Title: Midnight Beauties
Author: Megan Shepherd
Publisher: HMH Teen
Publication Date: August 13, 2019
448 pages
4/5 stars
Goodreads Synopsis
The witches, beasties, goblins, and Royals return in this spellbinding conclusion to New York Times best-selling author Megan Shepherd’s Grim Lovelies duology.
Ever since she discovered her affinity for magic, seventeen-year-old Anouk has been desperate to become a witch. It’s the only way to save her friends who, like Anouk, are beasties: animals enchanted into humans. But unlike Anouk, the other beasties didn’t make it out of the battle at Montélimar in one piece.
With her friends now trapped in their animal forms, Anouk is forced into a sinister deal involving a political marriage with her sworn enemy, a wicked plot to overthrow London’s fiercest coven of witches, and a deadly trial of fire to become a witch. The price for power has always been steep in the world of the Haute. Now, it will cost Anouk everything.
Wicked and delightful, this spellbinding sequel and conclusion to Grim Lovelies is perfect for fans of The Cruel Prince and The Hazelwood Wood.
Review
Bookish darlings! I’m back with another eARC review from my friends at Netgalley! Special thanks to Netgalley and HMH Teen for this eARC of Midnight Beauties! I got Grim Lovelies in a Shelflove Crate box one month in 2018 and I really enjoyed it, so I knew I had to read the sequel.
Midnight Beauties picks up about 6 weeks after Grim Lovelies ends. The beasties we know and love are still in their original animal form, and Anouk must find a way to save them, the Goblins, and eventually the world. Prince Rennar shows up at the townhouse’s door step with a proposition for her. Marry him, and he will restore the beasties to their human form. But there’s a catch. Terrible things are happening in London, and Anouk has to help. To help though, she needs more magic than the tricks and whispers she can do now. She must travel to The Black Forest to cross the Coals with her crux to be granted a witch’s powers. On average, only one girl will successfully become a witch every year through this process. But in order to save her friends, and the world, Anouk is willing to do anything.
Wow. What a good sequel to Grim Lovelies. Our girl Anouk is out here living her best life, going places and accomplishing more than anyone would expect from a simple beastie. Gotta hand it to her because she reached for the stars and got to the moon. I enjoyed returning to this magical world full of Pretties, Goblins, Witches, and Royals. Sometimes it can be confusing with just how many types of people there are, but it flows well. I like Megan Shepherd’s writing style and I would continue to read her work.
Downfalls to this book include an ending I didn’t like. The last decision Anouk makes breaks my heart because I wanted her to pick differently in her love triangle. This love triangle reminded me strongly of the Caraval trilogy where Tella has to decide between Jacks and Legend. I also docked it down a point because I di find it hard to keep up with the book at times. But again, I read it all in one day so I definitely enjoyed it immensely.
If you read Grim Lovelies, you have to read the sequel. Megan left it open to return to the world and write a follow up book(s), which I think would be very cool.
Happy reading, folks!
Baltimore Bibliophile 