The language of this story was lovely, reminding me Jane Austen with a twist of magic tossed in. It leaned a bit too heavily into the "romance" side of the fantasy romance genre for my taste, and the plot pacing, while clearly a deliberate stylistic choice, was too slow to hold my attention. I fell in love with the creepy gothic horror of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Mexican Gothic, and this novel showcases Moreno-Garcia's talent with a completely different genre. Still, those expecting something similar to Mexican Gothic or the fairy-tale esque Gods of Jade and Shadow should prepare themselves for a story and a protagonist with a different feel. I think this will appeal more to lovers of romance and classical literature, and less so to fantasy aficionados, but anyone who appreciates talented writing will find something to enjoy here.

Thanks to Macmillan/Tor-Forge and Netgalley for the e-ARC of "The Beautiful Ones" by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia has been on my TBR since "Mexican Gothic" soared to the top of #bookstagram last year (2020). However, dark stories aren't my jam, so I was super excited to get granted access to the advance copy of "The Beautiful Ones".

This novel of "manners and romance" is absolutely perfect with the sci-fi fantasy bend. I highly recommend putting this high on your TBR.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia could write anything and I’d read it. All of her books I’ve read so far have been very different from each other, yet I’ve enjoyed all of them.

I’m not really into the Austen-esque vibes of historical fiction that I think a lot of people are, but I still really enjoyed this book. I loved the characters and the drama of the whole courtship between Hector and Nina. It took a bit to get into the story, at least for me because I definitely focused on the magic/telekinesis aspect of the synopsis and completely skipped over the whole socialites and seasons, so I was trying to get my bearings in this alternate history/fantasy setting.

Once I fount my footing, I could not put the book down. The characters came alive and I was engrossed in the story. There was so much drama with Hector and Nina and their courtship. Nina’s cousin was so mean to her, although I understood that Nina’s country upbringing did little to prepare her for life in the city and she did lack proper decorum. I loved how bold Nina was without being entirely naive.

I think this book best fits as magical realism versus a fantasy because that was never fully explained. Hector was a magician and used his powers on stage, but it wasn’t well accepted in society and Nina’s ability impacted her reputation. I loved her curiosity, though, and how she tried to connect with Hector by learning how he mastered his abilities. I loved that magic played a small part, but wasn’t a huge focus of the story.

I definitely recommend The Beautiful Ones and really enjoyed it!

Hector, a self-made and successful gentleman, can move things with his mind. He returns to the city to not only perform his magic, but also with the hope of rekindling his romance with Valerie, who he left ten years prior so he could train and become worthy of her. Despite their engagement, Valerie married a rich man with the hopes of bringing back the honor and wealth of her family name. Nina is Valerie's husband's cousin. She has come from the country during the season to find a husband because she has a distasteful talent and no one back home would have her. She meets Hector at a ball. He likes her pluck but when he learns she is part of Valerie's family he pursues a relationship hoping to woo Valerie away from her husband. But Valerie has changed, and really Hector has changed, too. And Nina is caught in the middle.

An intelligent romance. I liked the depth of Hector and Nina. I thought it smart to give Valerie's perspective airtime and in the end I pitied her more than hated her. I enjoyed this novel by Moreno-Garcia more than Jade and Shadow. The Beautiful Ones is so different from Mexican Gothic, and I highly recommend both. Thank you Netgalley for the digital ARC.

A massive thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Reading this just solidified Silvia Moreno-Garcia as an automatic auto-buy author. This is the third book of hers I have read and the third one that I have adored. In this one, we are following three main points of view, Hector a telekinetic entertainer who was once briefly engaged and still pining over Valerie. Valerie broke off her engagement to Hector to marry Gaetan and solidify her family's social standing. And then we have the lovely Nina who is Gaetan's cousin and starts to form a relationship with Hector upon meeting and learning they share the telekinetic abilities. The only problem vindictive Valerie and the foolish Hector not realizing what an idiot he is until it's almost too late. It's jam-packed with family drama, fancy soirees, a touch of magic and manner galore!

My thoughts have remained pretty much the same since the first time I read this, so instead I want to highlight the 5 main reasons why I love this book and why I think you might love this book too!

1. Charismatic Characters!

Love them or hate them, these characters make this book incredibly fun to read! Personally, I love them! They may seem at first like your typical one-sided stock characters, but then they show so much more depth and colour to them! SMG always wins me over with the dynamic characters she writes and this book is no different!

Nina – The hopeless romantic speaks to my soul in every way possible! But she’s also stubborn, curious, dedicated and vulnerable! She wears her heart on her sleeve and I love every part of her! Even if the secondhand embarrassment is real when it comes to her, I love that she doesn’t let it bother her too much!

Hector – The foolish man who endears me with his level of obsession. If I share one quality with Hector, it is definitely our tendency to obsess (and I admit it is not the healthiest tendency to have). In my original review I noted that he was “the tortured, romantic heartthrob” and I stand by it!

Valérie – The prickly and cool socialite who intrigues me with her ferocity but is #toxic! I cannot lie that she spills some truths in this novel about the marriage market and how women are bartering chips for family status. But she is also a classist manipulator, so unhappy in her own life that she wills it on everyone else. She is, nonetheless, a very interesting character to read about!

2. Delicious Drama!

This book is really 2-in-1 and well let me tell you: they are both wild rides! Book 1 literally has me flushing with second-hand embarrassment with every turn of the page! And I love it! This first section is full of awkward first meetings, secret encounters, deceptions, whispers and revelations! I love it with all my heart, but the second part owns my soul! Book 2 has the second-chance story line that makes hope bloom in every part of me! The characters are changed, much more tender and hurt from the events of book 1. This second section is full of heartfelt confrontations, shy reconciliations, but also more deception, revenge and passionate plights! Most of my favourite scenes happen towards then end, it is just magnifique!

3. An Enchanting World!

This gorgeous world full of manners and wonders is EVERYTHING. I love how SMG develops Loisail as a Belle Epoque-esque world and if you’re running off the high of Bridgerton’s posh social order and policy, then you might find a kindred spirit in this book. The ladies and gentlemen in this book have strict rules to abide by and social convention to uphold and well…some of our characters may or may not be good at following them! Reading about these very different characters from very different backgrounds and histories navigate this socialite world is so intriguing.

4. Sweet Romance!

Emphasis on the sweet! I will tell you here: Don’t go in expecting the sexy times you got from Bridgerton, expect instead a tender and heartwarming fast, fall-hard turned second-chance slow burn of two people hurting and finding themselves back to one another. It is all about the repercussions of falling in love hard and quick at such a young age! It’s about the pain and struggle that sprouts from bitter heartbreak when things don’t go according to plan. It’s about the slow healing process of opening up to possibility of love again and letting it just flow!

5. Just the slightest touch of magic!

This book wins in every category for me because it has that touch of wonder. It’s not really magic per se, but it is that element of sparkle that I think every book needs! SMG explores telekinetic power in Hector and Nina with much intrigue. She tackles how it sets them apart in this very classist society, how it makes them the same despite their differences and what it means for their future! It’s BRILLIANT!

Thank you so much to Tor books and netgalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

This is definitely my least favorite of Moreno-Garcia's works that I've read so far, but I still ultimately enjoyed it. One thing I love about Moreno-Garcia is that each one of her books is so different and unique. One could never say this book was too similar to something she's already written, and this one is no exception. The main reason this is getting three stars from me is that first half of the novel was quite slow and I found myself not particularly caring about the characters. Right about the halfway mark it really picked up and I was quite invested in the drama and relationships between characters. Valerie was a villain that I loved to hate, and I think her character is what really made me invested in the story. She is without a doubt an awful person, yet you still manage to feel sympathy for her by the end of the story. I also really liked the main character. She started out as sweet and very naive, and I appreciated her character growth throughout the novel.

I love a great love story. The meet-cute. The falling in love. The happily ever after especially. I got all of that in The Beautiful Ones, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, along with the epiphany that I probably never want to be in a great love story. I wouldn’t be able to handle the pressure. The emotions are too high. The stakes are enormous. That said, I was swept away by the incredible characters and the fantastically tangled plot of this book. Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s books just keep getting better and better.

Hector Auvrey has returned to Loisail after a decade away, making his fortune to win back his great love, Valerie. Except, at the first social engagement where they might meet, Valerie doesn’t show. Hector then retreats to the great house’s library until he can leave without insulting anyone. But instead of slinking off to formulate a new plan, Nina ducks into the library to hide, too. (I love it when characters meet in a library.) To both their surprise, Hector and Nina can talk to each other without any artifice or shyness. When Hector learns that Nina is Valerie’s cousin-by-marriage, he realizes that he might have his plan B…except that their budding connection seems to be more real than Hector and Valerie’s remembered love.

The characters grow against the backdrop of a high-drama plot, so much so that I had to read The Beautiful Ones as fast as I could to see if Moreno-Garcia was going for a happily ever after or for tragedy. Hector’s broken heart slowly heals as he realizes what really matters in a partner. Nina comes out of her shell after finding someone who doesn’t judge her for her lack of social graces. Valerie fascinated me the most. She is one of the glittering Beautiful Ones of the title. It didn’t take me long, however, to see that Valerie’s beauty was only skin deep. Valerie was pushed into marriage to a rich man to repair the family fortunes; she only survives her unhappiness by transforming herself into the perfect society lady. Her disappointments and transformation have made her cruel. She became one of the most spectacular villains I’ve ever read.

There is a fantasy element to The Beautiful Ones. Both Hector and Nina can move things with their minds. While this ability gives the characters an excuse to meet repeatedly, I don’t know that it was necessary. There was enough going on in this fin de siècle French-flavored novel. I was enchanted by the setting and Loisail society. The setting was the perfect venue, rich enough to support all the drama. The setting, together with the plot and the characters, made for a banquet of a book. There is so much wonderful stuff in The Beautiful Book that my tiny quibble about the possible superfluity of the telekinesis doesn’t matter at all. Read this gorgeous book immediately!

I loved this book. It combines the etiquette and societal rules of a regency romance but with the added intrigue of telekinetic abilities. This book explores what love is, how love can both save and hurt people, and questions whether beauty is as important as we think it should be or as it is often treated. In the end who are the real beautiful ones? If you are looking for a lighter read that doesn't fall within the boundaries of typical romance tropes, and will leave you thinking I highly recommend this book. Thank you Net Galley and TOR books for letting me read this book before it's re-release.

As much as I respect Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s writing in Gods of Jade and Shadow and Mexican Gothic, I cannot find any of that author in this story. I was wholly prepared for The Beautiful Ones to be entirely unlike the aforementioned reads but the whole of it played out as a sloppy, made-for-tv soap opera. It genuinely shocked me. The unique, captivating worlds that Silvia can create … just wasn’t here.

The magical, supernatural element that focuses heavily in the story blurb, plays little to no part in the actual book; a blink and you miss it sub plot. Further, the whole elitist world of high society - The Beautiful Ones - again, play no real part. Rather the entirety is a drawn out, awkward love triangle between unlikeable, flat characters. Valerie is wholly repugnant, Hector is an annoyance, and Nina, who should be our bumbling but likeable ingenue, comes across naive and immature because she isn’t given any time to develop. Rather than splitting the narrative across the three characters, the story would’ve played out much stronger if we could’ve remained in Nina’s point of view. Instead Valerie became even more horrible with each chapter from her perspective and Hector become more tiresome. Coupled with a meandering, unsurprising plot lacking in nuance or much description The Beautiful Ones just felt … empty.

Sadly, I cannot find much positive to say about this and no one is more surprised than me. I genuinely admire Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s writing chops and the spaces she is carving out for women writers in fantasy, but this work just showed how much she has grown. I struggled through the first half and honestly skim read the last. If you’re a big Silvia fan … I’d skip this one.

I was initially interested in this book because I really enjoyed Mexican Gothic by the same author. This is an entirely different feel, more along the lines of Jane Austen - classic historical romance. There is a focus on manners and the era when high society and courtship were very rigid, with powerful and specific expectations on behavior and social protocols. Nina is a young lady making her social debut in the upscale city of Loisail. She is there for her first Grand Season, where she will be introduced to society and start learning to art of socializing and being a lady. And hopefully find a suitable husband. Her cousin, Valerie is one of the Beautiful Ones, one of the social elite of Loisail, and she has the difficult task of turning Nina in a proper lady. Nina has little interest in being a proper lady and Nina has a special talent - telekinetic. When she meets Hector, a renowned telekinetic performer, she is smitten, but the courtship is complicated. He's not really what would be considered a desirable match for her- he has plenty of money but it's all new money. And he's also hiding a huge secret that will change their relationship entirely.



Some things that I liked about this book - the cover is absolutely stunning. Nina and Hector's love story was sweet and Valerie was an effective villain - she was an awful person and was easy to hate. The narrative was very smooth, written in a very fluid and engaging writing style. The things I didn't like to so much: I just don't love romance as a genre, I usually reach for books that are a bit faster paced. This book seemed slow to me with a lot of subtle relationships and innuendos but not much action. Basically, it's not you, it's me. I tried something outside my usual preferences and I liked it but I didn't love it. It's very character driven and centered around a slow simmering love triangle. I think I would have enjoyed more exploration of Hector and Nina's telekinetic abilities. It's what drew them together initially, but from there it didn't seem to have much impact on the rest of the story.

If you enjoy historical romances and books about old-world high society, I think you'll like this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Books for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I love Silvia Moreno-Garcia's books, but this one was SLOW. It was so slow that I had a really hard time getting through it. I know it was written a few years ago, and it seems like Silvia's style has matured a lot since then. This book was not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Beautiful Ones follows Antonina or Nina during her debut Grand Season. I believe this is set in a fictional city, but I honestly couldn’t say for sure as its all written so realistically. The settings are perfectly described to set each scene. Antonina falls in love with Hector, but what she doesn’t know is that Hector is only back in town to see Valerie. Valerie is Nina’s cousin through marriage. Nina doesn’t know if Valerie and Hector’s past together, so when Hector isn’t showing that he reciprocates her feelings, she’s unsure what to do. When she finds out about their past, it breaks her heart. The story then jumps forward a year to the next Grand Season where things get interesting once again.
I really liked Nina and literally no one else in this book. Nina is an unusual girl. She collects beetle and butterfly specimens. She is an outdoorsy girl, which isn’t something that’s acceptable for a lady. She also displays telekinetic powers (again, not something acceptable for a lady). What I liked the most about her was that she didn’t really care that much about what was deemed okay or not by society. She was often hurt by others speaking badly of her, but not enough to change for them. I liked that about her. I thought Luc was a very bland character (but I think that was on purpose? It felt like that was on purpose because of plot things.) I honestly hated Valerie and was very satisfied with the way the story ended for her. She deserved way worse. I could understand why she did some of the things that she did, but the author made it so easy to hate her. Finally, Hector. I honestly didn’t like him for most of the book. I think Hector as a character speaks to Moreno-Garcia’s writing abilities in such a positive way. He’s only in town because he loves Valerie and dreadfully hurts Nina. But he learns from that experience and grows. Even though this was a relatively short book, that growth is shown so well. We get to see the two become friends again and see things go from there. It didn’t feel rushed or forced. The author made it all feel natural and organic.
The writing of this book is what saved it for me. I explained the characters above. But honestly the strength of these feelings is pretty weak. I don’t know that I’ll even be thinking of them still in a few weeks. But they writing in this book is beautiful. It’s lyrical without being flowery. The settings are so well described without taking away from the plot or the characters.
Overall, I liked this book. It was an average read for me. It won’t be making any favorites lists from me. But I enjoyed it while I was reading it. It is absolutely a romance story but I think it really tells a story about wealth and how having it or lacking it can change people. I think this will be a huge hit for many people, it just didn’t completely hit the mark for me.

First of all, some of you may know but Mexican Gothic was one of my fav books last year; it’s the book that opened me up to loving horror. So when I heard about #TheBeautifulOnes I was so excited to read it.

Like Mexican Gothic this book genre bending. There’s romance and a little fantasy but it a completely different story line.

You have Nina, a 19 year debutante with the power telekinesis who is being brought to society by her cousin’s wife Valérie. Nina meets Hector, a performer with telekinetic powers as well, who starts a courtship with her. Little does Nina know, Valérie and Hector have a questionable past. This story is one of romance and betrayal.

This book solidified why I am such a fan of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s writing. It’s so addictive, you love and hate her characters passionately which makes you so invested in them.

The Beautiful Ones is out 4/27. Make sure to preorder and reserve your copy today! Thank you to @netgalley and @torbooks for the gifted earc. ✨

Fantasy-laden romance that pits an aunt against her niece’s wishes to marry the former’s old beau. Author Silvia Morena-Garcia writes lushly about a historical setting, with social rules and hierarchy, that demands wealth be acquired through marriage and family standing is paramount. This is a tale of thwarted love that transforms into malice when lovers move on. The novel moves quickly and the magical elements are sweet decoration. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

The one phrase that was a constant thought in my head was "This book is one of a kind."

I don't even know where to begin while writing this, trying to come up with words to justify this book, to do the best job I can to say how much I enjoyed it. It's one of those books that keeps you thinking for a long while afterwards, you start to dissect the characters, tell yourself why they did such a thing, how they grew, how unbelievable it was when they did what they did.

This isn't my usual style of book, but venturing out is something I enjoy doing. The cover says that it is "a book about manners" and that is skimming the top of what it is. It is so much more, so many moral lessons about oneself and others, and it just goes to show how different two people can truly be and how someone will stop at nothing to get what they want.

This book kept me on my toes from the very beginning, it was very interesting and entertaining throughout and the characters had so much life and personality by the time you start to really know them. It caused a full roller coaster of emotions, feeling sad, and angry and excited and happy, scared, etc.

I haven't previously read any books from this author, so I went in with no preconceived notions on the writing or story, but from this book, I really enjoy their writing style and their characters. And I think many historical romance fans will also enjoy this book very much!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the earc in return for an honest review.

I stayed up late finishing Beautiful Ones and it was in fact beautiful and a great read. Nina is sent to the city with her cousin and his wife to be welcomed into Society during her first grand season. She has a special power and can move things with her mind and emotions. No one understands her and she is dubbed the Witch of Oldhouse until she meets Hector who has the same gift. I loved the little bit of science fiction along with family drama and romance.

A lovely, tortured, Victorian-era romance novel with a focus on society's gender rules and how they turn into internalized sexism. There's also a languidly flowing undercurrent of actual magic in this world, as in, entertainers who perform magic tricks for crowds of adoring admirers aren't doing *tricks,* but also women "shouldn't have these talents or perform them b/c #women." That being said, magic isn't the primary focus, it's simply an element of this world. The primary focus is on two women, Valerie (unhappily married; a victim of her family's failing financial circumstances but elite name, who needs to take her unhappiness out on the world around her), and Antonina (aka, Nina) (wild, naive young girl in her first Grand Season/debut into society, who doesn't give a crap about what's "proper" or "appropriate" for a young woman or society; lover of bugs and nature). These two women are in a silent (sometimes not) battle, over their life happiness, essentially. And then there's Hector, who has behaved poorly, certainly, but also comes to grow and learn and rinse the film from his eyes about what real love is and should be.

The book is in two parts, with the first feeling a lot like a tortured and brutal love, like Emily Bronte's "Wuthering Heights." The second part is like a huge sweeping aside of a nice curtain to reveal an ugly soul in Valerie, not necessarily made ugly by her, but by her life circumstances and her bitter unhappiness. She wants to see no one happy, and would rather see death and destruction that see anyone better off than she was in her match of a marriage. These are the structural beams of the book, with much more unraveling of emotions, society, gender norms examined, and how society can break people, no matter their social or financial standing.

I am so happy that this book has been rereleased; I was initially excited when I heard that Silvia Moreno-Garcia had more books as I enjoyed Mexican Gothic, and Gods of Jade and Shadow. Also this cover is stunning. The Beautiful Ones is told through three perspectives: Nina, her cousin-in-law Valérie, and a stage magician Hector. Nina and Hector are able to connect over their shared telekinetic powers, that are frowned upon in the society. Nina finds it more difficult to get a handle on her powers because of the constant shaming and being called the "Witch of Oldhouse." Hector is able to encourage, and teach her small tricks to control her power. Each of these characters felt so real and distinct, and there was moments where I could find myself fully understanding or relating to aspects of each of them (even our "villain"). Because we follow each of them you can track their journey as they each fall in and out of love, and all their motivations throughout. Despite me loving this novel, I definitely don't think this book is for everyone, especially those sensitive to cheating or lost loves.

TL;DR: Did you watch Bridgerton on Netflix and love it? Craving more nineteenth century high society romance and intrigue? With a touch of magic? THEN READ IT. My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was a bit confused when I discovered this book, since it seems like a reprint of a book by Silvia Moreno-Garcia that was published in 2017. The new cover is gorgeous and immediately grabbed my attention.

I was unsure about picking this one up for a couple of reasons though. One, the only book of Moreno-Garcia’s that I’d read to date was her 2019 release, Gods of Jade and Shadow. It was a very cool concept and an enjoyable read, but a solid 3/5 for me. And two, this seemed way heavier on the romance than the fantasy, and I am not a frequent romance genre reader. And yet, I am SO glad I read this book. It was light-hearted, sweet, and entertaining. The characters were worth getting invested in, with the villains just as delighting to read as the protagonists.

Moreno-Garcia seems to be comfortable in many genres, and I’m all the more excited to read Mexican Gothic, for which she’s received a lot of acclaim, and Signal to Noise, which has been waiting on my kindle for at least a year.

I’m serious about the Bridgerton connection. If you loved the secret keeping, angst, and will-they-won’t-they dynamic between Daphne and Simon, you’ll have a blast with The Beautiful Ones. On the flip side, if you’re a hardcore fantasy fan, you’ll probably be let down. Both Hector and Nina are psychokinetic, but their powers are immaterial to the plot. It’s a fun, whimsical element in the story, but it’s only one of several reasons that Hector and Nina come together.

One of my favorite aspects of this book is how it depicts attraction. The description that the leading man, Hector, gives for his eventual love interest at the start of the novel is not exactly flattering. I know that in my own personal life there are some people I am immediately attracted to, and then there are those who become incredibly attractive to me the more I interact with them. It was quite fun and charming to see this evolution unfold in writing, as Hector looks beyond Nina’s failures of social grace and becomes more and more enamoured with her as a unique individual. In contrast, we see how the past object of Hector’s affections becomes uglier and uglier to him as she reveals her serious character flaws.

The dynamic between the two women in the story, Nina and Valerie, was also really compelling. Both brush up against the ways that their society limits the possibilities for women to find happiness, but they respond in very different ways. Valerie encapsulates the idea of a patriarchal bargain, strategizing within the constraints of society to lay claim to whatever power she can, even though it comes at the expense of other women, like Nina. Valerie feels personally affronted that Nina may ascend this hierarchy and find happiness without having to make the same sacrifices that she did. This dynamic makes Valerie an excellent villain, because while her attitude and actions are completely reprehensible, it is hard to deny the injustices of the context in which they develop.

That said, there were aspects of this love story that I found frustrating. Hector’s cowardice became tedious. It would be great to see more male romantic leads better able to communicate their feelings. That said, Nina’s tenacity more than makes up for it. She is unfailingly willing to make herself vulnerable in front of others. Other characters tried to dismiss this as youthfulness or stupidity, but really, it’s courage. The kind that is so, so hard to have when building intimate relationships.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for giving me advance access to this book in exchange for an honest review.