Title: The Beautiful and the Cursed
Author: Page Morgan
Release date: May 14, 2013
Publisher: Random House
Page: 352
Source: ALA
Reading level: YA
Challenge: Debut author challenge
It was bizarre and inexplicable, and after it happened, Ingrid Waverly was forced to leave her life in London behind. She had to trade a world full of fancy dresses and society events for exile in gothic Paris with her mother and her younger sister, Gabby.
In Paris there are no grand balls or glittering parties, and disturbingly, the house rented by Ingrid’s twin brother, Grayson, isn’t a house at all. It’s an abbey. A creepy, old abbey with a roof lined in stone gargoyles that could almost be mistaken for living, breathing creatures.
And to top it all off, Grayson is missing.
Yet no one seems to be concerned about Grayson’s whereabouts save for Luc, a devastatingly handsome servant who has some deep and dark secrets of his own.
There’s one secret about the city that even Luc can’t keep hidden, though: there’s a murderer on the loose. And every day that Grayson is missing means there’s less chance he’s still alive.
Ingrid is sure her twin isn’t dead–she can feel it deep in her soul–but she knows that he’s in grave danger, and that it’s up to her and Gabby to find him before all hope is lost.
And yet the path to him is more dangerous than she could ever imagine.
Page Morgan’s debut novel, The Beautiful and the Cursed is just as beautiful inside as it is, outside. While the cover may be what originally drew me to the book, the writing and the story are what kept me reading!
I’ll start with the setting since that’s one of the things I loved most about The Beautiful and the Cursed. Paris in 1899. What more could you ask for? Well, how about mystery and intrigue and a possibly haunted abbey covered in stone gargoyles that are more than what they appear to be? Wow. I’ve always been a fan of historical fiction and while The Beautiful and the Cursed is more than that, it captures everything I love about traditional historical fiction. The setting is haunting and beautiful and makes me long to travel back in time to be able to visit the Paris that Ingrid Waverly and her family inhabit. The setting alone could have made me enjoy this book a lot but add in everything else and I completely adored it.
The paranormal aspect was probably the best part. How many books have you read about gargoyles? I’ve read one, now. The Beautiful and the Cursed is so far from your everyday paranormal story. I won’t give anything away but let’s just say that it’s super unique and so intriguing. I would love more original stories like Page Morgan’s.
The characters are easy to like from the very beginning. Even knowing nothing about them, I was drawn to the stories of the twins, Ingrid and Grayson. I loved the connection that they shared and while they were very different people, they truly loved each other. The relationship with the rest of the Waverly family was just as great. Gabby seemed a little dramatic but I quickly grew to like her. Luc was mysterious and handsome and while there was always something a little off about him, I did like him. If you are a person who is very character driven when it comes to reading, you’ll love The Beautiful and the Cursed.
Overall, The Beautiful and the Cursed is one fabulous book. It’s unique, beautifully written, and completely captivating. I hope to read more of this story in the future!
What others have to say about The Beautiful and the Cursed:
Just A Lil’ Lost‘s review: “There is certainly potential for more stories on those that call themselves the Dispossessed and it’s sure to be an equally mystical and demonic ride.”
Amaterasu Reads’ review: “A very entertaining debut for Paige Morgan, definitely!”
Series:
The Beautiful and the Cursed (#1)
PAGE MORGAN has been fascinated with les grotesques ever since she came across an old, black-and-white photograph of a Notre Dame gargoyle keeping watch over the city of Paris. The gargoyle mythologies she went on to research fed her imagination, and she became inspired to piece together her own story and mythology for these remarkably complex stone figures. Page lives in New Hampshire with her husband and their three children.
As part of the blog tour for The Beautiful and the Cursed, I have some trivia for everyone participating in the giveaways for two signed, annotated copies of The Beautiful and the Cursed. Make sure to check out Books Complete Me and Once Upon A Twilight‘s blogs for more information!
Team WAVERLY Trivia QUESTION: Gabby thinks __________ is a “handsome bore.” Fill in the blank!
Team DISPOSSESSED Trivia ANSWER: True!!
And for the second giveaway, enter using the Rafflecopter!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Oh my goodness, I am so glad to hear that this book was awesome. I’ve been looking forward to it, but also I was a little nervous, because what if it doesn’t live up to my expectations? But it sounds like I won’t be let down.
Also, I am very much drawn to character driven stories, so all the better!
Thanks for the review.
This book looks so great, and I’m so excited to hear you liked it! Gargoyles = instant sell for me. Bring on the interesting paranormal creatures (and the Parisian setting!)
I think reading about the gargoyles would be interesting or sure and the setting sounds amazing too. Great review.
Jenea @ Books Live Forever
The secret society aspect is what hooked me – and the family dynamics with the brother missing and the sisters. LOVED the sisters! They were both different but I loved them.