ARC Review: The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh

Book info:

Title:  The Beautiful
Author:  Renee Ahdieh
Genre:  YA paranormal romance
Release Date:  October 8th, 2019
Publisher:  G.P. Putnam's Sons BYR
Source:  ARC won from Bookish First which did not influence my opinion
My rating:  4 stars

Synopsis:
New York Times bestselling author Renée Ahdieh returns with a sumptuous, sultry and romantic new series set in 19th century New Orleans where vampires hide in plain sight.

In 1872, New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead. But to seventeen-year-old Celine Rousseau, New Orleans provides her a refuge after she's forced to flee her life as a dressmaker in Paris. Taken in by the sisters of the Ursuline convent along with six other girls, Celine quickly becomes enamored with the vibrant city from the music to the food to the soirées and—especially—to the danger. She soon becomes embroiled in the city's glitzy underworld, known as La Cour des Lions, after catching the eye of the group's leader, the enigmatic Sébastien Saint Germain. When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in the lair of La Cour des Lions, Celine battles her attraction to him and suspicions about Sébastien's guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret.

When more bodies are discovered, each crime more gruesome than the last, Celine and New Orleans become gripped by the terror of a serial killer on the loose—one Celine is sure has set her in his sights . . . and who may even be the young man who has stolen her heart. As the murders continue to go unsolved, Celine takes matters into her own hands and soon uncovers something even more shocking: an age-old feud from the darkest creatures of the underworld reveals a truth about Celine she always suspected simmered just beneath the surface.

At once a sultry romance and a thrilling murder mystery, master storyteller Renée Ahdieh embarks on her most potent fantasy series yet: The Beautiful.


My Review:
I was immediately drawn into this story with its vivid descriptions of a New Orleans from yesterday.  Even with the paranormal aspect to the story, having been to New Orleans several times over the past year and having wandered around the city on my own, I could feel as if I was right in the story with the characters.  The glamor and beauty of the upper society as well as the sinfulness of the underworld that Celine found herself in was so beautifully described, I wish I could have actually seen it with my eyes in pictures.  I was kept guessing throughout as to who the killer was, my guess never really landed on who it turned out to be, and I do love when there are hints and clues but you still are surprised.  Especially when the surprise is still feasible and makes sense.  I'm also pleased that while it had an ending that could satisfy if there were no more books to follow, it is supposed to have a sequel, and the cover is just as beautiful, but in a different way.  While we are pretty sure of vampires with this story when you begin and from the synopsis, there are other creatures, and that makes it so much more intriguing of a story.

A few issues I had, one point, somewhat early on in the relationship or scenes between Celine and Sebastien, there are a few lines about it was the first time she'd heard him laugh like that, or the first time he'd smiled like that.  That bugged me, because she had just met him, so yeah, it would be the first time she'd have heard or seen those things, and so, really?  Now I had to put it down to read some other books I had to review for blog tours, and there were a couple weeks I went without reading at all.  When I picked it back up, I had to reread a bit before to remember what had happened with specific people, but all of it really was woven in together well so that in the end it all came together and I got just as wrapped up in at as I had been at the beginning.  If I'd had more time, I would definitely have been able, and been happy, to read this over 400 page story in just a day or two.  I also loved the first book in this author's first series, and I can only hope that what happened with that one, I didn't get the second one as an e-galley or ARC, doesn't happen this time and slow me down!  

Lisa's Looking Forward To #33 - October 8th, 2019

Back to joining up with the Waiting on Wednesday Posts, and the Can't Wait Wednesday posts hosted by Wishful Endings.  Once again there are a ton of books out next week that I'm excited for, although a few less than last week.

From my ARC list for October 8th, 2019:

I've got this ARC sitting on my shelf. Hoped to have it read before now, but not yet.  Maybe in time for next week?  If I put it ahead of books that have now been published?

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

New York Times bestselling author Renée Ahdieh returns with a sumptuous, sultry and romantic new series set in 19th century New Orleans where vampires hide in plain sight.

In 1872, New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead. But to seventeen-year-old Celine Rousseau, New Orleans provides her a refuge after she's forced to flee her life as a dressmaker in Paris. Taken in by the sisters of the Ursuline convent along with six other girls, Celine quickly becomes enamored with the vibrant city from the music to the food to the soirées and—especially—to the danger. She soon becomes embroiled in the city's glitzy underworld, known as La Cour des Lions, after catching the eye of the group's leader, the enigmatic Sébastien Saint Germain. When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in the lair of La Cour des Lions, Celine battles her attraction to him and suspicions about Sébastien's guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret.

When more bodies are discovered, each crime more gruesome than the last, Celine and New Orleans become gripped by the terror of a serial killer on the loose—one Celine is sure has set her in his sights . . . and who may even be the young man who has stolen her heart. As the murders continue to go unsolved, Celine takes matters into her own hands and soon uncovers something even more shocking: an age-old feud from the darkest creatures of the underworld reveals a truth about Celine she always suspected simmered just beneath the surface.

At once a sultry romance and a thrilling murder mystery, master storyteller Renée Ahdieh embarks on her most potent fantasy series yet: The Beautiful.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE. 
 

Sounds like a kick-ass female protagonist story!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Jessie Archer is a member of the Athena Protocol, an elite organization of female spies who enact vigilante justice around the world.

Athena operatives are never supposed to shoot to kill—so when Jessie can’t stop herself from pulling the trigger, she gets kicked out of the organization, right before a huge mission to take down a human trafficker in Belgrade.

Jessie needs to right her wrong and prove herself, so she starts her own investigation into the trafficking. But going rogue means she has no one to watch her back as she delves into the horrors she uncovers. Meanwhile, her former teammates have been ordered to bring her down. Jessie must face danger from all sides if she’s to complete her mission—and survive.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

I love that cover, and it sounds really like a cute story.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

In this poignant, funny, and romantic novel, four nights of epic partying will see two teens through their highest highs and lowest lows over the course of one unforgettable year. Perfect for fans of Gayle Forman and Mary H.K. Choi!

Tucker knows that some relationships take work. With his best friend, Bobby, and his mom, everything is simple, steady. His dad, on the other hand, seems to only show up when he wants to bring Tucker down. Then there’s Erika Green, who comes back into his life, stirring up old feelings. A small part of him knows he shouldn’t get too attached during senior year. But a bigger part doesn’t want her to disappear again.

Erika from before the video loved to shock people. Now, she just wants to hole up in her quiet college life and leave the past where it belongs—in a dumpster fire. But then she reconnects with Tucker Campanelli. Erika can’t explain what it is about him. There’s just this undeniable connection between them, and she really doesn’t want to lose that feeling. Not yet.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE. 

Haven't read this author, but this sounds like it could be good!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
 
Jennifer Donaldson is back with another twisted thriller perfect for fans of One of Us Is Lying and Gone Girl.

Zahra Gaines is missing.

After three long years away, Ruthie Hayden arrives in her hometown of Anchorage, Alaska to this devastating news. Zahra was Ruthie's best friend--the only person who ever really understood her--and she vows to do whatever it takes to find her.

Zahra vanished from a party just days before Ruthie's return, but the more people she talks to, the more she realizes that the Zahra she knew disappeared long before that fateful night. Gone is the whimsical, artistic girl who loved books and knew Ruthie's every secret. In her place is an athlete, a partier, a girl with secrets of her own. Darker still are the rumors that something happened to Zahra while Ruthie was gone, something that changed her forever...

As Ruthie desperately tries to piece together the truth, she falls deeper and deeper into her friend's new world, circling closer to a dangerous revelation about what Zahra experienced in the days before her disappearance--one that might be better off buried.

In her stunning follow-up to Lies You Never Told Me, Jennifer Donaldson once again delivers a propulsive thriller with a masterful twist, skillfully creating a world where nothing is quite as it seems.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE. 

How is already time for this one and I haven't read it yet!  I do have an ARC, and actually I'll read this before I get to The Beautiful. 

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

#1 New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout returns to the world of the Lux with The Burning Shadow, the steamy, shocking second installment of the Origin series that will leave readers reeling.

When Evelyn Dasher crossed paths with Luc, she was thrown headfirst into the world of the Lux―only to discover that she was already far more involved in their world than she ever suspected.

Because the Luxen aren’t the only ones with a hidden past. There’s a gap in Evie’s memory, lost months of her life and a lingering sense that something happened, something she can’t remember and nobody is willing to tell her. She needs to find out the truth about who she is―and who she was. But every answer she finds only brings up more questions.

Her search for the truth brings her ever closer to Luc, the Origin at the center of it all. He’s powerful, arrogant, inhumanly beautiful, extremely dangerous…and possibly in love with her. But even as Evie falls for him, she can’t help but wonder if his attraction is to her, or to the memory of a girl who no longer exists.

And all the while, a new threat looms: reports of a flu-like, fatal virus that the government insists is being spread by Luxen. A horrifying illness that changes whoever it touches, spreading panic across a country already at its breaking point.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE. 

I loved the movie Clue, so I'm always interested in things that might be like that.  Like this. Quick update, I got the ARC of this yesterday in the mail, only I'm so backed up with review books I know I won't be able to get to it before pub date.


Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

A murderer could be around every corner in this thrilling YA trilogy based on the board game CLUE!

When a storm strikes at Blackbrook Academy, an elite prep school nestled in the woods of Maine, a motley crew of students—including Beth “Peacock” Picach, Orchid McKee, Vaughn Green, Sam “Mustard” Maestor, Finn Plum, and Scarlet Mistry—are left stranded on campus with their headmaster. Hours later, his body is found in the conservatory and it’s very clear his death was no accident. With this group of students who are all hiding something, nothing is as it seems, and everyone has a motive for murder. Fans of the CLUE board game and cult classic film will delight in Diana Peterfreund’s modern reimagining of the brand, its characters, and the dark, magnificent old mansion with secrets hidden within its walls.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.  

I always enjoy a historical fiction book that is from different times than all the usual stories, and this sounds like it for sure. 

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Sixteen-year-old Orpha is imprisoned for crimes she did not commit, and harboring a terrible secret about her abuser, but an unusual invitation from Charles Dickens to live in a home for fallen women offers hope.

From the infamous Tothill prison, Orpha is haunted by recurring flashbacks of sexual abuse, neglect, exploitation, and the horrors of a Victorian workhouse, but she refuses to be crushed. Her heartbreaking yet inspiring story tells of the resilience and courage needed to make a new life for herself against all odds with the support of the amazing women of Urania cottage and the help of famous author Charles Dickens.

Fans of Laurie Halse Anderson's Fever 1793, Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace, and Katherine Paterson's Lyddie will enjoy this riveting historical fiction title. Schwartz's powerful prose speaks to the terrible things Orpha has endured yet celebrates the emotional and intellectual powers of young women.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

Again, you know I love a retelling. Although I do still need to see the first Malificent movie.  But Holly Black is a great author, so that grabs me right there!

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

From New York Times bestselling author Holly Black comes a captivating original novel set between Disney's Maleficent and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, in which newly-queened Aurora struggles to be the best leader to both the humans and Fair Folk under her reign; her beau, Prince Phillip, longs to get to know Aurora and her kingdom better; and Maleficent has trouble letting go of the past.

 Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.



  
Final Thoughts:
I've got two of these as ARCs this week, and still a bit behind as I mentioned.  Have you read any of these yet?  Are they on your TBR?  And hey, while you're here, you should go try to win some of my ARCs from Cleaning Up My TBR Post HERE.  The US only giveaway is open till Friday at midnight, there are even some 2019 ARCs that can be one of your two choices. 

YA Novella Reviews: The Crown and the Arrow (The Wrath and the Dawn #0.5) and The Mirror and the Maze (The Wrath and the Dawn #1.5) by Renee Ahdieh

These two novellas were up for free or really cheap and so I downloaded them and had to read them right after I finished the first book in the series, The Wrath and the Dawn, last month.  I enjoyed these, although they were so short.  Yeah, I know they were novellas. But they just barely grabbed me and then they were over.  Here are very quick summaries of each one.

The Crown and the Arrow (#0.5): 

This one just introduces us to Khalid, the ruler, the one who would take a bride each night, and then she would be hung the next morning.  It leads us up to his first meeting with Shahrzad, letting us in on just how much his first meeting with her affects him, and how it starts this last marriage off different.  And then it's over.  :-(












The Mirror and the Maze (#1.5):

This one takes place right after the first book. When Khalid is journeying back to his kingdom, only to find that it is on fire.  He is so afraid that his town has been overrun by his enemies, but when he gets there, he finds out that it isn't, just that everything is burning, after there has been a very strange storm with lightning that caused all of it.  And not only that, he finds out that his wife, the one who has lasted longest, who he finds himself falling in love with, Shahrzad, has disappeared, taken, to safety supposedly, by the man that he does not trust in any way, the man that she grew up with, and had been betrothed to.  This one was so hard to read.  Knowing what I knew from the book, and really being in love with Khalid for Shahrzad, I am left wanting to cry, and ready to read on in this series.

Release Day Blitz: The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh

I am so excited that THE ROSE AND THE DAGGER by Renée Ahdieh releases today and that I get to share the news, along with an awesome giveaway!

If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book by Author Renée Ahdieh, be sure to check out all the details below.

This blitz also includes a giveaway for a paperback of THE WRATH AND THE DAWN and a hardcover of THE ROSE AND THE DAGGER and an awesome candle from The Melting Library’s Etsy Store, US Only!  So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

 Title: THE ROSE AND THE DAGGER

Author: Renée Ahdieh

Release Date: April 26, 2016

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Pages: 432

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, and audiobook

Find it: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks 

The much anticipated sequel to the breathtaking The Wrath and the Dawn, lauded by Publishers Weekly as "a potent page-turner of intrigue and romance."

I am surrounded on all sides by a desert. A guest, in a prison of sand and sun. My family is here. And I do not know whom I can trust.

In a land on the brink of war, Shahrzad has been torn from the love of her husband Khalid, the Caliph of Khorasan. She once believed him a monster, but his secrets revealed a man tormented by guilt and a powerful curse—one that might keep them apart forever. Reunited with her family, who have taken refuge with enemies of Khalid, and Tariq, her childhood sweetheart, she should be happy. But Tariq now commands forces set on destroying Khalid's empire. Shahrzad is almost a prisoner caught between loyalties to people she loves. But she refuses to be a pawn and devises a plan.

While her father, Jahandar, continues to play with magical forces he doesn't yet understand, Shahrzad tries to uncover powers that may lie dormant within her. With the help of a tattered old carpet and a tempestuous but sage young man, Shahrzad will attempt to break the curse and reunite with her one true love.

Praise for The Rose and the Dagger:

“Above all there is the shattering, triumphant catharsis of love… In a story about stories, love is ‘the power to speak without words.’ Thrillingly full of feeling.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Fiery romance, a spirited heroine, shifting loyalties… With more than a few heartrending twists and turns.”—Booklist 

Excerpt:

About Renée:

Renée lives in North Carolina (Go Heels!) with her husband Victor and their dog Mushu. Her YA fantasy novel, THE WRATH AND THE DAWN, was published on May 12th, 2015. In her spare time, she likes to cook, dance salsa, and wreak havoc on the lives of her characters.

She’s also a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, as well as an active member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.

Website| Twitter | Facebook| Goodreads | Tumblr  |Pinterest | Instagram

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a paperback of THE WRATH AND THE DAWN, a hardcover of THE ROSE AND THE DAGGER, and a His Calipha candle from The Melting Library’s Etsy Store, US Only.

Ends on May 3rd at Midnight EST!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

I won this book from another blog a year or so ago, and at the time, I forgot to put a little note in the book to remind me when I blogged about it. Oh well.  I have to say that I just adored this book!  I can't believe I waited this long to read it, but in a way that's kind of good. Because the 2nd book is coming out soon, and now I can read it and not have to remember from a year ago what happened.  If you haven't read this yet, let me tell you that you need to pick it up as soon as you can, it was as wonderful as everyone has said!

The main character is Shahrzad.  She lives in a land inspired by A Thousand and One Nights, where the new king, called a Caliph, is the stuff of nightmares. Every night he marries a woman, and then she is hung with a silk cord around her neck the very next morning.  Shahrzad has volunteered to be his next wife/queen, after her best friend, Shiva, had been one of those wives that was killed in that very way.  Shahrzad has vowed to get revenge.  And the only way she can see to do that is to try to last more than one night.  And her plan is to take it one night at a time.  She lasts the first night by telling a story that when the dawn comes, and it is time for her to be hung, she hasn't finished the story.  And the boy-king, Khalid, stays her execution so that he can hear the rest of the story the following night.  And then, something happens each night, and even during the day that he keeps her around, and tells all of the staff that no harm should come to her.  Until one night, when he doesn't come to her room at all. And in the morning, the soldiers come for her and begin to go through with the hanging.  Fortunately Khalid gets there in time to save her, and it is now that he promises to kill anyone who ever touches her again. 

Within the palace Shahrzad faces other dangers, you see there are reasons why the girls must be killed or sacrificed each morning. And there are people not happy that she has ended this trend.  While Shahrzad knows in her heart that she should hate him, and find a way to kill him for what he did to her friend Shiva, as well as all the other girls, she soon finds there is something about him that is not quite the monster she believed him to be before.  She will befriend her personal maid, as well as her bodyguard.  And all the same, her father is trying to go to whatever length he can to not fail his daughter, trying to find the magic or power that he can use to save her.  She also has a boyfriend/betrothed childhood friend, Tariq, who will go in to try to get her back.  But the longer Shahrzad is with Khalid, the more she feels for him, and the more she knows she must stay.  She learns there are things about her that she never knew, things that may be able to help Khalid in what is plaguing his lands. 

In the end there will be a major event that will cause Shahrzad to make a decision on whether to go with Tariq, or to stay with Khalid.  And what happens, well I won't tell  you, just know that it is a tear-jerking ending, and I am so needing to read the next book and know what will happen next! 

I do love a good fairy tale, or other story retelling, and this one does not disappoint!  This is not just a book with a beautiful cover, it is a book with a beautiful story inside of it. 

Waiting on Wednesday: The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases that we're eagerly awaiting.  This week I've chosen a book that I've seen on a lot of other blogs.  I love the cover and as it is a retelling/inspired by a classic, I definitely want to read it.  I saw it pop up on Netgalley about a month ago, but at first it wasn't actually available for requesting or downloading, which I thought was weird, why else have it on the site?  But anyway, here is the blurb from Goodreads:

Every dawn brings horror to a different family in a land ruled by a killer. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise. So it is a suspicious surprise when sixteen-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry Khalid. But she does so with a clever plan to stay alive and exact revenge on the Caliph for the murder of her best friend and countless other girls. Shazi's wit and will, indeed, get her through to the dawn that no others have seen, but with a catch . . . she’s falling in love with the very boy who killed her dearest friend.

She discovers that the murderous boy-king is not all that he seems and neither are the deaths of so many girls. Shazi is determined to uncover the reason for the murders and to break the cycle once and for all.

A sumptuous and epically told love story inspired by A Thousand and One Nights.

Sounds pretty good to me, how about you?  It's expected publication is May 15th, so a few more months to wait!

While you're here, don't forget to go enter my Romance is in the Air Giveaway for your choice of 1 of 12 books that I enjoyed the romance in.