THE DAMNED is an action packed sequel, full of betrayal and mystery and romance. I didn't love it as much as THE BEAUTIFUL, but it was nonetheless so enjoyable and beautiful. This book offers multiple characters' perspectives; I really liked this change, though it did get overwhelming at times. Many of these characters would have something to add that went along with nothing presently happening, but then their secret would come out later in the book. I also thought it was strange that one perspective was told in first person while all the others are in third. This book definitely branched out from the series being Celine's; many more characters have a say in the story and we meet many new people from a few different worlds, and it is really becoming an elaborate series. I loved seeing more of the initial group of vampires and being able to learn more about their pasts. There is also a lot of history about the different rivals in this world, which I really enjoyed too. The ending was surprising and I cannot wait to see where the next book goes! There are a lot of loose ends that need to be tied up, and I can't wait to see what Renée Ahdieh delivers.

Continuing in the sumptuous footsteps left behind by The Beautiful, Renée Ahdieh returns to the dark and decadent world of New Orleans with The Damned. And this time, she brought the fey.

Celine cannot remember what happened to leave her injured and without her memories, but her nightmares are screaming at her. The constant feeling of being lied to, and that something extraordinary has been taken from her, drives Celine into reckless choices to uncover the truth. Sébastien, on the other hand, cannot stop thinking about the night that Celine gave up her memories in exchange for his life. Now, prowling the streets as a vampire, Sébastien must balance the needs of his supernatural family and the unrelenting desire he feels for Celine. When Sébastien and Celine meet again, their worlds ignite as truths are revealed and new foes make themselves known.

Ahdieh certainly has a way with words. The Damned continues the thematic elegance and glamour found in The Beautiful and manages to take it up another level. Never heavy handed with description, but each scene in the novel has a presence that is easily built in the reader’s mind. There is a deep and seductive ambience that weaves throughout the story and leaves you feeling like you are reading the novel while lounging in a richly appointed New Orleans drawing room.

Much of the story focuses on Celine trying to remember the events that lead to her current predicament. And while she remains as strong willed and sassy as ever, there is very little actual character growth for her in The Damned. Sébastien however, struggles with his complex feelings over being turned into a vampire and having the love of his life lose all memory of him. While he may not be a shining paragon of good decisions, Ahdieh focuses a lot of good emotional energy on building his character.

While we are on the topic of characters, let’s talk for a minute about the POVs (points-of-view) in this novel: there are more than five and I honestly had to stop counting by that point. While the majority of the story is told from the POV of Celine and Sébastien, other POVs are scattered throughout the story. And while these other POVs helped get certain plot points established, the constant switching can lead to a bit of confusion. Each POV is clearly distinguished not only by chapter headers, but by the character’s individual voices. Though even with that, I was left wondering if there could have been a better way to move the plot forward. If a character is going to have a POV, it should be consistent, not randomly appearing when it’s needed.

The supernatural world that Ahdieh builds in this series is nothing short of fantastic. If you felt The Beautiful was a bit lacking in outright supernatural creatures, you are in for quite the surprise with The Damned. Ahdieh takes the old ideas of vampires and werewolves and fey, and twists them to bring something exciting yet familiar to her world. Readers will be particularly intrigued by the inclusion of the fey. No matter the story, the fey are always up to tricks and it’s fun to watch them play out.

While the overabundance of POVs in The Damned may have muddied the waters a bit, Ahdieh crafted a wholly satisfying supernatural sequel. And while I shall drop no spoilers of the ending, I will say that it will leave you frantically searching for a publishing date on the next instalment in this seductive and supernatural series.

5/5 stars for The Damned!

This book took me by surprise! I really liked the first book, The Beautiful, but I  didn’t love it. For me something was missing, and I couldn’t quite put my finger on what. I think I felt like the world was not fully filled out in the first book.

That really changed in this book! The Damned really expanded the characters and the world! I adored everything about this book, and I felt as if I was reading exactly what I wanted from the first book. I finally connected with the characters on a deep level, and Adieh expanded the paranormal world so much and in such a beautiful way. This book’s plot was also really well thought out. It took so many twists and turns, and I was NEVER bored.

Renée Adhieh’s  writing is so lyrical and beautiful. She has such a talent when it comes to weaving together words. I will never get tired of reading her books. I have to say that this book is now one of my favorite paranormal romances of all time and is easily one of my favorite books of the year! Even if you had a bit of trouble loving the first book, I really recommend picking this book up and reading it.

Thanks for reading!
Caden

This was such an amazing follow up to The Beautiful! Thank you so much for this ARC!
I was so excited to be diving back into this world and it did not disappoint!

4.5 stars

Wow.
The Beautiful was one of my favourite reads last year. It had captivating characters, breathtaking descriptions of New Orleans, a highly intriguing plot, and vampires.
Renee Ahdieh made vampires cool again in 2019 in the most sophisticated and seductive way. I applaud her for that.

So obviously, I had quite high expectations for its sequel, The Damned.

The Damned is definitely more of Sébastien’s book. It makes perfect sense when you remember how the last book ended. In this book, we were given many different POVs, but I would say that the majority of them were Bastien’s. Also, while everyone else’s were in 3rd person, Bastien’s chapters were in 1st person. It was an interesting decision but one that I completely loved. It really helped us become fully invested in his mind and his thoughts.

Bastien goes through a lot in this book. He is a boy that is always enticed by the darkness within and around him. But after being engulfed by anger and going through massive life changes, we may see a side of Bastien that comes a bit closer to the light instead...
Bastien internally battles with the idea of loyalty vs family and what it really means to love someone. It was so intriguing to be in his head for the majority of this book.

Though Celine was still one of our main characters, she doesn’t become too heavily involved in everything till about the 25% mark. At first, I was a bit bummed since I adore Celine—she is one of my favourite protagonists—however, again, when you remember how the previous book ended, it made perfect sense. You do see and hear quite a bit of her, but the story to be told belongs to Bastien and his immortal family. I must add that Celine definitely takes a solid hold back of the story in the second half of the book as we dive into her mysteries and the unveiling truths of her life.

Bastien remains on the list of my favourite main characters. He is headstrong, quick to act, smart, and cunning. Every step he takes is a calculated one. Of course, at the beginning of his story in this book, he had a lot to overcome. But watching him do that, watching him be angry and sad and lonely, made me only adore him more. Watching his journey from anger to passion, from lost to found, was truly something to behold.

This book does not slow down! It is action packed and has you excitingly anticipating the next moment.

I was excited to see more development between Celine and Pippa’s friendship. There was a very crucial moment between those two that needed to happen in order to strengthen their bond. Also, it gave us more depth to Pippa’s story and her personality.
speaking of Pippa... Pippa x Arjun!!? I would like to see it!! The seeds were definitely planted for a possible future between those two! Their dynamic, though we only got a tiny bit of it, was captivating and entertaining.

The side characters in La Cour des Lions were explored much more than the first book. I was happy to know of their stories and their personalities. Jae’s backstory was so intricate and intriguing! I was chomping at the bit to find out more about him. Also, Odette is everything to me and I could’ve done with sooo much more Odette content. I love Arjun as well and I wish we would’ve gotten more of him and his story but sooommethinnnggg tells me we will be getting a lot of it in the next book.

This book opens up so much further into the lore of this world. Giving insight to mystical and paranormal creatures, it took a turn I did not expect. Like it truly came out of nowhere for me. Because of this, The Damned has a slightly different vibe than The Beautiful. That being said, it still takes place in New Orleans, it is still magnificently atmospheric and enchantingly haunting. Though it did take the unexpected turn I mentioned, I grew to love it. It really helps thicken the plot of the overall series, giving weight and depth to the story and raising the stakes of everything. And of course, Ahdieh’s rich world building makes these new turns and discoveries just as captivating as the first book. I am excited to see how the new world and characters come into play in the next book.
I want to add that I can see some people be slightly disappointed in the turn this book takes. It truly takes on a whole new world, in a sense. It becomes much more of a fantasy. But I loved it in the end!

This book got sexy and I just want to thank Renee Ahdieh for giving that to us!!

The ending was magnificently earth shattering. So many different reveals happened throughout the course of the book and I thought I could be surprised no more. But no! Renee really did that. So many shocking things happened at the very end. And just when you think all the plot twists were over...nope! Another one slaps you in the face at the very last few paragraphs of the book.

The few problems I have with this book are as follows: the ending felt a bit rushed. The story made sense but I think we could’ve done with a few more chapters to slow down and focus on a few details within the plot. One example is that there is a moment in which Celine comes to a decision(one that I loved, I should add) but it felt almost a bit rushed. We could have been given more development on that.
Also, this book focuses a little less on the romance when compared to its predecessor. Romance was still there and just as beautiful, just not as present.

I am so grateful to have read an ARC of The Damned. I cannot wait that I’ll have to wait something like a year for the next book. I am so fully captivated by this series and the world and characters that Renee Ahdieh created.

In conclusion, get excited everyone!! And also strap in!!! Because The Damned is about to rock your wold.

Thank you to the publishers PenguinTeen for providing me a copy of this via netgalley!