softstarrynights 's review for:

The Damned by Renée Ahdieh

5.0

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After reading The Beautiful last year The Damned was one of my most anticipated books of 2020. Although I was very nervous that it would not live up to my high expectations, I am relieved to report that it most certainly did. This book gave me all the angst that I was expecting and hoping for, and I am so grateful for that. If I was rating this book on enjoyment it would get five stars easily. However, if I am rating this book critically then things get a little messier. There was a lot of info-dumping in this book which a lot of people would not appreciate. In The Beautiful we barely got any information, and that which we did get was merely hinted at. It's evident that the author needed to give us a lot of information but it should have been spread out more. This book also included something which I really don't like in that it included a single POV chapter from a certain character in order to further the plot. I do like multiple POVs but I also like then to be relatively consistent. I understand that this seems like I am complaining about the book when it actual fact I adored it and raced through it, unable to stop turning the pages. I am giving it five stars because of my personal enjoyment, but I can also see where the I cannot wait to reread this book, and I know that the wait for the third book will be agonising.