The Beautiful and the Cursed by P. Morgan

Abstract

Morgan, Page. The Beautiful and the Cursed. Toronto: Doubleday Canada, 2013. Print.

This young adult fantasy novel tells the story of a young woman named Ingrid Waverly. Ingrid is a seventeen-year-old living in London, England at the end of the 19th century. She is the daughter of a wealthy man. However, after becoming the heart of a scandal involving a mysterious fire, Ingrid moves with her mother and little sister to Paris, France. Ingrid’s twin brother Grayson has already purchased an old abbey there for the family to settle into. Ingrid’s mother intends to restore the abbey, and turn it into a gallery to showcase her art. Once in Paris, however, Ingrid quickly becomes steeped in a supernatural world.

Upon arrival, Ingrid learns that young women have been going missing in Paris, as has her twin brother Grayson. Some of the missing women have been found dead and mutilated. Although her mother and the police seem unconcerned and believe Grayson is just gallivanting about the city, Ingrid has a deep connection with her brother and knows something is wrong. With the help of her impetuous younger sister Gabby, Ingrid begins investigating her brother’s disappearance. Gabby is also trying to discover her own identity as a young woman, and forge a deeper relationship with Ingrid, who has always been closer to Grayson. Through their investigation, the sisters quickly uncover a secret world of fallen angels, demons, and hellhounds, not least because the Waverly family is protected by a gargoyle.

One of the statues of the old abbey is actually a gargoyle named Luc, who is duty bound by angels to protect the family living in the abbey. He disguises himself as a servant, but his true form is that of a stone monster. Although tasked to protect the entire family, Luc finds himself increasingly drawn to Ingrid, and develops feelings for her. Grayson’s disappearance is tied to Luc’s secret world. Grayson was kidnapped by a fallen Angel, and is being tortured with hellhound blood injections. Reluctantly, Luc becomes involved with the sisters’ quest. They are helped by the Alliance, a secret demon fighting organization. It becomes apparent that Grayson was kidnapped because he has special abilities, as does Ingrid, explaining her role in the scandal that forced her to leave London. The sisters must unravel this new world, their roles in it, and save their brother in time.

The Beautiful and the Cursed is told in multiple viewpoints, which may deter some readers, especially when viewpoints change within the same chapter, or describe a repeated scene. It is the first book of a trilogy. The book’s mythology is well explained in approachable language. Morgan draws influence from both the Mortal Instruments series and the 1990s Gargoyles television show, but the book holds its own as original, and will appeal to female demographics. Themes explored include death, torture, forbidden romance, and a fantastical twist on angels and demons.

Recommended: 3 out of 4 stars
Reviewer: Colette Leung

Colette Leung is a graduate student at the University of Alberta, working in the fields of Library and Information science and Humanities Computing who loves reading, cats, and tea. Her research interests focus around how digital tools can be used to explore fields such as literature, language, and history in new and innovative ways.