Title: The Beautiful Ones
Series: Standalone
Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Release date: October 24, 2017
Cliffhanger: No
Rating: 2 stars
MY REVIEW
There are some books you pick up and they immediately engross you, capturing your interest without pause. You flip through uncontrollably, pushed by a need to discover what's around the next corner until the very last page.
This is not one of those.
This is the kind with long (and boy, do I mean long) periods of waiting for something to happen. Then you have quick bursts of plot acceleration, that unfortunately in my case did not appease my nagging boredom. Don't misunderstand me, this book had a lot going for it, despite my frustrations. And that's why I pushed on, hoping for a breakthrough in how I was feeling. The story was unique with well-developed and genuine characters. Each one layered in realistic human emotion and flaws. The problem was, their flaws outnumbered their strengths and I ended up disliking every last one of them.
There were not two, but three main characters of this tale.
Hector, a man whose adult life has been completely consumed by the heartbreak his first love.
Antonina, a young and naive girl who is entirely too trusting and oblivious to the true nature of the people around her.
Valérie, a vicious and bitter woman whose stunning outer beauty does not match the festering ugliness of her heart.
The story is set in the city of Loisail, in what appears to be the late 1800s during the Grand Season. This was the marriage mart of the time where the Beautiful Ones (translation: the snooty, old money crowd) mingled and frowned upon basically everything. We are introduced to Hector, a wealthy man who came from nothing and earned every dime of his fortune using his gift of telekinesis. Known worldwide for his amazing tricks, he's proven himself to be a success. Except in matters of the heart. When his love and trust was cruelly betrayed years ago, it kindled a fire inside of him that never cooled. After a chance meeting with Nina, he sees an opportunity to make use of this sweet and unsophisticated girl. A deception that was doomed from the start to blow up in his face, which it did, and magnificently.
Every step he took was inspired by the echo of that long-lost love. Even now, Hector knew he was still possessed. Perhaps even more than before.
Nina had a lot of quirky qualities that I enjoyed. She was socially awkward, full of joy and energy, showed an utter disregard for etiquette and social niceties, and had a love of beetles that was quite cute. I tried to like her, and at times, she really was charming. But the fact that I knew she was being duped so cruelly from page one didn't do my impression of her any favors. She conveyed herself as a blushing, giggling girl that couldn't see past her infatuation or her eternal optimism.
Valérie was a despicable human being. In the beginning, you can almost sympathize with her in a way. Knowing how she gave up her youthful hopes of romance, and her own happiness for that of her family, you can't help but feel pity. But her selfish nature isn't helped by her husband's coddling and amiable moods. If anything, it feeds into her bitterness and rage.
Her grandmother eyed her as she would a goose being fattened for a feast, and the feast had come, and Valérie had bowed her neck in sacrifice.
As the book wore on, she grew progressively more selfish, vindictive, and every bit of empathy she had gained from me evaporated in the wind. She started to teeter on the edge of sanity, and at this point all I wanted was for her to be squashed like one of the pretty insects that Nina so lovingly collected. She was VILE.
The Beautiful Ones was what I would classify as a historical romance with hints of fantasy (due to the telekinesis element). This was a very small fraction of the book, and I must admit I was hoping that it would be heavier on the fantasy. I enjoyed seeing Nina and Hector's abilities come out, but it was not integral to the overall plot. The characters were well written, but were lost inside the slow moving pace, and not entirely likable for me personally. It took me quite a while to warm up to Hector at all, as he so carelessly played with Nina's tender trust for so long. Eventually, he did experience growth, and there was some groveling involved, but did I love him? No, he never made it to that point.
Silvia Moreno-Garcia's writing was beautifully done, and her style was one that I could see myself enjoying with a future story. I'd recommend this book to readers who enjoy a slow burn historical romance.
*Told in Third-Person Omniscient POV*
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