The Beautiful
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-21 09:51:56
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Ren�e Ahdieh
- ISBN：1524738190
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Now in paperback， the first book--an instant bestseller--in the sumptuous， sultry， and romantic YA vampire series from New York Times bestselling author Renee Ahdieh。
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， Celine is quickly enraptured by the vibrant city becoming embroiled in the glitzy underworld， known as La Cour des Lions， after catching the eye of the group's enigmatic leader， S�bastien Saint Germain。
When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in S�bastien's own lair--the second dead girl to turn up in recent weeks--Celine must battle her attraction to S�bastien and suspicions about his guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret。
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， Celine is quickly enraptured by the vibrant city becoming embroiled in the glitzy underworld， known as La Cour des Lions， after catching the eye of the group's enigmatic leader， S�bastien Saint Germain。
When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in S�bastien's own lair--the second dead girl to turn up in recent weeks--Celine must battle her attraction to S�bastien and suspicions about his guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret。
Reviews
Cecilia
，
Nueva Orleans， siglo XIX y vampiros。。。 Era muy difícil que este libro no me gustase， pero es que ha superado TODAS mis expectativas， es una maravilla。 Merece muchísimo la pena leerlo。 La decadente belleza de Nueva Orleans me parece el telón de fondo perfecto para esta historia， llegando a convertirse en un protagonista más。 La Corte de los Leones es simplemente magnífica， te atrapa y te deja con ganas de saber más sobre la magia， los diferentes "mentalistas" （el único fallo que le veo a la novel Nueva Orleans， siglo XIX y vampiros。。。 Era muy difícil que este libro no me gustase， pero es que ha superado TODAS mis expectativas， es una maravilla。 Merece muchísimo la pena leerlo。 La decadente belleza de Nueva Orleans me parece el telón de fondo perfecto para esta historia， llegando a convertirse en un protagonista más。 La Corte de los Leones es simplemente magnífica， te atrapa y te deja con ganas de saber más sobre la magia， los diferentes "mentalistas" （el único fallo que le veo a la novela， que te cuenta muy poquito de los miembros de la Corte）; es el ambiente perfecto para Celine。 La aventura y la trama están bien construidas， te enganchan desde el principio y deseas saber quién es ese misterioso narrador que va relatando sus crímenes。 Creo que ese es otro de los aciertos， poder echar un vistazo a la mente del villano ha sido una maravilla。 Y la protagonista， por supuesto， no se queda atrás: es tozuda， le importa bastante poco lo que la sociedad piense de ella y lucha por lo que quiere。。。 No sé， es que es un libro que tiene muchísimas cosas bien hechas， es una lectura deliciosa。 Los Plot Twist （sí， hay varios y son deliciosos） me han dejado deseando leer la siguiente novela ya mismo。 Sin duda son libros que recomendaré mucho de ahora en adelante。 。。。more
Panda S。
，
This cover and the promise of a steamy romance are what originally enticed me。 What I stayed for？ New Orleans。 For how this book is marketed it really didn’t deliver what I expected。 I know many love Celine and Bastiens romance- and although there are a few beautiful tension filled scenes I found it lacklustre overall。 It developed so awkwardly。 *I just spilt my shake everywhere， tbc。**dressed and ready for the day！*It was very much an instant connection with much time for true development。 The This cover and the promise of a steamy romance are what originally enticed me。 What I stayed for？ New Orleans。 For how this book is marketed it really didn’t deliver what I expected。 I know many love Celine and Bastiens romance- and although there are a few beautiful tension filled scenes I found it lacklustre overall。 It developed so awkwardly。 *I just spilt my shake everywhere， tbc。**dressed and ready for the day！*It was very much an instant connection with much time for true development。 The most impactful of all their scenes being when they traverse through a late parade。 It was a great an atmospheric scene but that was the biggest depth building moment。Along with that， the pacing of this book confused me。So much happened- yet at the same time I hit the 300 page mark as was in awe。 It felt like a lot of fluff。I craved more， what I got just wasn’t what I yearned for。3。2/5。0 。。。more
Karis Rogerson
，
4/5 starsI'm screaming at that ENDING！！！I really enjoyed the writing in this book， Renée Ahdieh is undoubtedly skilled at writing beautifully。 She wove the atmosphere of New Orleans to life in such an incredible manner in this book to the point that I honestly felt like I was there myself。 The middle section lost me a little bit， but the beginning and the ending were heart-poundingly good。 I was quickly brought into the story and I'm not gonna be over the ending for a while， I'm sure！ 4/5 starsI'm screaming at that ENDING！！！I really enjoyed the writing in this book， Renée Ahdieh is undoubtedly skilled at writing beautifully。 She wove the atmosphere of New Orleans to life in such an incredible manner in this book to the point that I honestly felt like I was there myself。 The middle section lost me a little bit， but the beginning and the ending were heart-poundingly good。 I was quickly brought into the story and I'm not gonna be over the ending for a while， I'm sure！ 。。。more
Teresa-Lynn
，
3。5
Wiktoria Balcerak
，
*2。5
Emily
，
Drop me in a cool setting， make it atmospheric， give me romance and monsters， and I'm a happy girl。Negative points are that I still don't understand the fallen/brotherhood dynamic and I don't like that。 Also the shadow villain （trying to avoid spoilers here） said Celine started to guess their identity and I was like when？ Where？ How？ Idk I'm just a confused girl and if there was a solvable mystery there were no pieces that clicked for me even after the reveal。Also lol to the villain being reveal Drop me in a cool setting， make it atmospheric， give me romance and monsters， and I'm a happy girl。Negative points are that I still don't understand the fallen/brotherhood dynamic and I don't like that。 Also the shadow villain （trying to avoid spoilers here） said Celine started to guess their identity and I was like when？ Where？ How？ Idk I'm just a confused girl and if there was a solvable mystery there were no pieces that clicked for me even after the reveal。Also lol to the villain being revealed as the villain and immediately busting out his true Cockney accent。 。。。more
Kenz
，
AHHH！！！ Vampires are back！！！！ As an avid lover of Twilight for years， when I read the summary of this book I knew I HAD to have it。 Let me tell you all， I was not disappointed！！Celine Rousseau IS the main character！ I loved her endlessly and was rooting for her constantly in every way， shape， or form。 Bastian is simply delicious。 I loved everything about his vibe， attitude， the way he carried himself。 It was SO GOOD。Now for the spoilers and detailed review:（view spoiler）[ Celine as a character w AHHH！！！ Vampires are back！！！！ As an avid lover of Twilight for years， when I read the summary of this book I knew I HAD to have it。 Let me tell you all， I was not disappointed！！Celine Rousseau IS the main character！ I loved her endlessly and was rooting for her constantly in every way， shape， or form。 Bastian is simply delicious。 I loved everything about his vibe， attitude， the way he carried himself。 It was SO GOOD。Now for the spoilers and detailed review:（view spoiler）[ Celine as a character was amazing。 There was not one point in this book where I disliked her。 After fleeing from her dark past in Paris and wanting to start a new life for herself， Celine finds herself engrossed in the addictive night life of New Orleans。 There was never a point where Celine let go of her strong will， despite her literally being stalked and hunted for a good majority of the book， this girl remained strong and always stood up for what she believed in。 Additionally， I loved her relationship with literally everyone in the book:Bastian: Celine and Bastian were HOT！ The steamy tension between the constantly was always on point， and the slow-burn was so intense but SO GOOD！ It definitely takes a very long time for them to get together， but when they did it was SO worth the wait。 Odette: I love my girl Odette。 Like I wanna be her best friend。 Her and Celine's friendship was the absolute best， I love that Odette was the one to introduce her to this world and was always looking out for her， even if it meant defying Bastian's desires at some points。Pippa: I liked Pippa。 I felt as though she was a very good friend to Celine to the best of her ability。 I feel like I've read that a lot of people didn't like Pippa， and I'm not sure why。 I feel like the book needed that other level headed friend in order to balance out the events happening to Celine。 If Celine didn't have Pippa and just had Odette， nothing ever would've happened。 Michael: Detective Grimaldi is a fav of mine。 He's your typical nice boy， though in the beginning he puts on a very convincing tough guy front （I'm talking about that scene at Jaques you all know）。 When in reality， he's a sweet little Italian boy who still gets bullied by his Nonna （I love Nonna）。 However， he's definitely the Jacob Black in this story （though infinitely a better character than Jacob）。I also really liked the slowly growing love triangle between Celine， Bastian， and Michael。 The only thing I did NOT like about this book was the ending。 I loved the whole found family idea with Bastian and all of the Court people。 I wasn't so shocked that one was a traitor， but I was definitely shocked at the outcome of the whole battle。 Thus， my burning hatred for Nicodemus is revealed。 I HATE THAT MAN！！ I hate that Celine had to give up her memories to get Nicodemus to save his last freaking relative。 I didn't see it coming at all and I was so upset because I absolutely HATE the lost memories trope。 I felt so bad for both Bastian and Celine and everyone involved getting betrayed by someone they considered family。 Every other part of this book I considered GOLD except this。 Despite my distaste at the ending， I still rated this book 5 stars because I literally loved everything else so much。 （hide spoiler）]The vibes， the characters， the story， the romance， it was all SO GOOD。 I highly recommend reading this book！ 。。。more
Susie
，
This book was somewhat hard for me to get into at first but the mystery surrounding the whole thing was able to pull me in fairly quickly。 I loved the setting and the time period， so absolutely fascinating and fun to read about。 I also loved that you seriously are so in the dark about the "creatures/monsters" for the whole book。 This book was somewhat hard for me to get into at first but the mystery surrounding the whole thing was able to pull me in fairly quickly。 I loved the setting and the time period， so absolutely fascinating and fun to read about。 I also loved that you seriously are so in the dark about the "creatures/monsters" for the whole book。 。。。more
Krista Yates
，
This book was just ok。 I really wanted to like it， it seemed to have a good storyline but it really never got going。 The characters were good but there was not enough meat to this book。 The author seemed a bit too wordy for my taste and gave way more details than were needed and many didn’t lend to the story。
Emily Green
，
This book was really bad！ It had such great potential to be good！ It had such a great idea！
Gracie Murrell
，
As soon as I sat down and really dug my heels into reading this book （I’ve been in a bit of a slump lately） I simply could not put it down。 It had the mystery， romance， and atmosphere that I adore in all of my favorite books。 Renée said she was inspired by Anne Rice novels when she was a teenager， but I believe this novel just inspired me。
Simone
，
Can I just say how atmospheric this book is！ The setting is New Orleans in 1872 and you experience the vibes and culture that this city has to offer。 Celine has arrived from Paris after fleeing for her life with the hope to start over in a convent of all places。 However， this book turns into a very interesting murder mystery as people are being murdered that are somehow tied to Celine。Let’s talk characters！ Two female characters I adore are Pippa and Odette。 Celine builds a cute friendship with Can I just say how atmospheric this book is！ The setting is New Orleans in 1872 and you experience the vibes and culture that this city has to offer。 Celine has arrived from Paris after fleeing for her life with the hope to start over in a convent of all places。 However， this book turns into a very interesting murder mystery as people are being murdered that are somehow tied to Celine。Let’s talk characters！ Two female characters I adore are Pippa and Odette。 Celine builds a cute friendship with Pippa throughout this book after they meet on the ship to New Orleans and we watch as they both try to protect and care for one another the best way they know how。 Odette on the other hand， is similar to Celine in many ways。 She hires Celine to make her a gown after noticing her impressive skills and Celine’s world is forever changed upon this interaction。 They are very strong women who are ahead of their time when it comes to what society expects of them。 Odette also brings a bit of LGBTQ+ representation which I hope is explored later in the series。 Then we have the love interest， Sébastien Saint Germain。 Celine and Sébastien have a strong attraction and you can tell they really see each other for who they are and not what they present to the world。 Celine hates him instantly upon their first encounter and for a good chunk of the story。 Sébastien is charming， handsome， witty and highly privileged which Celine despises yet she is drawn to him。 She has met her match - the male version of herself。 Throughout this book she proves how strong， stubborn， witty and intelligent she is and I enjoyed the fact that she is morally grey。 She’s torn between two duelling traits （good and evil） that are fighting within her and at the same time she also feels like there is something missing within; she is not wholly complete。 There are hints throughout the book that leads me to believe that Celine is no mere mortal but alas that reveal was not uncovered in this book。 Sébastien is highly intrigued with Celine but he sees her as distraction and tries to keep his distance because he has a lot of responsibility that he must focus on and nothing is more important than his found family and wealth。 Love and family are a recurring theme in this book and Ahdieh explores this for all her characters。 Also we have a mysterious first person POV of the villain throughout the book。 This entire book I could not guess who this person was and boy was I shocked at the reveal。 I did not foresee the betrayal nor the reveal so kudos to Ahdieh！ I do have so many questions about the villain and I can’t wait to get the full backstory。Additionally， I enjoyed the writing and have a few favourite quotes from this book。 However， I must note that there was some language that felt out of place given the time period。 I do love how Ahdieh interwove French dialogue without direct translation constantly but through context and in a very realistic conversational tone which seems common for multilingual speakers。 Also， I liked the social commentary on POC and women’s position in society during this time and I think Ahdieh handled this well。In terms of pacing， I would describe it as slow in the beginning and medium throughout。 There are so many things happening at once that I was not bored at all。 The paranormal or fantastical elements in this book is subtle。 Ahdieh does not outrightly tell you for most of the book that these characters are vampires， werewolves etc but she gives you descriptions and scenarios where you can derive this for yourself。 A bit of background of these fantastical beings is sprinkled throughout the book so it never felt info dumpy at all。 There is so much more I can say but I think it’s best for the reader to experience this book with the least amount of knowledge to get the most enjoyment。 As the book wrapped up some questions are answered but you will be left with so many more。- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -TW: death， murder （graphic）， rape （mentioned） & violence Tropes: hate-to-love and forbidden romanceRating: 4。25 ⭐️ 。。。more
Christine Thomas
，
I really enjoyed this。 I am happy this is the start of a series and I look forward to where it will go next。 Follow Celine as she try’s to start a new life in New Orleans。 Those close to her start to die。 Not one to show fear， Celine decides to face the monster that is killing off those she cares about。
Pahel
，
2。9 Stars！
Narinder Kaur Dhillon
，
This was so exciting。 I haven’t read something like this in so long。 I went through this in just hours。 It was that good。 Also， can I pls say that this cover is absolutely stunning。 Definitely suited。
Avery
，
3。5⭐️I definitely enjoyed this， just started very slow。 Will read the second book！
Christina Katsagoni
，
Captivating and different！
Amber
，
I’m not sure if I like this book。 It’s beautifully written with an interesting storyline but I wouldn’t say the climax at the end it actually a climax， although the end has you like wtf and wanting the next book to know what the hell has happened I don’t think this book really went anywhere。 This has been more of a build up to the next book I feel so I’m hoping there will be a lot more to the next one Not sure I’d recommend this yet until I read the next book
Alex
，
I was so shocked when I realized this book was by the same author as The Wrath and the Dawn。 Although the main character’s inner struggles are at times a bit simple， and the plot somewhat forced， the setting， concept， and overall tone if this book is a lot of fun
Courtney
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Soooo I wanna give it 5 stars SO bad。 This book was sooooo well written🤩 HOWEVER， I know the cover of the book said this series is about vampires， but no one was introduced as one until THE END。 Maybe the explanation of characters went right over my head but， I’m still trying to guess what the other characters have to do with the plot/ story。🤨 But again， LOVED this book and am so excited to continue the series 😍😍🖤👻
Alexis Davis
，
i was expected this to be bad IT WAS NOT like the writing was dense but not too much， i’ve read from the author before though so it was fine for me 。 It left me guessing literally the entire book and i still didn’t guess it i was actually intrigued that it was unique， especially about vampiresthere still so much more i want to know so i can’t wait to read the next one i hope she don’t get too involved with the enemy though
Shari
，
Celine’s story was so beautifully written I was captivated from the first page。 I love that it’s set in historic New Orleans- it really lends to the mysterious， alluring vampire vibe。
Jaded Reader
，
I’m making a video for this one。 Review pending。
madi
，
amazing。 new favorite series and ship。 it was a page turner and i couldn’t put it down， the world was so interesting and i loved the characters so much。 the ending was so unexpected to me？ but could also have been predictable， either way i loved it。 starting the second book now！！
☽ mira
，
3。5⭐️ "Love is looking at someone as if the stars shine in their eyes。" not gonna lie i loved the whole setting of this book。 i didn't like the pacing of this， it was very slow。 it is hard to start and understand what is going on， but once it gets to you， it's actually so beautiful。 i love bastien so much。 god he gave me butterflies。 celine is a great character and she was so smart and didn't take anyone's bullshit。 i liked that she was so independent that she didn't need anyone's hel 3。5⭐️ "Love is looking at someone as if the stars shine in their eyes。" not gonna lie i loved the whole setting of this book。 i didn't like the pacing of this， it was very slow。 it is hard to start and understand what is going on， but once it gets to you， it's actually so beautiful。 i love bastien so much。 god he gave me butterflies。 celine is a great character and she was so smart and didn't take anyone's bullshit。 i liked that she was so independent that she didn't need anyone's help。 that ending？？？？ what that should be a crime。 to leave a book at such a cliffhanger ugh。 i did love that it was predictable （at least for me）。 。。。more
Jenny Chip
，
I love the gothic romance mystery vibes from it very much！ Its rare for for me to find a book I generally adore within first few pages but this was a refreshing surprise。 It remind me a bit of the Anne rice books and of night world and the originals。 The snark and sass of the characters felt real and emotional as if they could jump off the pages。
Sena
，
*3。5 Love love loved Celine as a character omg， but the pacing in this one was just a bit too slow for my liking
Brynne Schweigel
，
This was a fast， exciting and inspiring bit of fantasy。 I can’t wait to read the sequel and see where the story goes。 Celine is an awesome character and I love being in her passionate head。
Harper Daniels
，
This book was utterly fantastic！ The only reason why I gave it 4。5 stars instead of 5 is because I felt that it would have been better as a stand-alone。 I don’t know if I feel that way because I’m a very unmotivated reader at the moment， but I am dreading the fact that I have to read the next book to know what happens next。 And yes， I do HAVE to read the next book。 Overall， I loved the poetic French elements of the story and I would definitely recommend！
Anastaysia
，
Is this objectively five stars？ No。 Is it fun enough that I’m rating it five stars？ Absolutely Also that plot twist！
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Beautiful
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Beautiful&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Beautiful&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0