[Book & Audiobook Review] The Beautiful and the Cursed by Page Morgan

AUDIOBOOK
The Beautiful and the Cursed
UNABRIDGED
By Page Morgan
Narrated By Katharine McEwan
Length: 12 hrs and 31 mins
Release Date: 05-14-13
PUBLISHER Listening Library
Buy the Audiobook: Audible 
Buy the book: Amazon

It was bizarre and inexplicable, but after it happened no one spoke of it and 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 Paris with her mother and younger sister, Gabby.

In Paris there are no grand balls or glittering parties, and, disturbingly, the house her twin brother, Grayson, found for them isn't a house at all. It's an abbey. A creepy, old abbey with a roof lined in stone gargoyles that one could almost mistake for living, breathing creatures.

And Grayson is missing.

Yet no one seems to be concerned about Grayson's whereabouts save for Luc, a devastatingly handsome servant who has some secrets of his own.

There's one secret about the city that he can't keep hidden, though. There's a murderer on the loose. And every day Grayson is missing means that there's less of a chance he's alive.

Ingrid is sure her twin isn't dead - she can feel it deep in her soul - but she knows he's in grave danger, and that it's up to her and Gabby to find him before all hope is lost.

Only the path to him is more than she could ever imagine.

First, I wasn’t expecting to love this story as much as I did. Andye asked me to help her review some books before they were published and I grabbed this one because looked just okay. But mostly because it was an audio copy. I love my audio books.

But, I was blown away. This series, The Dispossessed, is so the next Infernal Devices! It really was a lot like the clockwork books, by Cassandra Clare, except there weren’t any demon-infused-machines in this just-shy-of-Steampunk world. In fact, this reminded me so much of Infernal Devices that I was expecting one of the main characters, Ingrid, to save herself in a similar way to how Tessa Gray did in Clockwork Princess. But Ingrid didn’t. Which made me respect the author, Page Morgan even more. She made something new and beautiful in a style that we all love.

The Beautiful and the Cursed takes place in Paris, which was fun for me because I recently went to there and my imagination to soar. I just loved the context of this story, the secret society it held, and the secrets of the under (and over?) world that the readers (and the main characters) encounter.

There are two main characters in this story, a set of sisters, Ingrid and Gabriella. They are both pretty awesome, but I think the story is a little more about Ingrid then Gabriella. As soon as the sisters arrive in Paris, they discover things are have gone wrong. Not only are girls being brutally murdered (a fact everyone seems too reluctant to share with them) but their brother is missing.

It doesn’t take Ingrid and Gabriella long to get into trouble- one almost getting killed by some unfathomless creature and the other discovering a murdered man. Soon the girls are finding their way into the secret alliance and discovering the truth of the underworld they must fight.

All while the dispossessed, the gargoyle guardians which are required to protect their own turf of humans, are trying to discover what Ingrid’s secret power is- one she has no clue she even had. And maybe more importantly, her gargoyle might be falling for her, while she is unaware that this type of romance is strictly forbidden.

Honestly, I have never read a gothic fiction before and know pretty much nothing about gargoyle mythology. It was a familiar style but totally fresh!

Good? Yes! There is a lot of romance, including the formation of some love triangles. There is a lot of action- there is mystery, intrigue, and well, exciting fight scenes. It only gets better when we start hearing from Edward, the brother, underground. When reading this story, you can feel everything culminating, you know to an extent what is going to happen- but the story drags you on, you’re like a fish on a line, pulled through the words of suspense until it gets all wrapped up.

Of course, not everything is wrapped up. I am so excited for the next book!

There was nothing in the book I particularly didn’t like. I really liked the reader of the audio book too, which was great. (Listen to a sample)

Content: If I remember correctly there was only mild language, but Andye always tells me I forget too easily the language. I think that it was like “European” bad language, if anything. The violence was a little more gory than my average read, making it heavier good vs. evil violence. Those hell hounds are some nasty creatures.  There was a moderate sexual content, and in addition, I will warn you, we know that Luke was naked for brief moments as he changed in-between forms.

By Elisa (@AverageAdvocate) at www.AverageAdvocate.com

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