882 books
—
3,027 voters
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “The Beautiful (The Beautiful, #1)” as Want to Read:
The Beautiful
(The Beautiful #1)
by
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
...more
Get A Copy
Hardcover, 448 pages
Published
October 8th 2019
by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30
Start your review of The Beautiful (The Beautiful, #1)
No matter where she went, danger followed.
And it horrified her. Just as it thrilled her.
I did end up quite enjoying The Beautiful. Let's face it, mix in some scary vamps with a sexy forbidden romance and how bad can it be? Still, there were a number of issues that prevented me from loving it. But it is a book for teens, and after nine years on Goodreads I'm somewhat less of a teen than I was when I started. So I don't feel like being too harsh.
It's 1872 and Celine Rousseau has just arrived i ...more
Feb 23, 2019
chai ♡
marked it as to-read
not to be over dramatic or anything but the decline in popularity of vampire stories is one of the most disappointing decisions we’ve made as a modern society and I'm glad that's being remedied
...more
I read this book as Renee wrote it, which meant that she sent me sections of it, I read them and then got really upset because I didn't have more, and then pestered and bothered her until she gave me the rest. I finished it recently and it is FANTASTIC. An incredibly ornate, lush New Orleans; characters who imprint themselves on your memory forever; a story that is nail-biting and swoony and satisfying and tense ALL AT THE SAME TIME. And of course...VAMPIRES.
This is a one of a kind book, by a s ...more
This is a one of a kind book, by a s ...more
![destiny ♡⚔♡ [howling libraries]](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1557144778p2/15335689.jpg)
Nov 27, 2018
destiny ♡⚔♡ [howling libraries]
marked it as to-read
I say this with all seriousness: please let 2019 be the year we bring back vampires in YA
definitely not for everyone, but it WAS for me :)
if theres one city that promises the haunting presence of the paranormal, its new orleans. and i, for one, am so happy the crescent city is finally being showcased in all is vampire glory.
i was actually very worried to read this. its one of my most anticipated releases of 2019 and the reviews that have been popping up have been a little less than positive. but either i read a different ARC or i am just a simple girl who doesnt need much to be entertained, because i found this to be quite splendi ...more
i was actually very worried to read this. its one of my most anticipated releases of 2019 and the reviews that have been popping up have been a little less than positive. but either i read a different ARC or i am just a simple girl who doesnt need much to be entertained, because i found this to be quite splendi ...more
Instagram || Twitter || Facebook || Amazon || Pinterest
When this book was announced, everyone was like, "Woohoo! Vampires are back!" And I was sitting there in the corner, swathed in black and clutching a glass of wine, thinking to myself, "Fools! For some of us, vampires never left." You see, I love vampire stories and always have. For many, TWILIGHT was the "gateway book" into vampire fiction, but I'd been reading L.J. Smith's Night World and Bram Stoker's Dracula and Amelia Atwater-Rhode ...more
2 Stars
I'm kind of torn on what I want to rate this and how I want to review it. On one hand, I definitely found myself flying through the pages and being very interested in how things would play out...but on the other hand, I was also left with this feeling of unfulfilled satisfaction the whole time I was reading it.
But let's back up a little bit.
When I learned about this book, I was excited. This was my first Ahdieh book (although I have a couple of hers sitting on my shelf waiting to be rea ...more
I'm kind of torn on what I want to rate this and how I want to review it. On one hand, I definitely found myself flying through the pages and being very interested in how things would play out...but on the other hand, I was also left with this feeling of unfulfilled satisfaction the whole time I was reading it.
But let's back up a little bit.
When I learned about this book, I was excited. This was my first Ahdieh book (although I have a couple of hers sitting on my shelf waiting to be rea ...more
IDK . . . I guess if you like vampires and stuff, you’ll probably dig it 😘
Oct 09, 2018
Roshani Chokshi
added it
HI OMG THE NEWS IS OUT AND YOU GUYS ARE NOT READY FOR THIS. I had the extraordinary privilege to read this story in draft & it's intoxicating. THE BEAUTIFUL has that decadent, slow-moving horror that feels like a dream slipping to nightmare. It's like walking alone down a twilight street and feeling the snap of a branch behind you and that acidic heart-in-your-throat rush of knowing that you're being followed. Stalked.
...more
TW: mentions of rape; some gore
I ended up enjoying this way more than I thought I would!
First off, this is not a vampire book. I had heard that before reading, and definitely would have been disappointed if that’s what I was expecting. This is an atmospheric, gothic mystery set in New Orleans. The descriptions are lush, and the writing is a bit overdone at times, but overall I felt it was really immersive and I rushed through it. There is a “drawn together but kept apart by circumstances” angs ...more
I ended up enjoying this way more than I thought I would!
First off, this is not a vampire book. I had heard that before reading, and definitely would have been disappointed if that’s what I was expecting. This is an atmospheric, gothic mystery set in New Orleans. The descriptions are lush, and the writing is a bit overdone at times, but overall I felt it was really immersive and I rushed through it. There is a “drawn together but kept apart by circumstances” angs ...more
The October Fairyloot Unboxing! I hope I love this book!! Click on the GOODIES LINK below to see the goodies.
THE GOODIES LINK OMG
WELL SON OF A DAMN BISCUIT EATER!! I didn’t like it at all 😕. Okay, I’m gonna have to drop all my book boxes if they don’t give me more books to love because it’s a waste of money. Thank goodness the goodies were freaking amaze balls!
I was worried when I saw it was this author as I didn’t like one of her other books. She’s just not for me but I’m glad other people l ...more
THE GOODIES LINK OMG
WELL SON OF A DAMN BISCUIT EATER!! I didn’t like it at all 😕. Okay, I’m gonna have to drop all my book boxes if they don’t give me more books to love because it’s a waste of money. Thank goodness the goodies were freaking amaze balls!
I was worried when I saw it was this author as I didn’t like one of her other books. She’s just not for me but I’m glad other people l ...more
Oh lalala the idea of a book takes place in NOLA, one of my mystic, magical, gothic, entertaining city to pass a good time excited me so much. Mardi Gras celebrations, a crowded streets with its people dancing 24/7, delicious jazz quartets, boat tours around Mississippi river, cocktails at Carousel Bar and tours at the haunted places still perform voodoo (Wow! This city summons the witch hid inside me!)
And of course it’s so normal to expect something spectacular from the author of “Wrath and Da ...more
And of course it’s so normal to expect something spectacular from the author of “Wrath and Da ...more
This… was a turmoil of agony and why-oh-whys.
First off, The Beautiful (oh, the irony) was a boring, meaningless garble of hem-hawing and woe-is-me-inner-monologuing. Now, I pushed through, hoping the plot would unfold at some point, but in the first half almost nothing happened—and so, I was deliberating whether or not to put an end to my suffering by suffocation, or y'know, by physically burying my face in this disappointing paper heap of a novel.
Side note: if you're going to write a novel abou ...more
First off, The Beautiful (oh, the irony) was a boring, meaningless garble of hem-hawing and woe-is-me-inner-monologuing. Now, I pushed through, hoping the plot would unfold at some point, but in the first half almost nothing happened—and so, I was deliberating whether or not to put an end to my suffering by suffocation, or y'know, by physically burying my face in this disappointing paper heap of a novel.
Side note: if you're going to write a novel abou ...more
Jun 06, 2019
Chelsea Humphrey
marked it as dnf-lost-interest
Shelves:
from-publisher,
bookstagram-made-me-do-it
*sobs* I hate that I wasn't able to push through this one, but I think it's just a case of my not being compatible with the story. Life's too short to force myself to read a book that I probably wouldn't give a glowing review to, so please try this one for yourself and come back and tell me what a party pooper I am later. <3
...more
Sep 05, 2019
Chelsea (chelseadolling reads)
marked it as did-not-finish
DNF @ page 259: This just.. was not what I thought it was going to be and I am sad. I may pick it back up again in October, but I am not risking a slump this close to the ContemporaryAThon 😅 onto the next one!
I'm surprisingly okay with the fact vampires are making a comeback. 👀And this definitely was gothic and darkly rich. It took a while for vampires to actually do their vampirey thing. Basically...the last 100pages 😂 But it was building it up, okay!!! The immortal kids need time time to reveal their secrets!!! They need to flirt darkly first!
It followed Celine, a girl fleeing from Paris to New Orleans after committing a dark deed. So it was also hugely about feminism, about women striking out agai ...more
It followed Celine, a girl fleeing from Paris to New Orleans after committing a dark deed. So it was also hugely about feminism, about women striking out agai ...more
Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Usually, I can't stand vampire books but I trusted Renée Ahdieh to write one that I'd enjoy and I'm glad that I did. The Beautiful was a glamorous, mysterious read- set in 1872, New Orleans- that had me spellbound throughout and I'm so excited for its sequel.
Celine Rousseau was a dressmaker in Paris until a terrible event forced her to flee her life there and start a new one in the dazzling city of New Orleans. Soon, she became caught up in a gruesome murder m ...more
Characters: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Usually, I can't stand vampire books but I trusted Renée Ahdieh to write one that I'd enjoy and I'm glad that I did. The Beautiful was a glamorous, mysterious read- set in 1872, New Orleans- that had me spellbound throughout and I'm so excited for its sequel.
Celine Rousseau was a dressmaker in Paris until a terrible event forced her to flee her life there and start a new one in the dazzling city of New Orleans. Soon, she became caught up in a gruesome murder m ...more
This was so good!! I don't know what it is about vampires—particularly vampires who live in the Southern U.S.—but I just can't get enough.
Celine Rousseau travels from her home country of France to New Orleans, where she will stay with a convent along with a group of other girls from Europe until they can each find a suitable husband. Celine makes friends with one of the others—a British girl called Pippa—but Celine find it difficult to fit in at the convent since her dressmaking skills aren't p ...more
Celine Rousseau travels from her home country of France to New Orleans, where she will stay with a convent along with a group of other girls from Europe until they can each find a suitable husband. Celine makes friends with one of the others—a British girl called Pippa—but Celine find it difficult to fit in at the convent since her dressmaking skills aren't p ...more
Oh hell. Like we say in Spanish, all my joy went down a freaking pit.
Alright, I have a lot of stuff to say and not a clue as to how to say it, so I’ll just start vomiting it all out.
Let’s start with the fact that I have been thirsty for this book since I first heard of it. Basically because (a) vampires (b) New Orleans and (c) vampires again. And if you are thinking of leaving some bad shit about Twilight on the comments, please save it, because here we stan sparkling vampires. Anyway, going bac ...more
Alright, I have a lot of stuff to say and not a clue as to how to say it, so I’ll just start vomiting it all out.
Let’s start with the fact that I have been thirsty for this book since I first heard of it. Basically because (a) vampires (b) New Orleans and (c) vampires again. And if you are thinking of leaving some bad shit about Twilight on the comments, please save it, because here we stan sparkling vampires. Anyway, going bac ...more
I received this book through Bookish.com
It breaks my heart to not give this book 5 stars.
If I had to describe The Beautiful using one word that word would be....
Fine.
The Beautiful was just fine. It wasn't bad but it wasn't great either. I just expected so much more out of this book. The Beautiful was probably my most anticipated book of 2019 and in the end it just left me feeling meh.
The characters were bland.
There were barely any cool vampires
The romance was meh.
The Beautiful's only saving g ...more
It breaks my heart to not give this book 5 stars.
If I had to describe The Beautiful using one word that word would be....
Fine.
The Beautiful was just fine. It wasn't bad but it wasn't great either. I just expected so much more out of this book. The Beautiful was probably my most anticipated book of 2019 and in the end it just left me feeling meh.
The characters were bland.
There were barely any cool vampires
The romance was meh.
The Beautiful's only saving g ...more
I--
I JUST--
I HAVE TO STAN OH MY GOD
I JUST--
I HAVE TO STAN OH MY GOD
Apr 30, 2019
Mary S. R.
added it
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Mary by:
Niklaus Mikaelson
[I did something to the synopsis for TVD/Originals fans somewhere in there]
First, let's get the overused but utterly true pun out of the way: just look at The Beautiful cover 😂 Funny, right!? No.
Now, let's get serious. I'm hear to warn y'all that this is a Vampire conspiracy and the bloodsucking terrors of the night are back to take over. Yes. We. Are. Doomed. It's not a coincidence that Jay Kristoff is also publishing a vampire series in 2020, nope.
And guess what? I'm 99.9% sure Niklaus Mikaels ...more
First, let's get the overused but utterly true pun out of the way: just look at The Beautiful cover 😂 Funny, right!? No.
Now, let's get serious. I'm hear to warn y'all that this is a Vampire conspiracy and the bloodsucking terrors of the night are back to take over. Yes. We. Are. Doomed. It's not a coincidence that Jay Kristoff is also publishing a vampire series in 2020, nope.
And guess what? I'm 99.9% sure Niklaus Mikaels ...more
2**
This book was so meh. I was excited to delve in again and read about blood sucking vampires... and instead it just sucked out all the enjoyment from a book.
The first half of this was probably a 3- I loved the allure and details of New Orleans and the possibilities of the supernatural.
... But that was it. Other than the setting of New Orleans everything else fell flat for me: there were too heavy/many descriptions of what the MC was wearing, not enough detail on the mysterious groups of peopl ...more
This book was so meh. I was excited to delve in again and read about blood sucking vampires... and instead it just sucked out all the enjoyment from a book.
The first half of this was probably a 3- I loved the allure and details of New Orleans and the possibilities of the supernatural.
... But that was it. Other than the setting of New Orleans everything else fell flat for me: there were too heavy/many descriptions of what the MC was wearing, not enough detail on the mysterious groups of peopl ...more
Mar 28, 2019
Angelica
marked it as to-read
This was actually incredible I’m speechless, I just finished less than 5 minutes ago and I’m trying to collect myself...I’m just wow
I honestly knew from the first chapter of this book that it would be something I just adored and I was soooo right. I kept putting off reading it because I wanted to stay in the world as long as I could, if I didn’t stop myself I would have finished this entire book on the first day easily.
This is the first book I’ve read from Ahdieh and holy hell her writing style ...more
I honestly knew from the first chapter of this book that it would be something I just adored and I was soooo right. I kept putting off reading it because I wanted to stay in the world as long as I could, if I didn’t stop myself I would have finished this entire book on the first day easily.
This is the first book I’ve read from Ahdieh and holy hell her writing style ...more
"Sometimes a girl must make her own magic"
When this book was first announced I was above the moon excited, could not wait a single second, counting down the days until its release. Then, early reviews started trickling in- a large proportion of them negative, and I started to have some doubts. I had read The Wrath and the Dawn duology and the Flame and the Mist by Renee Ahdieh- and not given any of the over 3 stars. Scared that this would let me down, I decided to wait until the hype died down a ...more
When this book was first announced I was above the moon excited, could not wait a single second, counting down the days until its release. Then, early reviews started trickling in- a large proportion of them negative, and I started to have some doubts. I had read The Wrath and the Dawn duology and the Flame and the Mist by Renee Ahdieh- and not given any of the over 3 stars. Scared that this would let me down, I decided to wait until the hype died down a ...more
The way the main characters kept quoting Shakespeare like it made them quirky and special....lol
The Beautiful is an apt name for this book, since the main characters are ludicrously beautiful for absolutely no reason at all. The protagonist is the most beautiful girl on the planet and everyone falls in love with her and thinks she's amazing, and of course her love interest is equally as beautiful and they're just both so fucking beautiful that they fall in love after about 4 interactions. Becaus ...more
The Beautiful is an apt name for this book, since the main characters are ludicrously beautiful for absolutely no reason at all. The protagonist is the most beautiful girl on the planet and everyone falls in love with her and thinks she's amazing, and of course her love interest is equally as beautiful and they're just both so fucking beautiful that they fall in love after about 4 interactions. Becaus ...more
— DNF @32% —
I blame my small tolerance for slow paced books. I literally can probably only enjoy 1 short paced book out of 10. Even then I need characters that intrigue me to keep me going and they were not doing it for me here.
The way I would describe the vibe of this book is The Diviners but make it about vampires rather than ghosts. I didn't even reach the part wherein the vampires were explicitly mentioned... I guess. But that never was a selling point to me so I didn't care much for it. And ...more
I blame my small tolerance for slow paced books. I literally can probably only enjoy 1 short paced book out of 10. Even then I need characters that intrigue me to keep me going and they were not doing it for me here.
The way I would describe the vibe of this book is The Diviners but make it about vampires rather than ghosts. I didn't even reach the part wherein the vampires were explicitly mentioned... I guess. But that never was a selling point to me so I didn't care much for it. And ...more
So the cover is AWESOME! The Twilight puns had been removed from the final synopsis, which is a good thing, as I know (hope) this book will slay entirely on its own regardless! If this book will be anything at all like the Originals, I'm going to be one happy reader! Bring on the dark and murder-y vampires!
*****************************
Unpopular Opinion Time: I think indirectly making fun of Twilight in the synopsis of this new vampire book is just too conventional and unprofessional from whoever ...more
*****************************
Unpopular Opinion Time: I think indirectly making fun of Twilight in the synopsis of this new vampire book is just too conventional and unprofessional from whoever ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
The Procrastinato...:
The Beautiful (October 2020) Buddy Read Discussion ~ Alex & Jade & Hafsah & Jeeya & Michelle & Cat
|
22 | 31 | Nov 13, 2020 09:40AM | |
| YA Buddy Readers'...: The Beautiful (The Beautiful #1) by Renee Ahdieh - Restarting September 23rd 2020 | 96 | 95 | Oct 07, 2020 11:22AM | |
| Challenge Corner: The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh --> Starting December 14th 2019 | 4 | 8 | Dec 29, 2019 03:23PM | |
| Addicted to YA: Discussion Leader Sign Up: The Beautiful | 3 | 77 | Dec 15, 2019 06:29PM | |
| You Are Never Too...: The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh - October 8, 2019 | 31 | 33 | Dec 01, 2019 12:30AM | |
|
Challenge Corner:
October 2019 First Book in a Series BOTM - The Beautiful, by Renee Ahdieh
|
20 | 19 | Nov 05, 2019 12:01PM |
Readers also enjoyed
THE WRATH & THE DAWN and its sequel THE ROSE & THE DAGGER are available wherever books are sold.
FLAME IN THE MIST will be released on 5.16.17.
** Please note that requests for Advanced Reader Copies should be made through Penguin, and all other requests should be submitted through the author's website. ** ...more
FLAME IN THE MIST will be released on 5.16.17.
** Please note that requests for Advanced Reader Copies should be made through Penguin, and all other requests should be submitted through the author's website. ** ...more
Other books in the series
The Beautiful
(3 books)
Articles featuring this book
Prolific fantasy novelist and faerie world cognoscente Holly Black is back with the final installment of her wildly popular The Folk of the Air...
154 likes · 15 comments
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“And the infinite captivates us because it allows us to believe all things are possible. That true love can last beyond time.”
—
35 likes
“It's easy to lose sight of what's real when you're lost in the stars.”
—
28 likes
More quotes…
