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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
I loved this, I am not unbiased because I think everything Renee writes is amazing, I love her work so much. I was not disappointed at all by this sequel to The Beautiful, it was absolutely amazing, I loved the fact it took a different direction than I was expecting. I felt Celine and Bastien’s characters developed so much more in this than the first book too. There was so much more action in this book, so much more drama, it’s just wonderful. If you loved the first book you will love this even more. Fantastic
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
Well, fuck! Først og fremmest fantastisk oplæser og så har jeg virkelig en svaghed for New Orleans og vampyrer, kombinationen er intet mindre end magi.
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love the romance in this book. It also has a very interesting and lovable or hatable (depending on who it is) cast of characters. Celine is such a girl boss, and I love her.
4.5 stars
Wow. Wow.
The Beautiful was one of my favourite reads last year. It had captivating characters, breathtaking descriptions of New Orleans, a highly intriguing plot, and vampires.
Renee Ahdieh made vampires cool again in 2019 in the most sophisticated and seductive way. I applaud her for that.
So obviously, I had quite high expectations for its sequel, The Damned.
The Damned is definitely more of Sébastien’s book. It makes perfect sense when you remember how the last book ended. In this book, we were given many different POVs, but I would say that the majority of them were Bastien’s. Also, while everyone else’s were in 3rd person, Bastien’s chapters were in 1st person. It was an interesting decision but one that I completely loved. It really helped us become fully invested in his mind and his thoughts.
Bastien goes through a lot in this book. He is a boy that is always enticed by the darkness within and around him. But after being engulfed by anger and going through massive life changes, we may see a side of Bastien that comes a bit closer to the light instead...
Bastien internally battles with the idea of loyalty vs family and what it really means to love someone. It was so intriguing to be in his head for the majority of this book.
Though Celine was still one of our main characters, she doesn’t become too heavily involved in everything till about the 25% mark. At first, I was a bit bummed since I adore Celine—she is one of my favourite protagonists—however, again, when you remember how the previous book ended, it made perfect sense. You do see and hear quite a bit of her, but the story to be told belongs to Bastien and his immortal family. I must add that Celine definitely takes a solid hold back of the story in the second half of the book as we dive into her mysteries and the unveiling truths of her life.
Bastien remains on the list of my favourite main characters. He is headstrong, quick to act, smart, and cunning. Every step he takes is a calculated one. Of course, at the beginning of his story in this book, he had a lot to overcome. But watching him do that, watching him be angry and sad and lonely, made me only adore him more. Watching his journey from anger to passion, from lost to found, was truly something to behold.
This book does not slow down! It is action packed and has you excitingly anticipating the next moment.
I was excited to see more development between Celine and Pippa’s friendship. There was a very crucial moment between those two that needed to happen in order to strengthen their bond. Also, it gave us more depth to Pippa’s story and her personality.
Also, speaking of Pippa... Pippa x Arjun!!? I would like to see it!! The seeds were definitely planted for a possible future between those two! Their dynamic, though we only got a tiny bit of it, was captivating and entertaining.
The side characters in La Cour des Lions were explored much more than the first book. I was happy to know of their stories and their personalities. Jae’s backstory was so intricate and intriguing! I was chomping at the bit to find out more about him. Also, Odette is everything to me and I could’ve done with sooo much more Odette content. I love Arjun as well and I wish we would’ve gotten more of him and his story but sooommethinnnggg tells me we will be getting a lot of it in the next book.
This book opens up so much further into the lore of this world. Giving insight to mystical and paranormal creatures, it took a turn I did not expect. Like it truly came out of nowhere for me. Because of this, The Damned has a slightly different vibe than The Beautiful. That being said, it still takes place in New Orleans, it is still magnificently atmospheric and enchantingly haunting. Though it did take the unexpected turn I mentioned, I grew to love it. It really helps thicken the plot of the overall series, giving weight and depth to the story and raising the stakes of everything. And of course, Ahdieh’s rich world building makes these new turns and discoveries just as captivating as the first book. I am excited to see how the new world and characters come into play in the next book.
I want to add that I can see some people be slightly disappointed in the turn this book takes. It truly takes on a whole new world, in a sense. It becomes much more of a fantasy. But I loved it in the end!
This book got sexy and I just want to thank Renee Ahdieh for giving that to us!!
The ending was magnificently earth shattering. So many different reveals happened throughout the course of the book and I thought I could be surprised no more. But no! Renee really did that. So many shocking things happened at the very end. And just when you think all the plot twists were over...nope! Another one slaps you in the face at the very last few paragraphs of the book.
The few problems I have with this book are as follows: the ending felt a bit rushed. The story made sense but I think we could’ve done with a few more chapters to slow down and focus on a few details within the plot. One example is that there is a moment in which Celine comes to a decision(one that I loved, I should add) but it felt almost a bit rushed. We could have been given more development on that.
Also, this book focuses a little less on the romance when compared to its predecessor. Romance was still there and just as beautiful, just not as present.
I am so grateful to have read an ARC of The Damned. I cannot believe that I’ll have to wait something like a year for the next book. I am so fully captivated by this series and the world and characters that Renee Ahdieh created.
In conclusion, get excited everyone!! And also strap in!!! Because The Damned is about to rock your wold.
Thank you to the publishers PenguinTeen for providing me a copy of this via netgalley!
Wow. Wow.
The Beautiful was one of my favourite reads last year. It had captivating characters, breathtaking descriptions of New Orleans, a highly intriguing plot, and vampires.
Renee Ahdieh made vampires cool again in 2019 in the most sophisticated and seductive way. I applaud her for that.
So obviously, I had quite high expectations for its sequel, The Damned.
The Damned is definitely more of Sébastien’s book. It makes perfect sense when you remember how the last book ended. In this book, we were given many different POVs, but I would say that the majority of them were Bastien’s. Also, while everyone else’s were in 3rd person, Bastien’s chapters were in 1st person. It was an interesting decision but one that I completely loved. It really helped us become fully invested in his mind and his thoughts.
Bastien goes through a lot in this book. He is a boy that is always enticed by the darkness within and around him. But after being engulfed by anger and going through massive life changes, we may see a side of Bastien that comes a bit closer to the light instead...
Bastien internally battles with the idea of loyalty vs family and what it really means to love someone. It was so intriguing to be in his head for the majority of this book.
Though Celine was still one of our main characters, she doesn’t become too heavily involved in everything till about the 25% mark. At first, I was a bit bummed since I adore Celine—she is one of my favourite protagonists—however, again, when you remember how the previous book ended, it made perfect sense. You do see and hear quite a bit of her, but the story to be told belongs to Bastien and his immortal family. I must add that Celine definitely takes a solid hold back of the story in the second half of the book as we dive into her mysteries and the unveiling truths of her life.
Bastien remains on the list of my favourite main characters. He is headstrong, quick to act, smart, and cunning. Every step he takes is a calculated one. Of course, at the beginning of his story in this book, he had a lot to overcome. But watching him do that, watching him be angry and sad and lonely, made me only adore him more. Watching his journey from anger to passion, from lost to found, was truly something to behold.
This book does not slow down! It is action packed and has you excitingly anticipating the next moment.
I was excited to see more development between Celine and Pippa’s friendship. There was a very crucial moment between those two that needed to happen in order to strengthen their bond. Also, it gave us more depth to Pippa’s story and her personality.
Also, speaking of Pippa... Pippa x Arjun!!? I would like to see it!! The seeds were definitely planted for a possible future between those two! Their dynamic, though we only got a tiny bit of it, was captivating and entertaining.
The side characters in La Cour des Lions were explored much more than the first book. I was happy to know of their stories and their personalities. Jae’s backstory was so intricate and intriguing! I was chomping at the bit to find out more about him. Also, Odette is everything to me and I could’ve done with sooo much more Odette content. I love Arjun as well and I wish we would’ve gotten more of him and his story but sooommethinnnggg tells me we will be getting a lot of it in the next book.
This book opens up so much further into the lore of this world. Giving insight to mystical and paranormal creatures, it took a turn I did not expect. Like it truly came out of nowhere for me. Because of this, The Damned has a slightly different vibe than The Beautiful. That being said, it still takes place in New Orleans, it is still magnificently atmospheric and enchantingly haunting. Though it did take the unexpected turn I mentioned, I grew to love it. It really helps thicken the plot of the overall series, giving weight and depth to the story and raising the stakes of everything. And of course, Ahdieh’s rich world building makes these new turns and discoveries just as captivating as the first book. I am excited to see how the new world and characters come into play in the next book.
I want to add that I can see some people be slightly disappointed in the turn this book takes. It truly takes on a whole new world, in a sense. It becomes much more of a fantasy. But I loved it in the end!
This book got sexy and I just want to thank Renee Ahdieh for giving that to us!!
The ending was magnificently earth shattering. So many different reveals happened throughout the course of the book and I thought I could be surprised no more. But no! Renee really did that. So many shocking things happened at the very end. And just when you think all the plot twists were over...nope! Another one slaps you in the face at the very last few paragraphs of the book.
The few problems I have with this book are as follows: the ending felt a bit rushed. The story made sense but I think we could’ve done with a few more chapters to slow down and focus on a few details within the plot. One example is that there is a moment in which Celine comes to a decision(one that I loved, I should add) but it felt almost a bit rushed. We could have been given more development on that.
Also, this book focuses a little less on the romance when compared to its predecessor. Romance was still there and just as beautiful, just not as present.
I am so grateful to have read an ARC of The Damned. I cannot believe that I’ll have to wait something like a year for the next book. I am so fully captivated by this series and the world and characters that Renee Ahdieh created.
In conclusion, get excited everyone!! And also strap in!!! Because The Damned is about to rock your wold.
Thank you to the publishers PenguinTeen for providing me a copy of this via netgalley!
Wonderful tale. Not as good as the first book in the series (that rarely happens anyhow), but still damned good .
adventurous
funny
slow-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
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
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:
Yes
Really enjoyed this book it's very well read. Great description writing. Very gripping and a massive go to read and well recommend.
slow-paced
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes