The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh

Title: The Beautiful
Author: Renée Ahdieh
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Publication date: October 8, 2019
Pages: 448
Source/format: ARC//BookishFirst and Publisher

Rating: ☆☆☆1/2

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):


New York Times bestselling author Renée Ahdieh returns with a sumptuous, sultry and romantic new series set in 19th century New Orleans where vampires hide in plain sight.

In 1872, New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead. But to seventeen-year-old Celine Rousseau, New Orleans provides her a refuge after she's forced to flee her life as a dressmaker in Paris. Taken in by the sisters of the Ursuline convent along with six other girls, Celine quickly becomes enamored with the vibrant city from the music to the food to the soirées and—especially—to the danger. She soon becomes embroiled in the city's glitzy underworld, known as La Cour des Lions, after catching the eye of the group's leader, the enigmatic Sébastien Saint Germain. When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in the lair of La Cour des Lions, Celine battles her attraction to him and suspicions about Sébastien's guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret.

When more bodies are discovered, each crime more gruesome than the last, Celine and New Orleans become gripped by the terror of a serial killer on the loose—one Celine is sure has set her in his sights . . . and who may even be the young man who has stolen her heart. As the murders continue to go unsolved, Celine takes matters into her own hands and soon uncovers something even more shocking: an age-old feud from the darkest creatures of the underworld reveals a truth about Celine she always suspected simmered just beneath the surface.

At once a sultry romance and a thrilling murder mystery, master storyteller Renée Ahdieh embarks on her most potent fantasy series yet: The Beautiful.

M Y  T H O U G H T S

"New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead."

The opening of the novel is strong. Renée Ahdieh immerses readers in ornate folklore of New Orleans and how it’s known to be ruled by the city of the dead. Set in the late 1800’s, this historical paranormal novel dazzles readers with its intrigue, magic, and exquisiteness; The Beautiful is haunting yet hypnotic. Readers will be hungry for more. Marceline Béatrice Rousseau travels from Paris, France to New Orleans, Lousiana and meets a mysterious young fellow with gray eyes, not much older than she is.

Celine with six other girls are on sponsorship by the Catholic Church to receive training at the Ursuline Convent in New Orleans and they are expected to help run the attached hospital, teach the young girls who attended school there and assist in any efforts to raise funds on behalf of the diocese. I found the interaction between the girls such as Pippa and Anabel to be interesting since they all have different personalities. Pippa has grown to be a close friend of Celine and I am glad they have each other's backs.

With the death rate increasing in New Orleans, this historical paranormal shifts into a mystery where everyone is trying to uncover who the serial killer is. Celine reunites with the mysterious man, named Sébastien Saint Germain under undesirable circumstances involving the death of a couple young ladies. The two souls are more alike then they thought. However, another gentleman with the name Michael Grimaldi enters the picture trying to find the missing link to the puzzle. The balance between the "bad boy" and the "good boy" trope is definitely present here as well as an insta-love connection between two characters.

Celine is a strong-minded young woman who knows what she wants but she can be a bit reckless at times. She harbors a secret regarding her heritage yet she is careful to convey herself in a certain manner. Celine only shares her secrets with very few people because she doesn't know who she can trust. Yet, I find it crazy how she is willing to use herself as bait to catch the killer. I know she wants to catch the killer but she defies everyone's wishes for her safety. Celine's friendship with Odette Valmont is an exceptional one. Odette introducing Celine to La Cour des Lions is a good segway to where Celine seeks refuge when she is asked to leave the convent. Odette and Celine have a strong friendship made in an unusual way.

Odette is a lady who draws Celine into La Cour des Lions. Odette isn't joking when she offers Celine adventure for Celine turns down a handsome sum of money in turn for a handsewn tailored dress. Celine is intrigued for Odette quotes and loves Hamlet just like Celine does. And Odette wearing pants at the La Cour des Lions is priceless! How scandalous?! Odette is definitely a favorite character of mine.

Although the novel is depicted as a vampire novel, I expected more presence from the mysterious fanged creatures to be lurking about. Readers have insight with the killer's POV and there are descriptions of an inhuman creature lurking about but we hardly have the face-to-face interaction with the vampire serial killer. The Beautiful is more of a mystery where one needs to unearth who the killer is ala Jack the Ripper.

I find it bothersome when the novel mentions the shade of bronzed skin or the gray/gunmetal eyes too many times. The ending feels a little bit rushed to finalize the last "killing." There is definitely a lot of foreshadowing earlier in the book for the reader to figure who the killer is. I am looking forward to the next installment in this series. I would love to read a companion novel or spin-off series about Odette in the near future!

The Beautiful is an atmospheric novel and thought-provoking story for readers who are fans of the Stalking Jack the Ripper series by Kerri Maniscalco and Enchantée by Gita Trelease. Enthusiasts of the TV show, The Originals, will be drawn to this novel because of vampires and NOLA's French Quarter. I foresee the paranormal genre making a comeback in YA literature which I am quite excited about.

FAVORITE QUOTES

“It doesn’t matter who you were,” her father had argued. “It matters who you are.”

"You wanted to know who I really am," She bit her lower lip. "I'm a girl who'd rather experience life than watch it pass by from my window."