I enjoyed this sneak peek, and look forward to the publication of this book so I can read it in full. New Orleans, Creatures of the Night? I am intrigued to see where it leads!

This review is based of an excerpt and not the whole, finished copy.

This sneak peak of The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh sets the tone for an atmospheric, historical fantasy set in mysterious New Orleans. There is enough suspense woven throughout the first few chapters to keep the reader engaged and wanting to learn more, while still keeping the tone set by the first chapter.

The prose is lyrical and the word choices interesting, however the flow and sentence structure prevented it from running as smoothly as it could. However, it was still a good match to the atmosphere created by the setting and plot, and remained engaging though it had rough sections.

I would definitely consider reading the full novel now, because the sneak peak provided just enough material to keep me hooked, and I enjoyed what I read.

Title:: The Beautiful (Excerpt)
by Renée Ahdieh
PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group
G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Genre: Teens & YA
Pub Date: 08 Oct 2019
Review: Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3195140444?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

This review is based on an excerpt of the unfinished manuscript.

Set in the 1900's we meet Celine who has had to join a ship of young woman who are bound for the Americas. Something tragic has taken place in Celine's life and the only way she can have a life is to find a new one. Little does she know that she might be about to face a much deadlier path. Her first day in New Orleans makes Celine aware that there is a type of magic in this place. A murder leaves her wondering if her new life at the convent is as it seems.

I felt that in the short excerpt I was given there was too much tell and not enough show. Within 47 pages we were told numerous times that Celine was a dress maker. It seemed to be referenced on almost every page. Could that information have waited until the jobs were listed, or until she made the handkerchiefs?! The chapter in which Celine travels to the nunnery is so all over the place I feel I have been asked to jump up and down on the spot, rubbing my stomach anti-clockwise while patting my head and learning the dictionary off by heart.

Also not only does the point of view change but so does the narration. We go from third person to first. I was disappointing with the first killing scene, it felt to be straight out of an Anne Rice novel.

I think with adjustment such as, fewer similes, less telling and picking either first or third person narrative the book would be much improved.

I admit, I have a weakness for well written vampire characters. And this one, whatever their name, seems fascinating. I wasn't too interested in Celine until the very end when she speaks with Odette about fashion. My other guilty pleasure? Yup, fashion. Especially the construction of custom made clothes and all the talk that revolves around it. It's a pretty short preview, but I'm hooked!

On the other hand, why must even the Kindle excerpt be in pdf form? This book is already published. There are ebook copies in readable formats out there already.

As a fan of The Wrath and the Dawn, I was so excited to read this sneak peek of The Beautiful. This excerpt immediately grabbed my interest with the rich descriptions of the world, meeting Celine, and the sense of dark mystery throughout. What I love about Renée Ahdieh's books are how they are filled with beautiful details, gorgeous writing, and her books are impossible to put down. I will absolutely be buying this book, as I can't wait to see how the story continues!

This is not a full and comprehensive review, but merely a summary of my thoughts on the book. It does contain spoilers.
My Rating: ##/5

PLOT:
#/5 – The plot is very limited and seems very slow.

STRUCTURE:
###/5 – The structure is well-thought-out, but the pace is so slow, that I started to lose interest.

WORLD-BUILDING:
##/5 – Here is a city that has so much rich history and culture. The potential is limitless. If you think of New Orleans, you see vibrant colors and celebration, you hear music, you feel curious and intrigued by mystery and a little frightened of all the rumors and legends.

THEME:
#/5 – The theme is unclear, and I am not even sure if there are actual vampires?

DIALOGUE:
#/5 – Most of the dialogue are thoughts and memories. Very little is spoken between characters and when done, feels disjointed and has you wondering: “what did I miss??”.

Based on what I read, I think the story holds a lot of promise, it could be the book that brings back the vampire phenomena, I can't wait for my complete copy to get here so I can finally pick it up.

The Beautiful is an engaging and scintillating read that is sure to send chills up your spine. There is something particularly riveting about this sneak peek that has me salivating and longing for far more of this dark and mysterious adventure. I long to unravel the promising decadence that drips from each word and sends shivers and gooseflesh over my skin. Oh to feel and experience the full glory of this uniquely and tantalizing provocative work of art!

I loved the sneak peak of The Beautiful! The story has already sucked me in and I will definitely be buying the book. I loved that the story is set in New Orleans in the late 1800’s, very intriguing!

This looks to be a good story. A young woman moves to New Orleans to run away from her past and make a new life. A monster lurks in the shadows. This is about all in this sneak peek, but promises much more

This was a riveting, gorgeous excerpt! Renee's The Wrath and the Dawn was my absolute favorite, and this one didn't seem to disappoint. Additionally, seeing that this is a vampire book and I rarely read books from that genre, it wasn't the cliched 'dark and broody' bad boy that the main character falls for. Rather, it was apparent there was more layers to the vampire character, and I am excited to find out what exactly they are! Wonderfully mysterious.

I see why this is a must read! The excerpt drew me into the world and left me with so many questions that I can't wait to read the whole book. The setting of New Orleans is perfect for a magic/vampire book, and I like the teasing of Celine's past as I was greedy to know more about what had happened in France to make her leave. I was interested in the book while reading but as soon as I read the Noemie scene, I knew I was hooked, I also loved Pippa's character and am interested into how her relationship with Celine unfolds and what adventures await them.

This review is for the excerpt . I quite enjoyed this and plan on reading the rest of it . We begin with a ship full of Europeans heading to New Orleans to begin a new life and perhaps find a husband . Elsewhere in New Orleans a young girl is met with death by a seductive creature of the night . The story was intriguing and I am interested enough to continue

I did enjoy this sneak peek because I’m a lover of all things supernatural. There is a sexiness to the book and characters that I was drawn to. The only negative thing I have to say, and it’s not a huge negative, is that I’m not sure why it is set in the 1870s when not much is done with that being the time period. However, I will buy the book to finish reading it! The almost sex scene was super promising!!

This book is definitely a must read. The characters are lovely, the plot is fast paced and engaging. The romance was delicious. This reminded me of why vampire books became and will always be popular.

AWESOME! And can not wait for the sequel. This was the first book I read by Ahdieh and I really loved it. The writing and storyline kept me enthralled!

I absolutely adore the world this takes place in, I loved all the characters we had a chance to meet. Renee did a great job creating the wonderful atmosphere of this novel and its characters, Celine chose to live her home because she murdered a man, she wears this tragedy as a way to justify all the bad things that have happened to her, we do not know why she murdered a man but from how it is portrayed it is obviously not so black and white as she makes it seem.

I love all of Renee's work and I will be purchasing a finished copy so I can get to this right away

I was able to review the sneak peek of The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh. I was happily absorbed in the story within the first few pages. The action begins right away and made me want to learn the secrets of both Celine and Pippa. I cannot wait to be able to read the story in its entirety!

I was provided a (temporary, digital) sneak peak excerpt of The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh to read and review by NetGalley... and I admit the sneak peak did exactly what it intended to do.... made me want to read more!!

I love that the setting is in New Orleans, which I long to visit and see right now! It has been on my bucket list for a long time... and seeing it up close and personal from the 1800's was great! I loved the idea of these ladies escaping their lives and going to live in a convent that is supposed to help marry them off.

Good setting, good characters although I need to read more to really get a grip on the characters. So enjoyed reading it and looking forward to more from this author! The vampire twist seems like it is really going to make the book interesting!

5 stars.

I enjoyed this except of The Beautiful. The storyline pulled me in and made me interested in reading more. I love the concept of vampires in new orleans.