Here’s a joke for you: Why are vampires so unpopular? No idea? It’s because they’re a pain in the neck! *collective groan escapes from the audience* Okay, so perhaps my joke was really bad (but only perhaps). And perhaps vampires aren’t actually that unpopular. In fact, if The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh is any indication, these blood-sucking, sparkling-like-a-disco-ball supernaturals might just be making a comeback. Is 2020 going to be the Year of the Vampire? Read on to find out!
My Review of The Beautiful
What I Liked
- The writing is utterly beautiful and completely luscious. Ahdieh knows how to use word choice to her advantage; she can create a velvety, sumptuous world with just a few sentences.
- I adored all the mouth-watering food descriptions, as well as the long paragraphs describing the fashions of the time and the colorful city of New Orleans. They were so vivid and vibrant!
What I Liked Less
- Although the writing is undeniably beautiful, it was distracting at times. The author was so focused on creating a mood and crafting the perfect metaphor, that it took away from the action. It bogged down the pacing.
- There was too much inner dialogue, and not enough focus on the action. This led to the book dragging in places. Even though exciting things were happening (death!! murder!! intrigue!!), the writing style made me feel detached and distanced from it all.
- Ahdieh’s stories are, first and foremost, romances. And yet, I couldn’t get myself to care that much about the romance between Celine and Sèbastien.
- The mythology of the world felt hastily glossed over. Terms such as, “The Sylvan Vale,” “The Sylvan Wyld,” “The Brotherhood,” and “The Fallen,” were used briefly, but never fully explained. And while I don’t necessarily want a gigantic info dump, some more clarity would have been nice. Hopefully things will become more understandable in Book 2.
- The big selling point of this book was VAMPIRES, but they were mysteriously absent for the majority of the story.
The Final Verdict
The Beautiful is full of rich, lavish, and utterly atmospheric writing that lives up to its name. However, for a book that promises vampires, there was a disturbing lack of just that.
TODAY'S WAFFLE RECIPE
The Beautiful
From the Kitchen of: Renée Ahdieh Servings: The Beautiful #1 Cooking Directions:
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 Le Cour des Lions, after catching the eye of the group's leader, the enigmatic Sèbastien Saint Germain. When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in the lair of Le Cour des Lions, Celine battles her attraction to him and suspicions about Sèbastien'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.
Purchase Your Ingredients:
Have you read The Beautiful? What did you think of it?
Are vampires going to be the next BIG THING™ in YA fiction?
Share your thoughts in the comments!
5 Comments
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I haven’t read it yet, but I keep hearing this–that though we were promised vampires, they’re not really in it, and I’m super sad about that because I 100% bought The Beautiful because vampires. It seems like they might be making a comeback, and I’m so here for that, I miss them so much, but they need to actually be in the books for that to happen! I’ll still end up reading this eventually, but good to know going in!
I’m sorry this one was a disappointing read for you, Kat! I’ve seen a lot of reviews mentioning the same problem: the lack of vampires, the slow pacing, and the lack of action. And while atmospheric reads are something I really enjoy, I think I would just skip this one.
Great review!
I love a good vampire novel but this one sounds like a disappointment if they are not really in it, maybe Ahdieh will make them more of a focus in the next book. I think that vampire’s will make a come back in YA in the next few years once the hype over fantasy books calms down.
I look forward to your next review, your blog is awesome!
As much as I love vampires, I wouldn’t add this on my tbr based from your review. I do think this could be a good year for vampires to make a comeback in YA and don’t worry, I absolutely appreciate your vampire pun. That’s the main reason why I commented. Please keep making terrible (read: terrible but sparkly(??)) puns.
I’m so glad that you loved the pun! Although such jokes are pretty terrible, they make me smile so I figure why not share them, right??? And I hope that there are more new vampire books that come out that I enjoy a little bit more than I did this one. Thank you so much for the lovely comment :)