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The Beautiful #4
The Ruined
The stunning conclusion to the instant New York Times bestselling quartet that began with The Beautiful.
The Sylvan Vale and the Sylvan Wyld are at war. Now that the unsteady truce between them has been broken, lines must be drawn. In an effort to protect the weakened Winter Court, Bastien rallies powerful allies and friends in New Orleans to come to their aid.
Meanwhile, under protection alongside her injured mother in the Summer Court, Celine is uncertain of whom to trust. She cannot get word to Bastien, and does not understand why he has not returned. When she realizes war between the fey courts is imminent, she journeys with Ali in an effort to find the time traveling mirror and change their fate.
But when Celine's rivals realize Bastien has rallied his allies in the mortal world, they decide to take the fight to him.
The Sylvan Vale and the Sylvan Wyld are at war. Now that the unsteady truce between them has been broken, lines must be drawn. In an effort to protect the weakened Winter Court, Bastien rallies powerful allies and friends in New Orleans to come to their aid.
Meanwhile, under protection alongside her injured mother in the Summer Court, Celine is uncertain of whom to trust. She cannot get word to Bastien, and does not understand why he has not returned. When she realizes war between the fey courts is imminent, she journeys with Ali in an effort to find the time traveling mirror and change their fate.
But when Celine's rivals realize Bastien has rallied his allies in the mortal world, they decide to take the fight to him.
399 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 5, 2023
175 people are currently reading
19794 people want to read
About the author
Renée Ahdieh
31 books18k followersRenée Ahdieh is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. When she’s not reading, she enjoys cooking, skincare, and fashion. The first few years of her life were spent in a high-rise in South Korea; consequently, Renée enjoys having her head in the clouds. She and her family live in North Carolina.
She is the #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author of The Wrath & the Dawn series, the Flame in the Mist series, The Beautiful quartet, and the picture book, Emilio Sloth’s Modern Manners. Park Avenue is her debut adult novel.
** Please note that requests for Advanced Reader Copies should be made through the respective publisher, and all other requests should be submitted through the author's website. **
She is the #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author of The Wrath & the Dawn series, the Flame in the Mist series, The Beautiful quartet, and the picture book, Emilio Sloth’s Modern Manners. Park Avenue is her debut adult novel.
** Please note that requests for Advanced Reader Copies should be made through the respective publisher, and all other requests should be submitted through the author's website. **
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 476 reviews
August 18, 2024
im not sure what to think about this.
while i dont exactly think its a terrible book, i just dont think its a very good ending to the series. i actually believe RAs strength is in writing duologies. she has successfully proven that she knows how to create two parts of a story and does a great job at telling each half so wholly and completely.
so do i think i would have enjoyed this series more if it had only been two books and not drawn out across four? yes, probably. because this installment feels as if RA was just trying to fill the pages until it reached the end, especially after the previous book felt so out of place. readers who enjoy classic fantasy creatures, court politics, and war schemes will most likely have fun with this, but everything just felt unnecessary to me when i take in the series as a whole.
so, in short, this is an okay book on its own but, when viewed as a part of the series, im not sure i liked it.
↠ 2.5 stars
while i dont exactly think its a terrible book, i just dont think its a very good ending to the series. i actually believe RAs strength is in writing duologies. she has successfully proven that she knows how to create two parts of a story and does a great job at telling each half so wholly and completely.
so do i think i would have enjoyed this series more if it had only been two books and not drawn out across four? yes, probably. because this installment feels as if RA was just trying to fill the pages until it reached the end, especially after the previous book felt so out of place. readers who enjoy classic fantasy creatures, court politics, and war schemes will most likely have fun with this, but everything just felt unnecessary to me when i take in the series as a whole.
so, in short, this is an okay book on its own but, when viewed as a part of the series, im not sure i liked it.
↠ 2.5 stars
December 6, 2023
I've given myself a solid 24 hours to digest this book and I've come to the conclusion that this book ruined the entire series for me.
The Beautiful was one of those books that was so beautifully written that you felt like you were truly in New Orleans with Celine. You felt all of her emotions and you rooted for her and Bastien.
You know who I actually ended up hating the most in this series? Celine. I loved Celine's no nonsense attitude in the first three books. She loved danger and she didn't care how she dressed or who liked her... but I truly don't know where that Celine went in the fourth book. Her actions absolutely ruined anything good about this book. She was a self centered spoiled brat who didn't care about literally anyone BUT herself.
Let me not get into a rant about Celine though. Let's talk about the major disappointments in this book. Not only did I wait years for this ending... but I ended up wishing I had never read it. I should have stopped at The Righteous because now I will never be able to reread The Beautiful.
The plot honestly was all over the place, we as the readers were still learning SO much and this was the last book? Why were things not getting wrapped up? Where were all the OG characters from The Beautiful? Where was THE ROMANCE? Why did this end the way it did? I truly can't justify anything from the entire book.
Also, Renee, you did us dirty with not only the ending, but with two side characters that we all ended up loving. IYKYK.
I honestly wouldn't recommend this book to a single person. If you could learn one thing from my review is to save yourself from this utter disappoint and end the series with The Righteous. Make up an ending in your head.
This book is titled The Ruined because it literally ruins the entire series.
I hate writing bad reviews, but in this instance it was justified.
The Beautiful was one of those books that was so beautifully written that you felt like you were truly in New Orleans with Celine. You felt all of her emotions and you rooted for her and Bastien.
You know who I actually ended up hating the most in this series? Celine. I loved Celine's no nonsense attitude in the first three books. She loved danger and she didn't care how she dressed or who liked her... but I truly don't know where that Celine went in the fourth book. Her actions absolutely ruined anything good about this book. She was a self centered spoiled brat who didn't care about literally anyone BUT herself.
Let me not get into a rant about Celine though. Let's talk about the major disappointments in this book. Not only did I wait years for this ending... but I ended up wishing I had never read it. I should have stopped at The Righteous because now I will never be able to reread The Beautiful.
The plot honestly was all over the place, we as the readers were still learning SO much and this was the last book? Why were things not getting wrapped up? Where were all the OG characters from The Beautiful? Where was THE ROMANCE? Why did this end the way it did? I truly can't justify anything from the entire book.
Also, Renee, you did us dirty with not only the ending, but with two side characters that we all ended up loving. IYKYK.
I honestly wouldn't recommend this book to a single person. If you could learn one thing from my review is to save yourself from this utter disappoint and end the series with The Righteous. Make up an ending in your head.
This book is titled The Ruined because it literally ruins the entire series.
I hate writing bad reviews, but in this instance it was justified.
October 18, 2023
Ew! What did I just finish reading?
This is the second disappointing series finale I’ve read this year.
Having done a reread of the series I was super hyped up to read the ARC. It started off good, especially with book 3’s crazy ending. Celine went from being a real strong female protagonist to completely coming undone. Celine’s hubris rivals those of the Greek gods! What a turn off.
This might be the conclusion of the series but there was so much left unresolved and so many frayed threads. Unless a surprise spinoff or 5th book is coming, some of the chapters in the end were a bit “WTF does that have anything with what we’re reading?” Because they lead nowhere.
This is the second disappointing series finale I’ve read this year.
Having done a reread of the series I was super hyped up to read the ARC. It started off good, especially with book 3’s crazy ending. Celine went from being a real strong female protagonist to completely coming undone. Celine’s hubris rivals those of the Greek gods! What a turn off.
This might be the conclusion of the series but there was so much left unresolved and so many frayed threads. Unless a surprise spinoff or 5th book is coming, some of the chapters in the end were a bit “WTF does that have anything with what we’re reading?” Because they lead nowhere.
October 19, 2023
This series went SO downhill, it’s actually depressing. The first book, The Beautiful, was one of my favorites and each of the sequels disappointed and went further from the original vampire New Orleans plot.
December 9, 2023
if you want an example of how mommy issues can absolutely ruin a character, this book is the best option.
i used to be a big fan of the beautiful series, the characters, the atmosphere and especially the romance between the two main characters. its been visibly obvious that this series has been going downhill since the 2nd installment itself, but this one? takes the cake and completely sets in stone my dislike for where it has reached. i don't think i can go back to these books with positive thoughts and that saddens me.
it feels like the author lost all her interest in this story and world, from where it started to the point that it is on now, they seem like two extremely different concepts. i am so disappointed in the character arcs here... why create three books of development in characters and relationships only to take them back to square one? and in the worst way possible? all for a cheap repetitive idea of a nostalgic ending that didn't even work for the plot? i'm tired of authors trying to pull off time gaps on relationships that broke off for the most immature reasons.
the ruined wins at being my worst read of the year.
i used to be a big fan of the beautiful series, the characters, the atmosphere and especially the romance between the two main characters. its been visibly obvious that this series has been going downhill since the 2nd installment itself, but this one? takes the cake and completely sets in stone my dislike for where it has reached. i don't think i can go back to these books with positive thoughts and that saddens me.
it feels like the author lost all her interest in this story and world, from where it started to the point that it is on now, they seem like two extremely different concepts. i am so disappointed in the character arcs here... why create three books of development in characters and relationships only to take them back to square one? and in the worst way possible? all for a cheap repetitive idea of a nostalgic ending that didn't even work for the plot? i'm tired of authors trying to pull off time gaps on relationships that broke off for the most immature reasons.
the ruined wins at being my worst read of the year.
December 13, 2023
2.5 stars rounded up
This was...disappointing as an ending to a series I have adored so much. It mostly didn't read like a series finisher, and then the last few pages rushed to tie things up, but only sort of? It felt like there might have been a lot more potential story and this wasn't well-planned. The romance of the other books was lacking, we were jumping around a lot, and it just wasn't very satisfying as a conclusion. If this was just another installment in the series it would be fine if not my favorite, but as the end of the series it was a bit of a let down. I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher, all opinions are my own.
This was...disappointing as an ending to a series I have adored so much. It mostly didn't read like a series finisher, and then the last few pages rushed to tie things up, but only sort of? It felt like there might have been a lot more potential story and this wasn't well-planned. The romance of the other books was lacking, we were jumping around a lot, and it just wasn't very satisfying as a conclusion. If this was just another installment in the series it would be fine if not my favorite, but as the end of the series it was a bit of a let down. I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher, all opinions are my own.
March 13, 2025
✩ 4 stars ✩
Thank you to Penguin Teen for the arc through netgalley and a finished copy in exchange for an honest review!
I think that I am in the minority in terms of enjoyment for this book, as many reviews on GoodReads and other platforms show that this was disappointing for a lot of people. However, I actually had a fairly good time reading this book, though it likely helped that I saw some of those reviews and may have lowered my expectations a little bit for that reason. I do think though that in the end that helped me enjoy the ending to this book more, because it's certainly interesting and unique.
So much has happened in this series that I wasn't expecting, and this book takes the cake for that. There were so many events that I did not think would happen, that actually did, and so I have to give Renee Ahdieh props for that with her writing. I do also think that this book was fairly fast-paced and that kept me interested, beyond just needing to know what happens to all of these characters. The ending of this book is also something that a lot of people had problems with, and while I won't spoil anything be warned it is NOT a happy ending. First of all, I do think that it was a little rushed, and things were left unresolved that I wish had gotten more detail (maybe like another 100 pages would've done it), so that was disappointing. However, I really thought the ending was fitting for this series as a whole, and I know everyone loves happy endings but I also enjoy endings that aren't happy, that are sad and heartbreaking and you see the ways it could have been prevented. This series gave me that, so even if it wasn't perfect I think the ending did fit well with what the rest of the series was building up.
As for the setting and worldbuilding, I enjoyed being in the Sylvan lands again, as in the last book the story split its time between there and New Orleans. I know that there was some more worldbuilding exposed in this book, but I wish there had been even MORE. I am an absolute sucker for world info dumps (not everyone's cup of tea), and so I definitely think this world could have benefited a bit more from that. There is some history of the Sylvan world that feels glanced over, or pushed to the side, that I think could have been helpful in understanding some characters and their motivations as well. There are some moments where it also feels like this story has lost the roots or the bones of the original book that I loved, and I wish there had been a bit more balance. Ahdieh's writing style however blends New Orleans and the Slyvan realm very well, and her writing for this series was as always deliciously dark.
Celine Rousseau is at her worst in this book, while I've never absolutely loved her in the previous books I've always found her very interesting and a good mirror to Sebastian. This is completely untrue for this book however, she constantly got on my nerves and basically unraveled as a character to become something so much worse than what I thought she could be. It's really complicated and full of spoilers so I won't really get into it, but it just wasn't it. I see what Ahdieh was trying to do with her story, but it didn't feel genuine to me and I really just did not like it. She was my least favorite part of this book.
Sebastien St. Germain is my favorite character of the series and always has been, he is also incredibly interesting and I loved seeing him grow as a character here. While he had to try to balance out some events happening in the world (thanks Celine) I think he was doing an excellent job with everything he could. He's dark, mysterious, and honestly the perfect character to be leading this series which makes it so much better.
Arjun and Pippa, the main characters of the last book, were pushed into the background a little bit again. However, I would still consider them main characters with how much attention this book gave them compared to other side characters (that I wanted to hear about). Their stories, especially Pippa's were very....uh interesting? I'm not sure how much I enjoyed them thinking back on the stories now, but at the time it was intriguing enough to keep me invested. I still love both of them and think they deserved their own series.
Other side characters felt like just that in this book, extremely side characters which I have to admit was a little disappointing. I know that the series has shifted its focus to include Arjun and Pippa now as well, so it took on two new main characters, but it's still sad. I missed Odette and the rest of Sebastian's friends and confidants. I think again, this book would have benefited from being a little bit longer and including more of the characters I've come to love during the series.
Overall, I definitely still had a fun time reading this sequel and it made me feel all the emotions, but there are ways it could have been greatly improved upon. I will look forward to reading more of Renee Ahdieh's books in the future, even if this sequel wasn't my favorite of the series.
[TW: violence and gore, murder, loss of loved ones, war themes]
Thank you to Penguin Teen for the arc through netgalley and a finished copy in exchange for an honest review!
I think that I am in the minority in terms of enjoyment for this book, as many reviews on GoodReads and other platforms show that this was disappointing for a lot of people. However, I actually had a fairly good time reading this book, though it likely helped that I saw some of those reviews and may have lowered my expectations a little bit for that reason. I do think though that in the end that helped me enjoy the ending to this book more, because it's certainly interesting and unique.
So much has happened in this series that I wasn't expecting, and this book takes the cake for that. There were so many events that I did not think would happen, that actually did, and so I have to give Renee Ahdieh props for that with her writing. I do also think that this book was fairly fast-paced and that kept me interested, beyond just needing to know what happens to all of these characters. The ending of this book is also something that a lot of people had problems with, and while I won't spoil anything be warned it is NOT a happy ending. First of all, I do think that it was a little rushed, and things were left unresolved that I wish had gotten more detail (maybe like another 100 pages would've done it), so that was disappointing. However, I really thought the ending was fitting for this series as a whole, and I know everyone loves happy endings but I also enjoy endings that aren't happy, that are sad and heartbreaking and you see the ways it could have been prevented. This series gave me that, so even if it wasn't perfect I think the ending did fit well with what the rest of the series was building up.
As for the setting and worldbuilding, I enjoyed being in the Sylvan lands again, as in the last book the story split its time between there and New Orleans. I know that there was some more worldbuilding exposed in this book, but I wish there had been even MORE. I am an absolute sucker for world info dumps (not everyone's cup of tea), and so I definitely think this world could have benefited a bit more from that. There is some history of the Sylvan world that feels glanced over, or pushed to the side, that I think could have been helpful in understanding some characters and their motivations as well. There are some moments where it also feels like this story has lost the roots or the bones of the original book that I loved, and I wish there had been a bit more balance. Ahdieh's writing style however blends New Orleans and the Slyvan realm very well, and her writing for this series was as always deliciously dark.
Celine Rousseau is at her worst in this book, while I've never absolutely loved her in the previous books I've always found her very interesting and a good mirror to Sebastian. This is completely untrue for this book however, she constantly got on my nerves and basically unraveled as a character to become something so much worse than what I thought she could be. It's really complicated and full of spoilers so I won't really get into it, but it just wasn't it. I see what Ahdieh was trying to do with her story, but it didn't feel genuine to me and I really just did not like it. She was my least favorite part of this book.
Sebastien St. Germain is my favorite character of the series and always has been, he is also incredibly interesting and I loved seeing him grow as a character here. While he had to try to balance out some events happening in the world (thanks Celine) I think he was doing an excellent job with everything he could. He's dark, mysterious, and honestly the perfect character to be leading this series which makes it so much better.
Arjun and Pippa, the main characters of the last book, were pushed into the background a little bit again. However, I would still consider them main characters with how much attention this book gave them compared to other side characters (that I wanted to hear about). Their stories, especially Pippa's were very....uh interesting? I'm not sure how much I enjoyed them thinking back on the stories now, but at the time it was intriguing enough to keep me invested. I still love both of them and think they deserved their own series.
Other side characters felt like just that in this book, extremely side characters which I have to admit was a little disappointing. I know that the series has shifted its focus to include Arjun and Pippa now as well, so it took on two new main characters, but it's still sad. I missed Odette and the rest of Sebastian's friends and confidants. I think again, this book would have benefited from being a little bit longer and including more of the characters I've come to love during the series.
Overall, I definitely still had a fun time reading this sequel and it made me feel all the emotions, but there are ways it could have been greatly improved upon. I will look forward to reading more of Renee Ahdieh's books in the future, even if this sequel wasn't my favorite of the series.
[TW: violence and gore, murder, loss of loved ones, war themes]
June 12, 2024
It’s giving Renee hates her readers. Justice for Arjun and Pippa 💔
December 5, 2023
Thank you Penguin Teen for the eARC.
I AM UPSET.
I have loved reading this series and I have been waiting a long time to get my hands on the final book and now I’m sitting here super cranky and not wanting to even write this because of the last 30%.
The first 70% was great, I love the writing style and the ease of the reading. The world building is intricate and I love the combination of vampires, werewolves, and fae.
BUT HERE WE GO (which is spoiler free, but you can probably read between the lines too).
The ending y’all. We spent four books leading up to this????? To a complete breakdown of a relationship over a dumb miscommunication that spiraled into total destruction. Causing the end of way too many things to ever recover. And the last few pages were this sorry attempt at saying well maybe things do work out, when NO. That foundation has crumbled. To spend so much time on some of these characters to throw it away. I just…I’m upset…to put it mildly. I feel duped.
There was a clear route this could have gone that would have brought true peace and reconciliation (and where I thought the book was headed???). And there were other characters we didn’t even get to see closing story lines for?? THAT WERE MAIN POINTS OF VIEW? The rushed ending was another nail in the coffin.
I’m losing my cool all over again. This one has really bummed me out.
Overall audience notes:
- YA Fantasy
- Language: a little
- Romance: closed door
- Violence: high
- Trigger/Content Warnings: battle themes, loss of loved ones, murder
I AM UPSET.
I have loved reading this series and I have been waiting a long time to get my hands on the final book and now I’m sitting here super cranky and not wanting to even write this because of the last 30%.
The first 70% was great, I love the writing style and the ease of the reading. The world building is intricate and I love the combination of vampires, werewolves, and fae.
BUT HERE WE GO (which is spoiler free, but you can probably read between the lines too).
The ending y’all. We spent four books leading up to this????? To a complete breakdown of a relationship over a dumb miscommunication that spiraled into total destruction. Causing the end of way too many things to ever recover. And the last few pages were this sorry attempt at saying well maybe things do work out, when NO. That foundation has crumbled. To spend so much time on some of these characters to throw it away. I just…I’m upset…to put it mildly. I feel duped.
There was a clear route this could have gone that would have brought true peace and reconciliation (and where I thought the book was headed???). And there were other characters we didn’t even get to see closing story lines for?? THAT WERE MAIN POINTS OF VIEW? The rushed ending was another nail in the coffin.
I’m losing my cool all over again. This one has really bummed me out.
Overall audience notes:
- YA Fantasy
- Language: a little
- Romance: closed door
- Violence: high
- Trigger/Content Warnings: battle themes, loss of loved ones, murder
September 17, 2023
This was one of my most anticipated series endings, after four long years and it turned out to be one of the most disappointing endings. My heart hurts after this one. I was so excited to see how things turned out and it wasn't anything like I expected. The third book with Arjun and Pippa was my fav and I feel like they were done dirty in this one.
Let me back up... the beginning of this wasn't too bad. It had me desperate for more especially to see what happened with Pippa after the ending of the previous book. But I honestly started to lose all interest in Bastien and Celine's storyline. They were so frustrating and had the most annoying miscommunication going on especially one BIG part. I was here SOLELY for the Pippa and Arjun scenes and there weren't enough. They felt like they were cast aside especially halfway through the book. Like now I wonder what was the point of them having their own book for it end that way?
The ending felt SO RUSHED! Like my mind is still blown over how frustrating that ending was. When I finished, I seriously thought, is this a joke? Did I miss something? Did the author just stop caring and rush to get it completed. Is there a reason this couldn't have ended happier and more clear? I was so confused in a lot of it that I ended up having to reread several parts. I'm so upset that I spent four books in this series for it to end that way. I am still shocked and trying to process things. I want a redo. I want the mirror to set things right. I am just shocked that the author who wrote the AMAZING The Wrath and the Dawn duo also ended this series like she did. I really loved this series until this book RUINED it for me. *sobbing into my pillow now*
*arc received in exchange for an honest review (and it'll be honest). Thank you to the publishers tho! *
Let me back up... the beginning of this wasn't too bad. It had me desperate for more especially to see what happened with Pippa after the ending of the previous book. But I honestly started to lose all interest in Bastien and Celine's storyline. They were so frustrating and had the most annoying miscommunication going on especially one BIG part. I was here SOLELY for the Pippa and Arjun scenes and there weren't enough. They felt like they were cast aside especially halfway through the book. Like now I wonder what was the point of them having their own book for it end that way?
The ending felt SO RUSHED! Like my mind is still blown over how frustrating that ending was. When I finished, I seriously thought, is this a joke? Did I miss something? Did the author just stop caring and rush to get it completed. Is there a reason this couldn't have ended happier and more clear? I was so confused in a lot of it that I ended up having to reread several parts. I'm so upset that I spent four books in this series for it to end that way. I am still shocked and trying to process things. I want a redo. I want the mirror to set things right. I am just shocked that the author who wrote the AMAZING The Wrath and the Dawn duo also ended this series like she did. I really loved this series until this book RUINED it for me. *sobbing into my pillow now*
*arc received in exchange for an honest review (and it'll be honest). Thank you to the publishers tho! *
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 26, 2024
Sébastien Saint Germain is everything. I love him and all of his arrogance with all my heart.
The ending of this book was... not it. It was rushed and unsatisfying, and left behind loose threads that weren't tied up. This series started out a lot stronger than it ended. Celine was really annoying in this book, which is devastating because I adored her in the previous three books. Still giving it four stars because I did still enjoy reading it and the writing style really appeals to me. This was the worst book in the series though, and very disappointing when compared to books one and two.
Quotes:
"A true leader does not wait for smooth waters. He faces the hurricane."
"Knowledge alone is never enough."
"Good," Bastien said. "You're afraid. I appreciate the honesty."
"Whenever I listen to you, I lose everything that matters."
"The quickest way to learn you should not reach into a flame is to be burned by it."
"Arrogant. Conceited. Destined to fail."
"I ask that you offer me your trust as a gift. I promise I will not waste it."
The ending of this book was... not it. It was rushed and unsatisfying, and left behind loose threads that weren't tied up. This series started out a lot stronger than it ended. Celine was really annoying in this book, which is devastating because I adored her in the previous three books. Still giving it four stars because I did still enjoy reading it and the writing style really appeals to me. This was the worst book in the series though, and very disappointing when compared to books one and two.
Quotes:
"A true leader does not wait for smooth waters. He faces the hurricane."
"Knowledge alone is never enough."
"Good," Bastien said. "You're afraid. I appreciate the honesty."
"Whenever I listen to you, I lose everything that matters."
"The quickest way to learn you should not reach into a flame is to be burned by it."
"Arrogant. Conceited. Destined to fail."
"I ask that you offer me your trust as a gift. I promise I will not waste it."
Read
December 27, 2021Can someone tell me when “The Ruined” release date is?? Cause me confused 🤔
December 10, 2023
This was an absolute shitshow of a finale and completely ruined all character development and world building of the first 3 books. Truly heinous
April 8, 2024
2.5 Stars ... maybe?
I'm so confused. In Ahdieh's author notes at the end of this book, she talks about writing a four book series about vampires - where did that series go?? I thought we were getting old fashioned vampires from 1800 New Orleans. That is not what we got at all. By the end of the book, this was more about fae politics than vampires. I feel so betrayed.
I absolutely LOVED The Beautiful. The ambiance, the vibes, the location, the characters... it was all there! I ended that book excited to see what happens next. Alas, as the series went on, each book just fell more and more flat. And we lost what made that first book so special. Honestly, by the end of this series, I HATED Celine and did not want her with Bastien at all.
So let's talk about this book. It was a giant mess from beginning to end. And all because the characters refuse to talk to each other like adults. Celine just whines about how she's not taken serious and Bastien has turned on her and her mother loves her and wah wah wah. What happened to the girl who took no shit from anyone? Who didn't take things at face value but fought to find the truth and stand up for what's right? She was 100% gone. Her "love" for the mother who abandoned her was invalid. I never fully understood why Celine turned her back on everyone for one person who left her.
Then there's Bastien. He at least was trying to do the right thing but yet he never communicated that information to anyone. He just came up with his own plans and decided they were right. His fights with Celine were just so frustrating because no one was actually talking to the other!
Also, I need someone to explain Emelie to me. I never understood her blind hatred for Bastien. Yes, hating her uncle was legit - he left her to die. But Bastien only ever loved her and she was just like, who cares let me destroy your world. And why? I felt like this character was only used for her rage to push the plot where it needed to go. There was no other function to her. And I found that sad. Emelie could have been explored more and given more depth than just hate.
The best character was Arjun. And we don't talk about what Ahdieh did there.
Oh, what was the point of Haroun? Why introduce this character and the crossover and do absolutely NOTHING with it? I really do not understand.
There was so much information given to us in this book and then the ending climax was crammed into one chapter that felt rushed. I missed the core family from the first book. I missed Vampires. I miss what this series could have been because it began beautifully!
Sadly, I wish this series would have stayed at one book.
***** Initial reaction ****
I am upset. I am frustrated and I don't know how to rate this right now.
But one question, what was the point of the character crossover? Did I miss something?
I'm so confused. In Ahdieh's author notes at the end of this book, she talks about writing a four book series about vampires - where did that series go?? I thought we were getting old fashioned vampires from 1800 New Orleans. That is not what we got at all. By the end of the book, this was more about fae politics than vampires. I feel so betrayed.
I absolutely LOVED The Beautiful. The ambiance, the vibes, the location, the characters... it was all there! I ended that book excited to see what happens next. Alas, as the series went on, each book just fell more and more flat. And we lost what made that first book so special. Honestly, by the end of this series, I HATED Celine and did not want her with Bastien at all.
So let's talk about this book. It was a giant mess from beginning to end. And all because the characters refuse to talk to each other like adults. Celine just whines about how she's not taken serious and Bastien has turned on her and her mother loves her and wah wah wah. What happened to the girl who took no shit from anyone? Who didn't take things at face value but fought to find the truth and stand up for what's right? She was 100% gone. Her "love" for the mother who abandoned her was invalid. I never fully understood why Celine turned her back on everyone for one person who left her.
Then there's Bastien. He at least was trying to do the right thing but yet he never communicated that information to anyone. He just came up with his own plans and decided they were right. His fights with Celine were just so frustrating because no one was actually talking to the other!
Also, I need someone to explain Emelie to me. I never understood her blind hatred for Bastien. Yes, hating her uncle was legit - he left her to die. But Bastien only ever loved her and she was just like, who cares let me destroy your world. And why? I felt like this character was only used for her rage to push the plot where it needed to go. There was no other function to her. And I found that sad. Emelie could have been explored more and given more depth than just hate.
The best character was Arjun. And we don't talk about what Ahdieh did there.
Oh, what was the point of Haroun? Why introduce this character and the crossover and do absolutely NOTHING with it? I really do not understand.
There was so much information given to us in this book and then the ending climax was crammed into one chapter that felt rushed. I missed the core family from the first book. I missed Vampires. I miss what this series could have been because it began beautifully!
Sadly, I wish this series would have stayed at one book.
***** Initial reaction ****
I am upset. I am frustrated and I don't know how to rate this right now.
But one question, what was the point of the character crossover? Did I miss something?
October 13, 2023
Thank you so much to Penguin Teen for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
currently sobbing in my room at 2 AM 😭 RENÉE HOW COULD YOU END THE SERIES LIKE THAT
currently sobbing in my room at 2 AM 😭 RENÉE HOW COULD YOU END THE SERIES LIKE THAT
December 12, 2023
Never has a series fallen so quickly so fast. What was this? What was the point of any of it? Who told her she could write? What a waste of my time.
September 15, 2024
If you told me that the author gave the task of writing this last book to some random person on the street and didn’t give them any information about the previous three books I would absolutely believe you because genuinely what was that!!
I would’ve enjoyed walking through a field of broken glass for 5hr and 30mins (the length of listening to the audio on 2x) immensely more than I enjoyed this book.
I truly do not have anything good to say about this book. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an author completely ruin a series in such a tremendous way, it’s almost impressive the amount of damage that was done to the entire series as a whole in one small book.
You know when you’re watching a show on the CW and the first few seasons are SO good and then it starts to go a little wonky but you keep watching in the hopes that it’ll get better? But then it just completely goes off the deep end in the last season and ruins all the positives that ever existed? That’s exactly what this book is!
Everything that made this series magical, special, and compelling was completely lost in this book. Really it started to go downhill during The Righteous, but I had a small tiny piece of hope that maybe all could be rectified in this book. I was stupid for hoping💖
Nothing in this book made sense at all. Not the plot, not the character interactions, not the alleged motivations, not any of the choices, not the dialogue, NOTHING. It truly feels like the author was playing spin the bottle on plot points and dialogue and added things in randomly because WHAT was that?? Truly what was that.
The most frustrating aspect of all of this was to see Celine and Bastien go through the most insane character assassination I think I’ve ever witnessed in a series. Particularly with Celine, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a character be so fully and completely ruined. None of her actions were in line with her character build up from the first two books she was a completely different person. It wasn’t interesting, it wasn’t compelling, it was just bad writing.
In fact, none of the characters in this book were treated with the craft and care they deserved and quite frankly, I’m pissed! Imagine building up a whole series worth of characters just to throw it all away. It’s the way that some of the MAIN CHARACTERS weren’t even truly given a resolution and send off for the END OF THE SERIES. Actually insane choice.
The next frustrating thing was that way too many plot points were introduced and it was clear the author didn’t know how to handle them or resolve them. Some were completely forgotten about, others rushed through, others given half assed solutions, and others given completely ridiculous solutions that made no sense within the context of the series.
Attempting to expand the world in this series by adding in the fae and court politics was a huge mistake and was this series’ downfall. It added in too many characters way too far into the series for people to care about, to many additional plot points, too much incessant conflict and drama where it wasn’t needed, wasn’t interesting or different in any way, and it overall just wasn’t executed well.
Overall, this was probably the worst ending to a series that I’ve ever read and I don’t think that I would recommend the series to others. If you do, my recommendation would be to treat this quartet as a duology and only really the first two books. Do yourself a kindness and google the plot of the third and fourth books💖
I would’ve enjoyed walking through a field of broken glass for 5hr and 30mins (the length of listening to the audio on 2x) immensely more than I enjoyed this book.
I truly do not have anything good to say about this book. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an author completely ruin a series in such a tremendous way, it’s almost impressive the amount of damage that was done to the entire series as a whole in one small book.
You know when you’re watching a show on the CW and the first few seasons are SO good and then it starts to go a little wonky but you keep watching in the hopes that it’ll get better? But then it just completely goes off the deep end in the last season and ruins all the positives that ever existed? That’s exactly what this book is!
Everything that made this series magical, special, and compelling was completely lost in this book. Really it started to go downhill during The Righteous, but I had a small tiny piece of hope that maybe all could be rectified in this book. I was stupid for hoping💖
Nothing in this book made sense at all. Not the plot, not the character interactions, not the alleged motivations, not any of the choices, not the dialogue, NOTHING. It truly feels like the author was playing spin the bottle on plot points and dialogue and added things in randomly because WHAT was that?? Truly what was that.
The most frustrating aspect of all of this was to see Celine and Bastien go through the most insane character assassination I think I’ve ever witnessed in a series. Particularly with Celine, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a character be so fully and completely ruined. None of her actions were in line with her character build up from the first two books she was a completely different person. It wasn’t interesting, it wasn’t compelling, it was just bad writing.
In fact, none of the characters in this book were treated with the craft and care they deserved and quite frankly, I’m pissed! Imagine building up a whole series worth of characters just to throw it all away. It’s the way that some of the MAIN CHARACTERS weren’t even truly given a resolution and send off for the END OF THE SERIES. Actually insane choice.
The next frustrating thing was that way too many plot points were introduced and it was clear the author didn’t know how to handle them or resolve them. Some were completely forgotten about, others rushed through, others given half assed solutions, and others given completely ridiculous solutions that made no sense within the context of the series.
Attempting to expand the world in this series by adding in the fae and court politics was a huge mistake and was this series’ downfall. It added in too many characters way too far into the series for people to care about, to many additional plot points, too much incessant conflict and drama where it wasn’t needed, wasn’t interesting or different in any way, and it overall just wasn’t executed well.
Overall, this was probably the worst ending to a series that I’ve ever read and I don’t think that I would recommend the series to others. If you do, my recommendation would be to treat this quartet as a duology and only really the first two books. Do yourself a kindness and google the plot of the third and fourth books💖
December 6, 2023
Okay, so I wanted to read this quartet because (a) one of my favorite authors, Sabaa Tahir, highly recommends it and (b) I was gifted physical copies of all four books by the amazing people over at Penguin Teen. But boy, was this one bad! The first book was okay, but it all went downhill from there and this conclusion?! Let’s just say that the best thing about this book is its title, because it perfectly describes what it did to this already unimpressive series.
As an immediate follow-up to third book, The Righteous, the structure and narration of The Ruined makes just as little sense as the existence of The Righteous in the quartet. That one really should’ve been the start of a spin-off series. But even if you do ignore The Righteous and pick this up after book two, The Damned, it doesn’t work well.
The plot is nonsensical and all over the place. There is both too much and very little going on in terms of character development. The multiple POVs just make the story more disjointed and the ending feels incredibly rushed and entirely pointless. There are many loose ends and several events that are either not explained well or not fleshed out enough. And the whole book follows the misunderstanding trope, which I absolutely detest. Also, Celine, the protagonist, is worthy of nothing less than disdain here.
Honestly? I wasted precious hours of my life reading this series, hoping that it would get better and repeatedly refusing to DNF it because I’d already read the preceding books and well, that’ll teach me not to fall for the sunk-cost fallacy.
I highly DO NOT recommend reading this series, and especially this book.
SPOILERS AHEAD!!
.
.
.
One of my biggest issues with this book is what became of Celine’s character. She went from being an independent, headstrong, capable, and rational woman to a completely delusional and juvenile a**hole. Why did she go the way of fully mad queen Daenerys Targaryen? Didn’t the author see how bad that was? Was Celine being mind-controlled by her mother/the fey? Was it because of the dress she wore that Bastien removed from his memories? What? Why? Why did she become like this? Surely it wasn’t because she wanted her mother and/or power that much?! And Bastien. Why? Why couldn’t he just tell her what he saw in the mirror? Or maybe just talk to her about his suspicions way earlier? Or told her, in excruciating detail, why he killed her mother?!
Other stuff:
I don’t like Pippa and it was pretty silly (and yet predictable) that she turned into a werewolf. It added nothing to the book. Same with Odette not dying/coming back to life. And Émilie? After everything she did, her ending was anticlimactic to say the least. I didn’t care enough about the other characters because well, the books couldn’t get me to invest in them. At least the French was kept to a minimum.
As an immediate follow-up to third book, The Righteous, the structure and narration of The Ruined makes just as little sense as the existence of The Righteous in the quartet. That one really should’ve been the start of a spin-off series. But even if you do ignore The Righteous and pick this up after book two, The Damned, it doesn’t work well.
The plot is nonsensical and all over the place. There is both too much and very little going on in terms of character development. The multiple POVs just make the story more disjointed and the ending feels incredibly rushed and entirely pointless. There are many loose ends and several events that are either not explained well or not fleshed out enough. And the whole book follows the misunderstanding trope, which I absolutely detest. Also, Celine, the protagonist, is worthy of nothing less than disdain here.
Honestly? I wasted precious hours of my life reading this series, hoping that it would get better and repeatedly refusing to DNF it because I’d already read the preceding books and well, that’ll teach me not to fall for the sunk-cost fallacy.
I highly DO NOT recommend reading this series, and especially this book.
SPOILERS AHEAD!!
.
.
.
One of my biggest issues with this book is what became of Celine’s character. She went from being an independent, headstrong, capable, and rational woman to a completely delusional and juvenile a**hole. Why did she go the way of fully mad queen Daenerys Targaryen? Didn’t the author see how bad that was? Was Celine being mind-controlled by her mother/the fey? Was it because of the dress she wore that Bastien removed from his memories? What? Why? Why did she become like this? Surely it wasn’t because she wanted her mother and/or power that much?! And Bastien. Why? Why couldn’t he just tell her what he saw in the mirror? Or maybe just talk to her about his suspicions way earlier? Or told her, in excruciating detail, why he killed her mother?!
Other stuff:
I don’t like Pippa and it was pretty silly (and yet predictable) that she turned into a werewolf. It added nothing to the book. Same with Odette not dying/coming back to life. And Émilie? After everything she did, her ending was anticlimactic to say the least. I didn’t care enough about the other characters because well, the books couldn’t get me to invest in them. At least the French was kept to a minimum.
December 10, 2023
The fourth book in this quartet made me wish I never picked up this series in the first place.
Everything I loved in the beginning of this series — the characters, the romance, the drama — was notably absent. We got so far off track from vampires in New Orleans it’s hard to believe this is even the same series. And we got an entire BOOK dedicated to two side characters who had mere honorable mentions and sloppy storylines in this finish. WHY.
We were done so dirty by this conclusion & the miscommunication trope that controlled this entire narrative, took two characters I loved and turned them into distrustful, spineless fools, AND WAS NEVER RESOLVED. Celine especially did not deserve any part of this character arc and I wanted so much better from the ending.
So many things were left unfinished and rushed in the end — I couldn’t believe it could possibly be wrapped up well with 30 pages left to go and I was right. Plot holes galore and sadly just felt like hasty, lazy writing. And knowing this is how the series ends and there is not another book to redeem this mess is so upsetting. RUINED INDEED.
Everything I loved in the beginning of this series — the characters, the romance, the drama — was notably absent. We got so far off track from vampires in New Orleans it’s hard to believe this is even the same series. And we got an entire BOOK dedicated to two side characters who had mere honorable mentions and sloppy storylines in this finish. WHY.
We were done so dirty by this conclusion & the miscommunication trope that controlled this entire narrative, took two characters I loved and turned them into distrustful, spineless fools, AND WAS NEVER RESOLVED. Celine especially did not deserve any part of this character arc and I wanted so much better from the ending.
So many things were left unfinished and rushed in the end — I couldn’t believe it could possibly be wrapped up well with 30 pages left to go and I was right. Plot holes galore and sadly just felt like hasty, lazy writing. And knowing this is how the series ends and there is not another book to redeem this mess is so upsetting. RUINED INDEED.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 14, 2023
I say this a lot, but it's true: I WANTED to love this book. A friend sent me an unexpected copy because I said I was looking forward to it so much, and I literally squee'd opening the package. I was really into the first two books and while the third was a little unfocused and brought in a secondary world that I just didn't really care about, I had a lot of hope that the final book would tie everything together into a sweeping, epic, and dare I say BEAUTIFUL conclusion.
...But then I read it.
Leaving the sultry old-fashioned New Orleans setting and all the secondary characters introduced in the original novel almost completely behind. Alleged conspiracies and mysteries to which the answers are never revealed. Seemingly important character plot lines and POVs dropped and forgotten halfway through. Beloved characters dying in a sentence or two with a "Yes. Very sad. ANYWAY" presentation. A longstanding villain setup going nowhere.
And most egregiously, the two main characters of the series going completely off the rails, losing all hints of their past personalities and motivations. As the final scenes played out, I kept waiting for the big moment in which Celine (now Daenarys Targaryen) or Bastien would truly come to their senses and change this shock-value trajectory they're on. A little basic communication probably would have done the trick! It never happened.
I usually really like Renee Adhieh's bibliography. Was she under a deadline she just couldn't meet? Was she trying to emulate that horrible final season of Game of Thrones? Idk, but it was a mess.
...But then I read it.
Leaving the sultry old-fashioned New Orleans setting and all the secondary characters introduced in the original novel almost completely behind. Alleged conspiracies and mysteries to which the answers are never revealed. Seemingly important character plot lines and POVs dropped and forgotten halfway through. Beloved characters dying in a sentence or two with a "Yes. Very sad. ANYWAY" presentation. A longstanding villain setup going nowhere.
And most egregiously, the two main characters of the series going completely off the rails, losing all hints of their past personalities and motivations. As the final scenes played out, I kept waiting for the big moment in which Celine (now Daenarys Targaryen) or Bastien would truly come to their senses and change this shock-value trajectory they're on. A little basic communication probably would have done the trick! It never happened.
I usually really like Renee Adhieh's bibliography. Was she under a deadline she just couldn't meet? Was she trying to emulate that horrible final season of Game of Thrones? Idk, but it was a mess.
December 21, 2023
The title of this book is what happened to the series.
I feel like the author set up this really beautiful concept and had a really great foundation for a story but then tried to do to much. I was expecting a great gothic forbidden romance about old timey vampires in New Orleans but instead was later introduced to a faerie world which was highly confusing. I did not like the characters arcs at all for the story and felt as though the actions did not align with the characters of the first book. While I did not like the Emily plot line, I do wish it was fleshed out more. Her character just felt very one dimensional and used for pointless drama.
I feel like the author set up this really beautiful concept and had a really great foundation for a story but then tried to do to much. I was expecting a great gothic forbidden romance about old timey vampires in New Orleans but instead was later introduced to a faerie world which was highly confusing. I did not like the characters arcs at all for the story and felt as though the actions did not align with the characters of the first book. While I did not like the Emily plot line, I do wish it was fleshed out more. Her character just felt very one dimensional and used for pointless drama.
December 10, 2023
I'm furious right now. What kind of ending was that?? This book was torture and then ended horribly. I went from loving Celine in The Beautiful to hating her by the end of the series. Absolutely the worst ending I've ever read. I'm so hurt and angry. I waited 2 years for THIS?! 😡
**Content Warning**
Gun violence, Blood, Death, Death of parent, and Violence
**Content Warning**
Gun violence, Blood, Death, Death of parent, and Violence
October 4, 2024
this is called the ruined because it ruined the series
March 3, 2024
This is the fourth book in The Beautiful (I think that’s the series name) series and the final installment. It picks up with a war brewing between the summer and winter courts, and Celine is with the summer court and Bastien is trying to protect the winter court. So all around not a good spot for them. We also don’t know the fate of Pippa at the beginning, as she was dragged off by wolves, much to Arjun’s dismay. Celine learns that her mother’s powers will pass to her if she dies, so many people are looking to her to lead. She decides she will return to New Orleans for a brief period to check on her friends. We find out that Pippa is still alive, but she is in a lot of pain. She’s been bitten by a werewolf and she hears them talking around her — Emilie, Bastien’s sister, and also Michael, the detective. Emilie meant for her to die but Michael is begging someone to help her. Then they think she’s dead but Pippa can still hear them. They think she actually does die and goes to bury her alive. But then she digs herself out and we find that she is now a werewolf. Meanwhile there is this mirror that Sebastian uses to time travel and I can’t remember if this mirror has been brought up in previous books in the series but if it has I don’t remember. So the time travel thing was weird. The rules are that you cannot exist in the same time as another you — you have to go in before you were born or after otherwise one of the yous will die, which seems pointless. But then of course Bastien at first tries to go stop himself from being turned into a vampire but is stopped by Boone. Then he gives the mirror one of his memories that seems unimportant about Celine but is probably actually very important in order to see the future, and he sees that Celine’s mother has killed her so he thinks he needs to stop her from staying in the sylvan vale. He then travels to current New Orleans, where Celine has gone. There the two of them meet but it doesn’t go well. They end up arguing. Sebastien doesn’t tell her the truth about what he saw in the mirror; he just gives some vague warning that he knows about the mirror and that her mom is going to try to hurt her. She doesn’t believe that he’s telling her the truth. It’s all very annoying. They part on not good terms with Celine telling him that he needs to let her go, so I guess they break up. And then Celine finds out that Pippa is dead and she is heartbroken. But then Arjun finds out that she is not in fact dead and rushes to her side. When Celine returns to the Sylvan Vale from New Orleans, someone is trying to assassinate her mother. She tries to fight them but then her mom wakes up and kills the assassin, but not before the fae tells them that Bastien sent them. Celine doesn’t want to believe this is true so they call on another being who apparently they think might have done it instead but he’s mad that he’s being blamed when Bastien is clearly the person behind the assassination attempt, and he challenges Bastien to a duel. Bastien tries to find help from Michael about ways to get out of this and is visited by Haroun for him to share that he learned about a story where a Queen was able to prevent her powers from passing to her heir by killing the heir and drinking their blood, but the heir has to be willing to do it, and he shares the information because he thinks that Celine’s mother might be trying to trick her daughter into doing this. He also feels guilty for making out with Celine because after she and Bastien break up she goes to him to stop feeling less lonely, but Haroun stops it before it goes too far. But the duel proceeds and Sebastien, who has taken on the role of the winter court’s ruler after there has not been one in 400 years, decides to make a big move and during the duel, shoots and kills the Queen of the fae, Celine’s mom. Celine now completely hates him even though he did it to save her. But she wants to destroy him. They both gather their forces and go to New Orleans, where a battle breaks out. Amid the fighting, ARJUN DIES (and Jae does too). THIS MADE ME SO ANGRY. I was so invested with him and Pippa, and for the rest of the book I feel like we get no closure with Pippa at all. It feels like things are just left hanging and it made me so sad. The previous book in the series was basically all about them and I got attached and to have them end like that... Not just with her and Arjun, but with Celine as well. Their friendship was basically destroyed after that. Anyway, eventually after some destruction that had resulted in his death both Celine and Bastien basically ban each other from New Orleans because of what they did and I think years later they meet again and things aren’t the way they were before after everything that had happened but it’s almost hinting like maybe they will be able to work together or rekindle something and maybe bridge the divide between the sylvan vale and wyld. After reading this I saw a lot of people were disappointed in the ending of this book, I think primarily because it’s the last book I the series so we won’t get any more but it sort of felt like the characters were done a bit dirty in their endings, and I sort of feel the same way. I didn’t feel that closure in the story arcs. I felt like it became such a different story than the one it started with in the first book. We didn’t get to spend as much time in New Orleans or with the characters all together and the banter between them. It felt a bit strained. Overall I was a bit disappointed because I liked the series at the start, so I will try to remember the early books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 30, 2023
WHAT DID I JUST READ?!! The only positive thing I can say about this book is that it is aptly titled. She has ruined the entire series with the book. The entire book felt off to me but the last 25% was like a bomb went off. What happened to these characters? Especially Celine who first is a weak shade of herself, then slightly mentally unstable, then becomes a crazed spoiled brat who doesn’t listen to anyone or stop to assess a situation. I think Ahdieh was trying to really push a message of power corrupting, but her story got lost in the message. The plot and characters are unrecognizable in this installment. New plot points are brought in and then never resolved. There are so many questions that are still unanswered….how is this the last book? I honestly feel like this is some kind of a prank. This cannot be how this series ends. I’m shocked, sick to my stomach, and so sad about one of my favorite YA vampire series.
January 4, 2024
I’m guessing by “The Ruined”, Renee meant “The Ruined Series” because what the f*** did I just read? Don’t waste your time, just imagine your ideal ending after the first three.
December 5, 2023
I'm sorry, but this book was so disappointing. There were too many POV's and it was confusing to keep up with what was happening. Also, this book did not even remotely feel like part of the same series. And I loved the first three books so much. New elements of the mythology and lore were introduced and I felt like I was so lost. Some things also happened so randomly with no context or explanation and it seemed like chunks were missing. This book was fast-paced which I liked for a bit, but I would have also been okay with a drawn-out conclusion. The ending made absolutely no sense and I do not feel satisfied with it whatsoever. It's funny though because I couldn't stand Pippa in book one and she was my favorite character in the last couple of books. Ugh, but so many things weren't resolved and certain characters just fully disappeared and I think I was just rage-reading it to finish it. Thank you to Penguin Teen for the e-ARC to read and review!
February 26, 2025
I knew after reading The Damned that this was not going to be what she first sold: a beautiful, vampire romance in the French Quarter. There was barely any romance between our 2 main characters, especially in this steaming hot pile of garbage that this novel was. Celine was completely insufferable and you could not convince me that this woman ever loved Bastien. Nope. 3 different men literally get their hearts shredded in this series because of Celine. And the last guy? Why? Why did you bring him into this novel all the way from The Wrath and the Dawn and butcher his character? 🥴Bastien was probably the only character that I really liked and even his choices were questionable. But as far as him being a vampire, he’s not. I know he is simply because Renée told me he is, but there is nothing vampiric about him or any of the other vampires. Seriously, this does not feel like a vampire novel. Throw the vampires out the window. Instead we’ve got werewolves, goblins, and faeries. The only good romance we really get in this series is with Pippa and Arjun. But after this book, throw that out the window too.
The story was just an absolute hot mess. I don’t know why she did this. There were so many useless characters, the main useless character being Bastien’s sister Émilie. Every time I read in her pov (there are literally 5 povs in this poor ruined book) I was rolling my eyes. Like what is your point? Good away. Shoo!! I hated her. She’s literally pointless and does the dumbest things. I still can’t believe what I just got done reading. It’s like Renée would come up with an idea, I would blindly follow it, just for her to do something completely off the wall. I’m mad I wasted my money and time reading this quartet. My children can communicate better than Celine and Bastien.
The only redeeming thing is that I like the way Renée writes. She just happened to write a lyrical piece of garbage. ❀
The story was just an absolute hot mess. I don’t know why she did this. There were so many useless characters, the main useless character being Bastien’s sister Émilie. Every time I read in her pov (there are literally 5 povs in this poor ruined book) I was rolling my eyes. Like what is your point? Good away. Shoo!! I hated her. She’s literally pointless and does the dumbest things. I still can’t believe what I just got done reading. It’s like Renée would come up with an idea, I would blindly follow it, just for her to do something completely off the wall. I’m mad I wasted my money and time reading this quartet. My children can communicate better than Celine and Bastien.
The only redeeming thing is that I like the way Renée writes. She just happened to write a lyrical piece of garbage. ❀
June 25, 2024
I’m sorry but what the actual fuck was that ending?! I now understand why so many people were unimpressed with how this series ended, because good god was it depressing. The title definitely lives up to its name because this series was definitely ruined. To think all of the events that occurred in this book could have been avoided if the two protagonists had just COMMUNICATED with each other. That’s it! Problem solved!!! But I guess if it was that simple then there would be no book. 🤷♀️😕
I really wanted to like this series and the 2nd book was definitely the best out all of them. To me this series just lost its momentum. Now don’t get me wrong, the author writes beautifully and her descriptions are really good. It’s just I feel like she kind of lost sight of what this series was. Usually when you finish a series, there is supposed to be this feeling of happiness and contentment, instead I’m left feeling very unsatisfied and disappointed. Characters that were really likeable at the start just ended up having total personality shifts to the point where they were unrecognisable. I feel like the author was trying to fit too many factors into this series and as a result it becomes a convoluted mess. It’s a shame because this was a series I was really looking forward to reading but it just ended up being pretty mediocre and it pains me to even write that.
Safe to say I don’t recommend this series but I will be giving this author’s other books a chance, because I do think she writes well.
I really wanted to like this series and the 2nd book was definitely the best out all of them. To me this series just lost its momentum. Now don’t get me wrong, the author writes beautifully and her descriptions are really good. It’s just I feel like she kind of lost sight of what this series was. Usually when you finish a series, there is supposed to be this feeling of happiness and contentment, instead I’m left feeling very unsatisfied and disappointed. Characters that were really likeable at the start just ended up having total personality shifts to the point where they were unrecognisable. I feel like the author was trying to fit too many factors into this series and as a result it becomes a convoluted mess. It’s a shame because this was a series I was really looking forward to reading but it just ended up being pretty mediocre and it pains me to even write that.
Safe to say I don’t recommend this series but I will be giving this author’s other books a chance, because I do think she writes well.
October 27, 2023
I am betrayed. I adored this series. I especially loved the side characters and they were absolutely wasted in this book. I strongly disliked the ending and felt like this was a huge disappointment after waiting years for this conclusion.
I love the writing style in this series and as I mentioned, I also loved the characters. I just hated the plot of this book.
⭐️⭐️
I love the writing style in this series and as I mentioned, I also loved the characters. I just hated the plot of this book.
⭐️⭐️
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