Dhonielle Clayton

Camellia Beauregard is a Belle. In the opulent world of Orleans, Belles are revered, for they control Beauty, and Beauty is a commodity coveted above all else. In Orleans, the people are born gray, they are born damned, and only with the help of a Belle and her talents can they transform and be made beautiful. But it's not enough for Camellia to be just a Belle. She wants to be the favorite-the Belle chosen by the Queen of Orleans to live in the royal palace, to tend to the royal family and their court, to be recognized as the most talented Belle in the land. But once Camellia and her Belle sisters arrive at court, it becomes clear that being the favorite is not everything she always dreamed it would be. Behind the gilded palace walls live dark secrets, and Camellia soon learns that the very essence of her existence is a lie-that her powers are far greater, and could be more dangerous, than she ever imagined. And when the queen asks Camellia to risk her own life and help the ailing princess by using Belle powers in unintended ways, Camellia now faces an impossible decision. With the future of Orleans and its people at stake, Camellia must decide: save herself and her sisters and the way of the Belles, or resuscitate the princess, risk her own life, and change the ways of her world forever.

The Belles

Sarah Sammis

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton is the start of a new fantasy YA series. In the Kingdom of Orleans beauty is everything. Beauty is life. Beauty is law.

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2018/comm...

Kahli Scott

I LOVED THE world of The Belles - it's so sumptuous, well-realised and unique. I think this story started out super strong and I really wanted to get lost in it, and then about a third of the way I literally got lost in it, in the sense that it got a little messy and loose. Would have benefited from a slightly tighter plot, but because the world and premise are so incredible and the characters have promise, I think the sequel will nail it and I'm looking forward to reading it!

alexandra

2.5/5 • i really REALLY wanted to love this book but just... couldn't. here are some thoughts:

(1) pacing – i didn't feel motivated to keep going until over halfway through, which is to say the pacing is so slowwwww. i felt like there was so much dragging in the beginning and i didn't understand the full purpose of anything. it wasn't really like we got to delve into characters, and nothing really happened in the plot (except things that set up the story). then, the last 75 pages were super fast paced and everything goes kinda insane. except....

(2) ending – the ending is probably the most exciting part of the book; i was actually looking forward to seeing what would happen. some things that were revealed were really clever but... i kinda predicted everything that was going to happen. okay, not EVERYTHING but a good portion of the major ~plot twists~ weren't that shocking to me. even from the start, it all seemed SO OBVIOUS and i was extremely frustrated at how blind some of the characters are. granted, there were moments i couldn't have guessed, but i was still kinda disappointed. i kept hoping the ending would redeem the slow beginning but it kinda fell flat. or maybe just less escalated than i hoped.

(3) characters – our main character, Camilla, can get extremely frustrating at times. she's extremely ambitious and a bit of a perfectionist, which i can relate to and love about her. buuuuuut there are times where i feel she lacks common sense. for instance, there are moments when you're obviously not supposed to break the rules or something of the sort, but she blurts whatever is on her mind. or when she's given the chance to actually DO SOMETHING or say something, she hesitates. it's just... frustrating. also, i think she has poor sense of judgement because there are people who are obviously team bad(!!) but Camilla is like, "omg this person is kinda weird but i'm going to trust them anyway," and there are people who are team great(!!) and she's like, "eh you're not that great." but eventually, she learns; i'm just like, WHY DID IT TAKE SO LONG FOR YOU TO REALIZE?? what's worse was that out of all the characters, she was probably one of my favorites. the main antagonist is so obviously horrible (in the usual antagonist fashion) i felt there were nearly no redeeming qualities for her. the other Belles were nearly non-existent except for the occasional "i miss my sisters moment" or other fond memories. even then, they felt like cut outs of people with certain traits. (example: x is the competitive one; y is the kind one; z is the rule breaker)

(4) the romance – IS SO AWFUL. i'm sorry, but i couldn't stand it from the start. it felt extremely insta-love and i couldn't feeeeeel it. i'm just going to leave it at that.

(5) the cover – not a fan. the title font makes it hard to read. the background photo isn't blurry enough to look intentional, and isn't focused enough to look focused; it looks like a low resolution photo someone took and slapped on some text. i felt like they (the publishers) could've done so!! much!! better!! but didn't want to be bothered. I'M SORRY. i have to mention it because to me, it's disheartening to see a diverse book with so much potential for better covers (and thus higher chance of someone picking it up), but have it fall flat. 

man, i feel like i butchered this novel and I'M SORRY I DIDN'T LIKE IT BUT *SHRUGS*. sometimes i feel obligated to enjoy a novel because i support the author (Dhonielle Clayton is such a great activist for diverse novels!!) but i couldn't with this one. but!!! there are some things i enjoyed like:

(1) the diversity – can't forget!!! i love how different types of beauty – skin type, shape, hair texture, gender, etc – are all embraced with loving arms. there's also some lesbian rep BUT (spoiler? warning?) they both get killed off, which is A W F U L.

(2) the ambiance – although it got a little extra at times, i really enjoyed all the details of the ~palace, royalty, belle~ lifestyle. it was cool to see how the belles transform others.

(3) the dark elements – i knew this book was going to be dark and twisty. and it was wonderfully dark and twisty!! but i just wish there was a little more of that.

idk if i'll be picking up the next book. i'm still hoping it's going to get better but.... i dunno dude. THAT IS ALL.

Gisela Ayala 

This was perhaps the most enjoyable YA fantasy book I have listened to in a long time! The whole is so imaginative and original. The characters are all developed, even the minor ones have strong personalities and most importantly - I could remember all of them! I already started on the second one because the way this book ended, I needed to know what happens next.

Allie Herrington

Librarian: I will be recommending this for purchase. It’s perfect for many of our fantasy readers. I’ll be particularly recommending it to the fans of Kiera Cass and Leigh Bardugo. 

Reader: I absolutely flew through this book. If I didn’t have to work I probably would have read it in a single sitting. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) real life intervened and kept me from continuously reading. I can’t decide whether that helped or hurt my enjoyment of this book. On the one hand, slowing down allowed me to appreciate the details of the world. On the other hand it also caused me to focus more on the book’s flaws then I otherwise might have. And it does have flaws. Many of the twists are a bit predictable, and there are some moments that strain incredulity. Still it’s an enjoyable book and I look forward to seeing what comes next.

Nicki

Why did this take me 9000 years to finish??? ohmygodddddd. I had to give it three stars because it took me way too long to finish.

Carley Whitehead

3.5 stars

This was such a slow start for me. I just could not get interested in all the flowers, dresses, and the minutiae at the beginning. It did pick up but not till about 2/3 of the way in.

Alexa Jade

Kaley Catron

I think I’d give this more of a 3.5 because it was good but I wasn’t obsessed with it. But I’m definitely intrigued. Princess Sophia is a little much and sometimes the Belles get very irritating but otherwise the story wasn’t bad

Ende Duerr

'Looking for the next big groundbreaking event in YA? This is it.' Rick Riordan, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Percy Jackson series The New York Times bestselling tale of beauty, obsession and magic. . . I AM A BELLE. I CONTROL BEAUTY. In the opulent world of Orl�ans, the people are born grey and damned, and only a Belle's powers can make them beautiful. Camellia Beauregard wants to be the favourite Belle - the one chosen by the queen to tend to the royal family. But once Camellia and her Belle sisters arrive at court, it becomes clear that being the favourite is not everything she always dreamed it would be. Behind the gilded palace walls live dark secrets, and Camellia soon learns that her powers may be far greater - and far darker - than she ever imagined. When the queen asks Camellia to break the rules she lives by to save the ailing princess, she faces an impossible decision: protect herself and the way of the Belles, or risk her own life, and change the world forever. 'Sumptuous and original worldbuilding, heart-pounding plot and gorgeous prose.' Samantha Shannon, New York Times bestselling author of The Bone Season 'A whip-smart writer with grand, grand talents.' Roxane Gay, New York Times bestselling author of Bad Feminist 'Breathtakingly beautiful and deeply unsettling.' Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author

Rebecca Browne

”The Belles asks powerful questions about the value we assign to our bodies - and holds up a mirror to our obsession with beauty.”
Maybe that’s what the author intended, but it’s not what I took away from the book. For me it was far too descriptive, I don’t need to know every little detail about each room a person walks into. She talks about our obsession with beauty yet she mentioned every little detail a Belle did to a person, including their chests, waists and legs. Honestly up until the last 10% I was pretty bored it was only then did the book start getting good. I hope the second one is better because I did have high hopes for this book.

Maria

ох, это такие упражнения на поле "мифа о красоте" и бодипозитива. в мире люди рождаются серыми и красноглазыми, и есть особая каста волшебниц, которая может их изменять - кожу, тело, волосы, глаза, костную структуру, всё. изменения сопряжены с болью, но люди всё равно на это постоянно идут, и хотят меняться всё больше и чаще

в общем, уже из этого описания понятна МОРАЛЬ и ЧТО ХОТЕЛ СКАЗАТЬ АВТОР, и цель-то вроде благородная, но есть пара заноз. во-первых, я почти уверена, что многие читатели не смогли удержаться и фантазировали, что бы они там себе поменяли, если б могли - ну вот просто потому, что концепт завораживает. во-вторых, кроме МОРАЛИ в книге ничего особо-то и нет. действия мало - его заменяют довольно однообразные переживания героини, злодейка одномерная - такое вселенское зло в квадрате, второстепенные персонажи плоские, романтика вообще фейспалм - я её пролистывала. в общем, хоть и интересно было бы побольше узнать об устройстве магии, вряд ли я заставлю себя читать продолжение

Imie Kent-Muller

I was given an ebook copy of this through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
With the hype online about this book, I was pretty excited to read The Belles and I was not disappointed. This is an exciting beginning to a new series which I’m excited to see develop. The story has promise in its character, plot, world building and is already off to a great start.

There are themes of sisterly bond, duty vs self-preservation, politics and beauty. These themes, along with Clayton’s writing and imagination, create a beautiful story which I’m excited to read more of! But first this one needs to be released, and I highly recommend you grab it when it comes out.

Full review up on my blog.

Kaitee Tredway

Holy crap! That was not what I expected. So good!

Tiffany Robinson

I have been really looking forward to reading this book for a long while now. I really liked the cover and I thought the idea of the story was original and interesting. Upon reading this though I found myself pretty disappointed. I found pretty much all the characters vapid and very unlikeable (Remy was the only I could stand) I also felt like some of the descriptions and even the story at times got pretty repetitive. It made the story drag on at times which made me want to keep putting down the book. Near the end of the book it seemed to pick up a little bit of a pace which made it somewhat bearable which made the whole experience a little bit better. The ending left on a cliffhanger of course. Maybe the next book in the series will be better, but I don't think I care enough to find out what is going to happen from here. 

I got an advance copy of The Belles.

Candyce Kirk

This book was a lot different than I expected. Full review to follow!

Alex Hill 

I think I'm gonna put it at 3.5 stars. It was good, but like it was a little slow at first. I'm interested in reading the second book for sure.

Megan Lapides

laura

*I got this book for review for the publisher for the honest thoughts*

I really enjoyed this lush fantasy world. I also really loved the political aspects of this novel. I also was super impressed with the complex characters we met and the discussion on beauty that was had throughout this novel. I really was liked the cast of characters but wish the sisters were featured in the novel a tad more. I also felt like the plot towards the end was a tad rushed and a tad confusing. I really did enjoy it but wish it was fleshed out a tad more. I really did enjoy how the villain was crafted and am excited for book 2!

Mollee Clingenpeel

Oh my gosh I absolutely loved this book! I could not get enough of the writing style, and the world, and the characters! Dhonielle Clayton's writing style was so beautiful, and the world was so interesting! There was so much stuff I didn't see coming, and so much stuff that made my heart feel things. This is honestly my favorite book I've read this year so far. I'm dying knowing I'm going to have wait so long for the next book in the series!! I want more!

Jayarna La Bozzetta

** spoiler alert **
           2.5 stars. Maybe 3. If I'm in a good mood when you ask me.

I both loved and hated this book. I went in with high hopes as it had such a high rating. The plot of this book I did really enjoy. So much so I read it in three sittings, and this isn't a little book. But the writing was extremely hard for me to get through. Luckily, this has a strong ending, so it left me on a more positive note.

This book is sickly sweet. Emphasis on the sickly. Before we even get to the story, let's talk about the writing. Both the authors writing style and world building is so embellished. There's so many unnecessary words in here and so many unnecessary creations. I felt like I was wandering through a seven year old's princess birthday party - one she had been given full rein in planning herself. A lot of the descriptions felt overdone and hard to chew through, as of the author was shoving toffee after toffee into my mouth with no time to chew. I could see she was trying to create a beautiful world to juxtaposition against the dark themes, but I think she goes way too far. In fact, the world building is often extreme and seems to just be based on some bizarre dream the author must be clinging on to from when she was a child. In small amounts this would've been fine, but it felt like she was banging me over the head with it. Millions of lanterns, teacup animals (?! Cute perhaps, but felt like the icing on the cake when paired with everything else), perfume machines that hover over you, balloons for delivering post, flowers EVERYWHERE, twinkling lights, huge piles of deserts and pastries... The list goes on. Not to mention she would detail these things in paragraph after paragraph every few pages until I was deathly sick of hearing about the matching girly and sweet design of every room. It feel unrealistic that so many people would embrace such a childish and over the top world. I mean, come on. They called journalists Newsies (still not sure if these are humans or devices listening in on people, or both). NEWSIES. I couldn't even imagine a child reading this without wanting to vomit a little in their mouth. I just felt like I was reading some seven year olds fever dream gone wrong. 

Yet there was little explanation for unique things that related to the story and the world - what the hell was the bei powder (amongst other products) and what was was the purpose of it, how does the entire population get service from (supposedly) only 6 Belles, what is the actual make up for each island, what is the travel, do only rich people get beauty treatments? If so, are Gris walking around the world too? Where are all the Gris living if they aren't? It took me a while to even work out what the hell Post-balloons even were, and I couldn't form a picture of them in my mind. Yet I'm overflowing with pictures of rooms filled with flowers and sweets and dresses of all different styles. 

The constant hyphenated words drove me nuts, and they're usually completely redundant. Beauty-lanterns, Night-lanterns, day-lanterns (the difference of these is not really explored so why even have them all!!) Belle -bun, Post-balloons, ear-trumpets, Waist-sashes - just say sash! If you want to use this once, so I get what you're saying, then sure. But don't use it constantly. Half of these don't even need a hyphen! Please, of you're reading this, which I'm sure you're not - considering looking through your draft and cutting out those hypens. 

There's also some parts of the world that just seem added in completely because it fits with the authors aesthetic. Newsies don't take photos, but rather they sketch pictures. (Again, not sure how to picture this. Are they humans or devices? How are they allowed everywhere?) This seems like a very difficult tradition, especially one in a world where they clearly have enough technology and magic to create something like a camera. I mean, they have flying lights designed just to follow you and light you perfectly. And you're telling me you don't have cameras? WHY?

I really struggled with the main character. She seems to have two moral compasses and swings between bearable and extremely dumb. Despite her character resting on her '"rebelliousness", sometimes she follows the rules of a Belle like a stickler, claiming that her job is extremely important and other times just decides that her job isn't that important at all. Her decisions are erratic and strange. She's sometimes smart, sometimes stupid. I mean come on! No one else is allowed to eat the food the evil princess is giving you, and you think it's safe to eat? Some of this was just so frustrating to read. She seems to have a knack for deciding to make the stupidest choices possible and never reflecting upon this. She acts very young and sheltered, which I can understand in some instances because of the structured training, but I find it hard to believe she underwent years of training only to watch her constantly speak so out of turn.

The love interest, if you can call him that, is about as undesirable as a big toe. I have no concept of why she likes him. I wish the author had given him some sort of likeable quality so I had some idea of why Camille liked him at all. I preferred Sophia over him. Actually I quite liked Sophia. She was a strong enough villain, although I couldn't work out why the queen never interfered. 

Remy was always likeable, too obviously so. I just found Auguste to be so clearly evil. I wish she had made him more charming so I was a little more sucked in with him.

Complaints aside, I actually did like the story. It kept me reading and I really wanted to work out where it was all leading. I think she has a solid plot here. I just felt like I was reading the second draft of an amateur author. I was initially going to give this two stars, but the end saves it for me. I just wish we didn't have to take such a candy filled lane to get there. I also love Edel, and the last page made me want to read the next one just for that purpose. More Edel! Less Amber worship!

Paige Green

Rating: 5/5

Genre: YA Fantasy/Dystopian

Recommended Age: 16+ (sexual abuse and harassment, attempted rape)

Pages: 448

Author Website

Amazon Link to Order the Book

I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley! Thank you NetGalley and thank you Disney Book Group! All opinions are my own.

When I originally heard the title about the book I actually thought it would be about beauty queens. Seriously. But the more I heard about this book, the more I realized that while I’m not entirely sure what it’s all about (because I actively try to not look at synopsis anymore) that I needed to read this book. If you’ve not heard about this book it’s takes place in this fantasy world called Orleans. There are people who have been blessed by the Goddess of Beauty, The Belles, who can use their magic, arcana, to transform people into picture perfect beauty. Our main character is Camellia, who wants to be the favorite. The favorite is a Belle chosen by the Queen to live in the royal palace and tend to the royal family. However, things aren’t all they seem when Camellia leaves her small world for the royal palace. This book was FANTASTIC! The character development was amazing for all of the characters, even the smaller ones, the plot was not only intriguing but held my interest throughout, the world building was so well done that I could accurately picture everything in my mind, the pacing was perfection, and there was SO MUCH DIVERSITY! I AM IN LOVE!!!

The only, ONLY, thing that could be offputting about this book was that the book was longer than expected. I don’t have a physical copy with me but I expected the book to be about 250-300 pages, but it’s actually 448 pages. This didn’t offput me from the book at all because I actually enjoy longer books for the first book in the series, but some people might not. I also had previously read a not-a-review review (weird, I know) about there being ableism in this book, which is the discrimination of able-bodied people. I went into this book with that in mind, but then saw no evidence of this. There was one sentence in the book that described a character as “invalid” which can be used as a derogatory term, but in this sense it meant as it is defined “a person made weak or disabled by illness or injury” in which that character was. She was in a coma. The literal definition of weak by illness or injury. I’m not sure if the comment was in jest or if the person did not understand what invalid really meant.

Verdict: No ableism, amazing use of diversity, and an empowering and fantastic tale about a girl who doesn’t just suddenly gain power overnight. A definite must read for 2018!

Amie Liane

Ten out of ten for concept, that was pretty freaking cool idea to have a subspecies that can change how people look. And weave in a bit of mythology and gods too? You got me.
I did really like this book, but it didn't grab me in the way that I couldn't put it down. Looking forward to seeing the direction the story takes in the sequel, as I feel books like this tend to lose something as a series - but we'll see!

Samantha Bass

The most enchanting thing about this book were the descriptions. Of the people, places, landmarks. Everything was described so vividly it wasn't hard to visualize what Clayton was going for. After that, was the plot. And the ending. I thought the middle was a bit slow and didn't really prepare the reader for what was going to happen - but once it got interesting, the action never stopped. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and I am excited to see what happens next.

The Belles

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