Book Review: The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

Title: The Belles 

Author: Dhonielle Clayton

Series/Standalone: The Belles Series (Book #1)

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Pages: 440

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Year Published: 2018

Format: Audiobook

"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 Camelia 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."

My Rating:  5/5

This book was exactly what I needed. I really wanted to read a book that caught me off guard and was new and different. This is exactly that but still manages to bring a sense of nostalgia (maybe just in the genre it is for me). I would say that this book is almost a dystopian in my mind. I really enjoyed the ideas of beauty as an economic need. In order to fit in to make money, you must be beautiful and therefore it has to come first. Even above necessities of food. That's wild to think about. I loved the characters they were all extremely well-read in the audiobook and had their own distinct voice. The plot was intriguing and I found myself making time to listen to the audiobook instead of just listening to it when I normally would. I loved this book. The only thing I didn't love was that the shocking twists at some points seemed fairly obvious, from my point of view. That being said, I'm usually guessing at what could be going on behind the scenes and there were plenty of plot points I didn't see coming.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny