*Review will be posted on 6/26/24

I was so excited to continue this series after that exciting start in book 1. It left us with some very serious plot twists to follow up on. Although there were parts of this book I enjoyed, I don't think I liked it nearly as much as the first book. 

Bastien, now a vampire, attempts to cling to his humanity with every ounce of strength. He rebels against his uncle's expectations and is determined to stay away from Celine so that she can lead a happy, safe life. I loved how determined he was to regain his human life, but I hated how impulsive and sometimes cruel he could be (especially toward Celine and his own friends). I understood why; he was full of so much anger after having this choice ripped away from him and he also wanted Celine to have a chance at a better life without him. I just didn't enjoy it after he seemed to be making some positive character development in the last book because he took a bit of a step back in this one. 

After it was revealed that Emilie was alive and behind the plot against her brother, I was looking forward to reading her POV. Her character made a lot of sense after we found out her backstory. It's easy to see why her love for Bastien twisted into hate. As much as I appreciate her being well-written, I definitely hated her. At a certain point, all of that hate felt misdirected and I wanted her to come around and reconnect with her brother.

I also liked that with Emilie's introduction, we were able to see more supernatural creatures (not just vampires). I liked learning about the werewolves and the history between them, but also about the fey world and the war in general. It was also a refreshing take on the traditional theme of vampires and werewolves being enemies. Usually when I see this idea used we can expect the characters to be love interests and an enemies-to-lovers romance, but in this case, they're siblings and just enemies haha. 

The biggest reason that I rated this book one star lower than the first was that it used a trope that I'm really not fond of: memory loss. Done right, it can be fun... but if it drags on too long, then it just comes off as lazy writing. The Damned falls into the second category. I think the rule of thumb for me is that memory loss should not make up more than a third of the book so that there's room for new material. If the memory loss drags on more than that then the author has to work that much harder to make sure they offer new material otherwise it feels like a rewrite of the first. The Damned felt like too much of a repeat. Celine spent most of her time discovering the supernatural world (again) and falling for Bastien (again).

Emilie added some new material but it didn't feel like enough. Even the "potential" romance between Celine and Michael wasn't that exciting because it was obvious who she'd choose in the end (she already made this choice in the first book). 

Another thing I didn't like was that Bastien uncovered a really important piece of Celine's past based on how someone laughed. I felt like the reveal should've been more built up but the delivery made it feel anticlimactic and lessened the impact. Overall, this was an interesting sequel but it still felt like too much of a repeat of the first book.

I thought this was the book, instead it is just a preview of the book. With it being super short, it’s hard for me to give an accurate review. I am not sure that I would recommend this book.

This was only a sample, but from these few chapters, I can tell I'm going to like The Damned just as much as I liked The Beautiful. Dying to finish the series so I can see what happens to all of the characters.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for granting me an eARC sample in exchange for an honest review.

I was hooked from the start. The characters are amazingly developed, and the fire between Sebastian and Celine was well-written. Looking forward to reading more by this author.

This was a great addition to the series and I have really enjoyed reading Renee Ahdieh and her amazing books.

I love Renee Andieh's writing and The Damned was one more example of why. This was an awesome story and a wonderful follow-up to The Beautiful. Bastien and Celine's story is heart-rending and I can't wait to read more!

Even though it was just a few chapters you could tell this book would be good. honestly I don't have much of an option on this book, because I haven't read it, other than these chapters. But I cannot wait.

Book Review: The Damned by Renée Ahdieh
Read this if you like:
• YA Fantasy
• Romance
• Paranormal
I was only given an excerpt of this book, but I loved every bit of it! Can’t wait for my physical copy to arrive so that I can continue this journey!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to try this book in exchange for an honest review. I really loved reading "The Beautiful" by Renee Ahdieh. This book is the sequel. I really enjoyed the character development of Celine and Bastian, and felt like the characters were right there with me. I did not like this book near as much as the first, but still good.

An amazing continuation to „the Beautiful“. Renee Ahdieh knows how to write and makes every book of hers UH-frigging-MAZING. This sneakpeek got me. Im more than hyped to continue reading this series now :D #Netgalley #TheDamned

Haven't read this yet, however, I will be reading this book soon. Super excited to read this series!

As the tale unfolds, the background story of each member of Bastien’s unique family is revealed. The mystery surrounding the Court of Lions unravels. Celine now works as a seamstress in a shop with Pippa and two other women. Odette is the benefactor of the shop but Celine has no other memories of Odette or anything surrounding Sebastian. Celine does keep having intense dreams about a man she doesn’t recognize and they make her wonder who he is. Pippa mentions the restaurant Jacques’ and Celine's memories click a little, so she goes to the restaurant expecting answers, only to be turned away and even more confused. As Sebastian searches for a way to be unmade, he learns who Celine truly is and becomes part of the deal to return her to her heritage. Another secret reveals itself and brings the Brotherhood (werewolves) and the Fallen (vampires) to a chaotic frenzy. Fantastic sequel to The Beautiful! 5 stars!

I cannot believe this book isn't a million times more popular. I thought the first book was good but this one had me standing and screaming to the characters when they were acting like idiots. This books is completely going in my to-read again pile. WOW

I have always been a fan of Renee Ahdieh’s works, and this book’s sneak peak has only reaffirmed that point. The world building of this novel is unbelievable; it is so intricate and specific, so it was not at all confusing, I was able to understand the surrounding and setting even through a small glimpse of the novel. Although the book is more character focused, the plot is still steady and kept me interested. Furthermore, all the characters are so interesting and developed. This was a great paranormal read!

Though this sneak peak did not pique my interest as strongly as that of Book 1 in the series, I'm all in. Especially since Book 3 'The Righteous' spotlights the story of Pippa.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

***SAMPLER COPY***
I only read the sampler copy of this book but it drew me in straight away. The characters all sound interesting and strong and the scene set sounds a perfect gothic type read - I can't wait to dig into this book properly as soon as possible!

I loved this. Can't wait for book three! There were so many twists and turns and it kept me on the edge of my seat!

Loved this sneak peek into the second novel of The Beautiful series. I cannot wait to continue reading the rest of the book, Ahdieh's writing is so addictive and I love her take on vampires, so excited to read more of them!

Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the chance to preview these books, I can safely say they've definitely been added to my Christmas list!

I can’t wait to see what is going to happen next with these characters and how the story will unfold

Loved this sneak peek into the second book in The Beautiful series. I absolutely adore Ahdieh's take on vampires and her characters are all so vibrant and well realised. Not to mention her gorgeous writing.

Very much looking forward to finishing this one! And thankfully there's not long to wait until the third book is released in December!