Der Roman speil im Jahr 1899 in Paris.Nachdem die siebzehnjährige Ingrid in London einen Skandal verursacht hat ist ihre Familie gezwungen London zu verlassen. So landet Ingrid in Paris, wo ihr Bruder bereits eine leerstehende Abtei in Saint-Germain-des-Prés erstanden hat. Das Gemäuer scheint nur wenig einladend und dann ist auch noch Grayson verschwunden. Ingrids Zwillingsbruder steht seiner Schwester sehr nahe und deswegen beschliessen Ingrid und Gabriella ihren Bruder zu suchen. Doch dadurch geraten sie ins Visier böser Mächte. Zum Glück ist da noch der Gargoyle Luc, der durch den Fluch dazu verpflichtet ist die Menschen, die auf dem Grundstück der Abteil leben zu schützen. So beginnt ein fantastisches Abenteuer mit unerwarteten Wendungen. Wird Grayson befreit werden? Was sind die Hintergründe der schrecklichen Morde in Paris? Inwieweit sind Luc und Ingrid verbunden miteinander?Die Geschichte hat eine kleine Weile gebraucht bis sie mich richtig gepackt hatte. Zunächst bleibt noch ziemlich viel im Dunklen und ich wusste noch nicht so recht wie ich die Protagonisten und die Geschehnisse einordnen sollte. Doch nachdem ich mich in das Buch reingelesen hatte konnte ich es gar nicht mehr weglegen. Immer neue und rasante Wendungen sowie actionreiche Szenen und ab und an auch ein Schuß Romantik ließen mich nur so durch die Seiten fliegen. Und das Ende des Buches lässt mich gespannt warten ab wann die Fortsetzung erscheinen wird.Die Protagonisten sind wirklich sympathisch und ich konnte mit ihnen mitfühlen. Luc verhält sich nicht immer wie ein jahrhundertealter Gargoyle, sondern oft auch wie ein junger Mann mit wenig Erfahrung im Leben. Doch diese kleine Schwäche ist absolut verzeihbar, weil mir auch Luc richtig ans Herz gewachsen ist. Gabriella fühlt sich immer ein wenig zurückgestellt hinter Ingrid, doch auch sie hat eine so starke Persönlichkeit und steht für das ein was sie erreichen möchte. Ingrid wirkt nach außen wie eine schüchterene und zurückhaltende Frau, die beschützt werden muss. Doch wenn es nötig ist hat sie ein wahnsinniges Durchsetzungsvermögen und legt einen Mut an den Tag, den man ihr nicht zugetraut hätte.Die Erzählperspektive ist die dritte Person und so schafft Page Morgan eine zusätzliche Nähe zu den Protagonisten und zur Handlung. Dabei ist der Schreibstil sehr gut zu lesen und ich konnte ganz ungehindert in die Handlung eintauchen. Die Idee hinter dem Buch ist dabei erfrischend neu. Ich habe bisher noch keinen Roman über Gargoyles gelesen und das bringt die Autorin hier noch mit Engeln, Dämonen und übersinnlichen Fähigkeiten in Verbindung. Eine fantastische, actionreiche und erfrischend andere Fantasygeschichte.Mein Fazit zum Buch: Auch wenn ich mit dem Einstieg etwas Probleme hatte, was auch an der völlig neuen Thematik im Buch liegen kann, empfehle ich euch das Buch. Denn nach spätestens 100 Seiten werdet ihr es nicht mehr weglegen wollen. Und ich freue mich sehr auf den Folgeband, der hoffentlich bald erscheint. BOOK REVIEW by Michelle 7th May 2014:RATING: 5 LUC STARS!“What if I told you that the version of heaven and hell you believe in - the version most of the world believes in - is wrong? What if I told you there isn’t just one devil to fear in some fiery pit, but limitless demons that find their way to the earth’s surface? Wouldn’t you want someone to be aware of them? Someone who can fight them?”That was a whole pile of gothic, Victorian YA excitement.I LOVED , The Beautiful and the Cursed. I first saw this book over at Rachel’s blog from The Rest Is Still Unwritten , last year. When Hot Key Books approached me to review The Lovely and the Lost, I didn’t realize it was book # 2 of The Dispossessed series.I promptly put my reserve in for The Beautiful and the Cursed at my little wee, local seaside library.The year is 1899 in Faubourg Saint-Germain, Paris. Love me some Victorian era, Paris. Ingrid, her mother and her younger sister Gabby have moved to the old Abbey, L’Abbaye Saint - Dismas, Paris from London. Lady Charlotte Brickton will be opening an art gallery and her two daughters have gone abroad with her. The girls brother Grayson, had been sent in advance, couple months prior to find their residence.Grayson and Ingrid are twins, nearly turning eighteen. Gabriella is fifteen, nearly turning sixteen.Now people, you have to take into account the era this book is written is, 1899. It is a time where young girls are being married off young. Everything is proper, so the romance is also , proper.This I loved. But at the same time...it's a little daring.Enter Vander and Nolan.Vander is the American who works in his bookstore and Nolan the Scotsman. I do like these two. Nolan I like that bit more. These two can banter.“You did well,” Nolan said with a sly grin. “You should be onstage, Burke. I’m sure you could find work as an ogre or hunchback or some other disfigured beast, what with that ugly mug of yours.”“It would be a shame to go onstage alone,” Vander said. “You could take the female role and finally show off those stunning legs of yours.”These are a couple of young gents who have their eye on the young sisters.Grayson is missing, the sisters and their mother are desperate to find Grayson and there are a lot of interested parties.Let the excitement begin.This tale has its dark moments, and it has its very Victorian era moments.If you like The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare, and Kady Cross’s Steampunk Chronicles, then I dare say you will enjoy The Dispossessed , series.Now , there is no steampunk in this tale, not that I could see anyway, but there are gargoyles. Smexi gargoyles. Smexi Dispossessed and there is the Alliance.Enter Luc. Luc must guard the occupants of the abbey where Ingrid, Gabby and Lady Brickton are residing. Luc lost Grayson to the Underneath, he isn’t going to lose his new charges.It made Luc sick with fury at times that someone else - something else - directed his mind. His actions. Luc hadn’t missed being one of the Dispossessed in Paris. He would have much rather spent his eternal punishment high in the rafters of the north bell tower, curled up like one of the hunched granite gargoyles along the roof, wings wound tightly around himself, his scales slowly crusting over to stone.But now he was awake, and in charge of whoever inhabited the abbey and rectory.I really love Luc’s character. He is written really well and you can’t help sympathize with his lot in life and who he must answer to.In well-practiced harmony, his pale skin rippled into a sheath of jet scales, his spinal column popped and cracked as it lengthened to support the rock-like muscles reshaping his arms, legs, and chest. The cartilage and folded bones of a pair of featherless obsidian wings split through the plates on his back. They erupted like charred black mountains and unfurled to a wingspan longer than Luc’s human height. The bones of his skull and face parted and slipped like fault lines shaken apart by an earthquake into the shape of a dog’s head - crumpled snout, pointed ears, and all. He knew he was hideous to behold, and as he approached the loft door at a run and leaped into the night, he had every intention of using the terror his appearance inspired to battle whoever- or whatever - threatened Ingrid.The Alliance treat the gargoyles with little regard, yet they need them.I thought this was a beautifully told story of danger, deception and intrigue, wrapped up in a YA read and all that great Victorian era proper , dashing stuff.Gabby would have to be my favourite out of the two sisters. She has spunk. There was a moment where a certain gentleman, who is a tad few years older, may have let his feelings be known to the younger sister with a rather scrumptious kiss. It felt quite daring, for the era.Gabby spun around and pierced him with an icy glare, but then saw his puckish grin.“You can be my nurse, he finished.Gabby scowled at him and started to turn back to the window. But the sight of Nolan’s fingers undoing the top clasps of his collar stopped her. He then rucked up the bottom of his shirt, lifted it over his head, and tossed it aside. Nolan sat before Gabby, his chest and arms completely bare - and absolutely marvelous.Gabby is quite a daring character. She behaved older than her near sixteen years. “I apologize, but I haven’t a coat to warm you,” Nolan said, picking up on her thoughts like some sort of magician.“I haven’t a need for one,” she replied.“You’re a prickly little juniper, aren’t you?”He sounded amused, just like the time he’d observed she had a bit of flint in her.Ingrid has her hands full with two lads, who I like , but one I like that bit more. Ingrid had to leave London due to a very unfortunate incident. Ingrid’s character is quite intriguing the more you read.Luc didn’t understand why his connection to Ingrid outshone those he had with other humans in the rectory. It wasn’t her beauty - though she did have that in spades. Her corn-silk hair, aubergine eyes, and dove-white skin had been imprinted in his memory almost as forcefully as her scent. Luc had lain awake the night before, surfacing her scent time and again, trying to understand what that underlying tang was. Obsessing over it. Overwhelmed by it.Can the Alliance and the Dispossessed work together for the common goal of keeping the world safe from what lies in the Underneath?You will have to read and find out. I can only assume that is Gabby on the cover of The Beautiful and the Cursed as she has dark hair and Ingrid is on the cover of The Lovely and The Lost, due to their hair colors. I may be wrong. They may be both Ingrid. I’m a bit unsure, the girl is sitting next to a gargoyle on the first book cover, which makes me think of Ingrid.Forbidden love, demons, dashing moments, dark moments and some Victorian era romance made this a very exciting read.I truly loved it. I am trying to get a hold of the # 1.5, Marco’s Story, novella as I want to read it. I liked Marco. He's a bit of a cranky pants, so I am intrigued about his novella.Hot Key books have given me The Lovely and the Lost, #2 in the series to review and I have started it. I am very excited to see how it all plays out, especially the forbidden love and the other interested party, and watch Gabby.Luc carefully laid the ivory comb next to its match on the table. She was ready to repeat her question when his hand unexpectedly came back up. Ingrid froze as he grazed his fingers through her hair, scattering a few pins to the floor. Then he gripped the back of her head, his tangled fingers tugging at her hair, and Ingrid thought she could finally read something in the way he looked at her: a longing so tangible that it made her ache.Bring. It. On.Michelle
What do You think about Noche Oscura En París (2014)?
Kept me fascinated and on the edge of my seat with sudden plot twists and cliff hangers. Well done!
—cheetos23
I don't think gargoyles are really my thing maybe...
—sarahskye
