Rating: 5/5
Blurb (taken from Goodreads):
From the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic comes a sweeping romance with a dash of magic.
They are the Beautiful Ones, Loisail’s most notable socialites, and this spring is Nina’s chance to join their ranks, courtesy of her well-connected cousin and his calculating wife. But the Grand Season has just begun, and already Nina’s debut has gone disastrously awry. She has always struggled to control her telekinesis—neighbors call her the Witch of Oldhouse—and the haphazard manifestations of her powers make her the subject of malicious gossip.
When entertainer Hector Auvray arrives to town, Nina is dazzled. A telekinetic like her, he has traveled the world performing his talents for admiring audiences. He sees Nina not as a witch, but ripe with potential to master her power under his tutelage. With Hector’s help, Nina’s talent blossoms, as does her love for him.
But great romances are for fairytales, and Hector is hiding a truth from Nina—and himself—that threatens to end their courtship before it truly begins. The Beautiful Ones is a charming tale of love and betrayal, and the struggle between conformity and passion, set in a world where scandal is a razor-sharp weapon.
Review:
Several years ago, I fell in love with Pride and Prejudice. Most recently, I fell in love with Bridgerton. This weekend, I had the pleasure of falling for The Beautiful Ones. Gorgeous gowns, lavish parties, dramatic romance and a quirky heroine that I’d just love to befriend; all three of these stories fit the bill and I quite confidently recommend The Beautiful Ones to anyone who enjoys these other two.
This is the second book from Silvia Moreno-Garcia that I have the pleasure of reading, and while I truly enjoyed Mexican Gothic, this one was my favourite. It’s a dramatic tale that keeps you on the edge of your seat with a whirlwind of betrayal and manipulative actions that would have kept Lady Whistledown quite occupied (okay, enough Bridgerton references for one post!) This is a romance novel (dare I call it a love triangle if it’s much more complex than that?) at its core and there’s plenty of angst and pining, and it’s just a good old-fashioned, slow-burn love story.
The strength of this book is definitely the characters, however. It’s more character-driven than plot-driven like Mexican Gothic was, but I adored it. The three point of views (Nina’s, Hector’s and Valérie’s) were excellent; all characters were very well developed and I loved all three for wildly different reasons. I loved Nina’s youthful energy and Hector’s internal struggles, but Valérie was just such a gorgeous antagonist that I think she was my favourite.
I am hoping more and more to see Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s books on the big screen, someday. I would most definitely see this one as a popular film; although reading this novel already treated me to a film in my own mind, sort of – thanks to the beautifully written prose.
I’d like to thank Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
#thebeautifulones
#netgalley