NICOLE'S REVIEW + Novel Nails #4: The Beautiful and the Cursed by Page Morgan

Title: The Beautiful and the Cursed
Author: Page Morgan
Format Acquired: Hardcover

Publication Date: May 14 2013

Publishing House: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

ISBN: 9780385743112
Source of Copy: Fully Booked

Summary: 

After a bizarre accident, Ingrid Waverly is forced to leave London with her mother and her younger sister, Gabby, trading a world full of fancy dresses and society events for the unfamiliar city f Paris.

In Paris there are no grand balls, or glittering parties for Ingrid, and, disturbingly, the house her twin brother, Grayson, was sent ahead to secure for the family 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 is missing.

Yet no one seems worried about his whereabouts save for 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, and that it's up to her and Gabby to find him before all hope is lost.

The path to Grayson will be twisted, leading Ingrid to discover dark secrets and otherwordly truths that, once uncovered, can never again be buried.

(Image and information courtesy of Goodreads; Summary lifted from actual book)

Review:

I was on the lookout for something different when I came across this. I mean, gargoyles? I haven't read a book with gargoyles in it so I thought, yeah, why not?  

Moving to Paris in light of the scandal Ingrid caused, she finds herself stuck in an abbey which her brother secured for the family. To start anew, they said. No balls or parties, but what's worse is that Ingrid's brother is strangely missing and no one seems to care save Ingrid and her sister. Then there's the creepy gargoyle statues along the roof which Ingrid may or may not have seen move and Luc, a servant who is oddly antagonized by her presence. But those things don't matter, not when Grayson, brother and Ingrid's twin, is missing and it's up to her and her sister to find him.

The Beautiful and the Cursed is told in the alternating points of view of Ingrid, Luc and Gabby. Grayson's too, once in a while. What to say about the characters... for one, I wasn't too fond of Gabby. She's too quick to anger and can't keep her mouth shut and is at times childish and selfish, then there's that odd romance with that Scotsman which I find amusing, and not in a good way. Nolan, said Scotsman, seems to be too mature for Gabby and they just didn't fit, its like they were playing at a relationship. Her sister Ingrid I liked better. She's smart, determined and I was surprised at how well she took gargoyles into stride. Open-minded? Before I move on though, can I mention that she starts developing powers? Yeah. Superpowers. 

It's during Luc's point of view that I got to learn about the gargoyles. They're ugly, they hate demons, they have this uncanny urge to protect any and all humans that reside in their territory, they committed a heinous crime against a holy man during their life which turned them into gargoyles upon death. And lastly they are kept in check by the angels. Yes. There are angels and demons in this book too - tolerable because the angels don't make much of an appearance and demons... well, they just want to take over the world as usual. 

This book also features a love triangle. Ingrid and Luc, the handsome servant who turns into a gargoyle and Ingrid and Vander, the also handsome shop owner who also has powers and is part of that obscure group of people who help protect innocent people from those nasty, nasty demons. 

It's towards the end that things get messy; bad angels, bad demons, gargoyles, traitors, fight scenes and  kissing scenes abound. Things get a little confusing but the author somehow clears a little bit of it up. Hopefully the next book provides more answers. If you're looking for a paranormal read that's got no vampires or werewolves in it then maybe you'd like to check this one out. 

Rating:

      

"Novel Nails" is a feature of the blog that showcases nail art inspired by books and their covers. Nail art will be created by either Michelle or Nicole and will be featured alongside their reviews.

Yes. Nicole again for Novel Nails. As you all can see, this week it's inspired by Page Morgan's The Beautiful and the Cursed. I wanted to try and capture the whole smoke-ish effect on the cover through marbling. Actually...I'm not even sure if what I did is considered marbling. 

Here's a list of the nail polish I used.

Base: Zoya Jacqueline

Marbling effect: China Glaze Peachy Keen and

 a bottle of skin food polish I unearthed...

Tips: Orly Liquid Vinyl

Left hand.

Both hands. I actually like my right hand better which is surprising. And if you look at the picture carefully the focal point is my right hand ring finger. Sorry.

With the book. I'm all matchy-matchy.

Another close up.

That's it! I hope you liked my mani. It's kinda simple and I hope this week's feature has better pictures than the last few. Sorry! I'm still getting the hang of taking shots of my nails. All photos were taken under natural lighting with a DSLR and a tripod which I forgot I owned.

Thank you! Feel free to check out our other Novel Nails features and if you want to see my past nail art, just head on over to instagram and look for 
nicolereadsbooks.