Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - The Beautiful Ones

Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

28 reviews

turtlebrainlibrarian's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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kachina's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

definitely a stray from SMG’s previous two titles in many ways, yet maintains her signature sense of impending doom. A darkly complicated romance, the plot runs aside those historical classic greats such as the Bröntes and Austen’s, yet stands out in the rich complexity of each character—and of course, in that sense of encroaching danger that vibrates along the edges of all three of SMG’s releases.

I will admit the “two act” format of this book was a little jarring as an audio listener, and I do feel it created a sense of a lag in the middle (though this was slightly off-putting to me at the time, now finding myself at the end I do think it greatly contributes to SMG’s air of mystery by shifting pace mid-tale.

4/5 stars

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marigo1ds's review against another edition

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emotional 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

3.25

Nina is such a great lead. To me, she’s coded as autistic, and I absolutely loved it. The romance in this book is so sweet, and Valérie is a really compelling antagonist. But excluding certain sections, the telekinesis is totally random. The world-building isn’t great, but the characters are interesting.

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goblingirlreads's review against another edition

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emotional tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I genuinely really enjoyed this book but I remain with the firm opinion that it's not for everyone. Silvia said "I'm going to write a novel of manners with a dash of magic" and that is exactly what you will find here - no more no less. I'd say the magic puts a slight spin on the genre and one of the main characters, Nina, defies many societal expectations but otherwise it fits all the shapes and tropes of a novel of manners pretty much to the t. I found that fun and it was exactly what I was looking for but I definitely don't favor it as much as her other writing. However, Moremo-Garcia remains one of my favorite authors and so far I've liked everything she's written. She can probably do it all!

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jamieleepilk's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Thank you so much to Quercus for the Proof copy for Review. UK Release 27/4/21.

Jane Austen meets Erin Morgenstern in this sweeping romance. Silvia Moreno Garcia has done it again. Another beautifully written story with lyrical writing and a gloriously glamours setting.
Told from multiple perspectives which really helps push the story along nicely. Mainly characters driven. Silvia is crazy talented and has quickly become an auto-buy author for me, her versatility is mind blowing how she can write all these different genres without missing a beat. Beautiful romantic read.

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dedonohoe's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

TL;DR: Did you watch Bridgerton on Netflix and love it? Craving more nineteenth century high society romance and intrigue? With a touch of magic? THEN READ IT. My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was a bit confused when I discovered this book, since it seems like a reprint of a book by Silvia Moreno-Garcia that was published in 2017. The new cover is gorgeous and immediately grabbed my attention.

I was unsure about picking this one up for a couple of reasons though. One, the only book of Moreno-Garcia’s that I’d read to date was her 2019 release, Gods of Jade and Shadow. It was a very cool concept and an enjoyable read, but a solid 3/5 for me. And two, this seemed way heavier on the romance than the fantasy, and I am not a frequent romance genre reader. And yet, I am SO glad I read this book. It was light-hearted, sweet, and entertaining. The characters were worth getting invested in, with the villains just as delighting to read as the protagonists.

Moreno-Garcia seems to be comfortable in many genres, and I’m all the more excited to read Mexican Gothic, for which she’s received a lot of acclaim, and Signal to Noise, which has been waiting on my kindle for at least a year.

I’m serious about the Bridgerton connection. If you loved the secret keeping, angst, and will-they-won’t-they dynamic between Daphne and Simon, you’ll have a blast with The Beautiful Ones. On the flip side, if you’re a hardcore fantasy fan, you’ll probably be let down. Both Hector and Nina are psychokinetic, but their powers are immaterial to the plot. It’s a fun, whimsical element in the story, but it’s only one of several reasons that Hector and Nina come together.

One of my favorite aspects of this book is how it depicts attraction. The description that the leading man, Hector, gives for his eventual love interest at the start of the novel is not exactly flattering. I know that in my own personal life there are some people I am immediately attracted to, and then there are those who become incredibly attractive to me the more I interact with them. It was quite fun and charming to see this evolution unfold in writing, as Hector looks beyond Nina’s failures of social grace and becomes more and more enamoured with her as a unique individual. In contrast, we see how the past object of Hector’s affections becomes uglier and uglier to him as she reveals her serious character flaws.

The dynamic between the two women in the story, Nina and Valerie, was also really compelling. Both brush up against the ways that their society limits the possibilities for women to find happiness, but they respond in very different ways. Valerie encapsulates the idea of a patriarchal bargain, strategizing within the constraints of society to lay claim to whatever power she can, even though it comes at the expense of other women, like Nina. Valerie feels personally affronted that Nina may ascend this hierarchy and find happiness without having to make the same sacrifices that she did. This dynamic makes Valerie an excellent villain, because while her attitude and actions are completely reprehensible, it is hard to deny the injustices of the context in which they develop.

That said, there were aspects of this love story that I found frustrating. Hector’s cowardice became tedious. It would be great to see more male romantic leads better able to communicate their feelings. That said, Nina’s tenacity more than makes up for it. She is unfailingly willing to make herself vulnerable in front of others. Other characters tried to dismiss this as youthfulness or stupidity, but really, it’s courage. The kind that is so, so hard to have when building intimate relationships.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for giving me advance access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

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ephemeralbreeze's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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ehmannky's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Romantic, fantastic, and wonderful. Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a master of the slow-burn romance, and I could not put it down. was surprised the supernatural elements were so subdued, but I think that was only to the story's benefit and not a detraction from the plot, which is primarily character-driven. I loved Nina (I'm always a sucker for plucky, entomologically-inclined heroines) and Hector (even if, in real life, I would be predisposed to cause Hector grievous harm for the shit he pulls in part one), and I found their chemistry incredibly compelling and lovely. I am just predisposed to love a girl with entomological taste with a heart of gold. And I have not hated female character the way I hated Valérie in quite some time, which is a feat because I takes quite a bit to get me to dislike most female characters. But her malice just made this alternate Belle Époque that much more wonderful. I just loved the framing of a healthy love as something that opens you up to others and others, instead of consuming you and closing you off from others.

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