Reviews with content warning for Blood - The Beautiful

Let's start with dislikes first: There was an excessive use of the word 'murderess'. I was also frustrated that the main characters neglected to have important conversations and communicate because they were horny on main.
Things that I liked: I really appreciated the banter in this book. There were some clever lines. On top of that, I adored the use of different languages and accents. I was enthralled the gruesome crime scenes and the magic that is New Orleans. Last but not least, I stan Arjun and Odette.

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shorts_family's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.5

I would consider this story to be pretty middle-of-the-road as far as vampire novels go. It wasn't so bad that I couldn't finish it, but it also wasn't so enrapturing I couldn't put it down. I think my main issue is with how slow the pacing is, I feel like there were several chapters that could've been removed altogether and it wouldn't have altered any significant part of the story. No spoilers, but there was one good twist/reveal and two twists/reveals that I felt had absolutely no buildup to them whatsoever, so they didn't feel satisfying at all, unfortunately. I loved the dynamic between Celine and Bastien, and there were moments of the book that were genuinely funny, but overall I wanted to be pulled into the book more.

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h_reads98's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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ok7a's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

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midnightrose_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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starlessnights's review against another edition

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3.0

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emma2578's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious relaxing 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

4.0

I absolutely loved the atmosphere of New Orleans, the author did an amazing job of romanticizing the city through description. Celine was an amazing strong headed lead character, I often found myself admiring her wits throughout the novel. As for the romance, I prefer Micheal over Bastien, but I can see why so many people would disagree. The antagonist was compelling, and left me shocked during his reveal. Overall I really enjoyed this book, and look forward to reading the next book in the series.

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stormywolf's review against another edition

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dark hopeful 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

4.0

Audiobook Read by Lauren Ezzo
Unabridged Length: 13.2 Hours
Listened at 2x Speed

Read my full review at The Wolf's Den

Overall, I have no complaints. A stellar narration, nailing tons of accents and emotions, was enough to put this production in my recommendations, to say nothing of its value as a pronunciation guide. With the emoting, especially in horror and action scenes, the volume and speed of reading does go up a bit, so that's something to keep in mind if you're not reading along, or at an increased playback speed. But if you're looking for an audio that offers a solid voice performance, this one should definitely be on your short list.

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