★★★★½With darkly atmospheric vibes and gothic romantic vibes, Morgan’s world of angels, demons, dispossessed and secret societies is absolutely captivating… once I finally got into it. I’ll admit, in the beginning this book was a little too easy to put down (not to mention that I was also somewhat exasperated by the fact that practically every person in Paris was described as ridiculously attractive), BUT I reached a point around the 100-page mark where it finally engaged me, and I was sucked in non-stop until the very climactic ending – which was fantastic and extremely satisfying – a few twists here, a few turns there, a dash of excitement, a pinch of absolutely terrifying creatures, a liberal sprinkling of mortal peril, and a heap of interesting consequences that I can’t wait to see play out in the next book.Also, I really enjoyed the fact that there were two main heroines, and sisters at that. Gabby and Ingrid are at the same time alike in their unyielding determination, in their bravery, in their sense of honor, and in their love and loyalty to their family, and yet so very different in temperament and approach. Their voices are wonderfully unique, and I really can’t say which sister I prefer as I enjoyed both their stories and their romances equally.Overall. In all aspects, The Beautiful and The Cursed turned out to be a ridiculously attractive book.* I originally gave this 4 stars when I finished, but I keep coming back to it and mulling it over, liking it better the more I consider it… so bumping it to 4.5 stars.
