Beautiful Ones

I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.I can confidently say that I think Silvia Moreno-Garcia is one of the best writers ever. Her style and ability to craft a narrative is unmatched in my opinion. After reading and loving Gods of Jade and Shadow, I have slowly been making my way through the rest of her books. When I saw this one was up on NetGalley, I could not pass up the chance.The Beautiful Ones was originally published in 2017, but it is getting a reissue in paperback this year. I remember struggling to track down the original hardcover of this book and Certain Dark Things because they were out of print, so I am very excited that readers are getting another chance to pick up a copy!If you know of this author because you read and enjoyed Mexican Gothic, you should know that this story is very different. Silvia Moreno-Garcia does not stick with one certain genre or style. Every book I have read by her has been completely unique and different than the last. The Beautiful Ones is no exception to this. It is a novel of manners with a hint of fantasy. The story itself follows Antonina Beaulieu as she travels to Loisail to stay with her cousin Gaétan and his wife Valérie for the Grand Season. She meets the Beautiful Ones, or notable socialites, and is expected to make friends and find a suitor. Nina does not really fit in as a “proper lady” like she is expected to, especially since she struggles to control her telekinesis. However, she is drawn to a telekinetic performer named Hector Auvray who helps her learn more about controlling her abilities. Nina falls head over heels for him in the process, but Hector is hiding a big secret that could hurt Nina and ruin their relationship.There is a lot of drama and romance to the point where it feels like a classic Jane Austen novel in some ways. I loved this because it is something I have not seen done by the author before. I really appreciate how she cannot be defined by one style and excellently pulls off whatever she chooses.One thing I think this author is known for her is impeccable writing. It is so beautiful and atmospheric. I really enjoy how it works to pull you into the narrative more. I have seen others say that the writing is slower, and I would agree to an extent. It feels like a slow build and burn compared to other books. It is not slow as in boring, but it is just the style that is consistent between her books. I know it is not for everyone, but I absolutely adore it!The story itself was so entertaining, but I appreciate how it comments on other important concepts like societal and familial expectations. Through the main characters, we see how people deal with pressure and conformity. This can be really difficult to manage when you are also figuring out what you want for yourself. Making the right decisions for yourself can be hard when you always have to worry about what others will think. Beyond that, I enjoyed the conversation this book had about love, heartbreak, and moving on.I thought the characters and character development were really solid in this book. It was interesting to see how they played off one another and dealt with different expectations. I really liked Hector and Nina, so I was rooting for them the whole time. I like that the author allowed them to grow not only for the sake of their romantic feelings but as individuals as well. I also really liked how Nina and Valérie show the different ways people manage societal exceptions. Nina stays true to herself and does not quite agree with most things that are expected of her. On the other hand, Valérie deeply cares about these things. She has had to make tough choices for herself and her family, but it makes her seem cold and selfish. Both characters work to show what it means to resist or go along with outside pressures.I have said it before and I will continue to say it, Silvia Moreno-Garcia is an auto-buy author for me. She has never let me down, and that is something I do not understand. I am beginning to think she has some kind of magical powers because every time I read one of her books I give it five stars. Her writing is just that good. I really do think The Beautiful Ones is something that a lot of readers will love, and I cannot recommend it enough!*Content warnings: arranged marriage, gun violence*Thank you to the publisher, Tor/Forge, and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book before its release on April 27, 2021.

I don't read many historical romances, but Silvia Moreno Garcia won me over with her alternate world, the hint of magic, and these complicated, believable, engaging characters. The two lovers are driven apart time and again by a truly villainous and truly plausible villain. Main characters and secondary characters are deeply developed and the lush writing, especially the attention to tiny details, like the roses, the beetles, even a pot of tea and a plate of lemon slices in a tea house on a rainy day, made the book a joy to read. I wondered how the author was going to pull off the ending without dipping into cliche, and she managed it. Don't expect magical pyrotechnics; just read this book so you can cheer for star-crossed lovers Hector and Nina.By the way, this book is marketed as an historical romance with a little bit of telekinesis, and that is accurate. I didn't expect there to be a telekinetic war in the final pages, so I wasn't disappointed.The contents match the label on the tin in this case.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s The Beautiful Ones is a character-driven novel that combines fantasy and romance in a eloquent story rapt with emotion. Antonina “Nina” Beaulieu has been invited to stay with her cousin in Loisail for her first Grand Season. The city is a far cry from Nina’s home in the country, but she can’t help but see its appeal when she meets the mysterious Hector Auvray. A gifted telekinetic, Hector has risen to prominence performing for audiences across the globe. When Hector begins courting Nina, she’s convinced that they are meant to be. Hector, however, has a ulterior motive, one that will bring Nina’s world crashing down.Moreno-Garcia juggles three perspectives and does a masterful job of fleshing out each character, making them feel real to the reader and allowing each to have their strengths as well as their faults. Nina is more comfortable trying to catch beetles and butterflies than a potential husband. Not the kind of young woman that suitors line up for in a city like Loisail, Nina finds rules regarding etiquette to be stifling. It doesn’t help that her telekinetic ability often manifests at inopportune times. While those in Loisail can appreciate such a talent as a means of entertainment, it is not something suitable for ladies to display. Nina is markedly younger than the other two characters and it very much shows. Hopelessly romantic and naive about the world, Nina is easily taken in. She believes the very best about people because she has never been exposed to those who would use others for their own gain. Her inexperience opens her up to plenty of heartache. Though her openness was one of the first things I admired about her, her growth as a character made me appreciate her even more. I loved that Moreno-Garcia took the most humble of the three characters and allowed her to develop and show strength unparalleled.Hector is not a character that you immediately fall in love with. Yes, in some ways, he can be seen as simply a tragic figure. Coming from nothing, Hector has managed to accumulate the kind of wealth that people in Loisail are either born with or marry into. While trying to recognize this dream, he ended up losing his first love in the process. His choice to court Nina only as a means to get close to another instinctively made me bristle. That being said, his is a really rewarding character arc as he is forced to confront his own naivety. Even as a grown man, he still has a lot to learn. Hector learns to see the past and present how they are and now how he wishes them to be.At times I wanted to dislike Valérie wholeheartedly, but Moreno-Garcia has created such a complicated character that it’s difficult not to admire her in some way. Valérie was pressured into marrying Nina’s cousin Gaeten in order to save her family from financial ruin. But lest you think she is some tragic figure, Valérie is also vain, resentful, and prone to jealousy. She often regards Nina with disdain because, unlike her, Nina has more freedom to choose who she marries. Nina also has the love of her cousin, something Valérie doesn’t necessarily want, but which her proud personality demands. She’s an incredibly manipulative person who is much more comfortable being cruel than sentimental. For her, loving someone means they have power over her and she refuses to be under another’s thumb. There’s no way to justify Valérie’s every decision, but because she is such a well-developed character, I understood why she did the things she did and this ultimately made her an exceptional antagonist.The Beautiful Ones showcases just how versatile and gifted a writer Silvia Moreno-Garcia is. The world she builds is very easy to fall in love with and my only criticism is that I wanted to see more of the telekinetic aspect. Still, there are few books that leave me feeling completely satisfied and The Beautiful Ones is one of them.

I’m not very fond of romance books, but this one made me cry, made me laugh and made my heart warm, I truly loved this book.

Fue abrirlo y no parar hasta terminar de leerlo. Llegado en perfectas condiciones.

This novel ist set in a world very similar to 19th century France. It follows a young woman who has to come to terms with an unusual talent she has and also with the demands of society by which she is being pressured to behave in a "proper" way. While I found this novel quite entertaining and well-written, I would have liked it better if it had not been so predictable and if the characters had not been so black-and-white.

I found out about this book from an article on Bookriot when I was looking for a light romance with a magic or fantasy element. I liked this one because it also read as a historical romance... one of my favourite genre.In the book, Nina, has come to stay with her loving cousin Gaetan and his horrid but beautiful wife VeronicaBut it disappointed me on several levels. One was apart from the main female character, Nina, all the others felt rather half baked and tiresome.

I bought this book because it came recommended on a list of new books.The writing was quite good but I found it distracting that I couldn't put it in any context geographically or historically. The people had French names but the cities are not French ones although the author had used place names are genuine to represent them. Perhaps that won't bother other readers but I lost interest in the whole story and skipped to the end just to see how it would finish.A friend who read it loved it so maybe you will too.