The Beautiful Ones is different from some of the other, darker works I have read by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, but that doesn't make it any less of an engaging read. The characters were well drawn, especially Hector and Nina, and I enjoyed seeing the development of their relationship over the course of the story. I have labelled this 'fantasy', but really I would say it is more on the magical realism side of things, with the telekinesis being a minor, though ultimately important, part of the story, while the principal focus is on the relationships between the three principal characters. As always, Moreno-Garcia's prose flows effortlessly and is a pleasure to read, and I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an historical romance with a fantasy edge. It was a solid four-star read for me.

(My review will go live at the links below on 13 April 2021. At that time I will also share across social media.)

I was so excited to read this and I wasn't disappointed at all. Did the content drive me a little crazy? Yes. Did I want to scream and shake characters? Yes. Did I absolutely love each and every character? Yes, (or love to hate, for some at least). It's slow in pace, character focused and a romance tale with a sprinkling of fantasy, chefs kiss.

I loved Antonina so much. It's hard to picture her as 19. She comes off more as 14 she's so innocent and naïve, but I loved her and I could read more and more of her easily and never grow bored. Her cousin's wife, Valerie, is attempting to teach 'Nina' to become a lady, and is exasperated by Nina's inability to learn. The last thing that Valerie, or any of the other ironically named 'Beautiful Ones' wants is a scandal, and Nina is a constant threat to this.

I've read a few reviews for The Beautiful Ones since finishing and I really would say beware of doing so. There are a lot of reviews with spoilers!!

Thanks to NetGalley, Quercus Books and Silvia Moreno-Garcia for an eArc copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

An unforgettably lush and hauntingly beautiful tale of love,betrayal and desire, an emotional rollercoaster that will keep you hooked until the very end.

Set amongst the decadence of a Belle Époque society, reminiscent of turn-of-the-century France and told from the perspectives of three characters-Nina, Hector and Valérie.

Nina Beaulieu, who is staying with her wealthy cousin, Gaétan Beaulieu and his wife for her introduction into grand society and- most importantly to find a husband.

Hector Auvray, a performer with telekinetic gifts, who’s yearning for former flame, Valérie has haunted him for the past decade.

And Valérie, the wife of Nina’s cousin and former flame of Hector, whom she spurned for the wealth and security of her husband.

Nina with her awkward grasp on her own telekinetic powers meets Hector by chance at a social gathering and on his discovering her connection to Valérie, decides to court her (in order to reunite with his lost love).

This is the first book by Silvia Moreno-Garcia that I’ve read and I can see why everyone is raving about her works, it was phenomenal! I loved the decadently detailed settings, which evoked the grandeur and glamour one might expect of Victorian Parisienne society (though it’s set in a fictional version of it).

Ihe central theme is most definitely love-of the forbidden ,unrequited, love of family (and the duty that it entails) and of course the love of friendship. We see aspects of each as the story unfolds. But ultimately,it’s the ever changing nature of love and how it shapes us as individuals (constantly changing with time) that is the real takeaway here.

It’s very much a narrative driven story, with some fantasy elements but, it’s the lives of the three narrators that ultimately fuel the plot. I loved Nina, her awkwardness and excitability were so endearing- I couldn’t help but want her to succeed and find happiness. Hector took a while to warm too, but by the end I was rooting for him as well. Valérie was easily one of the most unlikeable of all the characters, though incredibly well written.

I loved every minute and think It’s definitely worth reading. I’d recommend to lovers of historical romance (Jane Austen or Bridgestone spring to mind) and Silvia Moreno-Garcia.

I’d also like to thank Quercus/Jo Fletcher Books and Net Galley for providing the digital ARC.

I loved this book, from the subtle romance between Nina and Hector to the vindictive ways of Valérie.
I loved the whole setting, it gave me old upper class vibes which I love. The relationship between characters was very prominent and I loved how we saw different POVs throughout. I have been a fan of Silvia Moreno-Garcia for a while, since Gods of Jade and Shadows, this is a whole different writing style and genre and yet she did it effortlessly.

This is a delicate romance story, nicely detailed and described in a late-nineteenth century fictional city where appearances and reputation are all - especially for women.

Nina is a spirited young country girl who looks for romance rather than approval, and her money gives her the freedom to do so. This inspires the men and incites the women who did have to play by the rules, and so a number of awkward and conflicting situations ensure before Nina emerges triumphant with her man - all stock stuff.

What I loved about the author's previous work, Mexican Gothic, was that she took the romance tropes that are obviously at play in this book and slammed them up against a horrific gothic counter-story. While I was waiting for the telekinesis and paranormal side of the story to get going, it never really did, amounting to little more than a diversion and a late plot device to avert tragedy.

Overall this is a charming, well-written romance, but lacked the spirit to take and raise it above the genre into something much more exciting.

Thanks to Quercus Books and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Sometimes you read a book by an established author and wonder if a newcomer could have got it published. In the case of 'The Beautiful Ones', I'm not sure it would have been accepted without the heft of a big name behind it. Moreno-Garcia is a talented author, and I really enjoyed the other two novels of hers that I have read, despite them being very different from each other. Both were set in Mexico, one being a dark, Gothic horror and the other a fast paced fantasy adventure. From the blurb, I'd expected 'The Beautiful Ones' to be something similar - a fantasy adventure or thriller with a romance subplot.

I read until three quarters of the way through waiting for something to happen other than a fairly tedious and stilted romance, and it was around the 75% mark I realised that there was not going to be anything else. The novel is set in an alternate world France, in around the late 19th or early 20th century judging by the technologies. Certain 'magical' powers like telekinesis exist and are accepted although are not common and are looked down on. Society is stifling, with many restrictions on the behaviour of young women, and people generally marrying for wealth and convenience rather than love.

Our heroine, Nina, is (surprise surprise) rather free spirited and disinclined to fit into the prim and proper mould expected of her. A country girl at heart, she is staying with her kind hearted (and very rich) cousin and his haughty wife Valerie. She is thrilled when the famous magician Hector Auvery starts courting her, but doesn't realise he is only using her in order to see Valerie, his former fiancee. I won't include spoilers but if you've read more than ten novels in your lifetime or seen any romantic films you shouldn't have trouble guessing how things pan out. Don't expect originality.

The fact that Nina and Hector both have telekinetic powers turns out to be oddly irrelevant to the plot. I found the inclusion of these 'magical' elements rather strange, and it added to my sense of disappointment in the novel because it led me to expect there would be some sort of interesting fantasy subplot to leaven all the tedious romantic societal manoeuvring. Whilst Moreno-Garcia does use the telekinesis to help the plot along at various points, she could have achieved the same ends through using mundane devices. It was almost like she wanted to write a love story, but as she's a 'fantasy' author, felt she was obliged to include some hocus pocus.

What she did need was a decent subplot. Whilst I'm not a big fan of romance as a genre, I've been known to read and enjoy them. But unless your romance is very intricate, well written and original, you need something else in the mix to give a more rounded story. I kept wanting to compare this to Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice' (and indeed, her other novels). The stifling setting with complicated social rules, the brutal hierarchy based on money and family reputation, the focus on getting the women married off well, the endless balls and visiting and gossiping about everyone else. All very Austen-esque. But Austen did it much better. Her books were funny, almost satirical, and had the advantage of authenticity, being written by someone who actually lived in that society. Her writing was deft and humorous and she included a number of plot threads other than the main romance.

I think if I'd gone into this expecting a romance and nothing more, I might have enjoyed it more, or at least not had the added bitterness that comes from disappointment. But even so, I find it hard to recommend. There's nowhere near enough fantasy for it to appeal to fantasy buffs. There's plenty of romance, but I can't imagine there being anything new here to appeal to fans of that genre. The writing itself is OK, but it's not beautiful and outstanding enough to be valued by those who care less for plot and character than for how the words sound.

The best thing would be for Moreno-Garcia to go back to writing what she does exceptionally well - fantasy with strong romance subplots.

3 stars!

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is an extremely talented writer and I have loved some of her previous works. Unfortunately with this one, I just wasn't completely wowed. It was entertaining and somewhat funny at times but overall not what I was expecting based on the synopsis.

The Beautiful Ones follows Nina as she tries to join Loisail's most noble and high esteemed society and Hector as he tries to recover an old love. Hector and Nina's path entwine and thus a story of love, betrayal and hurt begins.

The Beautiful Ones is described as a sweeping romance with a dash of magic and whilst it does deliver on the romance part, the magic description falls incredibly short. The telekinesis subplot isn't very developed and is really just there as an extra way of making it seem like the two main characters are destined to be together.

Hector and Nina are amazing characters and their love story is well developed. This is overall a good novel if you are looking for a sort of historical romance.

Antonina ‘Nina’ Beaulieu is a young lady staying with her cousin and his wife, Gaétan and Valérie, for the grand season of society where ladies seek to find a suitable match and marry. Enter Hector Auvray. Hector and Nina meet at a ball and whilst Nina is smitten, Hector has other ideas. He learns Nina is the sister-in-law of his lost love, Valérie Véries. He concocts the plan of courting Nina to gain access to the family home in order to reunite and reconnect with Valérie.

The Beautiful Ones is my third Moreno-Garcia novel and I absolutely adored it. I’d describe it as Bridgerton meets telekinetic performances. There’s the innocence of first love, dastardly and scheming relatives, love’s cruel deceptions and one heck of a love triangle. It’s a loaded plot to say the least.

The story unfolds through the perspectives of Nina, Hector and Valérie, and the structure of the book is divided into Parts 1 and 2. This allowed not only for great pacing and deeper insight into each character’s internal feelings, but also a more believable reception. The divided parts give a time jump of an entire year, which combined with the love triangle’s steady and slow burn developments, meant things never felt rushed which was great.

Though, I must say, bookworms shouldn’t expect this to be equal part fantasy, as for me, it was predominantly historical romance. The telekinetic aspects don’t play much of a role in the story other than a means for the characters to connect and for the characters to earn money or be the subject of judgement by elite society.

Now, for our love triangle. It was a kalidescope of emotions. It was brilliantly done and so compulsive. Hector is torn between his devout loyalty to Valérie and the growing affection he has toward Nina. Nina and Hector were like Pride and Prejudice, with the tentative to and fro, and two steps forward and five steps back. I really loved that Hector and Nina had a friends to lovers build, all the while Hector was still longing for Valérie and wondering if she’d run away with him. Honestly the level of angst was unreal. It’s a love triangle of toxic and dangerous proportions. I was humming and hawing about how I wanted it to end, but by the end, I was completely invested and found the ending extremely satisfying.

What stole the show was the characters. By the climax I cared about Nina and Hector, and was beguiled by Valérie, so much so I was really invested in riding the train to the end of the line. At least at one point in the book, I felt sorry for all three of our protagonists, most especially Nina.

Nina was as golden hearted as they come. She’s dreadful in recognising social cues and the expected etiquette of her gender and standing. But she’s intelligent, caring and incredibly witty. Her perspective was a joy to read. I loved seeing her character development between the first part and the second; taking on life’s lessons and finding her voice.

Despite being a telekinetic performer/showman, Hector doesn’t perform the usual societal flattery and indulgences. He grew up a poor man, so isn’t in the old money-elite class, but is a gentleman in every other sense of the word. On one hand he’s reserved and polite, but he’s also a true romantic and a dreamer. He couldn’t let go of this idea of love with a woman who society would esteem perfect. He prescribed onto Valérie his adoration of what a great love is and their memories of young love, and is now blinded to truly see reality by this fantasy. He’s either foolish, irrational, or a dreamer... how could I not feel sorry for him?

However, Valérie is one of the most enjoyable characters I’ve read in a while. She has a cold, scheming and malicious side to her Moreno-Garcia gradually and smoothly developed so its reveal was intense, palpable and totally understandable. Valérie resents Nina’s natural born wealth and the freedom of being able to choose life paths that were closed to Valérie. This resentment is worsened by Nina’s youth because Valérie feels Nina is an embarrassment and unsophisticated, and subsequently wastes the potential being young affords, combined with being wealthy too.

Valérie’s manipulations and orchestrations made me furious. It’s great storytelling but my gosh my blood pressure! You can see it’s from the same mind as Mexican Gothic, because although the story appears to amount to a complicated love triangle amidst scandalous family dynamics, there are trace elements of light horror through the way Valérie acts with her cruelty toward Nina. It was sickening the way she behaved, how possessive she was of Hector and it was truly terrifying seeing how dismissive she was of other people’s feelings. She was the ultimate puppet master, who in many ways, reminded me of Iago in Othello. It was excellently done - especially when Moreno-Garcia was still able to evoke sympathy for Valérie.

The Beautiful Ones was scandalous and masterfully crafted. I loved it. I’ll happily reread it again in the future and it has ensured Silvia Moreno-Garcia is an author I’ll never miss.

Thank you kindly to Jo Fletcher Books and Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Having read 'Mexican Gothic', I was intrigued to read a second novel by the same author, particularly as this seemed so different. This is definitely not horror, more of an historical romance with a touch of magic in the form of telekinesis.

The novel is set in fictional Loisail we are plunged into The Grand Season where the Beautiful Ones drift from party to party. These wealthy and aristocratic families have their own 'codes' and it does remind you of Jane Austen and the parties/balls that her characters attended and the riles that had to be adhered to.

It is into this environment that nineteen year old Nina (Antonina) Beaulieu is plunged, brought to the city by her cousin, Gaetan, to make her debut in The Grand Season, guided by Gaetan's wife, Valerie. Not an easy task as Nina prefers insects and butterflies; at her home she spends hours bug-hunting. She also has a telekinetic power that she sometimes fails to control which makes her the subject of malicious gossip and has also made her first foray into The Grand Season a bit of a disaster. She meets Hector Auvray, a charismatic performer, who recognises Nina's talent and tries to teach her how to use and control it. But, Hector has a secret and a reason for wanting to help the young, innocent Nina, one that will destroy.

That is the opening and as the story moves at a slow and deliberate pace, we see the different perspectives of the main characters as we come to an exciting conclusion. I was never sure which way the characters would turn, which choices they would make. This is a character driven novel and the characters and their relationships develop beautifully. Nina is a character that I loved while Gaetan's wife, the cold, manipulating and cruel Valerie, I despised with a passion. I don't think I have ever read a novel where I have had such strong feelings against a character. Hector, at times, I just wanted to slap.

This is a novel about society, the aristocratic classes and the choices they make. It is also a novel about the choices that men can make easily, while for women, a wrong choice can be disastrous. There is no equality - Hector's talent is praised while Nina's talent is considered not appropriate.
It is about a society where the right marriage is to be sought at any cost.

I loved it - the language, the atmosphere and the character building. Nina is a brilliant creation and hers is a story worth reading.

This story is strangely compelling and all because of the writing. It’s actually a very simple love story based on a love triangle. And still, the writing pulled me in and didn’t let go. It’s smooth and really beautiful!

When I started reading this story, I didn’t know that it had already been published three years ago, this being a new edition. I wondered about all those reviews, and now I finally understand ... So, I’ve been reading an ARC of a three-year-old book 😂. I requested the ARC because I was curious; I haven’t read Mexican Gothic or another novel by Sylvia Moreno-García yet. And she didn’t disappoint me with this book!

Although this story is set in the past in a non-existing country, it felt very French to me, the names, the places, just everything. And because of that, life felt ‘tres chique’, and I could imagine all those decadent parties, theater visits, and people.

I’m not a huge fan of magic in books, but sometimes it just ‘clicks’ like it did in this book. It was just enough to be a little different and not too much to weird me out. I really liked Nina; she was unconventional, said what she wanted to say, and wasn’t bothered by any rules. Definitely not a damsel in distress! I loved the character growth of Hector. Being in love for such a long time with Valérie and slowly understanding he has to move on.

Finally, I want to mention the cover. It’s stunning!

Thanks to Quercus Books and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Well I absolutely adored Gods of Jade and Shadow but was left rather underwhelmed by Mexican Gothic so I wasn't sure what to expect with this one. The initial premise sounded interesting and it seemed to have a hint of The Night Circus about it so I thought I'd give it a shot.

And boy am I ever glad that I did. This book is utterly superb. It's largely set in the fictional city of Loisail (inspired by Paris...I think?) and concerns the lives of three main characters, Hector, a telekinetic, his first love Valerie, a wealthy society woman and Nina, the young cousin of Valerie's husband who also has telekinetic abilities.

What I really liked about this book is that the character insights and development are superb. I made initial notes about them that turned out to be flat out wrong by the end of the book. Characters I initially disliked were beloved by the end of the book and vice verse. It's not possible for me to elaborate on this without giving away key aspects of how the plot plays out, but it's so refreshing to read this level of character detail.

I liked how the supernatural element was couched within the real life of the characters and wasn't some mystical woo woo aspect of the story. The romances also managed to be deliciously angsty whilst still reading as credible and realistic.

This was a wonderful book, full of twists and turns and unexpected surprises which kept me utterly gripped from start to finish.

Based on the title, I thought the book might have a similar vibe to Evelyn Waugh's "Vile Bodies" about the Bright Young Things. To some extent, it did focus on society, parties and vanity but "The Beautiful Ones" by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is more about how beauty can afford you place in society.

The two main characters - Hector and Nina - make an interesting pair, as they both possess supernatural powers which allows them to manipulate objects without them touching them. Hector uses his ability for entertainment purposes, and under his guidance, Nina hones her skill (although it certainly isn't deemed lady-like). Her powers are a key part of what happens towards the end of the book and demonstrates that they are certainly a good match for each other.

An interesting book.

Who doesn't like to be pleasantly surprised? I've previously read Gods of Jade & Shadow by the author but, despite liking the premise, I didn't connect with it at all. This book, however, caught my attention straight away.
A very slight fantasy romance set in a fictional world that feels vaguely French Victorian - the world is industrialised with trains & motorcars appearing but the sensibilities feel not too dissimilar to a regency romance.
Nina is sent to town for the Grand Season to find herself a husband away from the local whispers of 'witch'. On this world telekinesis exists but it is frowned up and viewed as unsuitable for young ladies. She is an instantly likeable character- unsure of herself in polite society but also headstrong and sure of what she likes. She is drawn, not to a suitable aristocrat but a self-made performer with the same talent for telekinesis.
But she must also deal with the increasing disapproval of Valerie, her cousin's steely wife, who has been tasked with finding her a match and has a past with Hector, the performer who has caught Nina's attention.
I don't usually read romance but I enjoyed the characters, the setting and the conflict.
A thoroughly enjoyable romance of manners with a touch of magic.

* 3.5 stars.

I'm a little conflicted about this book, admittedly my expectations were high following the author's previous work Mexican Gothic, but I felt something a bit off with this. The positive is that Moreno-Garcia is an excellent writer, her prose is so immersive and sumptuous that I felt myself transported to the beautiful balls and scenes that she creates. Where this book fell short for me was the characters, and the central love triangle, which never fully captured my interest, with the character I found most layered and intriguing becoming an almost cartoonish villain towards the end. I also would have loved to see more of the magical element developed, as this could have helped to flesh out the central love story a little more, which I at times struggled to fully invest in.

(Many thanks to Netgalley and Quercus Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.)

You cant help but be charmed by Nina,very much the country pumpkin visiting relatives in the big city.
Shes young,innocent,honest and a bit of an outsider due to her strange abilities.
Caught up with emotions in circumstances beyond her control,we watch her give her heart away too easily,and see how that spins out.
Very enjoyable.
My first book by this author,but definitely not my last.

Emotionally intelligent love story.

Antonina (Nina) is the gauche ugly duckling to her cousin’s wife, the beautiful and sophisticated Valérie. When Nina meets Hector, she has no idea of his past involving Valérie.

In a departure from the magic realism of Moreno-Garcia’s most recent adult novels, The Beautiful Ones is a love story, with a dash of telekinesis on the side. We don’t need to get too far into the narrative, however, before we realise (with pleasure) this is not a conventional fairy-tale romance. It conveys genuine emotion from a genuine heroine of the mould of Jane Eyre.

The author’s writing is reminiscent of Daphne de Maurer, and here Moreno-Garcia returns to themes of class, social constraints on women and the female gaze. Her interests in clothes and fashion are also much in evidence.

My thanks to NetGalley and Jo Fletcher Books for the ARC.

I enjoyed this book so much more then Mexican Gothic. I am so glad I tried this author again. A story about beautiful people in the regency era, trying to fall in love and get married before they’re ruined or blackmailed.

The Beautiful Ones is an engaging fantasy-romance with a hint of magic. Originally published a couple of years ago as an e-book only, it's now getting a deserved wider release from Jo Fletcher Books.

The book is set in Levrene, a country like... well, perhaps a bit like somewhere in central Europe, on a planet a bit like Earth, around the turn of the 20th century. While clearly an imaginary world, many of the place names, both local (Loisail, Montipouret, Luquennay) and remote (Port Anselm, Yehenn, Carivatoo), evoke that, as does the atmosphere of carriages, telegraphs and newly built railways.

Despite these stirrings of modernity it is still a ferociously traditional society, not to say patriarchal, with women's roles in particular narrowly constrained by the rules of etiquette and the fear of what Society will make of any scandal. A woman's only asset is, it seems, her reputation.

Against this background we follow the lives of Antonina (Nina) Beaulieu, a young woman from the country in the capital for her first Grand Season and Hector Auvray, 'a castaway who had washed up on a room of velvet curtains and marble floors'.

Nina would rather be at home collecting beetles and exploring the woods. She'd certainly prefer not to be under the dominion of her martinet Aunt Valérie. Valérie despises Nina and takes delight in being cruel to her. Nina, young and inexperienced, chaffes at the restrictions imposed on her and unknowingly torments Valérie with visions of what she has lost.

Hector is a performing magician - and here we meet the first feature that makes this book a little different. Hector is not just a conjuror, but can, in reality, perform magic. He can move objects by thought alone and has made a spectacular career of this. The place of magic in this book is well thought out - it's not high fantasy, we have no duelling mages here, and on the whole, 'Talents' as they're called are accepted, if treated with a bit of suspicion. But there's no doubt Hector is an outsider to the carefully modulated social set who call themselves The Beautiful Ones.

This isn't only because of his abilities. Hector is of humble birth and that isn't forgotten, but he has amassed a fortune, and The Beautiful Ones do crave money for the upkeep of their ragged castles and their lavish lifestyles. ('Nothing matters more than money to us, the proper people who walk down these city streets in pristine gloves and silk-lined garments').

In fact, the quest for money via an advantageous marriage is ever present in this book, giving distinct echoes of Austen: Aunt Valérie in particular wouldn't be out of place in a drawing room weighing up newly arrived officers and considering which daughter should pair off with who. But there's more to Valérie than that - a tragically romantic past that has marked her life and drives her still. It wouldn't be too much to say she's the presiding spirit of this book, setting much of the plot in motion and pulling strings behind the scenes to get what she wants. It's a chilling, at times frightening role that makes one both hate and pity her. Warped by having had to conform herself and enter a loveless, childless marriage, she's something of a cross between Lady MacBeth and Anna Karenina, now determined to inflict the same on others, her own hatred a measure of the love she believes she could have had.

I enjoyed the way Moreno-Garcia makes Valérie both the voice, and the victim, of the stuffily rigid society. This is a very character-driven, people-focussed story - beyond names and cultural trappings we don't learn a great deal about wider society, we don't see ordinary people at work or anything of the politics (apart from learning, in a couple of throwaway lines, that there is a King). Yet by skewering that one aspect - the position of women in the more privileged layer - we can I think infer the rest.

A very enjoyable read, with characters who felt real to me and about whom I found myself caring a great deal, and gripping to the very end.