Over the past few years, Silvia Moreno-Garcia has garnered the attention of readers and critics alike with her novels Gods of Jade and Shadow and Mexican Gothic. This year, bibliophiles will have the opportunity to revisit one of her earlier works, The Beautiful Ones (originally published in 2017), with a gorgeous new paperback edition out from Tor Books. Fans of the rigid class rules, society drama, and love stories of period pieces like Edith Wharton’s classic The Age of Innocence and the hit Netflix series Bridgerton (based upon Julia Quinn’s books) are sure to be intrigued by this tale!
Young Antonina Beaulieu is spending the spring with her cousin Gaétan and his wife Valérie in the fashionable city of Loisail. This is her debut and her family’s job is to guide her for the very first time through the soirées and scandals which mark the Grand Season. She stands out from the city dwellers, however, and not in a good way according to the prim and proper society ladies. The young woman prefers to go by Nina instead of Antonina, she abhors the dresses Valérie chooses for her, and she possesses a bit of magic which has caused endless gossip over the years. But Nina is not a witch, as others may like to call her; she is telekinetic.
It is no great surprise when Nina is immediately drawn to a handsome man by the name of Hector Auvray, a performer who possesses the same extraordinary ability to move things with his mind. For years he has travelled the world, making quite a living from this talent, but now he has returned to settle down in Loisail. As they come to know each other, Hector begins teaching Nina how to harness her gift. And as her skills grow, so does her admiration for her teacher. The past holds a great secret, however, and her family is not so keen to approve of a match with an entertainer, a man with new money as opposed to a well-established family pedigree. Will these unwritten rules of society stop headstrong Nina from pursuing what she wants — not just a suitable match as defined by the elite, but rather a man she truly loves who will sweep her off her feet just like her beloved romance stories?
Weaving hints of magic throughout a more common tale of high society, Moreno-Garcia has written a novel with broad appeal across genres. Not too heavy in supernatural elements for those who aren’t regular fantasy readers, The Beautiful Ones explore the lives of those so-named for their beauty and wealth alongside the “New People,” those who are newly rich with modern (and therefore less acceptable) views. In a world where class equals power and influence, those with privilege set the rules of how one must behave, what they should wear, and who they may or may not associate with. Women’s freedoms, in particular, are sharply restricted, their happiness not of importance in a time when family name and worth are deemed the two most important criteria for selecting a suitable husband.
Pushing the bounds of this society’s guidelines, Moreno-Garcia explores what happens when a young woman lives life on her own terms rather than sacrificing her happiness to meet the expectations of others. Full of sweeping drama, unrequited love, passionate devotion, and more than a few objects lifted into the air by the power of the mind, The Beautiful Ones is an entertaining and romantic read.
The Beautiful Ones is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of April 27th 2021. Many thanks to Tor Books for providing me with an advance copy of this novel. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
Will you be picking up The Beautiful Ones? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
From the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic comes a sweeping romance with a dash of magic.
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. 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.
