The Beautiful is set in the year 1872 and revolves around a 17 year old girl named Celine Rousseau, who has run away from her dark past in Paris to rediscover herself in the city of New Orleans.
I didn’t really like Celine’s character at the start of the book. She came on a little too strong and I found her to be a little too arrogant and brash. She kind of thrust herself into situations that I felt wasn’t necessary, for example when she first met Bastien. Stepping in like that even though she was with her friend who clearly did not want to be involved just to satisfy her own need to feel powerful wasn’t the best way to make me like her. Granted she did grow on me over the course of the plot line but even still she ultimately doesn’t think things through completely and she doesn’t really take into account other people’s feelings.
The romantic aspect I actually did enjoy. I’m usually not a big fan of love triangles but the way this plot lines seems to be headed actually appeals to me. I like that hate to love trope and mixed with the star crossed lover’s piques my interests. It was a little obvious but still I liked their banter and the chemistry between all three characters involved!
Other than that I actually really liked all the rest of the characters in the story. I thought they were all very distinct and diverse. Bastien and his court of Lion’s were very intriguing. It kind of didn’t go in depth enough for me though; I could have definitely used more information on each of them. Where they come from, how their powers differ, how did they end up in New Orleans.
The pacing of the book was kind of up and down for me. The start was a little bit slow and it took me at least the first 100 or so pages before I was actually invested in the plot. The fact that Celine wasn’t a favorite of mine kind of stalled my progress for a while and made it harder for me to fully loose myself in the story.
I thought the atmosphere and tone of the book was fantastic. You are kind of transported into that time and place and it felt very realistic and what I felt was an accurate representation of the time.
⭐️4/5 stars Dark, mysterious, a slow build!
One Word Kill – This was probably my least favourite of the three books although it was crucial in terms of establishing all of the scenes that will eventually become so important later in the series. I found it a little hard to get into personally, especially with all of the science/time travel/mathematical jargon that is used frequently throughout the book. Being how short it actually is I think Mark Lawrence did an excellent job adding depth and personality to each of the characters. I was a little bored at times but I was intrigued enough that I definitely had to continue on! ⭐️3/5 stars
Limited Wish – I really liked that there is a jump in time and Nick is a little bit older now. The setting is a lot more interesting as well and I found it very easy to fall back into the storyline. This book went a lot more in depth in terms of all the science and mathematics behind the time travel. At times I did find myself kind of skimming most of those conversations and trying to stay focused on what was actually happening. I liked the introduction of the new characters and we are given a lot more answers in this book to some of the questions that are set down in One Word Kill. I highly enjoyed the new setting and the development of the characters and their devotion to each other and to D&D. ⭐️4/5 stars
Dispel Illusion – This was fantastic! I liked that we jump from the different timelines and see kind of behind the scenes of what Nick was actually seeing all those years ago. The intricacies that Mark Lawrence had to put together and seeing the seeds sown in the first book ultimately come to fruition was highly engaging and super satisfying! Definitely took a turn I did not expect but better than what I had imagined was going to happen. Completely unpredictable and so much more fulfilling in a way. All of Demus’s secrets come to light and there are so many twists that bloomed unexpectedly that you cannot put this book down! ⭐️4.5/5 stars
This was fantastic!
Better!
Amy Leigh Reads 