The Damned By Renée Ahdieh

Goodreads Synopsis:

Following the events of The Beautiful, Sébastien Saint Germain is now cursed and forever changed. The treaty between the Fallen and the Brotherhood has been broken, and war between the immortals seems imminent. The price of loving Celine was costly. But Celine has also paid a high price for loving Bastien.

Still recovering from injuries sustained during a night she can’t quite remember, her dreams are troubled. And she doesn’t know she has inadvertently set into motion a chain of events that could lead to her demise and unveil a truth about herself she’s not quite ready to learn.

Forces hiding in the shadows have been patiently waiting for this moment for centuries. And just as Bastien and Celine begin to uncover the danger around them, they learn their love could tear them apart.

My Thoughts

We are thrown right in a few hours after the events in The Beautiful with Bastien becoming a vampire, and Celine giving up her memories of him. Now that Bastien is a vampire, we get to explore more of the world in which the supernatural inhabit. The Damned follows Bastien as he comes to terms with being a vampire, and how he can be ‘unmade’ which leads him into the fae realm of the Sylvan Vale and Wyld.

We are introduced to the mystical world of werewolves and vampires, and where they come from. We learn from Bastien the history and the ongoing feud between the two courts, why they are fighting and who wants what, why there is such a divide. There’s a lot of politics involved in this, and it was easy to follow and understand. The world that Adieh builds so so lush, and amazing. It feels as if you stepped through a mirror right into this world.  The romance is not overly done, but I wish there was more of it and more development between Celine and Bastien, even with Celine and Michael.

The twists at the end left me wanting more. Overall, The Damned was an enjoyable, beautifully written book. I tried to read some of The Righteous and I had to DNF at 110 pages. Maybe I’ll pick it up later but it was just… Not my cup of tea.

Tea Pairing: I paired this book with Raspberry Champagne from Denman Island Tea which I received from the Amoda Tea Subscription Box. It’s a white tea with natural raspberry extract. This was the perfect tea to pair with this book as it’s not too heavy and it goes so well with the atmosphere that Adieh created.

Let me know if you’ve read this book in the comments below!