Review: The Damned by Renée Ahdieh
“What you are has no bearing on who you become, Sébastien. Man or demon, that is entirely up to you. It is never too late to chase the better version of yourself.”
The Basics
Title: The Damned (The Beautiful #2)
Author: Renée Ahdieh
Published: 2020
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons — Penguin Random House
Pages: 401
Format: Hardcover
Genres: Fiction — Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Young adult, Fantasy romance, Urban fantasy, Young adult fantasy, Paranormal romance, Historical fiction, Reconstruction Era fiction, Historical romance, Reconstruction Era romance
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Book Synopsis
Picking up right where The Beautiful left off, Sébastien has been turned into a vampire in exchange for Celine’s memories of him. Now, he must come to terms with the loss of not only his humanity but also the love that he and Celine shared. Besides these personal losses, his transformation into one of the Fallen has also broken the fragile treaty existing between his people and the Brotherhood. Years ago, his uncle had promised the Brotherhood that no more vampires would be made in New Orleans, yet here he stands – a newly minted vampire. It is only a matter of time before the Brotherhood retaliates.
Meanwhile, Celine is recovering from the injuries that she sustained during the attack against her in the Saint Louis Cathedral, and she is struggling to remember the events of that night. Slowly, however, hazy memories begin to resurface, and when she encounters Sébastien, she cannot shake the feeling that she knows him and that he is the key to her uncovering what happened to her that fateful night. As she pursues the truth, she rediscovers information, as well as unearths a secret that draws into question everything she thought she knew about herself.
My Review & Overall Thoughts
TLDR: Read and enjoyed The Beautiful? Fear not, you’ll like this sequel.
The Damned is everything I could have hoped for (and then some) in a sequel to The Beautiful. It features brilliant character development, world expansion, romance, and a twist or two for good measure. Rest assured, if you liked The Beautiful, you will not be disappointed by this sequel.
Part of what makes The Damned so enjoyable is its multiple-points-of-view format. Whereas The Beautiful is told largely from the perspective of Celine, the point of view changes from one chapter to the next in The Damned. Nearly all of the characters have at least one chapter written from their perspective: Bastien, Odette, Jae, Émilie, Pippa, Michael, Arjun, and of course, Celine. These multiple points of view help to flesh out such characters as Odette and Jae, who were more peripheral in The Beautiful. We gain a better sense of their personal histories, as well as get a glimpse into their minds, and in doing so, they come to seem more lifelike (well, as lifelike as vampires can ever seem).
Although all major players are given a voice, one character is paid particular attention: Bastien. Not only does he have more chapters than any other character, but his chapters are also the only ones written in the first person and present tense. Every other character is written about in the third person and past tense, as if to underscore the fact that Bastien is the character whose story we are meant to focus upon. The other characters’ stories are things of the past, whereas his is unfolding in real time before our very eyes. We are right there alongside him as he struggles to come to terms with his loss of humanity, and we are also there when he decides to not be defined by what he is but rather who he can become. By the end of the book, not only did I feel as though I had a fairly deep understanding of his character, but I had also become quite invested in his story arc. Having witnessed all of the difficulties that he has had to overcome firsthand, I want his character to find happiness and ultimately, be given a good ending at the series’ conclusion (fingers crossed).
In addition to Bastien’s character development, another highlight of this book is the romance between him and Celine. Their relationship feels more mature and deeper compared to how it was in the previous book. In this book, they have to examine their love for one another and determine if it is worth defying not only their families but also a centuries’ old blood feud. They have to fight and risk everything for their love.
This book also sees the story transform from something paranormal and quasi-fantasy into a fantasy through and through. The world is expanded beyond the bounds of the mortal world into the Otherworld, and with this expansion comes an introduction of new mythical creatures, including faeries and goblins. We also learn about the history of the Otherworld and its constituent realms, the Sylvan Vale and Sylvan Wild, and in doing so, we come to better understand the context behind the events of this book and presumably, those of the next book too.
As with the previous book, The Damned keeps you on your toes. There are surprises (most of the not-so-pleasant variety) and twists, as well as a general sense of uncertainty, that keep you turning the pages. It is an engrossing and highly readable book, which once you start, you won’t want to stop. Trust me, I binge read this in a little over a day.
The not so good
Celine’s memory loss is a bit drawn out. We do not find out whether she will recover all of her memories until pretty much the end of the book.
Another critique of mine relates to the Bastien-Celine-Michael love triangle. Namely, it is not entirely believable. Celine’s uncertainty about her relationship with Michael prevented me from ever buying into their relationship. I suspected that their relationship had an end date, and consequently, I never worried that Celine would choose Michael over Bastien. All the love triangle accomplished was to make me feel sorry for Michael, as he clearly got the short end of the stick. To be fair though, the love triangle does set certain events into motion that will play out in the next book.
Lastly, the ending leaves you hanging. So as to not spoil anything, I’ll just say that a lot happens at the end, and you are left wondering what will happen next. So, if you are reading this review before the publication of the third book, know that if you read The Damned, you are going to be left in the lurch for a little while.
Overall
The Damned is a satisfying and highly enjoyable sequel to The Beautiful. I look forward to continuing the series.
Have you read The Damned? If so, let me know what you thought of it in the comments section below!
