Release Date ~ May 14, 2013
Delacorte Books for Young Readers ~ Random House
ISBN13: 9780385743112
Review copy received from Random House Canada for review
Goodreads Synopsis:
After a bizarre accident, Ingrid Waverly is forced to leave London with her mother and younger sister, Gabby, trading a world full of fancy dresses and society events for the unfamiliar city of Paris.
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. It will be up to her and Gabby to navigate the twisted path to Grayson, a path that will lead Ingrid on a discovery of dark secrets and otherworldly truths. And she’ll learn that once they are uncovered, they can never again be buried.
The Beautiful and the Cursed is an incredible gothic story with features I enjoy having in a book, yet Page Morgan includes enough fresh content to completely captivate me while reading.
The first book in The Dispossessed series is a little bit historical fiction with some paranormal elements - but most of all, it's delightfully mysterious!
- A paranormal story featuring gargoyles:
I've read all sorts of paranormal books (from vampires, to faeries, to werewolves, et al) but I've yet to read a story about gargoyles. I'm also less familiar with gargoyle mythology, so this was completely new and exciting to me as a reader. It's very cool to read about, and it really set this book apart from others for me. Gargoyles are seriously underrated! - Unexpected characters:
I honestly thought that I had Ingrid and her sister Gabby all figured out at the beginning of the story, along with the main male characters. So imagine my surprise when these characters (particularly the two sisters) ended up being completely unpredictable. There's much more to them than meets the eye, and I think they are going to continue to grow and develop in latter books and I can't wait to see what incredible fighters they become by the end. - A creepy, macabre storyline:
I like my books to be a little dark, because I find them more engaging that way. The Beautiful and the Cursed definitely did not disappoint in this way! There's so much going on with the mysterious murders, and I was racing along with Ingrid and Gabby to uncover what was happening in Paris.
I'll admit that I'm not (yet) sold on much of the romance, because it all felt rather sudden and artificial in some ways. It just felt like there was too much, way too soon. But at the same time, I still felt drawn into it and I'm looking forward to the next book in this series to find out more of what happens and how the characters grow.
So what I want to know from you is:
You just moved in to an old creepy house in Paris. Dead bodies of young women have been turning up in the city... do you go exploring to uncover the truth? How adventurous are you?Keep reading for some very exciting news...
The second book in the Dispossessed series, The Lovely and the Lost, is coming out on May 13, 2014 which is exciting and SOON!
But for those of you who haven't read the first book (or you just want your own hardcover), I have a signed copy from when I met Page Morgan at a Random House Canada event last year for one of you lucky, lucky readers!!
