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jessyfuncke's review against another edition
3.0
First of all, that cover. Second of all, Bastien and Celine. Call me foolish, and I know I’m a sucker for this so I probably am, but I loved the forced separation/tension between Bastien and Celine due to the events at the end of The Beautiful.
The damned is a good continuation of its predecessor, with much of the same goodness that The Beautiful provided. I feel like this sequel is similar in its vibe, how the romance was handled, and most of the storyline. That makes it a good sequel. It shows that The Beautiful was always intended to be more than one book, rather than turned out to be a success so let’s make a few more of these.
Regardless, the story did take a few turns that I didn’t fully understand, specifically within this world that Ahdieh has built. Unfortunately I do not want to spoil anything so I really cannot get it into this.
Nevertheless, I really enjoyed The Damned because it provided much of what I loved about the first book in a similar way, which to me was a recipe for success. A strong three stars.
The damned is a good continuation of its predecessor, with much of the same goodness that The Beautiful provided. I feel like this sequel is similar in its vibe, how the romance was handled, and most of the storyline. That makes it a good sequel. It shows that The Beautiful was always intended to be more than one book, rather than turned out to be a success so let’s make a few more of these.
Regardless, the story did take a few turns that I didn’t fully understand, specifically within this world that Ahdieh has built. Unfortunately I do not want to spoil anything so I really cannot get it into this.
Nevertheless, I really enjoyed The Damned because it provided much of what I loved about the first book in a similar way, which to me was a recipe for success. A strong three stars.
booksarefriends_notfood's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
starsinhereyesbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I have taken a star off for this book as the pacing was quite rushed. The journey through the wylds could have been a bit more adventurous, more interactions between Celine and the Lady of the Vale, and given the storylines intersecting the vampires, werewolves, and the Vale I don't understand why the author has also introduced the guy from Paris. Given book 1 started the series pretty strong, I hope book 3 ends the trilogy on a high note.
robinreads707's review against another edition
3.0
First off, the cover is absolutely stunning! The best in the series, in my opinion. All told, I’m not certain the story actually lives up to the cover’s delicious promise of dark, beautiful seduction. This series feels like a mix of Twilight, Wicked Lovely, and Chronicles of Nick. The New Orleans setting lends flavor to the tale, and the inclusion of other languages appears quite accurate, which is a nice touch. I enjoy the character diversity as well.
However, the love triangle seems to lack passion or interest. I also felt the ending left much to be desired. Perhaps this will be improved on in the next book.
Honestly, I like Jae best and feel he’s been given the short end of the stick in the narrative.
However, the love triangle seems to lack passion or interest. I also felt the ending left much to be desired. Perhaps this will be improved on in the next book.
Honestly, I like Jae best and feel he’s been given the short end of the stick in the narrative.
lein80's review against another edition
3.0
I don't exactly know what it was with this book... I really liked the first part of this series, mainly because of the atmosphere of New Orleans, and I was missing that part a bit here. Leaving New Orleans for a bit was also not my favourite part of the book (especially because not a lot seemed to be happening there), and the characters and the other part of the book was not enough to make me really enthusiastic about it. Let's hope it was just the middle book syndrome.
akee2013's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
steffie253's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
pnh703's review against another edition
3.0
It had everything and nothing. Readers fell in love with Celine and Bastien in book one and they were completely lacking in book 2. Instead, we got an abundance of world building that felt like it was haphazardly thrown together and the backstories of characters were already knew and didn’t need backstories on. It felt like there were at least three different stories thrown together in here. Whatever I expected to happen following the end of book 1, this most certainly was not it, and not in a good way.
kohlsamanda's review against another edition
3.0
Not quite as good as the first. This felt more like a filler book than anything else. There was one or two pieces of knowledge given and big events at the end, but the majority of the book was a bit useless. Lots of pages involving Celine wandering around trying to fill the holes in her memory while Bastian laments his humanity. Nothing really of substance for the majority of the book. I am looking forward to the finale because I'm hoping it will capture the essence of the first one.
lblanke724's review against another edition
4.0
Dang it! This is not the end of the story! I am ready for more!