Title- The Damned
Rating– 3.75/5
Genre- YA Fantasy
POV- There are a about 9 different POV in this sequel than the first which surprised me compared to “The Beautiful.” Also, it switches back and forth between first person present tense and third person past tense from chapter to chapter depending on the POV. Page 68- another new POV, Jae. I was hoping this would feel like a continuation of Celine but it’s the other side of everything
Pg 115- when Emilie POV comes up again I keep forgetting who she is since she’s not in the Court of Lions. This chapter explains things better but but I don’t fully understand Emilie’s motives or plan. Overall this novel disappointed me compared to the first
Trope- vampires
Similar Books/Comps– Girl, Serpent, Thorn
My emotions- a bit frustrated with the POV switches
Characters–
Too many
Plot/Blurb-
Following the events of The Beautiful, Sébastien Saint Germain is now cursed and forever changed. The treaty between the Fallen and the Brotherhood has been broken, and war between the immortals seems imminent. The price of loving Celine was costly.
But Celine has also paid a high price for loving Bastien. Still recovering from injuries sustained during a night she can’t quite remember, her dreams are troubled. And she doesn’t know she has inadvertently set into motion a chain of events that could lead to her demise and unveil a truth about herself she’s not ready to learn.
Forces hiding in the shadows have been patiently waiting for this moment. And just as Bastien and Celine begin to uncover the danger around them, they learn their love could tear them apart.
The Damned, Renée’s latest installment in The Beautiful series is just as decadent, thrilling, and mysterious as her last, as she continues her most potent fantasy series yet.
Best part- Beautiful prose
What I’d change-
Page 47- there’s a lot of characters to keep track of in one single scene
It seemed more like Bastien’s story, not Celine’s
Page 80- there’s not much agency so far. The characters don’t have any specific goal or objective. It has been difficult to determine who the protagonist would be.
Page 92- things finally started to get exciting. Page 135 finally brought back the similar vibe of the first book
Page 154- at last finally! It’s about time
Page 366- this part of the story feels separate/segmented from the other realm. It seems like there may be too different stories going on with the plot and it’s not organized enough with enough crossover.
Cassie Swindon 