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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Spoiler
I’ll go ahead and give this a 1.5/5 because I DNF’d this about 100 pages in. I’d like to share my thoughts about those first 100 pages.I really liked “The Beautiful.” It was entertaining. It kept me turning pages. And the cliffhanger at the end? I was taken enough that I would even describe myself as eager to read the next in the series.
“The Damned” threw me off almost immediately, and this is due in part to the structure. Writing multiple POVs can be difficult to pull off well, as many times it fails to add meaningfully to the story or, worse yet, keeps the reader from being able to immerse themselves in the world since the perspective is always changing. I put the book down too soon to be able to comment on the former (though I strongly suspect that it did in fact become a problem), but the latter is what really challenged me. Which is surprising, since I don’t remember having any issues with the POVs or tense in “The Beautiful,” and therefore don’t understand why the author felt the need for such a drastic shakeup here.
Sebastien’s chapters were in first person, but Theo me chapter of Celine’s I read was not—nor were any of the other characters’ chapters for that matter. If my memory serves me correctly, his were also told in present tense, while the others remained past. This bizarre flip flop really threw me, and I personally found it unenjoyable to read. It lacked consistency, which can sometimes be a good thing—but in this case, frustrated me more than anything. For this reason I came to dread Sebastien’s chapters as well. Not only were they wildly different from the rest of the book, but they seemed full of nothing but angry brooding and his friends trying to baby him while simultaneously complaining about his behavior. Again, this struck me as very frustrating. A character I had liked more often than not in the previous book became insufferable to me here. I get he never wanted to be a vampire and I get that he would naturally be angry and upset, as well as driven by new impulses, but...he just lacked depth. It didn’t have to be all anger and despair and brooding all the time. I didn’t read far enough to get a grasp of Celine’s character in this sequel, so I can’t really comment on her. And maybe things get better the further you read. I just didn’t have the patience to stick around and find out.
Maybe one day I’ll return to this book and force myself to read through it all. But I had other books waiting that I knew I’d have a much more pleasant time reading, so I decided to put my attention there.
The cover of ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀᴍɴᴇᴅ - book 2 in this series - by @reneeahdieh is an absolute stunner. It is one of my favourite covers of all time and I can’t get enough of it.
I already adored the author’s writing style in her previous books, so it’s a no-brainer that I’ve once again been blown away by her ability to spellbind me with her words.
When it comes to the setting and plot of this book (and I didn’t think it possible!), ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀᴍɴᴇᴅ is even darker, scarier, and so much more emotional than ᴛʜʀ ʙᴇᴀᴜᴛɪғᴜʟ.
And oh my, those plot twists! Some left me sad or angry, others had me gaping dumbfounded at the book in my hands. This book is also full to the brim with emotions and gosh does the reader feel every single one of them.
But what about the characters? Put simply: they are awesome!
They’ve grown so incredibly much during their horrid, yet sometimes beautiful adventures. They’ve become bigger persons and I can’t even put in words how much I love both Celine and Bastièn. Those two grew so much on me and I’m stunned time and again when it comes to the mental strength of Celine’s character - and her stubbornness for that matter.
I can highly recommend this book (honestly, the whole series) to all of you. Go ahead, read it and then tell me all about it. Tʜᴇ ᴅᴀᴍɴᴇᴅ by Renée Ahdieh has been another thrilling, magical, and compelling highlight for me.
I already adored the author’s writing style in her previous books, so it’s a no-brainer that I’ve once again been blown away by her ability to spellbind me with her words.
When it comes to the setting and plot of this book (and I didn’t think it possible!), ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀᴍɴᴇᴅ is even darker, scarier, and so much more emotional than ᴛʜʀ ʙᴇᴀᴜᴛɪғᴜʟ.
And oh my, those plot twists! Some left me sad or angry, others had me gaping dumbfounded at the book in my hands. This book is also full to the brim with emotions and gosh does the reader feel every single one of them.
But what about the characters? Put simply: they are awesome!
They’ve grown so incredibly much during their horrid, yet sometimes beautiful adventures. They’ve become bigger persons and I can’t even put in words how much I love both Celine and Bastièn. Those two grew so much on me and I’m stunned time and again when it comes to the mental strength of Celine’s character - and her stubbornness for that matter.
I can highly recommend this book (honestly, the whole series) to all of you. Go ahead, read it and then tell me all about it. Tʜᴇ ᴅᴀᴍɴᴇᴅ by Renée Ahdieh has been another thrilling, magical, and compelling highlight for me.
slow-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
so i actually really liked book 1 but things went off the deep end in book 2
the plot jumped around way way too much and the world building fell flat. i wish there was more of a focus on celine x bastiens relationship, bc i was hanging out for it all book
the plot jumped around way way too much and the world building fell flat. i wish there was more of a focus on celine x bastiens relationship, bc i was hanging out for it all book
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It took me about 100 pages to get into this book, which I feel is unusual for a direct sequel. I think because lots was revealed at the end of the first book, we're suddenly given a lot of information in the first quarter of this one that, for me, it was lacking the same magic and atmosphere that I loved from The Beautiful. I did fall headfirst into it after that point, though, once I'd got my bearings again
This series follows Celine, a young girl who boards a boat in France heading to New Orleans to escape a crime she committed. There, she meets the mysterious and glamorous Odette who soon whisks her away into a dark underground world that soon enchants Celine
I can't say too much without going into spoilers, but some of the new bits added into this sequel aren't my favourite when it comes to fantasy beings and plots. I think when this is explored further in the next book I could enjoy it a lot more, but being thrown into it in this one didn't 100% captivate me
I still love Ahdieh's writing so much. Her books are so atmospheric that I feel like I live in them while I'm reading them. I also love the characters, especially Odette and Arjun, and the found family aspect of their gang
This series follows Celine, a young girl who boards a boat in France heading to New Orleans to escape a crime she committed. There, she meets the mysterious and glamorous Odette who soon whisks her away into a dark underground world that soon enchants Celine
I can't say too much without going into spoilers, but some of the new bits added into this sequel aren't my favourite when it comes to fantasy beings and plots. I think when this is explored further in the next book I could enjoy it a lot more, but being thrown into it in this one didn't 100% captivate me
I still love Ahdieh's writing so much. Her books are so atmospheric that I feel like I live in them while I'm reading them. I also love the characters, especially Odette and Arjun, and the found family aspect of their gang