REVIEW : 'THE BEAUTIFUL' - RENEE AHDIEH
‘The Beautiful’ was one of my most anticipated releases of 2019. I’ve been starved of a good Vampire book and when news of this book started circulating, I was desperate to get my hands on it. The hype that surrounded this book was… phenomenal. I went into it with super high expectations and after finally picking it up all I can really say about it is that it was…fine.
I am quite torn on how I want to rate this book because I did read it super quickly and wasn’t exactly bored at any point, but I was also left with a general feeling of disappointment and unfulfilled satisfaction the whole way through.
I did find myself wanting to know who was committing the murders and why, although I feel as though that’s less to do with the book itself and how it was written and more to do with wanting to KNOW is to be expected when a plot contains a mystery of any sort no matter how well or how badly written it may be.
It was a solid 3 star read, but I did have some issues with it. For example, there is a lot of French that never gets translated for the reader which, if you are not familiar with much French, definitely does get quite frustrating. Also, there are a lot of elements of world building that never get fully fleshed out. The Court of Lions, the Brotherhood, The Fallen, the entire magic system, the HOW and WHY of the otherworldly aspects… none of it is ever truly explained and you’re left with a definite sense of confusion at the end. I think Renee Ahdieh withheld this information in the name of building suspense for the sequel and making you want to keep reading but in my opinion she withheld a little bit too much.
The Court of Lions is touched on, very briefly, and from the glimpses we are given they are a very interesting set of characters and we are told that they inherit some sort of power, but we are never told where it came from, how it came to be, if it is unique to them or a staple of their kind and even though they are a significant part of the story too much of them remained a mystery. Their PURPOSE as a group is explained, right at the very end, but never the entire magic system- which is… confusing and irritating.
It is also the very first time I’ve come away from a book not caring a lick about any of the characters. Apart from a sense of exasperation and irritation towards the main character Celine, I didn’t form any attachments or opinions about any of them. None of the twists or revelations evoked any emotions because the characters and relationships just weren’t fully formed and I didn’t care how the story played out one way or another.
I do think there is a lot of potential for the sequel to be taken in an interesting direction and I’ll definitely pick it up and give it a shot when it comes out but on the whole, for me, ‘The Beautiful’ was just…lacking.
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