Genre: Historical Fiction
Published: April 27, 2021
Pages: 299
They are the Beautiful Ones, Loisail’s most notable socialites, and this spring is Nina’s chance to join their ranks, courtesy of her well-connected cousin and his calculating wife. But the Grand Season has just begun, and already Nina’s debut has gone disastrously awry. She has always struggled to control her telekinesis—neighbors call her the Witch of Oldhouse—and the haphazard manifestations of her powers make her the subject of malicious gossip.
When entertainer Hector Auvray arrives to town, Nina is dazzled. A telekinetic like her, he has traveled the world performing his talents for admiring audiences. He sees Nina not as a witch, but ripe with potential to master her power under his tutelage. With Hector’s help, Nina’s talent blossoms, as does her love for him.
But great romances are for fairytales, and Hector is hiding a truth from Nina — and himself—that threatens to end their courtship before it truly begins.
Silvia Moreno-Garcia's The Beautiful Ones is a charming tale of love and betrayal, and the struggle between conformity and passion, set in a world where scandal is a razor-sharp weapon.
When entertainer Hector Auvray arrives to town, Nina is dazzled. A telekinetic like her, he has traveled the world performing his talents for admiring audiences. He sees Nina not as a witch, but ripe with potential to master her power under his tutelage. With Hector’s help, Nina’s talent blossoms, as does her love for him.
But great romances are for fairytales, and Hector is hiding a truth from Nina — and himself—that threatens to end their courtship before it truly begins.
Silvia Moreno-Garcia's The Beautiful Ones is a charming tale of love and betrayal, and the struggle between conformity and passion, set in a world where scandal is a razor-sharp weapon.
I received a copy of this book through the Goodreads First Reads giveaway program. This is my honest review.
You know how they say you should never judge a book by its cover? I would say that's very true for this book, at least with the current cover. My copy has a different cover, and I wouldn't have read it when I did without that cover. And I would have missed out on a pretty good book.
I was so frustrated that Hector was still so obsessed with Valerie when Nina was clearly such a good fit for him and he for her. But I was also annoyed that he was using her just to get close to Valerie again, so a part of me also wanted Nina to decide she wanted nothing to do with him. The way her allowed and encouraged Nina to be herself and use her skills in spite of it not being "ladylike" sort of made up for the way he used her. It's weird how we'll ignore some major red flags in the name of fiction.
Overall I give The Beautiful Ones 4.7395 out of 5 stars. - Katie
Silvia Moreno-Garcia is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels Mexican Gothic, Gods of Jade and Shadow, Untamed Shore, and many other books. She has also edited several anthologies, including the World Fantasy Award-winning She Walks in Shadows (a.k.a. Cthulhu's Daughters).
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