Title The Beautiful

Author Reneé Ahdieh

Description from Amazon

In 1872, New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead. But to seventeen-year-old Celine Rousseau, New Orleans is a safe haven after she’s forced to flee her life as a dressmaker in Paris. Taken in by the sisters of the Ursuline convent in the middle of the carnival season, Celine is quickly enraptured by the vibrant city, from its music to its fancy soirées and even its danger. She becomes embroiled in the city’s glitzy underworld, known as La Cour des Lions, after catching the eye of the group’s enigmatic leader, Sébastien Saint Germain.

When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in Sébastien’s own lair–the second dead girl to turn up in recent weeks–Celine battles her attraction to Sébastien and suspicions about his guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret.

After a third murder, New Orleans becomes gripped by the terror of a serial killer on the loose–one who has now set Celine in his sights. As the murderer stalks her, Celine finally takes matters into her own hands, only to find herself caught in the midst of an age-old feud between the darkest creatures of the night, where the price of forbidden love is her life.

Initial Thoughts

For those of you who follow me on Instagram [insert shameless plug @books_over_everything], I have been posting the #TwelveNightsOfHalloween (it was going to be thirteen but, I forgot to post on day one). Anyway, I’ve been trying to read Halloween-y books this month and The Beautiful seemed liked a perfect choice.

Some Things I Liked

New Orleans! I loved the setting. I thought it was a little cliché (vampires in New Orleans has been done several times), but I really loved it with the time period.
Murder. I love a good murder mystery and this story had not one but THREE murders! So much mystery, so little time!
Witty banter. There was so much glorious wit and banter between Celine and Sebastian and I loved every second of it. I loved them so much! I can’t wait to see what they get up to in The Damned.

One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy About

Predictability. This story, while an excellent Halloween book, was quite predictable. I knew who the villain was less than half-way through the book and I found the “big reveal” at the end fell flat.

Series Value

I really enjoyed this book. The setting, time period, and characters were perfect for this time of year and fit together perfectly. I can easily see myself re-reading this book before the next book comes out and I will definitely read The Damned when it comes out next year.

Final Thoughts

This book was perfect. I got everything I wanted out of it and it just confirmed what I already knew, Reneé Ahdieh is a literary genius.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐⭐️️

Recommendations for Further Reading

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness – if you liked the supernatural elements of The Beautiful and the various types of beings described, definitely give The All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness a read.
The Wrath & the Dawn by Reneé Ahdieh – if you liked the writing style of The Beautiful, check out Reneé Ahdieh’s other books – my favorite is The Wrath & the Dawn.
The Damned by Reneé Ahdieh – this book is not out yet, but if you enjoyed the first book, give book two a read when it’s available.

I love New Orleans and this book captured the mysterious atmosphere of the city. It's been a long time since I read a vampire book and this one was an enjoyable read-introduction into that dark and dangerous, but thrilling world. It was a bit slow, but I will definitely be continuing the series.

i go to school in new orleans so this was SO fun to get into. also vampires in the french quarter?! this was SO the originals coded and i love to see it. i enjoyed this immensely. i had heard great things about the author and thought this was a fantastic start to the series. i can’t wait for what’s next!!!!

This book was mediocre. It was very hard pressed to get to the point and be interesting until roughly halfway through. Then it just ended I’m not reading 3 more books to find out how their story goes…
This wasn’t my cup of tea u less it’s going to build quicker and be as interesting as the end more than 50% of the book.

I tried several times to get into the story for this one but it just could not hold my interest at all.

Loved this book following Celine in New Orleans in 1872 who becomes caught up in the underworld, La Cour des Lions and draws attention from Sebastien Saint Germain, who band together to uncover the bizarre disappearance and murders of the convent girls, whilst battling feelings and Sebastien trying not to be found out.
I loved the murder mystery / romance between Sebastien and Celine and found the story line enjoyable but felt there could have been something a bit more to the story (but can't quite pin point what) however this is not to derive from the fact that it was an enjoyable read.

The Beautiful is the captivating first installment in Renee Ahdieh’s series, blending YA fantasy romance with rich historical and paranormal elements.

Initially, I approached this book with some trepidation after reading mixed reviews. The fear of encountering a book I might dislike or have to put down is always looming. Thankfully, The Beautiful exceeded my expectations. The narrative is steeped in mystery and secrecy, immersing readers in a society where much remains hidden. While hints about the characters' true natures are skillfully woven throughout, definitive answers come only at the end, keeping the suspense alive.

The conclusion suggests a shift towards a vampire-centric focus in the upcoming sequel, and I found this initial book to be a solid foundation for what’s to come. Ahdieh’s writing style is engaging, and I thoroughly enjoyed the journey. I’m eagerly anticipating the next installment and what new twists it will bring. Overall, The Beautiful is an intriguing start to the series that left me wanting more.

Personally I am a bit over the vampire tales, however I still enjoyed this book. The cover was the very first thing to draw me in a d left me curious as to what this would entail.

Thanks to Net Galley and Penguin for the ARC. Vampires are totally back. This definitely sounds exciting.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy of this novel. I highly enjoyed it and will be recommending it to others.

I had heard nothing but positive things about this book so when the publisher put it up as Read Now on NetGalley before the release of the series finale, I thought I'd give it a shot. I love everything about this setting. It's 1872 New Orleans and Celine Rousseau is a white passing teen girl who fled Paris under suspicious circumstances. That on it's own is fascinating to me and then you toss in a series of bodies being discovered in gruesome ways and I'm totally sold.

Unfortunately, the execution did not work as well as I might have hoped. For one, it never really felt like 1872. Like New Orleans has always had a fascinating meld of cultures but Reconstruction era New Orleans was especially fascinating and for the most part the story felt like it could have been any point in time and I really wish Ahdieh had leaned into the historical pieces more or else made it a modern story. As it was though I kept forgetting it was supposed to take place in the past because the speech and mannerisms were all so modern but then there would be some reference to the year and I would be pulled completely out of the story.

I did like the way Ahdieh wrote the vampires. I thought they were spooky and fun and I liked the hints of greater supernatural creature worldbuilding that will presumably get fleshed out later in the series. I thought Celine herself was a decently fleshed out character but everyone else felt a bit cardboard cutout, and I started to get very annoyed by the repetitious descriptions of Sébastien.

Overall, I'm not mad I finally picked this up but I definitely went in with expectations that were too high and while I didn't hate this reading experience, I'm not really compelled to continue reading the series despite the major cliffhanger.

Apologies but I did not realize I had this book to review. I did not finish it but that is nothing against the author. I was just not in the right frame of mind for this book.

The Beautiful kicks off a superb fantasy romance series that is much lighter on the spice but goes hard on the romance aspect and keeps you hooked the entire time. I found myself waiting to find out more about the mysterious La Cour des Lions and see how Celine would react to the events around her.

This novel focuses on Celine Rousseau and the La Cour des Lions, mainly their leader Sébastien Saint Germain. Celine is fleeing from a grisly crime, and the reality that she may end up trapped by the truth of it coming out, by running to New Orleans. There she should be focused on marrying into a respectable family and building a life that would insulate her from the crime she ran from, instead she finds herself drown in by the La Cour des Lions when one of their members hires her to create a gown.

Celine is a resolute and iron-willed young woman who will not bac down from a challenge and enjoys doing exactly what everyone says she should not be doing. She is an easily likeable FMC who carries the series on her shoulders as the main POV and does so quite well with readers being drawn into the world as she sees it, with the beauty she presents and deep love of life she possesses being a great asset to the first novel. On the other side the MMC, Sébastien Saint Germain, is everything you want in a slow burn enemies to lovers first novel. Brooding, slightly moody, obsessive, morally grey, and ready to burn it all down for her.

The novel itself is very descriptive, with a good amount of world building to ensure the reader can easily follow the magic systems and new plots as they are tied in, without the novel itself becoming weighed down by it or being too wordy.

I would recommend this novel to those looking for:
- A more YA romance with no spice and fade to black
- Morally Grey MMC
- Strong willed FMC
- Vampires and Fae in one world
- A novel set in New Orleans at its peak of beauty
- A fantasy novel with a touch of a mystery
- An easy but addictive read that will hook you through the four-book series

I received an advance review copy of this book, and I am leaving this review voluntarily and all thoughts and opinions are wholly my own and unbiased.

I remember reading this book when it first came out, it was one of the first young aadult books I read as an adult and it helped draw me back into the world of fantasy.

This story is beautiful and will draw you in, these characters are so well written and this world is so developed you would never think it was the first book in a series.

I fell in love with this world, I can't recommend it enough if you're looking for something that is immersive in the romantasy genere, it's brilliant and yet somehow each book gets better.

Wrong Book at the Wrong Time.

First, I apologize to the author and publisher for the lateness of this review.

While the allure of the plot originally hooked me, this book failed to hold my attention. I have tried multiple times to get into this book. Restarting over and over but still not being able to push through. this is a DNF for me.

It’s the nineteenth century and a strong willed, sharp minded, witty tongued young lady lands in New Orleans to start life anew. Little did she know the Crescent City holds its own secrets and not everyone is human.
Ahdleh’s characters are varied and smartly written, the plot leads you seamlessly through to an ending I didn’t imagine coming. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and looked forward to picking it back up when life demanded I put it down. Well done and won’t be the last Ahdleh I read!

First I would like to thank the publisher for proving me an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is the story of Celine Roussau who after some troubles in Paris moves to New Orleans to live with the sisters of the Ursuline convent. While there she meets a lot of mysterious characters with their leader being Sébastien Saint Germain, who both fascinates and frustrates Celine all at the same time. As people around Celine continue to be found dead she decides to fight back but needs the help of Sebastien to execute the plan, which will put them both in danger.

What I Liked:
- New Orleans, I love the city and its a great setting for this story as there is a change of finding some kind of mystery/magic around every corner in the Big Easy
- Celine, she had a rough upbringing having to hide her true identity but is confident in her knowledge and abilities so rarely backs down even to men if she believes she is right
- Creatures, there are a variety of creatures that pop up throughout this story including fantasy and human creatures/monsters
- Romance, I liked how Sebastien and Celine were drawn to each other in spite of trying to fight it and their drive/strength drew then together

Overall this was a good book, it was a bit long for my taste with some extra filler that I think could have been removed without really missing anything from the overall story. As this ended on a cliffhanger I will eventually continue the series but it is not one that I feel like I need to pick up right away. If you like historical romantic fantasy books set in a great city with a unique cast of characters and keeps you guessing till the end I would recommend you check this one out!

This book was okay, it was a bit long, but I really enjoyed reading it. This is a fantasy story. I would recommend reading it.

I was so excited to read this book because of the author because The Wrath and the Dawn and its sequel are two of my favorite books. But this book just didn’t hit the same.

This was great! A fast easy read that I wish I had read sooner! I look forward to reading more books by this author!!!