The Beautiful and the Cursed

April 29, 2013
Debut author Morgan launches the Dispossessed series with a well-crafted gothic fantasy told through alternating perspectives. In 1899, after suffering a crushing heartbreak and blamed for an ensuing fire, 17-year-old Lady Ingrid Waverly moves with her mother and sister to Paris. Her rakish twin brother, Grayson, is already there, having purchased an abandoned, gargoyle-adorned abbey, which their mother intends to transform into an art gallery. But upon arrival, Ingrid learns that Grayson has been absent for several days, and that a string of disappearances have been plaguing Paris. Ingrid is sure that something is wrong with Grayson, though only Luc, a servant in the abbey, appears sympathetic. As the narrative shifts between Ingrid, Grayson, and Luc's points of view, Morgan relies on familiar paranormal romance elements. The labyrinthine and dilapidated Parisian setting, filled with sinister figures of both human and demonic varieties, should hook readers, and Morgan's fluid descriptions, inventive otherworldly elements, and characters with convincing motivations result in an immersive first installment. Ages 12âup. Agent: Ted Malawer, Upstart Crow Literary.