chucks_library's review against another edition
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The Belles follows Camellia who is one of six Belles who can manipulate beauty. Camellia really wants to be chosen as the favourite and work with the royal family, but when she gets her wish things are not as the first appear.
I found this book very engaging and the world building was effortlessly described by Clayton who immerses you in this world almost immediately. I thought our main character was well fleshed out and an interesting POV for this magical world. I devoured this book and couldn't wait to find out what was happening and I am delighted there are 2 more books in the series to continue with. I think this is a very thoughtful exploration into beauty standards and altering yourself for beauty purposes. This book is filled with intrigue, darkness and violence, which is masterfully written in a way that doesn't feel too heavy. I think if you want a different take on fantasy/dystopia pick this up.
I found this book very engaging and the world building was effortlessly described by Clayton who immerses you in this world almost immediately. I thought our main character was well fleshed out and an interesting POV for this magical world. I devoured this book and couldn't wait to find out what was happening and I am delighted there are 2 more books in the series to continue with. I think this is a very thoughtful exploration into beauty standards and altering yourself for beauty purposes. This book is filled with intrigue, darkness and violence, which is masterfully written in a way that doesn't feel too heavy. I think if you want a different take on fantasy/dystopia pick this up.
ffilippa's review against another edition
4.0
Actual rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars
Well, I'm really happy I read this novel. I hadn't planned to do so. I really liked The Belles and I liked that it was a little darker than I had initially thought. I liked the characters, the world, and the beauty concept. But I found things as the language a little too adorned, and the writing a little too repetitive, but that's it I believe... I didn't LOVE any characters, but Camille was as good as any MC. I liked to follow the story from her perspective. Oh, but I liked her bodyguard though! I was really surprised by the outcome of the romance, and the end as a whole really did surprise me. Sort of cliffhanger-y, but not really. I will definitely read the next book, but I really hope it'll be no more than a trilogy. Hopefully a duology.
Well, I'm really happy I read this novel. I hadn't planned to do so. I really liked The Belles and I liked that it was a little darker than I had initially thought. I liked the characters, the world, and the beauty concept. But I found things as the language a little too adorned, and the writing a little too repetitive, but that's it I believe... I didn't LOVE any characters, but Camille was as good as any MC. I liked to follow the story from her perspective. Oh, but I liked her bodyguard though! I was really surprised by the outcome of the romance, and the end as a whole really did surprise me. Sort of cliffhanger-y, but not really. I will definitely read the next book, but I really hope it'll be no more than a trilogy. Hopefully a duology.
marshmallowbooks's review against another edition
4.0
This book felt like a fantasy young adult novel that I used to love to read. For a while I had tried to read other things that I though fell in the same category, but they didn't feel the same as they did when I was an actual teen, to the point that I figured I had outgrown the genre. Perhaps not so after all. It was fun to return and find something I enjoyed so much.
The citizens of Orleans are not born looking like the humans we know today – instead they have gray wrinkly skin, red eyes, and straw-like hair. But the Belles can change all of that. Fantasy. Magic. Intrigue. This book had it all.Fantasy. The background was covered thoroughly enough for me to understand the world and its unique characteristics, but not so awkwardly that I felt like it weighed down the story or became otherwise cumbersome.
Snaps to the audio narrator who pulled off both female and male voices very well, in addition to covering a wide range of accents (French, American, British, even Irish).
The citizens of Orleans are not born looking like the humans we know today – instead they have gray wrinkly skin, red eyes, and straw-like hair. But the Belles can change all of that. Fantasy. Magic. Intrigue. This book had it all.Fantasy. The background was covered thoroughly enough for me to understand the world and its unique characteristics, but not so awkwardly that I felt like it weighed down the story or became otherwise cumbersome.
Snaps to the audio narrator who pulled off both female and male voices very well, in addition to covering a wide range of accents (French, American, British, even Irish).
roseybot's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this world and most of the time I was fine with Camila. The reason I rated this at a three is the romance DROVE ME CRAZY. I started skipping sections with Gus. He IRRITATED ME so much.
candi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
sarahp85's review against another edition
3.0
This was an easy entertaining read but nothing more than that. I didn't connect with anyone in the book but it was enjoyable to read!
goldenwing's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Beautiful descriptive language created a vivid world and the world building was so interesting. The pacing felt a bit rushed towards the end and I was a little bit frustrated by some of the characters choices in the ending chapters (although it's a refreshing thing to have flawed characters at least) but on the whole I really enjoyed it and would definitely read the next in the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Blood, Murder, and Bullying
Minor: Animal cruelty, Body horror, and Animal death
tishreads's review against another edition
1.0
The concept of this book revolves around people being born without beauty - that is to say that their skin and hair has no coloring to it. A select few girls are born Belles and they have been blessed by the Goddess of Beauty. They have coloring and are able to bring color and beauty to others through manipulating the Arcana (spelling? I listened to the audiobook so I'm not sure) in their blood.
The obvious problem of what happens when a nation and its leaders are obsessed by beauty is explored, but there are some major issues with the overall concept, in my opinion.
1) All this beautywork is expensive. It's outright stated that it plays a huge role (perhaps the main role) in the economy. So what happens to those who cannot afford beauty work or Belle products?
2) The Belles are asked to transform a child as part of their quest to become the Queen's favorite. The child is described as skinny and wearing rags. This implies that there is in fact a group of the poor who cannot afford this beauty work. They are NEVER mentioned or seen aside from this scene.
3) How is it that 6 Belles would be able to keep up with the demands of an entire kingdom when beautywork needs to be renewed every month or so? How would Camillia EVER think there were only 6?
4) How are Belles born/created? I know there's talk of mothers, and there's some "revealed" at the end, but for a book of this length I expected SOME kind of origin story?
5) Exactly how many times is the word "Belle" used in this book? Belle Book, Belle Products, Belle Bun. It seems like everything needs an "official" Belle title.
I was disappointed. I thought this book was going to really delve into the issue of what happens when being beautiful is your only goal, but even with all of the horrible things that happen, there doesn't seem to be any desire to truly change the system, only to escape.
The obvious problem of what happens when a nation and its leaders are obsessed by beauty is explored, but there are some major issues with the overall concept, in my opinion.
1) All this beautywork is expensive. It's outright stated that it plays a huge role (perhaps the main role) in the economy. So what happens to those who cannot afford beauty work or Belle products?
2) The Belles are asked to transform a child as part of their quest to become the Queen's favorite. The child is described as skinny and wearing rags. This implies that there is in fact a group of the poor who cannot afford this beauty work. They are NEVER mentioned or seen aside from this scene.
3) How is it that 6 Belles would be able to keep up with the demands of an entire kingdom when beautywork needs to be renewed every month or so? How would Camillia EVER think there were only 6?
4) How are Belles born/created? I know there's talk of mothers, and there's some "revealed" at the end, but for a book of this length I expected SOME kind of origin story?
5) Exactly how many times is the word "Belle" used in this book? Belle Book, Belle Products, Belle Bun. It seems like everything needs an "official" Belle title.
I was disappointed. I thought this book was going to really delve into the issue of what happens when being beautiful is your only goal, but even with all of the horrible things that happen, there doesn't seem to be any desire to truly change the system, only to escape.
jazzyjan94's review against another edition
3.0
The Belles takes place in the world of Orleans where beauty is treasured, but comes at a price. Most of the people in this world are born without color, however a chosen few are born with color and beauty and the power to make the colorless beautiful, they are know as the Belles. The most coveted position amongst the Belles is that of the queen's favorite, and Camellia Beauregard is determined to become the favorite just like her mother. However, she soon discovers that everything that she knows about being a Belle and what she is supposed to do is not all that there is to life and that there are some dangerous secrets concerning the Belles that have been hidden from everyone except for a select few people. She also learns that beauty is powerful and can be used for evil if used by the wrong people. The kingdom is at risk and soon an evil scheme might destroy the Orleans that everyone knows and loves for the sake of beauty.
The Belles is an interesting story, I will admit it was a bit slow at first and also slow-paced throughout the novel. There was a lot of build up to the climax which ends up happening in the last twenty pages and even then is left unresolved until the next book, which is slightly annoying. However, Dhonielle Clayton writes a compelling story that had me hooked and intrigued me enough to want to eventually pick up the sequel.
One of the core themes of this novel is beauty and what it means to be beautiful. In this world, beauty is dictated by the rich and famous, as well as the Belles. However, all Camellia wants to do is change the standard of beauty to be more inclusive, especially of those who might have a different body shape. It is also interesting that the antagonist of this story, Princess Sophia, wants to gain the throne so she can have the power to change the beauty standards as well as undo the laws that her mother put in place to prevent people from partaking into much treatment. The main reason Sophia wants to change the beauty standards is that she wants to be in the newspapers for her outstanding beauty, which she ahs yet been able to do, she wants people to emulate her and become miniature versions of herself, and even has devised a nefarious plan that would involved using the Belles. We also see how she uses the magic of the Belles to hurt those around her who do not do her bidding. Beauty is power, especially when you are able to manipulate those who have the magic to change appearances to make others more beautiful. An example of Sophia's abuse of Camellia's power is when she forces her to turn one of her guest's noses into a pig snout. Camellia is shocked by these actions because it is gross misuse of power, an it makes her realize that she has to do what she can to help prevent Sophia from gaining power of the kingdom.
Another theme that is woven masterfully throughout the novel is that of secrecy. As mentioned before, Camellia has born and raised believing that everything that the Belles do is for the good of the people and that after a few years they can retires from their positions. However, she soon discovers that there is a price to pay for using magic to make others beautiful, and that that is what ultimately leads to the demise of the Belles. She also discovers that there are other Belles who, due to deformities, have been hidden away in the various beauty houses, but are used to make the mistresses of the beauty houses more money while the Belles rest. She starts to unravel that everything she knew to be true is a lie and starts trying to search for the truth even if it hurts her.
The characters are compelling, readers will enjoy following Camellia on her journey as well as the snippets we get from her sisters throughout the book. As mentioned before, Sophia is an interesting antagonist especially since she gives the facade that she is sweet and just simply wants to be popular for her looks, however it is soon discovered that she is very sinister. The other minor characters are great, and we get to learn about a bunch of them. The world-building is fantastic, and the magic system is fascinating, however, I do wish it could have been explained a bit more, but I guess part of the novel is that not even the main character really knows what is going on.
Overall, a great fantasy read, especially for those who are not huge fans of fantasy. I looked forward to reading The Everlasting Rose soon. 4/5 Stars.
The Belles is an interesting story, I will admit it was a bit slow at first and also slow-paced throughout the novel. There was a lot of build up to the climax which ends up happening in the last twenty pages and even then is left unresolved until the next book, which is slightly annoying. However, Dhonielle Clayton writes a compelling story that had me hooked and intrigued me enough to want to eventually pick up the sequel.
One of the core themes of this novel is beauty and what it means to be beautiful. In this world, beauty is dictated by the rich and famous, as well as the Belles. However, all Camellia wants to do is change the standard of beauty to be more inclusive, especially of those who might have a different body shape. It is also interesting that the antagonist of this story, Princess Sophia, wants to gain the throne so she can have the power to change the beauty standards as well as undo the laws that her mother put in place to prevent people from partaking into much treatment. The main reason Sophia wants to change the beauty standards is that she wants to be in the newspapers for her outstanding beauty, which she ahs yet been able to do, she wants people to emulate her and become miniature versions of herself, and even has devised a nefarious plan that would involved using the Belles. We also see how she uses the magic of the Belles to hurt those around her who do not do her bidding. Beauty is power, especially when you are able to manipulate those who have the magic to change appearances to make others more beautiful. An example of Sophia's abuse of Camellia's power is when she forces her to turn one of her guest's noses into a pig snout. Camellia is shocked by these actions because it is gross misuse of power, an it makes her realize that she has to do what she can to help prevent Sophia from gaining power of the kingdom.
Another theme that is woven masterfully throughout the novel is that of secrecy. As mentioned before, Camellia has born and raised believing that everything that the Belles do is for the good of the people and that after a few years they can retires from their positions. However, she soon discovers that there is a price to pay for using magic to make others beautiful, and that that is what ultimately leads to the demise of the Belles. She also discovers that there are other Belles who, due to deformities, have been hidden away in the various beauty houses, but are used to make the mistresses of the beauty houses more money while the Belles rest. She starts to unravel that everything she knew to be true is a lie and starts trying to search for the truth even if it hurts her.
The characters are compelling, readers will enjoy following Camellia on her journey as well as the snippets we get from her sisters throughout the book. As mentioned before, Sophia is an interesting antagonist especially since she gives the facade that she is sweet and just simply wants to be popular for her looks, however it is soon discovered that she is very sinister. The other minor characters are great, and we get to learn about a bunch of them. The world-building is fantastic, and the magic system is fascinating, however, I do wish it could have been explained a bit more, but I guess part of the novel is that not even the main character really knows what is going on.
Overall, a great fantasy read, especially for those who are not huge fans of fantasy. I looked forward to reading The Everlasting Rose soon. 4/5 Stars.