3 stars

I really wanted to be blown away by this new teen fantasy series, but it just didn’t happen for me. There were certainly elements that I enjoyed; I liked the flashy fantasy world, and the unique combination of French culture and style with the sci-fi aesthetic. I also liked the concept of the Belles, a group of young women born to each generation with the unique ability to alter peoples’ appearances and temperaments in a world where most people are born as “gris”: “skin pallid, gray, and shriveled, eyes cherry-red, hair like straw.” The concept of Beauty with a capital B is a major theme in this book, and while the concept itself is rather common in teen literature, I did feel that this book offered some fresh insight into the idea.
What killed it for me was the pacing and predictability of the plot. I feel like this book could have benefitted from dropping a good 50-100 pages in the first half. As many reviewers have also noted, the plot doesn’t pick up until the latter half of the book, and much of the first 250 pages focuses on little scenes and exposition that don’t contribute all that much to character or plot development. Additionally, the story and characters are fairly predictable. The bad characters are really bad and consistently do really bad things, and the good characters are really good and consistently do really good things. There is a *SPOILER ALERT* very Frozen-esque twist where the romantic lead does a 180 and turns on the main character, but you could easily see this coming a mile away.
A little more character complexity and better pacing choices would really turn this around. I have high hopes that The Belles series will find its footing in the next installments.

Wow wow wow! I had been looking forward to The Belles for over a year, and not only did the story not disappoint, but it actually blew my expectations out the window. You go in thinking this YA fantasy will be about a Belle becoming the favorite and making people beautiful. Quickly things are turned on it’s head and we get to see the dark and disturbing reality’s of this kingdom. The parallels of race and class to our own word makes this fantasy feel very real. The book doesn’t shy away from the horrors of slavery and those who will do anything to stay in power. This is definitely a book I think any YA SFF fan would enjoy, especially fans of The Lunar Chronicles. Now I guess I’ll just have to try and be patient until the next book comes out!

The cover looks like every other dystopian hunger-games-esque teen novel, right? WRONG. This is so much more thoughtful and unique than the droves of trilogies that currently line the YA shelves.

<u>The good:</u>
The atmosphere: this book is... dark. It comments on beauty and society and people's role in the world. It erases our society's conceptions of race and beauty by allowing everyone to choose what skin color, height, body shape, hair, and features they want... at the cost of incredible pain, and as long as they can financially afford it. Economic and class differences still very much affect the people in this world. The book also poses questions about people's rights over their bodies - what should be legislated and what should not. It was so much more thoughtful about these things than I expected.

The world-building: the rules of this world are complex, tantalizingly not-completely-unexplained, and unique. I've not read any other fantasy/dystopian novels that have a similar world before. The rules for how the Belles "powers" work, the rules for how things function socially in this world, the small glimpses into how "regular" people's lives function, e.g. not princesses' or Belles' lives. All of this was quite intriguing.

The hints of pride and equality: in this world, it is considered just as normal for someone to marry a person of their own gender as a person of the opposite gender. This is not a major plot point, or even discussed except in several offhand comments about love and marriage. But I'm glad it's there, and it's also very interesting how it contrasts with the draconian rules about cross-class relationships.

<u>The less good:</u>
I had hoped, seeing a POC main character on the cover, that this was going to be a world inhabited by mostly brown people, or ruled by brown people, or whatnot. There is not enough diversity in positions of power in the world of dystopian and fantasy novels. I guess the commentary on what a world would look like if race meant nothing sort of made up for it... but on the other hand, simply erasing race is in a way too easy. I understand that my disappointment is based entirely on my own personal expectations, but I'm a little disappointed to not get the book I thought I was getting.

That said, though, POC MC on the cover! Yay!

Overall, a great read, and lots to think about. I will for sure seek out the sequels.

Absolutely fantastic! A book for any teen collection and all the teenagers you know.

DNF for now at 13%. I'm not sure if it's me (I've been very distracted lately) or the actual writing style but I'm going to set this aside for now and come back to it. Lots of very purple prose and so. many. adjectives that it's a little distracting, but the story is intriguing and I like the characters.

It took me a while to get into this story but overall I really enjoyed it. I like the world building and the richness of the descriptions. The cover art is fantastic and poster worthy. I liked Camellia and her relationship with the other Belles (sisters).
Thank you to Disney-Hyperion for the ARC of this book via Net Galley.

I would have liked this book a lot better if the plot was better resolved, it's not quite a cliffhanger ,but there's certainly no resolution. It was clear from the beginning who the "better" romance option was. It's a book with a clear message, but it's well crafted and entertaining enough that the message doesn't feel too lessony

Thank you to Disney-Hyperion and Netgalley for the Kindle ARC of this book. I cannot stress enough how much pre-reading helps me build my middle school library’s collection.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for this fantasy. I loved the premise - a lush world where people have been cursed with graying skin that can only be fixed by the powers of Belles, who transform people into whatever they wish (within the rule of law and how much they can pay, of course). When Camellia and her sister Belles find themselves tangled into the upper echelon of society and under the employ of a cruel princess, they must find the truth and a way to save themselves and everyone in Princess Sophia’s path.
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I definitely had to push myself through this one. I am not sure if it was because of my mood (TBR anxiety) or because the middle kind of dragged. The cliffhanger ending leaves me curious about the second book in the series though, so I will likely continue with it [the series]. Recommended for grades 9+.

While this book is sure to be a hit with my middle school girls, I found it tedious and predictable. The characters were flat and annoying. I found the characters, plot and pacing very similar to the Selection series, which is hugely popular at my library.

It took me thirteen chapters to get into this book, but I finally did. There were two spots that felt like rushed writing, or maybe I just forgot those events. I’m not sure.

Pretty good. Reminded me of the Red Queen, and the Selection series.

I enjoyed the story, and holy hell is that some descriptive writing. Clayton paints pictures with her words.
Just don't think too hard about some of the world-building (how the hell does their economy even function?!) and it's a fun ride with some interesting concepts. Lots of hints at what the sequel may hold.

Fantasy novel set in a world that emulates steam punk. Every person in this world is born grey and devoid of beauty, except a family of sisters who have been blessed by the goddess. These sisters are able to change the appearance of others to make them beautiful. However, this process is painful for the person being altered and the loss of magic weakens the Belle, or sister with beauty powers. Camellia Beauregard and her sisters are competing to find their professional position, all hoping to be the favorite and work for the queen. Camellia and her sisters quickly learn that life at court is far more dangerous than they could have ever imagined.


This book is perfect for fans of The Selection. It has detailed descriptions of appearances and dresses. The audio book is well done and pops better than the novel.

Set in a decadent fantasy world inspired by the court of Marie Antoinette and Japanese beauty rituals, Dhonielle Clayton’s latest novel combines magic, fashion and palace intrigue in the best way. Filled with lush descriptions of frothy dresses and mouthwatering food, The Belles is a fun if predictable new series about a world obsessed with being beautiful.

THIS BOOK. The Belles is *completely* addictive. I could NOT put it down. The world is lush and pretty but also so, so dark. There are so many twists and turns it kept me engaged and needing more.

I love the main character Camellia and her love for her sisters. Their relationships were the one thing I wish we had gotten more of (though I suspect we’ll see a bit more as the story continues). The villain is also super terrifying and made me physically cringe at some of the things she did.

My love for this book is huge and I’m a little sad that I read an ARC as now I’ll have *that* much more time to wait before I can read the sequel. I definitely recommend this if you love YA fantasy!


Thank you to Disney Book Group for sending me an ARC to review!

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

Really enjoyable plot that becomes darker the further you go. Besides a few too many descriptions with food and my preference for some more explanation on a couple subjects, this was a very good read. The characters were all their own, the Belle magic was unique, and there was enough mystery and action to keep the plot moving. Looking forward to what happens next!

I absolutely loved this book. The world-building was A+, a little weird and off-putting at times but mostly in that way where suddenly you remember this world is different from your own. The descriptions were magnificent, especially when it started to sink in just why everything was often compared to food: beauty is a consumable product in the world of The Belles, one that people often treat decadently. I love Camille as a character; sometimes she made stupid decisions and got distracted and didn't ask the right questions, but I related to her so much. She was trying so hard to be the best, to be perfect, all while still being herself and totally unprepared for the cutthroat world she's been plunged into. I loved the mystery elements of the story and trying to puzzle out exactly what was going on behind the scenes along with Camille. I loved her relationship with her sisters and how messy and complicated things became due to the competition they're all forced to take part in. I loved Camille's friendships with both Bree and Remy. I liked that the book, even as it started to feel a bit predictable, was able to surprise me and throw me for a loop (the whole last 20% of the book was amazing and terrifying because I didn't quite expect it all to hit that hard and fast but when it did :-O holy moly). And I so can't wait for the sequel and to read any other books Dhonielle writes!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me early access to this book in exchange for an honest review. If you like interesting fantasies with great world-building, strong character development, and a twisty-turny plot, check out The Belles.

In the world of Orléans, people are born damned. Gray. Above all, they want Beauty. It is only with the help of Belles, who control Beauty, can they be made beautiful.
Camellia Beauregard is a Belle. All her life, Camellia has wanted to be the favorite, the Belle chosen by the Queen to live in the palace and work with the royal family. The most talented Belle.
But at court, Camellia and her sisters learn there’s far more to this world of beauty than they ever imagined, and there’s more to their powers than they know. When the Queen asks Camellia to help the sick princess, Camellia must decide whether to help the Queen—and risk her whole world—or to continue to be the favorite Belle, the one who does everything that’s expected of her.
So, this book is more than a fairytale/fantasy epic. Orléans absolutely reminds me of the Capitol (from The Hunger Games), with over-the-top costumes and obsession with appearances and popularity. So much. But this book is really a commentary on issues we face in society today—and not just vanity—with layers and layers of reality and mystery twined together. On the surface, a book obsessed with beauty isn’t my cup of tea. But the world is richly-detailed, and the characters are complex and driven, and I can’t wait to see where the author takes them next.

(Galley provided by Disney Books in exchange for an honest review.)

**A free Arc was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

I was excited to read this book as it had been getting quite a bit of buzz and I was intrigued by the concept. A New Orleans inspired setting with a main character who can make others beautiful because the normal population has to pay to be beautiful? Heck, yes. Where do I sign up? I could just drown in all the social commentary that I knew must be waiting for me within these pages. However, I struggled with the first half of this book. And I'm not entirely sure why, if I'm honest. I didn't particularly like Camellia at first and I wasn't sold on the writing style either. Something was a little too disjointed for my liking. It took me over two weeks to get through the first half. But once I powered through, I finished the last half of the book in one day. I am so glad I stuck with it because the last half was phenomenal for me. I didn't see one of the twists coming and it took me by surprise (which I loved). It did indeed, have all the commentary that I was looking for: how much is too much in the name of beauty? What defines beauty? Is beauty a commodity? etc.

I am interested in the second book and am looking forward to continuing this series.

In The Belles, beauty is a valuable product held exclusively by a small group of girls know as the Belles. They are able to use their powers to create any beautiful look that a paying customer demands. Beauty is the ultimate goal in this world. As always what is seen is not the whole story! I enjoyed the beautiful world created and the vibrant characters!