The Beautiful and the Cursed
Author: Page Morgan
Series: The Dispossessed #1
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Mystery, Thriller, Fantasy, Gothic
Release Date: May 14, 2013
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Summary:
In Paris there are no grand balls or glittering parties, and, disturbingly, the house Ingrid’s twin brother, Grayson, found for them isn’t a house at all. It’s an abandoned abbey, its roof lined with stone gargoyles that could almost be mistaken for living, breathing creatures.
And Grayson has gone missing.
No one seems to know of his whereabouts but Luc, a devastatingly handsome servant at their new home.
Ingrid is sure her twin isn’t dead – she can feel it deep in her soul – but she knows he’s in grave danger, and that it’s up to her and Gabby to find him before all hope is lost.
The path to Grayson will be twisted, leading Ingrid to discover dark secrets and otherworldly truths that, once uncovered, can never again be buried.
First Sentence: The boy was late.
My Review:
Shame on me for not knowing that The Beautiful and the Cursed is a book focused on gargoyles in Paris. Seriously, shame. I mean, I should have at least suspected that when I looked at the back of the book cover right? I mean, how could I have not noticed? Thank goodness I picked up The Beautiful and the Cursed or I would have missed reading a book about gargoyles.
The Beautiful and the Cursed is told from four different point of views: Ingrid, Gabby, Grayson, and Luc. The thing is, at first, I thought the book was only told from Ingrid, Luc, and Grayson’s point of view, until I read on and discovered that The Beautiful and the Cursed was also told from Gabby’s point of view way later in the book, in page 50. From then on, The Beautiful and the Cursed mostly alternates between Ingrid and Gabby’s point of view, with very few sections told from Grayson and Luc’s point of view.
She was alone.
Just as all the other girls had been. (4)
The Beautiful and the Cursed is probably, I can’t be completely sure, the only book I’ve ever read focused on gargoyles. I love Page Morgan’s unique version of gargoyles and the role the gargoyles play in the city of Paris. In The Beautiful and the Cursed, gargoyles are only required to protect the humans that live in the abbey that they are assigned to. The gargoyles have their own laws, their own leader, and their own ways of doing things. The Beautiful and the Cursed is worth reading just for the gargoyles alone.
“Put your scales back on.”
Modesty. Such a human flaw. (297)
As I was reading The Beautiful and the Cursed, I could also tell that Page Morgan did a lot of research on Paris and London in the late 1800s. Her book was full of details about Paris and London – from the beautiful scenery to the differences between the societies of Paris and London.
The Beautiful and the Cursed has a love triangle, but it is not as annoying to read about like it is in other books with love triangles. The main reason why the love triangle in The Beautiful and the Cursed is not unbearable to read is because a) it’s obvious who the girl would choose in the end and b) it’s fairly obvious that one of the guy’s feelings isn’t returned. However, I can’t guarantee this for sure in the sequel of The Beautiful and the Cursed with the way the book ended.
“Gargoyles don’t love, but that doesn’t mean they don’t lust. That’s all it was…and that’s all it would ever be.” (338)
I have very mixed feelings about The Beautiful and the Cursed. The book started off strong – it immediately grabbed my attention and got me engaged with the story. However, as I read on, The Beautiful and the Cursed was keeping my attention less and less as it consists of Ingrid and Gabby learning things that we readers already know about from reading Luc’s point of view earlier on in the book. It wasn’t until the big reveal began – about two-thirds in the book – that The Beautiful and the Cursed kept me fully engaged in the book again because I finally had an idea of what was going on.
Overall, The Beautiful and the Cursed is a good read, especially if you want to read a book about gargoyles. However, I’m not sure yet if I want to read the sequel, The Lovely and the Lost. I do want to find out how the series concludes, but I’m afraid that the next books in the series would be another bumpy read for me.
I love books set in Paris that actually depict the city well. So that is definitely a plus for me! The fact that the author chose to write about gargoyles is so freakin unique! It is amazing that they have a political hierarchy as well. However, I am not too sure about the blandness of the reveal and the repetition of Gabby’s revelations. That would definitely kill the intrigue factor a bit for me. I would give it a try nonetheless because GARGOYLES.
Yeah, I was so amazed at the amount of research she did. I never knew that Paris and London had different society rules back then in the late 1800s, but they did.
And yes, gargoyles! My jaw literally dropped when I realized that the book was about gargoyles. There should definitely be more young adult books about gargoyles.
Yeah, the repetition during the middle of the book nearly killed me. I wish that it would move on to other things we don’t know about sooner.
I can’t wait to see what you think of the book Christine! :D
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I’m really happy you enjoyed this one overall, despite the middle part dragging a bit :( I’ve never read a book about gargoyles and the gothic feel just sweetens the deal!! Oh and don’t feel bad, I didn’t know it was about gargoyles either until a friend pointed it out LOL! Thanks for the insight & well-written review :)
Micheline @ Lunar Rainbows
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The awesome thing is, besides gargoyles, the book also has demons and HELLHOUNDS. I don’t know if you watch Pokemon, but I was picture Houndoom with red eyes as the hellhounds. :P
Kelly recently posted…Book Review: Unbreakable – Elizabeth Norris
Bumpy read or not, I need this book. That cover is just TOO pretty! And it’s about gargoyles; what other YA author has tackled gargoyles?! I won’t lie, I was pretty happy to hear that the author handles the gargoyle mythology well, even if the middle of the book lagged a bit.
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Yeah, I especially love the cover. The back cover is very pretty too! :D
I never thought I would be saying this, but I wish there were more YA books out there about gargoyles. Page Morgan’s version of gargoyles are so unique and creative and the book is definitely worth reading just so you can read about the gargoyles alone.
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I still haven’t read a book set in Paris, so this will be new to me and I hope I enjoy it! For some reason I can’t get into books set in foreign countries sometimes. Plus, gargoyles? This should definitely be interesting. Although I did read an indie YA book recently that included gargoyles and it was a pretty great book!
Does that mean that you’ve never read Anna and the French Kiss?! If you’ve never read it, read it asap! It will DEFINITELY get you into reading books set in Paris Rachel! ;D
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Cool review. I like that the story takes place in Paris and there are gargoyles instead of the regular vampires and werewolves. <3
Yep – The Beautiful and the Cursed is definitely unique for the fact that it has gargoyles. I mean, GARGOYLES.
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I’m sorry that you didn’t enjoy this one a ton. I don’t know why, but I devoured it. I loved it so much. The gargoyle thing was so appealing. I just loved it. I can’t wait for The Lovely and the Lost!
We all have different tastes Jaime. ;D
And I’m glad you loved this one so much, I can’t wait to get my hands on The Lovely and the Lost myself. :P
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A book focused on gargoyles?? I like it! I still haven’t read this book,
but it sounds very interesting and everything you said in your review
just makes me want to read it.
great review.
Yes, a book on gargoyles! It’s so unique, isn’t it? ;D
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I am intrigued by a book about gargoyles! So unique! I really like historical fiction too so I think I’ll give this one a try.
If you’re interested in gargoyles + love reading historical fiction books, this one is totally the book for you Susan! (:
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