2.5/5 Stars: ‘The Damned’ is a Young Adult, Historical Fantasy by Renée Ahdieh; ‘The Damned’ is decadent escapism, continuing in the sumptuous footsteps left behind by ‘The Beautiful’. Ahdieh certainly has a way with words. ‘The Damned’ continues the thematic elegance and glamour found in ‘The Beautiful’ and manages to take it up another level. Never heavy handed with description, but each scene in the novel has a presence that is easily built in the reader’s mind. There is a deep and seductive ambience that weaves throughout the story and leaves you feeling like you are reading the novel while lounging in a richly appointed New Orleans drawing room. Much of the story focuses on Celine trying to remember the events that lead to her current predicament. And while she remains as strong willed and sassy as ever, there is very little actual character growth for her in ‘The Damned’. Sébastien however, struggles with his complex feelings over being turned into a vampire and having the love of his life lose all memory of him. While he may not be a shining paragon of good decisions, Ahdieh focuses a lot of good emotional energy on building his character. While the majority of the story is told from the point-of-view of Celine and Sébastien, other points-of-view are scattered throughout the story. And while these other points-of-view helped get certain plot points established, the constant switching can lead to a bit of confusion.