I loved this, I am not unbiased because I think everything Renee writes is amazing, I love her work so much. I was not disappointed at all by this sequel to The Beautiful, it was absolutely amazing, I loved the fact it took a different direction than I was expecting. I felt Celine and Bastien’s characters developed so much more in this than the first book too. There was so much more action in this book, so much more drama, it’s just wonderful. If you loved the first book you will love this even more. Fantastic


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

To being with, I should mention that I didn't enjoy The Beautiful. Which was so disappointing because I absolutely LOVE a vampire book; they are my favourite mythical creatures. But I like to give a series a second chance -  I mean, why the hell not? There's always a chance that the second book will be better the first! Now, I didn't love The Damned but I did enjoy it a lot more than the first - which is a positive sign!


I actually enjoyed Celine's character more this time around. I found her to be super defensive and argumentive in The Beautiful which did my head in. I just wanted to go into the story, give her a large glass of wine and tell her to chill. Thankfully, this wasn't the case in the second book. I started to see more character development which was wonderful. Another character that I felt developed more was Bastien. He was so arrogant in the first book that it was off-putting. and somewhat cringe. It felt like he grew up a bit in this book!


I also loved getting to know other characters more, such as Odette. She is such a wonderful and interesting character! It was nice to have a few multiple POV's, just to mix it up a bit and add to the story.


My criticism with the POV's was the switching between 1st and 3rd person. Oh, I hated this!! It became incredibly frustrating and somewhat difficult to follow after a while. I would have been a lot happier if it had been one or the other. 


Though the magical world/politics was interesting, at times it was really confusing and I felt a bit lost in it all. I also just wanted it to be about vampires and felt let down that it had to add different "creatures" into the mix...


The "love triangle" was awful. I hated how the author makes Celine try to fall for Michael just for the sake of it. It felt super forced and made me cringe. If anything I felt terrible for Michael. You just know that Celine's heart isn't in it and I hated how she is made to play him along. It didn't need to be in the story at all and felt kinda pointless.


Parts of The Damned did feel super rushed, especially towards the end. But I was intrigued by the story, more so than the last, and I can safely say that I will be looking out for the next book!

This book jumps straight in, following the events of The Beautiful and I was more than happy to be back in this world with these characters, especially because now we have chapters from not only Celine but Sébastien, Odette, Michael and Eloise (to name a few). I loved being able to connect with these characters more and understand their motives. I grew to love Sébastien more and was really happy that this book focused more on him and his journey.

Whilst Celine was not seen for the beginning of this book it really made sense and it made her chapters more interesting. We watch as she struggles with remembering the events that took place in the first book whilst balancing a tailor shop and a new romance which is incredibly one sided. However, Celine quickly takes back control in this book and it was interesting to learn more about her past and her life.

One of the things I loved about this book was learning more about the side characters and reading from their perspectives. We see Pippa struggling with keeping Celine safe, Arjun being the most loyal of friends and Odette being the absolute best.

Although I found myself struggling to get into this book at the beginning, I found that I was unable to put it down from 40% onwards. There was so much action in this book and it never slowed down. I found myself more intrigued and eager to carry on reading (which I did into the early hours of the morning}.

I do however wish that the ending hadn’t had felt so rushed. Everything happened at once and I felt myself having to take a moment to let my brain catch up. Whilst I am incredibly shocked by some of the revelations (one had me near to tears), I wish that it had been spaced out a bit more and given more depth.

Adhieh is the master of creating these insanely captivating and atmospheric worlds that you just want to explore more. If you were on the fence about reading The Damned I really do recommend picking it up. As I said at the beginning, this is the book I wanted The Beautiful to be with vampires and different mythical creatures! I honestly cannot wait to read the next book in this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

“In the end, the monsters did possess the better stories”

The Damned is the second book in The Beautiful series and picks up directly from where book one left off.

Sébastien has become a vampire. Celine’s bargain to save his life came at a high price for both of them. To save the man she loves, she has given up all her memories of him and the dark world he belongs to, and he has lost his humanity.

In love but separated they must both come to terms with their new lives, but will they be able to stay away from each other...

Whereas book one didn’t have enough vampires for me, book two definitely remedied that. In The Damned we see Bastien learn how to be a vampire and how his anger leaves him wildly out of control. He learns how to feed and how to fight. However he is so despondent with his immortality that he decides to annoy his uncle (for his part in this situation) by partying to excess and basically becoming a spoilt playboy. Never leaving Jacques, expecting to be waited on hand and foot, he spirals into a life of decadence and hedonism. But when he comes across a potential way out of his current situation, he will take whatever risks necessary to return to his previous life.

As with book one the writing is wonderfully atmospheric but this felt darker and more sinister. The settings changed slightly as we were introduced to the world of the fae, where nothing is as it seems and everything has the ability to hurt you. The story continued to grow and although some of my questions were answered, I was left with more by the end.

We also got to learn more about the members of La Cour des Lions. These characters are fascinating and all have their own stories to tell. I’m intrigued to find out more about their history.

A well written sequel that addressed the issues I had with book one and gave me what I wanted - more vampires!

I’m fully invested now in these characters and this world and can’t wait for the next book.

So at the end of my review of The Beautiful I said that I felt the series had a lot of potential, and despite not being wild about the book I was rather excited for the sequel. I figured The Damned would put Celine at the centre of a Vampire vs Werewolf conflict, and in some ways I was right, but at the same time so, so, wrong.

I asked for more vampires and The Damned definitely delivered. The lack of vampire action was one of my biggest issues with The Beautiful, but this book has supernatural creatures in spades. There’s a whole lot of world development in this one, some of which should have been mentioned in the first novel, but this book really revealed New Orleans’ supernatural underbelly and I loved it.

Again, the way Renée drags you into her world is amazing. I felt like I was standing on the streets of New Orleans with the characters, and everything felt so lavish and beautiful. This was one of the things I enjoyed the most about The Beautiful, and it’s sequel certainly makes use of the authors skill again!

The blurb makes it sound like we’ll be following Celine’s perspective, but instead The Damned’s main focus is Bastien. I could definitely see why the Renée would give us both perspectives, as Celine and Bastien are apart for most of the book, but I did find it rather irritating that his perspective was in first person. I understand why first person was used for the villain in The Beautiful, and I actually really enjoyed this clever way of using a change of tense, but it didn’t have the same results in The Damned. There were also so many different perspectives happening in this book, and if I’m honest most of them didn’t add very much to the plot; instead the perspectives felt very “woe is me” and I don’t feel like they added much to the narrative, in fact I think the switching POVs made the first third really drag.

If the first half is a drag then the second half is a rip-roaring mess. So much happens and no one, including the reader, is given enough time to process anything. Admittedly this messy second half stuffed full of reveals was way more fun and definitely saved this book for me. It was a whirlwind I didn’t mind being stuck in. Due to this rather rushed approach, we lose a fair bit of character development especially for the people Celine associated with. Who the heck were those girls in the shop? I still don’t know and I’ve finished the book. I also think the love triangle aspect with Michael should have just been left out. Their relationship was never given enough time to develop, and I never at any point believed that Celine would choose to marry him; it felt like the trope had been added for no real reason other than the minuscule amount of drama it caused.

I think The Damned has really solidified that this series probably isn’t for me. The Beautiful had so much potential but the sequel just didn’t manage to live up to it, and I think that’s due to the amount of character development and plot shoehorned into it. I was hoping for vampires and werewolves in New Orleans, and instead this book took me, rather suddenly, to a whole other place and I was disappointed.

Recommend: This book definitely wasn’t for me, but I think if you really enjoyed The Beautiful then you’ll enjoy its sequel

⭐⭐⭐

Vampires are officially back.

Obviously it’s been done before. And on occasion it’s been done badly. Renee Ahdieh’s take on the supernatural creatures strikes the right chord between vampires being romantic and sexy, and them wanting to tear your throat out. I think the setting massively helps with that dangerous seduction feel to the book– everything is decadent and beautiful and hidden in the shadows. Usually, I’m not that fussed about setting, but it feels almost as if it is another character in The Damned, one that is just as lively as the characters who wander through it. Ahdieh’s gorgeous descriptions also do a lot to help here. They’re so heady and wonderful, and really put you right there in New Orleans. Her descriptions of food and clothing, in particular, are nothing short of masterful, but there’s a lot of poetic lines and details woven in that just made me sigh with contentment while reading them.

There’s also a lot of good things to be said about the characters. The female characters, in particular, are wonderfully written. It would have been easy to have made them meek and subservient, given the time period the novel is written in, but all of the female characters have a lot of agency and definitely stand up for themselves when they need to. It’s something that we see a lot of in YA, and yet I will continue to celebrate it whenever I see it because it’s so damn uplifting. Even Pippa, who has long wished to marry for wealth and to be a wife, has moments when she surprises you by being strong and independent. There are also a lot of points of view in this book (more so I think than in book one) which can be both a good and bad thing. From a positive perspective, I really liked learning some of the backstory of the other characters, particularly those from the Court of Lions. It was interesting to see their motivations and aspirations and I felt like these sections did a good job of fleshing out characters and making them seem more real and sympathetic.

Perhaps, that is part of the reason why the pacing was a little slow. I had a similar problem with The Beautiful in that it felt a little too flowery at times, a touch too languorous. By the end, I was hooked, but the beginning was definitely a bit hard to sink into, especially when there were lots of points of view chapters and one of the main characters didn’t come into it until several chapters in. It felt almost as though a lot of this was set-up. I’m not sure if it is the slow pacing or the worldbuilding that allowed me to put the book down quite a bit at the start. The worldbuilding is, at times, confusing and hard to fathom out and frankly a touch underwhelming. It felt like lots of it was being told, rather than shown, either through memories or explanations. But I feel like this second book in the series did a better job of ironing out some important information, and I think I followed The Damned a bit more than I did The Beautiful. That’s not to say it wasn’t a thoroughly enjoyable book, just that there was a lot to take in, and something felt a little bit… off somehow? I can’t quite put my finger on it, but something didn’t quite fit right with me. But hey, that’s likely a personal perspective thing. The fact that I can’t quite explain what held me back at the start probably means it’s a very minor thing.

I will say, I’m kinda a bit surprised that this isn’t the final book in the series. I don’t know why exactly I thought it was a duology; possibly because both of Ahdieh’s other series have been two books long, possibly because the title, taken from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Beautiful and Damned (I massively appreciate this title) is obviously now complete, making me wonder what the third book will be called.

Overall, I’m giving The Damned a 7.5/10. The descriptions and setting marry together with the theme really well, making for a glorious, decadent atmosphere. And it was wonderful to read more about the characters and their hopes and schemes. But I felt like the pacing, particularly at the start, was a little slow, and the worldbuilding still feels a bit underwhelming somehow.

The Damned comes out in the UK on the 7th July!

*4.75 Stars*

INCOHERENT RAMBLING INCOMING

Okay. I hate reviewing sequels. I never want to say too much because I'm scared of spoiling.
This was so f***ing great. I thought I knew what to expect from this book.
Hahahahaha
What a fool I was. This went in a completely different direction than I thought it would and I loved every second of it.
So much drama, so much action, so much everything. I was glued to the page from beginning to end and all I can say about it is how much more I still want. More of all these amazing characters, more of the drama, just so many more books. I want all of it and I want it nooooooooooooooooow.

2.5 Stars rounded up!

I had enjoyed The Beautiful, when I read it last year. I thought it to be fun, mysterious and intriguing. Moreover, after the devastating ending of the first book, I was looking forward to read the implications of the events that happened in the previous book play out in this sequel.

I have to say, I am disappointed. I like Renée Ahdieh writing, I think its very accessible and I navigated through the book quite easily. However, the plot and character development in the book felt very subdued and weak. This book started by divulging the information regarding the history of this world and the various supernatural races that resides in it. Honestly, I really appreciated that, but, apart from that bit of useful information, I didn't think the plot had anything going for itself. It lacked a sense of dynamic, there was hardly any action and the conflict between Vampire, Werewolf and Fey's lacked depth. I never felt the sense of that impending danger for any of the characters at least not until the very last 10% when things really geared up but alas! it was too little, too late.

This is a relatively short book, and with so many continuous back and forth between character's POV, I felt the development of characters were hindered. These are the characters who went through an immense ordeal but, I didn't feel anything for them. Admittedly, Sebastian POV was somewhat interesting as he comes to terms with his morality and the man he wants to become but other than that, all the other characters were pretty forgettable and one dimensional, including Celine, whom I really liked as an MC in The Beautiful. Additionally, I found the Villain to be very aggravating and annoying (and not in a good way).

Another factor that existed in the first book and was missing from this one was the decadent and extravagant portrayal of 19th century, New Orleans. Somewhere, I felt that with the expansion of the paranormal world, the elements of the mortal world was left underdeveloped. I did love some of the talks around women oppression and race that were included in the story.

Overall, The Beautiful was mindless fun to read, this sequel, however, did not live up to the expectation.

The Damned is the highly anticipated follow-up to The Beautiful, a dark and beautiful tale set in 19th century New Orleans. It continues where the previous book left off, sliding us back into Celine Rosseau’s world. A world where she has forgotten her near death experience and the plea she made to Nicodemus Saint Germain. Unfortunately Sebastien cannot forget what happened. And he has a long life ahead of him to remember. Needless to say he is not happy about the changes wrought upon him and strives to become a better version of himself.

“What you are has no bearing on what you become, Sebastien. Man or demon, that is entirely up to you”
The Damned, Renee Ahdieh

In my opinion, Sebastien’s character development throughout this book is immense. The readers get to hear a lot more of the story from his perspective, as well as the perspectives of a few other key characters. I was pleased to see gender, sexuality and identity issues broached in sensitive (time-period relevant) language and woven seamlessly into this twist on traditional werewolves-vs-vampires stories.

The Damned felt more adventurous than The Beautiful, there is some stunning world building that leads us out of New Orleans to somewhere entirely different and significantly more dangerous. We also get extra depth as the main Sebastien’s and Celine’s backstories are filled out alongside some great foreshadowing of things to come.

“Leave the decision to her. It is what a good man would do.
Do not make her story about you.”
The Damned, Renee Ahdieh

I don’t want to say any more for fear of spoiling it for you all. In my opinion, The Damned expands on the brilliant writing in The Beautiful and has left me highly anticipating the next book.

Quite often vampire fiction falls to a very repetitive story following a forbidden romance between a human and a vampire and rarely does this type of plot provide readers with mindblowing plot twists and intrigue. That is not a negative thing because I for one, lived off of those types of stories in my teens however the trope has been written to absolute death. Enter Rennée Ahdieh with her vampire story, The Beautiful, which seems to repel genre tropes.

Set in the 1870's New Orleans, the atmospheric and gothic tale follows Celine who was forced to escape her life in Paris. She becomes entangled with a dangerous group called the Court of Lions upon her arrival to the city, while a serial killer is terrorising the city. This is a very unexpected tale and you are led astray many times, believing that it is heading a very stereotypical direction yet all your theories are drowned in a well because Renée Ahdieh doesn't understand the word 'cliché'.

The main issue that readers had with The Beautiful is that there were not enough vampires present but to me, that was a conscious decision from the author. At its core, the book is a mystery and you're seeing the world through the eyes of a girl that has a whole new city to explore. The reader is not let in on any extra information from the protagonist other than the creepy and eerie thoughts from the killer scattered through the book. Just like Celine, we don't know about their existence as much as perhaps in books that are very world-building heavy to the point that it's unrealistic for the characters to be explaining it all.

Book two, The Damned, does however appear to address this and due to the multiple points of view, we hear from those who live as vampires and therefore are an authority on describing their history. The folklore is so profoundly weaved through the book that I revelled in hearing about the myths and magical system.

Warning: The rest of this article contains spoilers for The Beautiful.

I can't be the only one that rolled my eyes at the memory wipe cliffhanger in the Beautiful. This plot device never surprises me as realistically the protagonist will run around for 200 pages claiming they have 'a feeling' something isn't right. By turning the focus of the book to Bastien while Celine gets on with her life in the background, that predictability is taken away. It was very apparent that despite this book having multiple points of view, the purpose of the story is to explore Bastien's life as an immortal.

It's a slow burn book which I personally enjoyed as its nice to spend time with characters in such an atmospheric setting and see them simply live as opposed to always passing tragedy and problems. In many ways, the start of this book is setting the scene and allowing us to see this world through the eyes of a vampire as opposed to a human, as we saw in book one.

The plot overall, however, is very scattered which made the novel a little inconsistent. Too much is taken on in a single book as while the expansion of the world is exciting, I wish it kept one constant plot. The first book set the scene for a Werewolf vs Vampire Kingdom war and the multiple unrelated threads that begin really distract the reading experience as we are constantly buried in more secrets and revelations.

The supporting cast is the highlight of The Damned as I felt a much stronger connection to them all. Jae particularly having his own arc strengthened the novel as learning about his history expanded this world further and paved the way for deep character development. Bastien and Celine themselves had a whirlwind journey, spending time apart gave us the chance to see their personal growth and how they are adapting to both of their new lives without sacrificing the angsty tension between them that we love. Renee Ahdieh is a master at the subtle one-liners that set you on fire with the simplest of exchanges.

While I was a little confounded through the middle of the book due to the sheer amount of new information being thrown to us, the ending was perfection. It was an emotional and intense shot of adrenaline. Your tear ducks may break. Be warned.

While it is not confirmed whether there are more upcoming books in this series, there is a lot of scope to expand this world even further and I look forward to hopefully seeing what the future holds for our characters.

*E-ARC received from HodderScape, via NetGallery, in exchange for a honest review *

The Beautiful was one of my favourite books from last year, so to get my hands on the sequel was amazing. To say I'm disappointed with The Damned is a understatement. Unfortunately for me this book had moments, where it was brilliant and I couldn't stop reading, to parts when I considered not finishing it. I had such high hopes for this book and it left me utterly disappointed...

It wasn't all bad, I did love reading the different POV's but at some points there were too many. I'm guessing their voices will become more important in the future books? We spend half the book waiting for Celine to get her memories back, which to say the least is quite frustrating. Bastiens POV's were definitely my favourite, so I hope there is lots more of him in the sequel.

I will definitely read the sequel, as I'd like to see where the story takes us, but I am sad to say this book wasn't all I hoped it would be.

The Beautiful was one of my favourite reads of last year and I finished it wanting and needing more. Unfortunately The Damned didn’t quite live up to these hopes. My favourite thing about book 1 was the sexiness of it, the chemistry of Bastien and Celine, the way Ahdieh created such sexual tension and atmosphere, the longing was almost painful because I loved them together so much. The Damned isn’t a sexy book in the same way, more a book with some sexy scenes, although when they are there, they sizzle deliciously, there just wasn’t enough of them.
The other issue is the pacing, this book feels quite slow for a while Andries this seem to have much of a direction, there are multiple different plots that are covered but not indepthly enough to satisfy, it’s possible that these are all set ups for the next book, but in this one they just seem a waste of time; such as Sunan or the love ‘triangle’, honestly what is the point of Michael? On the topic of Michael, it also made me quite uncomfortable how he was continuing to pursue Celine while knowing she couldn’t remember who she loves, it felt quite manipulative how he was taking advantage of her vulnerability in that sense. If it’s not very clear, I am not a Michael fan!

Overall this book was delicious in ways and I am excited for the next book (clinging to denial/hope re: a certain character’s demise 💔) and I still loved the characters (not you Michael), the action and the writing, it just left me still hungry when I finished.

Thank you Netgalley for the arc :)

As much as I enjoyed The Beautiful, I felt as though The Damned was even better. I can’t believe how good this is! This was incredibly fast paced - I got so wrapped up and lost in this story. I want more!

The characters were more fleshed out in this one; I feel as though I know them all much better after reading the sequel. I love the many strong female characters in this story.

The plot was filled with twists and turns and I loved every minute of it. We also had multiple POV’s in this book which I thought was great.

I really hope there will be another instalment because ...that ending!

I’m really intrigued to read more from this author considering how much I have loved this story.

These characters are everything to me. Every single one of them. Well, maybe that's an exaggeration, but you get my point. Renée Ahdieh had built such a beautiful world. The mystery, the action the romance, each of them amazing.

My only drawback is that some things seemed a little bit too convenient. But other than that, I'll be needing the next book, please.

When The Beautiful was announced, everyone I heard talking about it said it was a duology. Alas, after finishing The Damned I have realised that that is not the case – in fact, it’s rumoured that there are another two books to come in The Beautiful saga.

That might be one of the reasons that I didn’t enjoy this book anywhere near as much as I was hoping to.

The Beautiful was a five star read for me. I thought the marketing was all wrong and that it should have been pushed as a murder mystery rather than as a vampire story – the vampires aren’t explicitly revealed until towards the end of the novel, so if you’re only there for the vampires you’re going to be disappointed – but I thought the murder mystery aspect of the plot was gripping, and I loved Celine and the Court of the Lions (and the various other characters we were introduced to throughout).

Unfortunately, The Damned is the complete opposite.

There just isn’t much plot to the first half of the novel, because we’re so focused on the Court of the Lions and their vampiric ways. One of the main characters (I won’t say who, just in case you haven’t read The Beautiful yet – if not, what are you doing here?!) was turned into a vampire at the end of the first novel, and it feels like an interminable amount of complaining along the lines of, ‘Woe is me! Why am I am vampire? Why didn’t everyone just let me die?!’. I can understand why someone might be feeling that way, but it is painfully repetitive.

I never felt bored during the first book and was picking it up in every spare moment because I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I was struggling to motivate myself to continue reading The Damned.

Things do eventually pick up, but Renée Ahdieh tries to cram too much into this novel. I thought that made sense because I was still assuming it was a duology – of course she’s rushing to get all the threads of the story tied together neatly! – but after I’d finished reading and I realised that that wasn’t the case I just couldn’t understand why the story was told in this way. All of the action happens in the last 10% of the novel which makes the first 90% a slog because nothing is really happening, but then when everything kicks off it isn’t satisfying at all because it’s over as soon as it starts.

One of the most frustrating aspects is the rapid fire visits to the Sylvan Wyld and the Sylvan Vale. Ahdieh has crafted an intriguing paranormal world of mirrors and portals, but the time she spends there is over almost before it has begun. I am glad that there are going to be more books in the series because I’m hoping we’ll be able to explore these locations more: when I was still under the impression that it was a duology it all seemed a bit pointless, because they are described so vibrantly and the characters leave them almost immediately to head back to New Orleans.

Meanwhile, there are two characters in this book who should have been utilised far more effectively, but they’re treated as an afterthought. When you’ve got two antagonists and the reader finds themselves regularly forgetting that either of them exist? There is something horribly wrong there.

If I’d been expecting a straight up paranormal romance I would have been satisfied, because the relationship between our two main characters is the main focus (to the detriment of every other aspect of the plot). I was wholly satisfied with the love story – although I’m not sure why Ahdieh felt the need to try to shove in the world’s least convincing love triangle – and that’s the main reason that my rating of The Damned ended up sitting at 3 stars.

I was disappointed with the main plot, but I was invested in the characters and I did appreciate the amount of development that they all went through between books one and two. The Court of the Lions are fleshed out far more than they were in book one – I couldn’t even remember Hortense or Madeleine being mentioned before, but I did read The Beautiful almost a year ago – and I really enjoyed learning more about Arjun and Jae, who are two of the strongest members of the Court.

There is still a lot of potential here, so I will be continuing on with the later books in The Beautiful saga as and when they are released. I just wish I’d known it was going to be a lengthier series when it was first announced, because it might have softened my disappointment while reading The Damned!

3.5 stars rounded up
The Damned by Renee Ahdieh picks up exactly where it's predecessor, The Beautiful, left off, with the dramatic transformation of Bastien by his Uncle as part of a bargain with Celine. This is not a book that can be read as a stand alone, readers will need to be familiar with the Beautiful to follow the events of this book and get the most enjoyment from it. Where as The Beautiful largely focused on Celine and her story, the main focus here is Bastien, and how he is coping with the changes to his way of life and the consequences of his Uncle's bargain. For a large part of the book, Celine is left to struggle with the gaps in her memory and recovering from her injuries, and for me I found the change of focus disappointing. Admittedly she does become more like the character I loved from the first book in the second half of this one, and once that happens I found myself enjoying the book a lot more. As events beyond their control conspire to bring the pair together and reveal a secret from Celine's past, they fight against their mutual attraction while trying to find a semblance of normality in their day to day lives. As if that was not enough, it seems that an all out war between the vampires and werewolves is brewing , and Bastien's transformation may be what sets it off.
While the story is largely told from Bastien and Celine's perspectives, we do get chapters from other characters like Emilie and Odette which adds a nice extra dimension for the reader. I missed the lush descriptions of the previous book, this one seemed to brush over the details in favour of the action, and for me that made it just a little less enjoyable. I also felt that the love triangle between Cecile, Bastien and Michael was both forced and unnecessary to the story as a whole. On a positive note, I enjoyed learning more about the characters of La Coeur de Leon like Jae and his past, and as always Odette is her fun and charming self.
This book also moves deeper into fantasy territory, with the inclusion of more Fae and elemental characters and plot points, and while this may not be to everyone's taste, it does open up the story more and give it more depth.
While the book does not end on a cliff hanger as such, the ending is very much left open for a sequel, and I am still intrigued to see where the story will go.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

It took me about 100 pages to get into this book, which I feel is unusual for a direct sequel. I think because lots was revealed at the end of the first book, we're suddenly given a lot of information in the first quarter of this one that, for me, it was lacking the same magic and atmosphere that I loved from The Beautiful. I did fall headfirst into it after that point, though, once I'd got my bearings again

This series follows Celine, a young girl who boards a boat in France heading to New Orleans to escape a crime she committed. There, she meets the mysterious and glamorous Odette who soon whisks her away into a dark underground world that soon enchants Celine

I can't say too much without going into spoilers, but some of the new bits added into this sequel aren't my favourite when it comes to fantasy beings and plots. I think when this is explored further in the next book I could enjoy it a lot more, but being thrown into it in this one didn't 100% captivate me

I still love Ahdieh's writing so much. Her books are so atmospheric that I feel like I live in them while I'm reading them. I also love the characters, especially Odette and Arjun, and the found family aspect of their gang

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this book. I loved this book, such a strong book following the first one, and I love all the characters and the plot is great. Highly recommend. 4 stars

Following on from where The Beautiful left off, Sebastien has now been turned into a vampire and Celine has completely lost her memories. With the treaty between the vampires and werewolves broken, it seems that nothing can stop the war brewing.
With Odette as a mysterious benefactor, Celine is trying to make a life for herself, opening her own shop with her friends. Little does she know the magical world is definitely not finished with her yet.
While the book is still mainly about Celine and Bastien, there are quite a few characters with their own stories. Odette is one of favourite characters and I particularly loved having her point of view. It was also very interesting to read about the history of the Banishment. How the vampires, werewolves and elves lived in the Sylvan Wyld.

The Damned by Renée Ahdieh is the sequel to The Beautiful, and I have to say what a sequel it was. It personally lived up to its expectations and more.

It picks up from when The Beautiful ended, with Bastien becoming a creature of the night and the serious implications that creates, the issue of a broken treaty with the brotherhood. This book leads you on an adventure of self-discovery and growth. I really loved the character development, and the transformations some characters go through. Celines desire to fill in her blank memory is an immediate thing, she realises there are important things she has forgotten, due to the nightmares and flashes of memories she keeps getting.

This is a story of love, loss and betrayals. You also get more of a backstory, which I really enjoyed.

I felt this book was in another league and preferred it to The Beautiful. I am in awe of Renée, all of her books are wonderful, I feel she never disappoints to deliver.

This book gets 4.5 stars from me.