This is one of the most sumptuous and original books that I have read in awhile. Clayton has created a world that is so detailed and filled with such beauty and darkness that I felt completely immersed within the story and the characters. The very concept of Belles is so unique and fresh that I was completely invested in everything about it and wanted to know everything I could about them. I loved how Camellia grew and changed as the story progressed, and how the world's gilded facade was peeled away as she explored it. The supporting characters are also incredibly compelling, and Clayton did a very good job of rounding almost all of them out and giving them depth. I was especially fond of Remy, a palace guard whose adherence to the rules is tested when he befriends Camellia. Of course, he's kind of in a love triangle with her and a nobleman named Gustave, but don't worry, this isn't your typical love triangle you might see in other books of this nature.

"The Belles" is a book that I really really enjoyed, and I cannot wait for the next one in the series. When oh WHEN is it coming out?!

Camellia Beauregard is a Belle. In the opulent world of Orléans, Belles are revered, for they control Beauty, and Beauty is a commodity coveted above all else. In Orléans, 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 Orléans 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 Orléans 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.

I received an eARC of The Belles from the publisher, courtesy of Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

There is a whole lot to love about The Belles, from the cover to the writing to whatever comes next.

Clayton's writing is lush and delicate, but fast paced. The short chapters help to make the reader feel how frenzied Camellia feels at the beginning, when she is learning what the true task of the Belles is, and how important they are to their society.

It does need some content warnings for fat-antagonistic comments, death of a queer character, leeches plastic surgery, body shaming, blatant classism, unpleasant comments about mental health, attempted sexual assault, and gaslighting. Please be careful with yourself if you choose to read this book.

I was struck by the realization that everything in the palace is stunning, gilded and colorful, while the rest of the world and its people are described as drab, gritty and gray. The descriptions were very Marie Antoinette-esque in that way, which very much suited the aesthetic of The Belles. 

I wish we'd gotten to learn more about the world outside the palace, and spent a little more time with Amber and the other Belles. Camellia talks about how Amber is her best friend, but the only time we see them interact is when they're fighting about something. I hope we'll get to do both of those things in the next book.

I very much wish that the author had chosen another character to kill off other than the one she did of Lady Sophia's ladies-in-waiting. It was disappointing to have her kill off the only one of them that we actually got to meet.

Overall, I recommend the book. Clayton's writing was beautiful, and I think there's great things to come from this series. You can pick up a copy on Amazon or Indiebound.



Disclaimer: All links to Indiebound and Amazon are affiliate links, which means that if you buy through those links, I will make a small amount of money off of it.

ARC given by netgalley/publisher in exchange for an honest review.

First off, I should start off by saying that this was a book I couldn't put down. I tried, and I was back at it five minutes later needing more. It is rare when I get to read one all in one sitting, or am interested to read one all in one sitting.

THIS BOOK DIDN'T DISAPPOINT.

Absolutely lush descriptions. The writing was beautiful and fluid. It was so easy to see everything in your mind as if it were happening right in front of you from one page to the next. The writing held you captive and wouldn't let you go, and if you did set the book down, it didn't stay down long. It remained on your mind until you picked it back up again.

The world building... such a beautiful, interesting concept. You want to think its all princess like based on the cover, but it isn't. This book is so much more! The characters, the fictional place of Orleans, the magic....and the beauty. This author cast a world so beautiful, that even it its darkest moments(because there are a few), it still wove a perfectly beautiful story.

From start to finish, this held me. My only gripe is I finished it entirely too fast. Think I will need a reread and really savor what this author gave readers.

I need the next book now, and I really can't wait for it!

In a world where Beauty is a commodity, controlled by the Belles, Camillia, like many of her sisters, wants to be named the Favorite of her generation, to live and work with the royal family.
This book was highly enjoyable, and although many of the plot twists were pretty clear, it was still a fun ride. I cannot wait to see what happens next in this series!

***4.5 STARS***

REVIEW WILL GO LIVE ON TUESDAY 1/30/2018 & LINKS TO BLOG & GOODREADS WILL BE ADDED TO NETGALLEY REVIEW

*HUGE thanks to Disney Hyperion, Netgalley and Dhonielle Clayton for the early review copy in exchange for my honest opinion

PLOT

The Belles is the type of book that will sink it's teeth into you without you ever noticing. The opening scene sets the stage for this lush & colorful world, leaving you hypnotized by all Orléans has to offer. The Belles are introduced to us readers & the royal court on their 16th birthday. Beautiful carriages stream in one by one, each carrying a Belle named after a specific flower. Each one will be introduced to the royal family & each one will hope to be chose as the "Favorite." The Favorite will solely tend to the needs of the royal family while the others are assigned to the different tea houses in the land where they will provide a service. Born with a special gift, The Belles are the only ones that can bring beauty to a otherwise gray world & people. Their services are sought out by the wealthy who can afford to pay the hefty price for beauty.

"Belles are the descendants of the Goddess of Beauty, blessed with the Arcana to enhance the world and rescue the people of Orléans"
We are introduced to our MC Camellia Beauregard whose mother once was the Royal family's Favorite, and whose footsteps she hopes to follow. Camellia & her sisters are recieved by the court with great celebration, a vote will be cast for the Favorite. Camellia wants the coveted position of Favorite more than anything in the world but so does her closest sister Ambrosia. Both Camellia & Ambrosia have shown great skill with their power called the Arcana, a power that is not without it's consequences if misused. The Royal family is hiding many secrets & The Belles are unfortunately pawns used to maintain appearances. The Favorite will find herself pushing the limits of the Arcana at the risk of her own destruction. Filled with plot twists and political intrigue, this book had me on my toes trying to figure out the next move in the game.

"Always remember that emotions are tethered to the blood, and the blood is where your gifts are. Any excess passion can cause contamination and too much pressure. It can damage the Arcana. I cannot stress this enough."

CHARACTERS

We're introduced to Camellia, Ambrosia, Edelweiss, Padma, Valeria, and Hana on their 16th birthday. Although each one doesn't get a ton of page time, their personalities definitely jumped off the page, some more than others. The MC Camellia has a reputation for being a rebel & going against the rules set for The Belles, she's very unpredictable. Camellia wants nothing more than to follow in her mother's footsteps, she is ambitious & confident in her Arcana. I enjoyed meeting a MC who walked into the story with confidence & determination, she refused to allow self doubt to creep in. Camellia's only real competition is Ambrosia who she is most closest to having been raised together by their Mamans aka Mothers. The Belles for the most part get along well & treat each other like sisters. They've been raised together since infancy & so we see the typical sibling rivalry take place but none as complicated as Camellia & Ambrosia's relationship. They cheer each other on & look-out for one another but they both desire a position only one can hold.

Edelweiss is probably my most favorite besides Camellia, she cares not for being a Belle & would much rather see the world. We see Edelweiss often challenges Madame Du Barry who is head of their house & responsible for their training. I really enjoyed seeing how far Edelweiss would push the limits, very outspoken & quick to set any of her sisters straight, she quickly became one of my favorite characters in this book. There is one other supporting character that deserves mention, Rémy who is assigned to protect & watch over Camellia. Although there is no romance between Camellia & Rémy in this book, there is some budding chemistry between the two. Rémy is loyal, the kind of guy who is hard on the exterior but mush for those he loves. I appreciated that he wasn't made out to be some raging jealous guy once he saw Camellia's actual "love interest" come around, he respected her space.

The villain...cause it wouldn't be a Fantastical world without one amiright?!?! Ha! Princess Sophia, daughter to the Queen & King of Orléans will make anyone's blood go cold just by looking their way. Cruel, Vain, implacable, and unpredictable. She's also one of the smartest villains I've met in YA Fantasy, always ten steps ahead of the game. She is calculating & mainpulative & many times left me asking myself "does she know?" Princess Sophia plays her cards close to her chest & what she does and doesn't know is a source of tension for both the reader and those in her court.

WRITING & FINAL THOUGHTS

The first impression I got when I read the first page of this book was beauty would be splattered everywhere!!! In the fashion, foods, and streets of Orléans and that it was! giving off Hunger Games Capital vibes, you are sucked into the MOST colorful & opulent world guaranteed to leave you eyeing the closest pastry shop. The world building was A+ but perhaps my only complaint is that the magic system isn't throughly broken down early on. This book is quite hefty and that means that for the first half you are only holding certain pieces of knowledge on the way things work with The Belles. We know that their treatments are temporary fixes & that only the wealthy can really afford them & the maintenance that goes along with it. The consequences of pushing the limits however, isn't disclosed in the first half of the book. It wasn't too complex of a system at all to understand, i just wish we had been given more of it towards the beginning. There is a TON of information that is revealed towards the end, the second half of the book is absolutely much faster paced than the first. That being said, I cannot deny the lure of this world & how I couldn't put the book down for long. The rich color palette encompassing all skin colors/tones used by the Belles to treat the Gray, signified the lack of racism in this book. However, classism is well & alive in The Belles where only the wealthy can afford to receive treatments while the less fortunate walk around Gray & drained of life. There are also two characters from the LGBTQIA+ spectrum, one who is Bi-sexual & the other is Lesbian (won't say who cause spoilers). Orléans is a world where LBTQIA+ and people of color live well among others without discrimination. I LOVED the commentary on beauty & societal standards this book brings to the forefront! Camellia loves being a Belle & bringing color to peoples lives but then there are those who are never satisfied...

Arc provided by NetGalley!

HOLY HELL!!!! This book was such a pleasant surprise. Starting off light and frothy, it just gets deeper and darker as the book progresses, and it is so twisty and luscious, oh my goodness.

The lead, Camilla Beauregard, is a Belle, which means she has a special gift: she can manipulate the way people look as well as act. This is a special gift that only a chosen few receive, and in Orleans where she resides it is a great responsibility as well (except for the Belles, the rest of the country is cursed with grey skin).

The book started off reminding me of the chapters in The Hunger Games set in The Capitol, and the descriptions of the way people have changed their body so much they barely resemble their original selves. In this book, your face, your body, even your personality can constantly change. Camilla enters this world and doesn’t know what to make of it. She wants to help people be their best selves, but what people actually want surprises her. I don’t want to spoil any more of the plot because it’s so twisty, I want readers to discover it for themselves.

Camilla, as a character, is amazing. She’s spirited and spunky without falling into traditional fantasy tropes; it all feels like it comes from a very genuine place. She’s not perfect either, she struggles with jealously especially and wanting to be the best all the time, but it makes her a very well rounded character.

The villain in the story!!! No spoilers, but it gets intense, I was hiding at work and trying to get some reading done, I wanted to know what happened next so badly (don’t tell anyone). There IS a romance in this book, but it goes in an unexpected direction and isn’t the most important part anyway.

The writing is so beautiful, rich and descriptive without being overly distracting.

Remy and Edel are characters I can’t wait to find out
more about in future books.

Man, this book. I would recommend it to everyone. So excellent. So unexpected. Really beautiful. Read it!

I really, really enjoyed this book. While it started off a bit slow for me it sure picked up ¼ through the book and from there on it is pretty fast paced.

I absolutely love the world Dhonielle Clayton created, it was magic and real. I really wouldn’t mind to see it on the screen someday. Everything was well described but not overdone.

If you think this book is all about beauty and vanity, you are wrong there is so much more that is taking place. I don’t want to give anything away and it really dosent if I say to be a faviorte is not a necessarily good thing as Camille things in the beginning. She learns quickly that being a favorite may just mean a bigger and better golden cage. There are a lot of secrets and lies to be uncovered and Camille being a bit of rule breaker and rebel means to find out what all it hidden behind the nice golden and royal façade.

This book is full of surprises and has some nice plot twists that I did not see coming. Also be warned it does end with a cliffhanger.

I really enjoyed Camille for the most part of the book, she did have some annoying parts but she learned quickly and I ended up really liking her. Another favorite for me was Remy and I wish we could have had more of him.

Overall, this was a fast paced, full with some action, betrayal and many twists and turns read that I really enjoyed.

I rate it 4 ½ ★ because it was a bit slow in the beginning for me but otherwise a great read with an awesome world.

It's a fact that I am a sucker for pretty covers, so of course The Belles sucked me right in the second I saw it! It's easily one of the most gorgeous books of the year! Add to that a synopsis that's equally as eye catching, plus a powerful female MC, and I hoped I'd have a new favorite on my hands! I was SO excited to get an advance copy of this book, although I'll admit I was intimidated by the size. Still, I dove in as soon as I was able and am happy to report that I did enjoy it, even if it was a bit bigger than it really needed to be.

Camellia is a Belle, a controller of beauty who helps the people of Orleans become who they want to be (as long as they can afford it). The story begins as she's competing for the position of favorite Belle, the one chosen to live in the palace and work for the royal family and court. At first, she doesn't get everything she wants, but it's only a matter of time before her wish comes true and she's positioned in the royal palace just like her mother before her. Camellia was definitely a strong, powerful woman, although I didn't end up loving her quite as much as I thought I would. She is very good at what she does, but she's also selfish and needlessly indecisive. I do wish more had been explained about why Camellia was so much more powerful than her sisters. Instead, the only thing that we're really told is that she likes to disobey rules and experiment. In nearly 500 pages, I feel like more of Camellia's backstory and more of an explanation about her powers could've been provided.

In the beginning of the book Camellia is with her sister Belles, but they are quickly split up. Although we're told a lot about what a close relationship they all have, not much of that is seen and the majority of interaction between them is negative. I'd hoped to get more of a glimpse into the bond they shared. I did enjoy Camellia's relationships with both Bree and Ivy and found them to be one of the best parts of the book! There was also a hint at a romance or two, but it was not central to the story. It seemed at first that there might be a love triangle brewing, but that didn't really happen, thankfully. I did love Camellia's relationship with Remy, her personal guard.

As I've already hinted at, I do wish there had been more explanation for the Belles themselves and how their powers worked, as well as the society of Orleans and how it functioned. All we really ever saw was the palace and its immediate surroundings and the only things that ever seemed to happen in the world had to do with Belles and beauty. I understand that the author was making a point, but this world most definitely needs to be fleshed out a bit more (which sounds crazy since I'm talking about a nearly 500 page book). There were endless descriptions about people's hair and dresses and the Belle's appointments and goings on. I do wish that most some of this had been left out in favor of more world building. As the story was told, however, it could've easily lost 150 pages and still gotten all the same points across. It was needlessly bloated with descriptions that dragged down the pace for no real reason.

None of this is to say that I didn't enjoy this book, because I did! The concept of The Belles is incredibly unique and, although the story was dragged down in places by too many descriptions, I kept turning the pages because I wanted to know what would happen next and where Camellia would end up. The villain was certainly scary and added a sense of urgency to Camellia's actions, and there was a twist that completely took my breath away!

A word of warning, The Belles does end on a massive cliffhanger. I actually (somehow) didn't realize that this was a series and as the book was coming to an end I was trying to figure out how it could possibly wrap up. It didn't. I hate all cliffhangers, but this one was extremely abrupt and left way too many questions. I guess it did its job though, because I'll definitely be reading the next book to see what happens next.

The Belles definitely had its issues. It was overly long and in dire need of more world building. But it was also incredibly enjoyable with an intriguing concept and its definitely a story that I plan to jump back into when book two comes out a year from now! I'm looking forward to seeing how Camellia copes and honestly I'm just so excited for the romance that I know is inevitable in book two.

The Belles is book 1 in The Belles series. I went into this story thinking it was going to be a somewhat lighthearted YA about a girl living her dream and working for royalty and bringing beauty to the world. I was kind of right, but the story itself was much darker than I anticipated and it wound up working for me and drawing me in to the point where I couldn't stop reading.

Camellia Beauregard is one of the few girls born a Belle. Belles are able to harness their powers and bring beauty to a the people of Orléans. Everyone except the Belles are born with gray skin, red eyes, and just look sickly. Of course no one is happy with how they look so they change their appearance by getting the Belles services to change their skin color, hair, eyes, etc for money of course. They hold the power to basically change anything you want, think plastic surgeon and cosmetics mixed into one magic. After a little bit Camellia winds up at the palace as the favorite, she's the one that will use her gifts on the Queen and Princess as well as anyone that is given a beauty token from the palace members. Something sinister is afoot though and Camellia has to quickly figure out how far she can push her gifts before it's too late.

The Belles is an enthralling read shows what lengths some people will go to for beauty. I LOVED that this was a diverse read, the leading lady if you couldn't tell is a young woman of color and I feel we need more ethic leading characters in books. The plot was not like anything I had read before and while darker than I expected it hooks you quickly. If you enjoy Young Adult Fantasy novels you have to pick this up.

This is already one of my favorites for 2018! Camellia is a Belle and the Belles are the only beautiful humans born into a world full of ugly grey. The people in their world do not know beauty without the Belles. Camellia thinks she's ready to bring beauty to the royal family and the rest of the kingdom, but what happens when she discovers the true ugliness that lies behind the palace walls? The Belles is a fantastic read for anyone craving a new fantasy or dystopia series. I can't wait for the sequel!

Dhonielle Clayton’s debut is chaotic, non-sensical and mildly interesting. It follows Belles, or blessed children given the ability to give color and modifications to the cursed Children of the Sky God (they have gray skin and hair the texture of straw) who live in Orleans, a kingdom that appears to be a combination of steam-punk and Rococo France. There’s a lot going on here. Isles, Tea Houses, Palaces, and Picture Boxes. It’s hard to keep track of.

Still, it is bound to deliver a small amount of delight to fans of,- Throne of Glass or Lady Midnight. Like those two books, The Belles is powered by the perspective conviction of it’s main character Camellia Beauregard, a Belle who is infinitely more creative than her “sisters”. However, for a book called The Belles it needs to a wider span than Camellia. She’s too boring a character to keep you interested in such a heavily convoluted plot. The love she has for her fellow Belles is far more interesting.

The best part of the book was it’s beginning, in which the powers of the Belles- “arcana”, magical methods of beatification, are explained in beautiful detail. In short, the crux of The Belles is it’s allegory on love, beauty, and racism. Without color, who are we? Without beauty, what is our value? These are all wonderful questions. However, I don’t think The Belles does a good job of asking them.

There’s info dumping, weird narrative interjections in the middle of dialogue, and a love story so unremarkable I can barely remember it The Belles is an admirable feat, but good execution is always more valuable than good ideas.

Really loved this. I think a lot of the deeper, poignant social commentary may need a second read to fully ingest--because there's a lot--but I think this is a keeper. I've already preordered.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I think one day I was just on NetGalley randomly and wanted to browse through the books that were coming out this year. I think this was back in November/December? I can't really remember what day or month exactly but I do remember asking for this book last year. So when I woke up to an email from NetGalley saying I was finally accepted to read this book (plus tons of other books) I thought to myself, "Damn, I guess the saying 'When it rains, it pours' is actually true." Not that I'm complaining or anything I love when I get to read books before they come out. It was just intense to find so many books that I was accepted for.

Now about this book, I mean look at the cover! Before I even opened the book I thought it was going to be about something completely different. However, once I started to read it my mind was completely blown. You really shouldn't base a book on it's cover because guys - this book was so freaking good!

The Belles, written by Dhonielle Clayton, is set in a opulent world of Orléans where the Belles control Beauty and Beauty is basically everything to these people. Camellia, the MC, is a Belle. However, she just doesn't want to be a Belle - no, she wants to be the favorite. The best of the best.

I, of course, applaud Camellia for having such reasonable goals since being a Belle has basically been her whole life. However, I definitely developed a love/hate relationship with her. I think it was just what she would do throughout the book that sometimes rubbed me the wrong way. I don't really want to go into that much detail because I definitely don't want to spoil a ton of stuff about this book.

Besides Camellia and the other Belles, there's tons of magic (because that's what the Belle's use when creating Beauty), secrets, amazing food descriptions (that may or may not make you want to lick the pages/screen (view spoiler)), and of course a great villain (that everyone deals with).

The Belles was amazingly well-written and I couldn't put it down. Nope, I basically carried either my phone/laptop/kindle with me everywhere until I finished the book. You will easily fall in love with the story line, the twists, the characters, the romance, and basically everything else (LIKE THE FOOD).

I guess I have one more complaint - the ending. Yeah, sorry .. but I can't accept that! WHY did you have to do this to me book? The last freaking 100+ pages and you leave me with my jaw basically disconnected to me because it's on the ground. I seriously need the next book pronto! Whenever it comes out I will definitely reread this book beforehand just so I can go through this whole enjoyable and jar dropping roller coaster ride AGAIN.

I feel like I haven't lived until I read this book and I'm beyond happy that I got the chance to read it. Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read it. Thank you Dhonielle Clayton for writing an amazing book!! I can't wait to read the next one!! Please tell me it comes out soon??

P.S. PRETTY SURE THIS IS MY FAVORITE BOOK RIGHT NOW!

Thank you, Netgalley for the opportunity to read this arc.
I really feel that this book had a lot of potential. The writing wasn’t the best, but it was entertaining and that’s the reason to read, right?
I was wanting this to have more world building and less dialogue. The summary made it sound so interesting, but I believe it fell short. The story wasn’t anything new. I felt it had characteristics of other books and combined it. I knew the ending before it happened.
I will say though that Princess Sophie was such a great villainess. She was cruel and interesting and her alone made me continue reading.
Will I read the text one, eh...maybe??

The Belles / B071XNWRHC

I'd heard in advance this book was amazing, and even pre-ordered the Kindle version, so I was excited beyond words when the publisher sent me an ARC to read in advance. I meant to read it a little at a time (I'm trying to break my marathon-reading habits) but ended up devouring the entire book in a day. SO GOOD.

The people of this world are afflicted with a mysterious curse which drains them of color. But a few girls are born with color and a mysterious magical gift: they can provide beauty (any color! golden hair? sure! red-rose lips? on it! honey-brown eyes? here you go!), moderate moods and temperaments, and grant musical and artistic skill. These girls are called Belles and their entire purpose in life is to serve the people of Orleans and beat back the graying curse with constant vigilance in the form of beauty treatments.

...which are expensive.

...and very painful.

Camille, one of the latest batch of six graduating Belles, longs to show the people their inner beauty. She wants to *enhance* their loveliness and help them accept how wonderful they are. But life is about to take a sharp turn when she arrives at the capital and realizes that what the people *actually* want has nothing to do with natural beauty or self-acceptance and everything to do with a desperate scramble to the top of a treacherous and deadly social ladder.

If you liked HUNGER GAMES but wanted less running in the woods and more Capitol politics, clothing, beauty regimens, and rich people murdering each other--and President Snow as an evil princess with a miniature pet elephant--then you will like THE BELLES.


---Spoilers and Trigger Warnings--

THE BELLES plays beautifully with YA tropes before turning them on their head and exploring new and different directions. Spoilers herein: The "rival" positioned to oppose the main character is a sweet girl with mutual love and respect for the protagonist. They don't like being made to compete with one another, and they never stop loving each other. Amazing! Additionally, when the main character is set up at the beginning to win by being the best, she doesn't. I loved that! Instead, she goes off and toodles about as second-best. This is incidentally my favorite part of the book, because it turns into a Gothic mystery with locked doors and loud crying at night and servants lying to your face about the loud crying. (What sound? That must be the wind. Or a cat. Windy cat, yes. Go back to bed. Everything is fine.)

Another thing I loved: The author has put thought into how transgender people would use body-altering magic to transition in her world. I love-love-love when authors think about how we would interact with the world-building. In a newspaper announcement regarding the latest new 'beauty laws' (which are necessary to keep people from becoming thinner than the human frame can support, or shaping their noses too small to breathe properly), we read: "Queen changes law: allows boy to reveal true self and transform into a girl at maison rouge de la beaute." I put the book down and cried for happiness to see confirmation that trans people exist in this world and are accepted. I am additionally thrilled that while earlier versions of the ARC misgendered the girl in this announcement, trans readers contacted the author and she worked with them to make the final print better. How often does that happen? This is an excellent standard for authors to reach for.

Now for the trigger warnings.

[TW: Sexual Assault] There is a scene with attempted sexual assault in the context of a woman of color performing service work not dissimilar to professional massage on a man. This is a very common thing that happens in our world--the assault of service workers in situations like this, and particularly workers who are women of color--and the scene read as very real to me and appropriate for the book. But be aware that it is here.

[TW: Slavery, Captivity of Disfigured People] Over the course of the story, it is revealed that Belles used to be bought and sold as chained slaves. The scene in which the protagonist, a woman of color, studies pictures of her forebears in chains is raw and painful. Later we find that some Belles have facial or bodily disfigurements and are kept in secret captivity as a 'second class citizen' tier of Belles. The protagonist is appalled by their treatment and I think the series will focus on saving them, but this book ends with them still in bondage.

[TW: Queer Death] This world is one in which queerness is normalized--no one thinks it's scandalous to have a same-sex partner and there is mention of queer marriages--but the most visible queer people we see are a gay man who plays the role of Cinna here (there I go with my HUNGER GAMES comparisons again) and a sapphic couple. One member of the sapphic couple is killed by the villain in a moment which is meant to be a moral event horizon for showing how evil the villain is. In the context of the story I did not find this gratuitous, but others may; proceed with care. I hope we can see happy sapphic couples in the sequel.

[TW: Possible Bi/Pansexual Villain] Per above, queerness in the world is normalized, but we don't receive a lot of examples of queer people. The only person I noticed to have lovers of more than one gender is the villain. I don't feel the book implies that the villain is villainous *because* she is bi/pansexual, nor am I even sure she is *intended* to experience multi-gender attraction since her affairs seem more about power than attraction. However, I wanted to mention this as a trigger warning just in case.

Overall, I loved this book and will definitely be reading the sequel. Thank you!

NOTE: This review is based on a free Advance Review Copy of this book provided through NetGalley.

~ Ana Mardoll

What if you had the option of perfection? What does being beautiful actually mean?

Dhonielle Clayton's, "The Belles", introduces these two questions in such a fantastic light. Camelia Beauregard is a Belle and competing for the title of "favorite". She along with her six sisters have the ability to make people beautiful and achieve physical perfection. But these girls weren't born into the world, they were grown like roses and have a different type of blood that gives them these abilities. In the rich and lavish world of Orleans, Camelia starts to see beauty in a different way and things that are considered flaws in appearances she sees as beauty…and obviously conflict ensues.

I absolutely loved this! Orleans was a very well thought out and just visually pretty; so many vibrant colors described! I especially enjoyed the fantasy elements of the story. I wouldn't say this is a "kids" book, but the descriptions and the adorable, alive teacup animals, reminded me of something I would watch in a Disney movie, where the Belles were princesses and the Cinderella inspired carriages.

Going into the book, I had seen so many high rating reviews and was expecting to be at least entertained; the plot did seem slightly juvenile and girly (not that that is a bad thing). But it wasn't! I wasn't expecting to be on the edge of my seat, the writing to be as good as it was, or the very gripping story. Overall, I was just shocked that is was a good as everyone said! I loved how Clayton portrayed ugliness by using the color gray, but also showing ugliness from within and how that effects beauty from the outside. She did this in a very clever way and even though this book is considered a fantasy the themes discussed is universal. Everyone has something about their appearance they want to change and our society and the fictional place of Orleans is sadly one in the same.

The story did end on a cliffhanger and I'm definitely hooked and what to read more! "The Belles" will be released on February 6th, 2018! I highly highly recommend! You won't be disappointed!

Thank you, Disney Book Group for an advanced readers copy!

“You exist inside a secret world of beauty. You were born full of color, like a moving world of art … You are a Belle.”

As soon as I saw this cover I knew I wanted to read this book - I mean, it’s absolutely stunning. I can happily say that the lush and vivid writing perfectly fits with this stunning cover. The Belles follows Camellia Beauregard, a Belle with the coveted ability to control and craft beauty, and in the world of Orléans Belles are revered. But Camellia uncovers darker secrets as she’s integrated into court life and she must discover the extent of her own powers, and what she’s willing to risk to get what she wants.

Things I Liked
I really enjoyed the worldbuilding of the world of Orléans. I LOVED the mythology we get in the beginning of the story about the God of the Sky, the Goddess of Beauty, and the origins of the Belles. I liked learning about the limitations of the Belle’s abilities and their roles in society. I hope we explore more of the Islands of Orléans in the future, but I thought the vivid writing perfectly captured the tone of the story and added an extravagant atmosphere that really worked.

I really liked how the story explored the dark side of glamour. We see parents used their children as living dolls, changing and manipulating them to gain favor and status. The beauty appointments are painful and costly - to both the recipient and the Belle performing the appointment. The Belle’s recovery grossed me out! I liked seeing how the Belle become commodities, not people. They are a thing to be used. It really showcased that life as a Belle isn’t all it seems.

I liked most of the characters in the story. I liked that Camellia was ambitious, though I don’t think she was the most clever in her choices. She wanted to be the favorite, not only for the status and honoring her mother, but to genuinely bring joy and happiness to the Orléanian people. I thought Rémy was a great character, and I liked seeing his relationship with Camellia slowly develop - and he was such a softy with his sister that it was incredibly endearing. Edel was a bit of a troublemaker, but a great friend and sister to Camellia. I actually really liked the close bond that connected all the Belles.

Things I Didn’t Like
It felt like I never really had a grasp on what arcana actually was, or at least it took me a long time to get it. I know it is the source of the Belle’s ability and there are 3 types: manner, aura, and age. Arcana is NOT magic, but a protein in their blood. But I felt like the term was used a lot in the beginning of the story with little explanation. I l know the Belle’s abilities are supposed to be this big secret, but I was a little confused about their powers. It was the one part of the worldbuilding I found lacking.

There was this small fight scene between Camellia and Amber, another Belle, in the beginning of the story and Amber ends up falling. They made way too big a deal out of this minute, non-existent fall, that was entirely Amber’s fault, and I couldn’t take it seriously. This isn’t even something that brought the story down, I just thought they talked about it too much and made it seem way more serious than it was. (I also wasn’t the biggest fan of Amber, for supposedly being Camellia’s closest friend I didn’t feel their relationship at all).

Princess Sophia got a little crazed villain for me. She is just so impulsive and bratty, I don’t really see it as threatening, even though she is a formidable character. I mainly just wanted her to go away.

For me the first half of the story was stronger than the second half, and that made the reading experience a little uneven. While I really enjoyed the worldbuilding and most of the characters, I wasn’t as invested as I wanted to be. The Belles is still an enjoyable and unique fantasy read that creates a lush and vibrant world and exposes the dark side of glamour.

Trigger warning for attempted sexual assault

Side note: there is a Bury Your Gays death (of a wlw character). This is not the only LGBT character mentioned in the story, Princess Sophia is mentioned as previously having a female lover, who is also dead.

I received a copy of the book from Disney-Hyperion in exchange for an honest review.

The God of the Sky fell in love with the Goddess of Beauty and they married. When the Goddess paid more attention to her children, the humans, the God of the Sky became jealous and cursed the humans to have skin of colorless sky. Never to abandon her children, Beauty created The Belles to bring beauty back to the damned. Camillia Beauregard and her sisters are Belles, vessels of beauty, and their time has come to save Orleans from a life of unbearable sameness but they must first be placed in houses. The coveted position is The Favorite and to serve the royal family. Camillia desires to be chosen Favorite like her mother and when her time comes to shine, she is unforgettable and Sophia the Queen Regent does not forget her. As Camillia begins her life of royal servitude, she begins to see the underbelly of her world-mysterious cries within the walls, veiled Belles of a time passed, and people who risk their lives to be beautiful. The grandest realization is the volatile temperament of Sophia who demands loyalty and desires to be the most beautiful. Camillia must make a choice-be the vessel of beauty and follow every command or use her powers to save her world from Sophia. The Belles is a lush world full of beautiful colors, beautiful people, and delicious desserts and situated among this fantasy life are strong themes including choice and envy. The Belles challenges the reader to reflect on their notions of beauty and if they would like to alter their appearance. Through the actions of the characters, the reader sees what a beauty obsessed world really looks like while demonstrating that possessing conviction and selflessness is just as beautiful as outward appearances. VERDICT Great addition to libraries with fans of The Selection by Kiera Cass.

A beautifully written story that is so worth your time. Definitely be on the lookout for this one!