----------
"All we ultimately have to do is believe. We focus our mind on one single point, one single purpose, and we push. We grasp. We manipulate wood and glass and iron. However, the greatest trick is the belief. Belief is what makes it real."
----------

This was a surprisingly delicate story, woven out of what seemed at first to be somewhat uneven fibers. It started out strong, then wobbled a bit and almost lost me... Fortunately, I persevered, because it turned out to be quite a lovely tale of love, revenge, and hope - but without falling into the sappy or hackneyed traps that all-too-often accompany those particular descriptors. There's a Victorian sensibility to the tale, with its formal relationships and male-female interactions. There's an undercurrent of magic/supernatural ability. There's a thundering love story full of passionate, violent, over-brimming emotion and the towering highs and devastating lows that so often accompany that type of overwhelming feeling. There are tremendously well-developed characters, full of flaws and talents and endearing frailty. Each of those pieces offers promise, but it is the threads that tie them all together that set the story apart...

----------
"I am glad of who I am now. You don't know that when you begin a journey, and looking back the picture is not always pretty, but I wouldn't take any of it back."
----------

The narrative is woven together in a way that alternates between tension and ease, teasing the reader into thinking they can see where the relationships are going, then suddenly taking a subtle twist or turn that winds up throwing everything into chaos. It's a delicate dance, marvelously managed, and it makes for a very enjoyable and engaging read!

Moreno-Garcia, Sylvia The Beautiful Ones, 336 pages. Thomas Dunne Books, 2017. Language: PG-13 (29 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG (alluded); Violence: G.

For ten years, Valeria has been living the life of a Beautiful One in the sparkling city of Loisail, after she was forced to void her engagement to the love of her life and marry for the sake of her family. Now she is shepherding her husband’s young cousin through her first season and the girl, Antonina, is just annoying, with her country ways and unsophisticated manners. When Hector returns to town, however, and pays some attention to Nina, Valerie’s jealousy raises its ugly head and she will do anything she can to destroy anyone else’s happiness.

While this book is set in an imaginary land and contains a little bit of magic, there is very little actual fantasy within the book. The magic is like an afterthought to make this look like a fantasy. The story line is fairly predictable, but reads easily, like a beach read.

ADULTS – OPTIONAL. Cindy, Library Teacher

Wow! This book was not at all what I expected. There was a lot more romance than magic (both Hector and Nina are telekinetics). It reminded me of reading a Edith Wharton book with a bit of magic mixed in, complete with naive protagonists, scheming cousin-in-laws (the vicious Valerie) and bumbling suitors. The writing is beautiful, and although the pacing was sometimes slow, I was 100% invested in these characters.

Valerie is the perfect villainous. She has had a sour life, denied a marriage to the man she loved, pouting as her husband (a perfectly nice man, by the way) throws jewels her way. She has made almost no choices in her own life (which is a sad commentary on the rigid gender roles in the 19th-ish century - I write 'ish' because it really isn't clear when this novel takes place), and she's determined that young Nina suffer through the same fate.

I will stop here, as I want to keep this review spoiler-free. But it was an impressive, accomplished novel, and I highly recommend it.

This was such a beautifully written book. I didn't know what to expect (the genre is a little strange with the slight magical aspects, but it reads like a Victorian romance, I guess). In any case, I was really blown away. Yes, you could say the plot is not fast-paced, but don't confuse that with it not being engaging. I couldn't put this book down. I found myself re-reading paragraphs just because they were so beautifully written.

While I thought this novel was an intriguing and extremely well written, it was not what I was expecting. I thought this would be more along the lines of The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare or A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray. Based on the description, that is what I took away. It was not, so if that is the type of novel you are looking for, The Beautiful Ones isn't for you. However, if you are a fan of Jane Austen-esque novels with a hint of supernatural in it, then you should immediately pick up this book!! I am not a Jane Austen fan (just not my cup of tea) so that is why I found this book kind of slow to get through (in addition to what I found to be a slow build up of the novel overall). I found I spent most of this book waiting to get to what I thought would be the plot line so that also through me off. It details a lot of Victorian era culture, which was interesting for someone like me with an anthropology background.
Overall, an interesting read but not my cup of tea. Someone who is into Jane Austen/Bronte sister's literature would probably give this a higher rating and enjoy it very much. Someone who was looking for more supernatural elements, be ready that this book doesn't quite hit the mark. [Review shared on goodreads]

Nina Beaulieu would rather be out at her country manor collecting beetle and butterfly specimens than debuting in high society for the Season at Loisail. However, as a Beaulieu she's expected to make an appearance and a beneficial arrangement for marriage.

She's had a hard time getting people to see her as anything but strange--aside from her interest in science, she's also got telekinetic powers that are unpredictable and hard for her to control.

When she meets Hector, she thinks she's not only found someone who could understand her (as he is a famous telekinetic performer), but someone she could love. She just doesn't know the ulterior motive from his past that guides his every move.

The Beautiful Ones is a story of manners and love with a science fiction twist. The characters are interesting and compelling, and one of them spirals down into a vindictive madness that takes the story to some interesting territory. It has the feel of so many classic tales of manners and love but keeps the story fresh and inventive.

Damn, I knew I was right to be excited about this book. The Beautiful Ones is the first novel I have read by Silvia Moreno-Garcia but I'm really glad I decided to give it a try. I found this book to be very engaging. It was an interesting take on a historical novel with the addition of the characters telekinetic powers. The characters are wonderfully drawn, their desires and decisions believable. The setting is lightly sketched, in the sense that there's no in-depth exploration of the speculative element, but the places and the society are beautifully evoked, no less so for being closely based on historical models.

The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is utterly breathtaking. *holds the book tightly to her chest with a look of absolute wonder on her face*

There are no words that would be able to adequately express my love of this book...no words. The author’s writing style is simply amazing. Clear, concise and wonderfully descriptive, the word flow is perfect with no lag, while the pace is a smooth and steady one that gives us a great build-up and the unique ability to get to really know all the characters and the driving forces behind them. The Beautiful Ones is exactly what I imagined but so, so much more than that. The world, characters, and everything within this stunning book are well-defined and vivid, not to mention absolutely captivating. With touches of the regency era, romance, drama and scandal, and paranormal elements, this read is sure to delight one and all. This story is original and so full of feels that it will bring you to your knees! A must-read!

Please note that an ARC was generously provided in exchange for an honest review of which this is both honest and completely voluntary.

I was excited to see supernatural powers portrayed in a society of class and manners. But this books was more class and manners than supernatural.
Nina visits the city to become cultured as a lady. Raised in the country, she has no time or patience for her cousin in law who continues to disparage her because she will not confine herself to the silly rules of society. She strikes a friendship with a Hector an entertainer with the power of telekinesis; a gift she has but is afraid to use. By becoming involving involved with Hector, she becomes caught in a game of cat and mouse trapped in the politics of the upper class.
It took forever to get me interested in the plot. Everything was predictable until the final chapters and the story focused mainly on the rules of society. In fact, telekinesis was a background providing minimal motivation and used very little throughout the books so you are taken by surprise once you arrive to the ending.
I did give it three stars because even though I saw the strife at the half way point coming, I cried for Nina. I did identify with her and my heart broke for her pain.
I would recommend The Beautiful Ones to those who like stories of class and society and not to those interested in tales of the paranormal.

The question that held me in suspense almost throughout this book was, "What genre is this?" It has elements of literary (particularly the focus on the interiority of the characters); elements of romance (the focus on the characters' relationships); and a relatively small, but in the end significant, speculative element, in that the two main characters are both telekinetics in a society where this is not common, but also far from unheard of.

The main reason I wondered about the genre is that if it was pure literary, it might turn into a tragedy in which the characters spiralled downwards through helplessness into hopelessness and everyone ended up miserable. There was definitely potential for that to happen, given the premise: Hector, a stage performer with a powerful telekinetic ability, has returned to the capital city of Not!19th-century Not!France after a long time touring out of the country, and is now a wealthy man. He meets a young woman, Nina, who happens to be the cousin of the man his first love married instead of him. He's never got over that youthful love, or the disappointment of losing her, and he uses the pretence of courting Nina to get back in to see her cousin's wife.

There are all kinds of ways in which that could go bad, of course, and for a long time it looked like all of them were going to happen, intensifying the question: is this a literary novel where everything falls apart while the author describes it beautifully, or a romance, in which the characters manage to make a happy ending? And is the fantasy element (the telekinesis) merely decorative or symbolic, something that Nina can do but is discouraged from doing because of her social status and her gender, or will it end up being significant to the plot? Answers inside the spoiler tag.

<spoiler>It turns out to be a romance, and the telekinesis is important, so I will declare this to be a fantasy romance with strong literary sensibilities.</spoiler>

The characters are wonderfully drawn, their desires and decisions believable. The setting is lightly sketched, in the sense that there's no in-depth exploration of the speculative element, but the places and the society are beautifully evoked, no less so for being closely based on historical models. The language occasionally shows hints in an odd phrasing or two that the author may not speak English as a first language, but it's generally elegant and capable without being overly obtrusive.

Overall, I enjoyed it very much and looked forward to each time I had the opportunity to read it.

I received a copy from Netgalley at no charge for the purposes of review.

of course, this isn't a grand piece of literature, so I won't judge it with the same ruler as those intense pieces of work, however, as a free novel I was very impressed and found that I quite liked this novel. In fact, I could say I loved it as a simple, casual read

Antonina Beaulieu is in the glittering city of Loisail for her first Grand Season, where she will attend balls and mingle among high society in hopes of landing a suitable husband. But Antonina is telekinetic, and strange events in her past have made her the subject of malicious gossip and hardly a sought-after bride. Now, under the tutelage of her cousin’s wife, she is finally ready to shed the past and learn the proper ways of society.
I really wanted to enjoy this book more than I did. I always enjoy books that take place during the Grand Season. I enjoy the idea of glamorous balls and beautiful dresses, that whole period of society. But this pacing in this book was just so slow for me. I understand world building and set up but for me things took way too long to get moving.
The writing itself is very well done, and the descriptions are beautiful and characters are well developed.
For me this was mostly based on pacing, I need things to move a little quicker, so I am unable to put the book down. For me once I started the book I was reluctant to put it down, but then I found it hard to pick up again to fall back into.

AMAZING! The beautiful ones is a must read! You will feel transported back in time, to a time that seems so foreign to us now. Where woman and men cannot be alone together, and marriage is expected at a young age, everyone must be on best behavior.. Woman must act cordial and dutiful while men must act gentlemanly and take care of their wives in all aspects. You will fall in love with Nina and Hector as you watch heartbreak, love and passion ignite throughout the story. This book truly has it all, and does not lack in any area !

When Hector Auvray and Valérie Beaulieu were both nineteen, they had a passionate summer romance, but after Hector left to try to gain the income and status to be worthy of Valérie, she succumbed to her own greed as well as that of her family, and married a wealthy but boring man, Gaetan Beaulieu. She sent Hector a “dear John” letter, and they did not see each other since. Now, ten years later, Hector is a well-known telekinetic performer, and Valérie is one of the “beautiful people” in Loisail, France.

They meet up again because of a chance meeting between Hector and Valérie’s cousin by marriage, Antonina (Nina) Beaulieu. Nina is staying with Gaetan and Valérie for the summer, and is attending parties in hopes of having an epic romance, like in the books she loves. For Valérie, taking Nina around was torture:

“She, Valérie Beaulieu, chained to this lump of a child who…. after three weeks in Loisail … had not [even] memorized the names, ranks, and particularities of the most important men and women of the city…. “

She calls Nina Gaetan’s “nitwit cousin.” She also resents Gaetan’s affection for Nina. Why should he have devotion to anyone but her, and furthermore, provide for his family when he was not nearly as generous with Valérie’s family? The author writes: “The limits of Valérie’s power and influence chafed her. She begrudged Antonina for this reason and also because she was by nature a jealous, possessive creature.”

And Valérie is not alone in her distaste for Nina. Nina was also spurned by “the beautiful ones” of society:

“They saw a determined spark lurking behind those hazel eyes that they classified as insolence, a lack of artifice that struck them as boorish, a capacity to remain unimpressed by the bric-a-brac on display that they deemed stupidity.”

Hector asks for and receives permission from Gaetan to court Nina, but only so that he could see Valérie; he has remained obsessed with her. “His love of Valérie was vicious. It gripped him utterly.” But when Hector confronted her about ending their relationship and marrying Gaetan, she basically dismisses him by declaring they were just young and foolish, and her family would never have allowed her to wed (a nobody) like him. They needed Beaulieu’s money.

Still, Hector confessed, “I have not forgotten you, Valérie.” Valérie, even while spurning him, said if he wanted to make a fool of himself courting Nina he could be her guest. But secretly, she relished that he still wanted *her*.

Surprisingly, Hector found he was not entirely unhappy in the company of Nina. They shared a talent for telekinesis; Nina asked Hector to help her gain mastery of her ability, and he enjoyed teaching her. He also liked her lack of pretension and her honesty and optimism.

Gaetan finally sees the light about Valérie, as do the rest of the characters. But they also learn the truth of the past relationship between Valérie and Hector. It sounds predictable, but the story was full of surprises and I had no idea how it would end until the end was upon me.

Discussion: There are for the most part just three main characters, and one seemed mainly to serve (1) to highlight the basic emptiness of “the beautiful ones” (i.e., effete upper class) and (2) to act as a catalyst for the other characters to grow.

There is magic in this book (i.e., with respect to the telekinesis), but it was woven into the story almost as an aside. In any event, the magic seemed to be metaphorical, for the way people with determination can affect the world.

Evaluation: The appeal of this story crept up on me, crescendoing to an ending that was just lovely. I felt inspired to seek out the author’s back list.

This book was beautiful! It does have a slow pace and very character driven, but I was never bored at all. I kept wanting to turn each page! There is heartbreak and moments where I wanted to slap a certain character. Hector... Hector... Hector... I wanted to shake you so much in the beginning, but I still love you. The atmosphere was breathtaking and the prose was awesome! Also, loved Antonina's love of insects!

I thoroughly enjoyed The Beautiful Ones. The story was not entirely unique, but the author did have a unique way of telling it.

Nina had a naiveté but grew to be an assertive young woman as the story progressed. It was refreshing to see Hector open his eyes to the truth of the situation. Valerie was a delightful villain, and all of the secondary characters was interesting. It was a fun read with a great message.

I will recommend the book to my students. Thank you for the advanced copy.

I wasn't planning on reading this book in a single sitting, but once I started, I was powerless to stop.

This stand-alone novel had the romantic feel of a classic, giving me the same feeling I had when I first read Love in the Time of Cholera or Anna Karenina. The characters are flawed and relatable; I even found myself sympathetic for the villain.
.
The Beautiful Ones felt completely different from the author's last novel, Certain Dark Things, but both are strong, satisfying novels. The difference in tone between the two shows the author's talent and breadth, and I look forward to reading anything else she puts forth.

Society, manners, relationships, and telekinetic gifts shape the lives of those within the pages of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's The Beautiful Ones.

Antonina, who prefers to be called Nina, comes from a well-respected family and is going to spend some time in Loisail for the first time with her cousin and his wife Valerie, who is meant to teach her how to be a lady and be a part of their society. Nina, however, is highly strong-headed and keen to learn about her telekinetic ability and how to control it. After meeting a famous performer, Hector, with abilities such as her own, Nina and Hector form a friendship, which seems it's leading to something more; however, Nina isn't aware that Hector has a tumultuous history with Valerie, which creates complications for all three of them as they are continually thrown into each others' company.

This was an entertaining tale told from three perspectives that was highly reminiscent of Victorian literature, as it featured the familiar character types (read many stubborn and spirited characters) and a lack of communication serving as the basis for issues that arise in personal relationships. I was intrigued by the concept of Nina and Hector's telekinetic gift and what the status of a Beautiful One entailed, but they weren't really fully explored or explained, which was disappointing despite it not being essential to the themes explored within the narrative. Along these same lines, the world the story takes place in isn't fully developed either as it pulls from aspects of European nations, but also seems to try to be creating something all its own.

Overall, I'd give it a 4 out of 5 stars.

Really enjoyed this tale. Valerie was the absolute worst! I haven't hated a book character that much in a long time. I would love to read more about these characters.

This is not a happy story. It is more melancholy than anything; in truth, it would be better titled The Broken Ones. But it is beautiful. It brought to mind the characters and atmosphere of The Night Circus, one of my all-time favorite books.

This book is literary fiction at its finest. Stirring, with incredible depth, and impossibly real characters. I was blown away again and again by themes in this book:

Love, both lost and found
Betrayal
Bitterness
Idolatry
Self-centeredness
Forgiveness

These are only a few of the themes it explores. In fact, if I had to pick just one overarching theme, it would be "human nature." This book bares the human soul, in all of its grittiness. It shows people as they truly are, and reveals how that differs from who they think they are. It shows life--real, true life.

Since this is literary fiction, the characters are the driving force.

Antonina, better known as Nina, is a young woman who is on the brink of learning hard truths about society, life, and true love. She is being stretched thin between her innocent childhood, and an adulthood that she did not envision.

Valérie is faced with someone she never thought she'd see again. She was denied her chance at a happy ending, and she's determined to ruin everyone else's. No one stands in the way of what she wants.

Hector, whose whole life has been consumed by one driving passion, has to come to terms with the death of his dreams. Everything he'd hoped for and counted on, was nothing but a vapor.

It was amazing how much I connected with each and every one of the characters, good and bad. The good characters were not as pure or innocent as they first seemed. None of them is without fault. Likewise, none of the evil characters were unsympathetic. No one is born completely evil--rather, it's their choices (the ones they're forced to, and the ones they willfully make) that lead to such an outcome. It's a broken world these characters live in, and their lives reflect that.

A small comment on setting: yes, the setting is fantasy. Yes, there is an element of magic. But neither of these factors I felt to be main element of the plot. They contributed to it a small bit, but it was primarily the characters that won the day. The book could have just as easily been set in England at the beginning of the 19th century (without magic, of course).

As for plot, there isn't much to discuss. Since this is literary fiction, the characters and the exploration of human nature take center stage. The plot is driven by the characters, and without this specific cast, there wouldn't have been any plot to speak of.

Like I mentioned above, these characters live in a broken, sinful world. Their lives are a product of that, and their choices contribute to it. They are by no means models of how to live. But they do teach us important lessons. The one that stood out the most to me was "Do not put your hope and trust in a fallible human." I would even go a step further than that: "It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man." (Psalm 118:8)

With that being said, I'd like to leave you with one more passage of Scripture that I feel expresses my feelings about this book:

Micah 7:5-8
"Put no trust in a neighbor; have no confidence in a friend; guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms; for the son treats the father with contempt, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house. But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me."

Rating: 4 stars--5 stars, minus 1 star for content issues

Recommended: Yes. 17 and up, due to mature content.

Content guide:
Violence: 2/10 (some minor injuries, not overly detailed.)
Sexual Content: 9/10 (kisses, embracing, touching, thinly veiled references to adultery, marital duties, and fornification. it is clear that characters have sex several times (before marriage), sometimes on page, though very few details are given.)
Language: 6/10 (several obscene words scattered through the pages. references to fornification and suggestions of adultery)

*Thanks to Netgalley for providing a copy to review*

For more book reviews, or to request your own book to be reviewed by yours truly, visit gabriellenblog.wordpress.com