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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
I'm really sad because this book was so disappointing compared to the first one. It was still written well and interesting, but it felt completely different from the first. Celine is missing her memories, but her character changed a lot. She got really timid and outwardly scared in situations, when in the previous book, she was really good and standing up and putting on a brave face. All her fire left with her memories, which shouldn't have happened. The plot line was all over the place. There are four different situations going on. One with Bastien's sister, one with him trying to be "unmade", Celine getting called back to Paris for a murder investigation, and the whole thing with Celine's mother. It just didn't flow well and it made me really sad because I loved the first book.
adventurous
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:
Yes
Sloppy ending. Idk y everyone has gotta have a motive dam
The Damned starts off strong: we pick up where we left off in The Beautiful, with Bastien (badly) coming to terms with his immortality, and Celine trying to figure out where he's so familiar to her. This dynamic, of him and his self-destruction and her and her will to find the truth about her memories, is fun, for like, five minutes. But it goes on for 60% of the book. By the time Celine is reunited with thrilling elements of her past, the plot has long died a death.
The pacing is all wrong, and the characters, brilliant as ever, don't get to grow the way they need to for readers to care about them. As a fan of Ahdieh's detailed storytelling and world-building, it was a disappointment to find the plot rushed all the stunning elements along in a way that slighted them.
A worthy sequel for those that loved The Beautiful, but for readers that were waiting to see about this series: pick up if you love star-crossed lovers or historical fantasy, but know the journey will feel long.
Find more reviews at: https://www.politeyelling.com/
The pacing is all wrong, and the characters, brilliant as ever, don't get to grow the way they need to for readers to care about them. As a fan of Ahdieh's detailed storytelling and world-building, it was a disappointment to find the plot rushed all the stunning elements along in a way that slighted them.
A worthy sequel for those that loved The Beautiful, but for readers that were waiting to see about this series: pick up if you love star-crossed lovers or historical fantasy, but know the journey will feel long.
Find more reviews at: https://www.politeyelling.com/
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
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:
Complicated
Loved🫶
My Review:⭐️⭐⭐⭐/ 5 stars
I read the first book a few days ago so thankfully all the characters was fresh in my mind. Sebastien Saint Germain was just turned into a vampire by his uncle Nicodemus, the most powerful Vampire in the American South in 1872, after being near death. In exchange, Cecile would allow Nicodemus to erase her memories of what happened that night and of Bastien… so they could start their own lives. Bastien is disturbed from the change and does everything he can to try to turn back and be human again (and be with Cecile). Michael & Cecile try to make it work - but she suspects her friends are hiding things from her after having very vivid dreams that cannot be explained. And behind the scenes, a sinister character is trying to exact revenge on the Fallen (aka the Vampires) after generations of blood shed.
I based this rating on it simply being much better than the first book, the Beautiful. The story seems a bit more structured and easier to understand the different worlds, characters, and even the love triangle between Bastien/Cecile/Michael. The romance between the main characters in the first book was very tortured, forced, and one dimensional. I didn’t buy their little forbidden, star crossed romance. One minute they just met and the next they are in love? I learned so much more in this one. That being said, the sequel is great, but I did not love it. This whole series was a bit lukewarm for me. The love scene had me wanting more, but more so because of the injustice of waiting through two books for just that measly scene? For a paranormal YA/historical fiction based in New Orleans, a magical city in its own right, this is decent. Will I tune in for the 3rd book in 2021? Probably.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This wasn’t as good as the first book unfortunately. A lot of the tension and mystery isn’t there anymore, though I think it will return for the next book so I’m excited for that. I also didn’t like how forced the love triangle was. What I did appreciate though was the journey into fae lands and learning more about their world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Ableism, Child abuse, Child death, Alcohol
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
