was so invested in their journeys. I’ve come to realize that this is the author’s writing style. It’s a bit slow to start, but I love her writing and she really builds up the story.

I love the way she blends genres too. I had a little bit of a hard time categorizing this, but I guess I’d say it’s like a historical romance with a bit of magical realism. The author blends genres so beautifully.

Ok, now I’m feeling like I’m rambling. So I’ll just finish by saying, if you’re looking for a unique story and you don’t mind a slower pace, then I definitely recommend you pick this one up!

How I rated other books by this author:
Mexican Gothic- 2⭐️
Gods of Jade and Shadow- 4⭐️

What first drew me to this book was the beautiful cover. It’s just so vibrant and detailed. Even though the woman on the cover is dressed plainly the bugs, jewelry and flowers make the entire picture seem more ornate. Having seen this cover I just had to know what this story is about.

I have to say that I’m incredibly glad that I chose to request this book, because Silvia Moreno Garcia is a fantastic writer. This is the first book I’ve read by her and I just love how she is able to use language to paint vivid images in the reader’s mind. Not every author is so gifted and once I began this book I just couldn’t put it down till the end.

In addition to Silvia Moreno Garcia’s incredible use of language, what kept me enthralled were the characters. The plot itself was a typical period romance with a sprinkle of the fantastical in it, but I just fell in love with the characters of Nina and Hector. Nina was so genuine and sweet that I liked her from the moment we were introduced to her. Nina was not like everyone else in society and I really enjoyed seeing her blossom throughout the course of the story as she gradually came into her own. And I felt for Hector, who had suffered due to a thwarted love affair in the past.

I also enjoyed the slow burn of the love story. While Nina fell head long into love, it was a slower process for Hector as he put up barriers around his heart due to past experience and only gradually realized that he returned Nina’s feelings. Like in every good love story the lovers had plenty of obstacles to overcome. This only added to the appeal for me, because it made me root for the two even harder as I longed for a happily ever after.

This was a 5 out of 5 book for me. If you enjoy a well written romance then definitely make sure to pick up this book. Meanwhile I’ll be adding more books by Silvia Moreno Garcia to my to be read list.

I thought this was a new release from Silvia Moreno-Garcia. I adored MEXICAN GOTHIC, but this actually looks to be an older release. I thought she had a new book out, but I must have been mistaken.
The new cover looks phenomenal and I'm sure its a beautiful book!

Reminiscent of all the historical classic romances, this novel features the stifling manners and mores of high society in a fictional town named Loisail. The Beautiful Ones, as they are known, care about money and their reputations in public, but behind the scenes are some pretty ugly maneuverings.

Antonina (Nina) Beauliue comes to Loisail to stay with her cousin, Gaetan, and his wife, Valerie, as she negotiates her first Grand Season. A bit of a country bumpkin, and with telekinetic abilities that she can't control well, Nina is completely out of her depth during this important debut. Then she meets the famous talent, Hector Auvray, and their relationship sets a cascade of treachery and betrayal in motion. NO SPOILERS.

It must be said: I am not a fan of romance and charming fairytale tropes. I did enjoy the writing style and the details of the city, clothes, people, customs, etc. The characters were basically stereotypes and behaved exactly as they all do in a book where true love wins out and the mean ones (it's all relative though and only some of them) get the punishments they deserve. Nevertheless, I was entertained for a couple of hours. This book had a much different tone than MEXICAN GOTHIC and the fantasy aspect within was minimal. I will definitely look forward to more novels by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Macmillan-Tor/Forge for this e-book ARC to read and review.

I loved this! I'm always so impressed by Silvia Moreno-Garcia's genre bending. I knew this was a novel of manners when I requested it, and I knew I liked that genre, but I didn't expect to read the whole book in one sitting! I was totally engrossed. I really loved the way the feelings and motivations of the characters came through. It felt very lifelike, and the pacing worked great for me as well.

Stunning. Absolutely stunning. This reminded me of Gods of Jade and Shadow, I absolutely adored it. Definitely recommend.

This should have been called "The Ugly Ones" as there are so many BAD MANNERS from the supposedly "Beautiful" ones.

This is a FANTASTIC story of a love triangle!! I loved this story it was so easy and effortless to read.

I have read Gods of Jade and Shadow and really enjoyed it. Ive been putting off Mexican Gothic as I knew it differs entirely but I feel " The Beautiful Ones" is along the same vein. Its also a novel about class and then author utilizes rich historical descriptions and is really adept at Character development. I like seeing the characters grow and change as people and she was able to capture that effectively in this novel.

Many thanks to Netgalley and publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This wasn't really what I was expecting based on the author's other work and I found that it really didn't hold my attention. It may have been that it just wasn't my taste but will be much more engaging to other readers.

Passion, Love, telekinesis, betrayal and magic! This book had it all. It was atmospheric and fun, but I really enjoyed Mexican Gothic. Much more. The cover of this is beautiful and I do like how the atmosphere is woven with care, including magic and love and friendship.

This started as a mediocre book, that steadily grew on me. After initially disliking the majority of the characters, I found the second half very refreshing, and was pleased with where the story ended up.

Ok, so even though this is being re-published by Tor, I would not consider it a fantasy. Instead, it's a novel of manners/romance with some light fantastical elements (two of the three POV characters have telekinetic abilities, which informs their backstories and characterization, but is by no means the point of the book.)

This is very much a "people changing and establishing new outlooks on life and also falling in love" type of book. It doesn't rush, and it's not about developing a huge, extensive world. Instead, it gets into the heads of the three main characters, all of their occasionally terrible decision making, and how they choose to move about and interact in the world they occupy. I liked it. I didn't love it, but it was very good for getting lost in for a few days.

This was such a fun read! I love how all of Moreno-Garcia's novels are so different in tone and style. To me, The Beautiful ones read like a Jane Austen comedy of manners plus telekinesis and BUGS!

There were so many fully realized characters in this novel, but Valerie really takes the care. I found myself literally making a gross face every time her sections came up- she was so perfectly awful!

I quit reading this at 50%. Did not finish.
Things that I liked: the description of the book with with idea of magical realism. In the past, I have enjoyed the genre.
Things that made me decide to quit reading: I didn't find this book to have characters that I enjoyed or enjoyed reading about. Out of the 3 main characters, I found 2 to be unlikeable in such a way that I didn't care what happened next to them. As far as the genre...Magical realism?? Not really magic, not really realistic, not historical, not romantic, not suspenseful.
To be fair: I am only one reader.

I'm gonna preface this by saying that I'm sure there are tons of readers who love this book, who just adore this Belle Epoque-inspired fantasy romance novel. And I'm glad for readers who find joy and comfort in its pages. But if you, like me, find shitty historical romance tropes utterly tiresome to the point of frustration, then please do read on as I complain about how, as in the perennial classic subReddit Am I The Asshole?, Everyone Sucks Here. Not even Silvia Moreno-Garcia's delicately tuned writing, a convincing pastiche of Georgette Heyer and her ilk, can save this book from being a deep disappointment.

I mean, I can get over the absolutely ridiculous idea that telekinesis -- or psychokinesis as it's called here -- is viewed merely as sport for the lower classes, and that Hector Auvrey, our "hero", has made a fortune from entertaining with it but has never been conscripted by an army. And I can get over how that and an altered geography are the only fantastical elements in this otherwise bog standard historical romance. I simply cannot get over the weird misogyny underlying everything in this book, especially with poor Valerie.

Here's a precis: Hector and Valerie were once engaged to be married, and he went abroad to make his fortune. She said she'd wait, but after several months? years? of withstanding the pressure from her impoverished, if noble family, she finally agreed to marry the wealthy, dull Gaetan Beaulieu, in hope of reviving her family's fortunes. A decade passes and Hector, having amassed his riches, returns to Loisail to fling his wealth in Valerie's face. But how to get close to her family? He decides he'll start by courting Gaetan's unsophisticated cousin, Nina, in an effort to ingratiate himself into the Beaulieu household. Nina falls for worldly, handsome Hector like a ton of bricks, so when she discovers that he loves Valerie -- who rebuffs him because she's fearful of the love she bears him, a love that would cause her to repudiate reputation and good sense to have him -- Nina is understandably heartbroken. Only Hector then realizes that he actually loves Nina. And Valerie is pissed to discover this, so decides she's going to do whatever it takes to keep them apart.

It's weird because Ms Moreno-Garcia does a really good job at first of sympathetically portraying Valerie, forced by her family to marry a man who does the bare minimum to help them, instead lavishing her with expensive gifts that she can't convert into funds to help float her relatives. Gaetan doesn't care about Valerie's interests, whines when she has migraines that cause her to back out of social engagements -- that he huffily refuses to attend solo because he's apparently a huge baby -- and spoils his own cousins in sharp contrast to hers. When this idiot finally realizes that Valerie never loved him, he exiles her from Loisail, and we're supposed to feel vindicated, like her entire life hasn't been one long string of punishments already. And yeah, she does go over the top in trying to marry Nina off in a way that will benefit her own family, and to punish Hector for having the temerity to be in love with someone else, but the latter especially felt less organic than a "how can we make readers hate the ex-girlfriend?" device. You know, maybe romance novels don't fucking need cliched female villains. Maybe, if we're writing a romance novel about telekinetics, we can also stretch the expectations of genre readers by not having the ex go from restrained, tragic figure to vulgar, shrieking harpy.

And oh sweet babby Jebus, I wanted so much to like Nina, but all her "I'm not like other girls" bullshit was only in the service of the romance plot. I spent the first 70% of the book desperately hoping that she'd kick Hector to the curb and go be a badass entomologist who'd later fall in love with someone worthy of her, once she'd matured and gone through a few more heartaches. But nope, she bucks convention primarily to choose Hector, who is one of the least interesting sopwit leads of a romance novel I've ever had to endure. I'm still not entirely sure why he loves Nina. I think it's a combination of her long, pretty hair and the fact that she's the only eligible woman available for him to imprint on when he falls out of love with Valerie. Since Nina is also justifiably rejecting him at the time, the idiot gets into another cycle of stubbornly pursuing a woman who's told him to leave her alone. What that guy needs is therapy, not an ingenue wife.

Anyway, this was an extremely frustrating read, and probably not the best way to begin my experience with Ms Moreno-Garcia's oeuvre. I'm hoping the two other novels I have scheduled of hers to review this year are far less infuriating, as I've heard good things about several of her other works.

The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia was published April 27 2021 and is available from all good booksellers, including <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/15382/9781250785565">Bookshop!</a>