This was the book that helped me breathe a little bit easier after finishing Kingdom of Ash. This was the book that helped me survive my ToG hangover.
*CONTAINS MILD SPOILERS*
“But even when she gave nothing, he was happy because she was everything.”
–Silvia Moreno Garcia
What Is It About?
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 in 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.
My Opinion
4/5⭐
The Beautiful Ones (TBO) wasn't a book I chose. My dad gave it to me on my 24th birthday. He asked someone at B&N for a book similar to the books I've read (how sweet of him!). This was my first time reading Silvia Moreno, and I fell in love with her. The way she writes is just divine and so poetic. I can't wait to read more of her (especially Mexican Gothic).
And after Throne of Glass, I needed something, quick, small standalone to help me endure all the pain I went through. I was so afraid of going into a reading slump… who wouldn't be after the heartache SJM gave us with KoA?!
So I started reading TBO on a vacation we took to Los Cabos, and well… I finished it in a day and a half!! That's how good was it.
TBO was different from my typical books, but it was refreshing nonetheless. Even though it doesn't have a lot of fantasy (or smut), it has the exact dose of romance and magic to be a pick-me-up after suffering ToG. It was like a book written by the Brontë sisters and Jane Austen but with fantasy.
It takes place in the 19th century in a city similar to Paris, where people are classified by how much money they own. The wealthy elites are known as the "Beautiful Ones. Their lives are perfect, even though everybody has their secrets. So what happens when somebody who used to live there comes back with a plan of getting back his lover? Only to find out she is already married. Well, for Hector, the perfect idea was to get along with Nina. I thought it would be a boring and dreadful love triangle trope (which I despised), but oh no. It was much better!
Hector has a supernatural ability: he is telekinetic. And even though he is rich, a gentleman, and makes shows with his talent for the Beautiful Ones, he is still considered an outsider. He returns to Loisail with only one purpose: to win back his teenage love.
On the other hand, we have our FMC. Nina was born into an elite family but has lived on the outskirts of the city on a farm. She was sent to the Loisail to find a husband while living with her cousin and her wife, Valérie. Valérie has the plan to teach Nina how to become a Beautiful One. But from the beginning, I felt she had an evil stepmother's vibe. And damn, I was right. She was always mean and rude to Nina even when she tried her best to please Valérie by being a modest and quiet girl.
Valérie truly is a villain in this story. She only thinks of herself and what other people think of her. She lives in glory and has a good husband who surrounds her with jewels and stunning gowns, but she is still bitter and heartless. You truly learn to despise her, and at the same time, you understand her reasons. I love when you hate a character because it means the author does an excellent job.
Nina is just this cute naive girl. She was always asking questions and being curious. And just like Hector, she has the same telekinetic ability. But because it was very un-lady and not and something not fit for the Beautiful Ones, she had to constantly hide it. She was untrained and ignorant of the depth of her powers, causing her to be volatile and able to display them with strong emotions.
So when she meets Hector, she learns she is not alone. She finds him interesting, and she's drawn to him. One reason I loved Nina was she always saw the good in people. She was very optimistic and romantic. She was the black sheep and outsider of society, and that hit home. I have always felt that way. Being the one who "is weird" has been a label on sooooo many people. If something books have given us, it's that we have a voice that puts words into a paper expressing how we feel. It makes us feel like we are not alone. And that's why I'm beyond grateful for the community of Bookstagram. The Cauldron blessed us by making the stars listen to us (IYKYK).
TBO is an easy read, and the story plot goes smoothly. And if I'm honest, it had me on the edge of anticipation for what would happen. And even though I kinda guess the ending, it was just perfect. Throughout the story, we follow how Nina falls in love with Hector. And Hector uses this to his advantage to get his old love: Valérie. Though it fell into a bit of a messy love triangle, it was good. Especially since I hate love triangles, but Silvia wrote it enjoyably.
Hector and Valérie made me want to throw the book so many times! Nina deserved so much better. But she became a powerful woman. Pushed the limits of society's expectations of women and social standards. Nina decided to live on her terms rather than sacrifice her happiness and please everybody. So if Nina taught me something is that, even though society sees us as the "weirdos" and tells us not to speak our minds, we need to own our weirdness and enjoy it. We need to step outside the mold and do the things we love. So keep reading, keep being weird, and most importantly, keep being a book dragon.
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