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mybooksarenovel's review against another edition
4.0
The conclusion to The Belles duology (followed by a novella).
After fleeing Orleáns, Camellia, Edel, Amber, and Remy plot to find and reinstate Princess Charlotte as the new queen, take down Sophia, and rescue the other Belles.
This was such a fun, and appropriately YA fantasy. The world building was lush and sumptuous. The plotting and politics were fun and interesting. The characters were quirky, sinister, and loveable.
I thought it was great and wouldn't hesitate to recommend to anyone who enjoyed the Caraval series and appropriate for a younger crowd.
Contains kissing and peril.
After fleeing Orleáns, Camellia, Edel, Amber, and Remy plot to find and reinstate Princess Charlotte as the new queen, take down Sophia, and rescue the other Belles.
This was such a fun, and appropriately YA fantasy. The world building was lush and sumptuous. The plotting and politics were fun and interesting. The characters were quirky, sinister, and loveable.
I thought it was great and wouldn't hesitate to recommend to anyone who enjoyed the Caraval series and appropriate for a younger crowd.
Contains kissing and peril.
bubbataylor's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
3.5
ihateprozac's review against another edition
2.0
I’ll be honest, this book feels rushed as hell. It’s just 340 pages of Camille running all over the country, conveniently escaping all of her obstacles, and then somehow managing to save the day. There’s no tension, no clear plot, and no strategy. It’s just a case of “we’ll overthrow Sophia!” without figuring out how they’re going to overthrow Sophia.
There are a lot of elements here that had potential but they weren’t executed properly. Everything is rushed, and I feel like Dhonielle Clayton spent too much time describing macarons and lanterns and not enough time formulating a plot.
The story relies so heavily on convenience. The author relies on two new devices to solve every situation: or . Had the book been paced, plotted, and perfected, these scenes could’ve been explosive and impactful. Instead they grew predictable, causing me to become a passive consumer rather than an active participant in the story.
This story also failed to deliver any real social commentary on beauty. The first book made some great points about unrealistic beauty standards, how some skin colours and physiological characteristics are seen as more or less desirable, and "you're not ugly, you're just poor". But it's like the author just....forgot to expand on them? I thought the Epilogue would come through and smash these Orleansian toxic beliefs into the ground, but it was all shoved into the too-hard-basket for some future character to run with.
The romance is also meh.
I had a major issue with some of the world-building and mythology in the first novel: I couldn’t tell what was deliberately omitted and what was straight up poorly crafted. Thankfully some of the issues I had in Book 1 were addressed here, and we get a lot more insight into the creation and mythology of the Belles.
So I guess there’s that. Oh, and I suppose I loved the writing style. It's a quick read and Dhonielle Clayton does do a damn good job at describing those macarons and lanterns.
But in all honesty, The Everlasting Rose is just a damn hot mess.
There are a lot of elements here that had potential but they weren’t executed properly. Everything is rushed, and I feel like Dhonielle Clayton spent too much time describing macarons and lanterns and not enough time formulating a plot.
The story relies so heavily on convenience. The author relies on two new devices to solve every situation:
Spoiler
the Iron LadiesSpoiler
Camille’s fandangled new powersThis story also failed to deliver any real social commentary on beauty. The first book made some great points about unrealistic beauty standards, how some skin colours and physiological characteristics are seen as more or less desirable, and "you're not ugly, you're just poor". But it's like the author just....forgot to expand on them? I thought the Epilogue would come through and smash these Orleansian toxic beliefs into the ground, but it was all shoved into the too-hard-basket for some future character to run with.
The romance is also meh.
I had a major issue with some of the world-building and mythology in the first novel: I couldn’t tell what was deliberately omitted and what was straight up poorly crafted. Thankfully some of the issues I had in Book 1 were addressed here, and we get a lot more insight into the creation and mythology of the Belles.
So I guess there’s that. Oh, and I suppose I loved the writing style. It's a quick read and Dhonielle Clayton does do a damn good job at describing those macarons and lanterns.
But in all honesty, The Everlasting Rose is just a damn hot mess.
mis_evaluate's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
yasmeenkarolia's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
crashrun's review against another edition
4.0
Not as strong as the first book, I felt like the ending was a bit rushed. But I really enjoyed reading it, Clayton has a beautiful way with words and even her her most dramatic metaphors and descriptions don't feel heavy handed. Highly recommend reading this and The Belles!
worldsunlikeourown's review against another edition
3.0
Read more reviews on my blog at Worlds Unlike Our Own.
3.5 stars
A decent sequel overall, even if I did get awfully frustrated with how naive Camille can be at times, something exacerbated by the fact that her's is the only POV we get throughout. As with The Belles, the concept is definitely interesting and unique, but for me, the execution was lacking at times. The introduction of the Iron Ladies was a nice touch, but again, I got the feeling that this plotline is not being used to its full potential and the story holds possibility for a lot more depth, drama and suspense than it currently has. Character development wise, there was no change at all, and this book was very plot focussed. Still, it wasn't a bad read and it ends in a rather interesting place with a lot of possibilities for what might happen in the finale.
3.5 stars
A decent sequel overall, even if I did get awfully frustrated with how naive Camille can be at times, something exacerbated by the fact that her's is the only POV we get throughout. As with The Belles, the concept is definitely interesting and unique, but for me, the execution was lacking at times. The introduction of the Iron Ladies was a nice touch, but again, I got the feeling that this plotline is not being used to its full potential and the story holds possibility for a lot more depth, drama and suspense than it currently has. Character development wise, there was no change at all, and this book was very plot focussed. Still, it wasn't a bad read and it ends in a rather interesting place with a lot of possibilities for what might happen in the finale.
dustyshell's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this second book in the Belles series. While not a blow it out of the water read, it definitely continued the world building and character development well.
There were a few points that I felt needed to be fleshed out more, especially near the end, but without giving spoilers, I can’t elaborate.
Remy is by far the best character and I wish he’d been in the book more instead of a footnote for most of it. Edel is a close second.
I enjoyed this one enough to be eager to read the final one soon.
There were a few points that I felt needed to be fleshed out more, especially near the end, but without giving spoilers, I can’t elaborate.
Remy is by far the best character and I wish he’d been in the book more instead of a footnote for most of it. Edel is a close second.
I enjoyed this one enough to be eager to read the final one soon.
pages_oflau's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you so much to Gollancz for sending me a free copy of this book.
Wow, let me tell you, I don't know how people waited so long for this sequel, I'm so thankful that I was able to go straight into it!
After the horrifying events of The Belles, this book opens up with Rémy, Amber, Edel and Camellia on the run from the law and hiding out in boarding houses to evade capture. Edel confides in Camellia about a secret, which plays a big role in this book - something the Belles shouldn't be able to do. There is also a very handsome reward on offer to anyone who captures them so they can't trust anyone, and it soon seems, not even each other.
After one of them is captured, the reward increases and Rémy leads them somewhere that he believes they won't be found. They are able to get copies of papers and news readings where they learn about the resistance group called the Iron Ladies. It also comes to light that in every generation of the Belles there is one stronger than the rest, she is known as the 'Aether' and her blood is used to create more Belles. Camellia is told that she is an 'Aether' because she is stronger than her sisters.
Camellia is so strong and fierce, she sacrifices a lot to make sure Sophia's reign of terror comes to an end. Expect a few heartbreaking scenes.
Again, this world was so beautifully written with a dark undertone to it. If we thought Sophia was evil in The Belles, she's 100x worse in this, but she is also really well written. I really loved the introduction of new characters and the reappearance of old ones. I loved the element of the 'Teacup Pets' especially the dragons, they proved to be loyal and useful and they hold a special place in my heart. I also really loved how the romance was done in these books, it wasn't too much that it took away from the plot, it was just enough to be there fizzling in the background and I loved it.
This book, for me, was a tad more enjoyable than The Belles, there was always something happening and the plot grew and grew although there wasn't as much character development as in the first book but I can let that slide because this one was so jam packed full of stuff always happening and it was SOOO GOOD!
Wow, let me tell you, I don't know how people waited so long for this sequel, I'm so thankful that I was able to go straight into it!
After the horrifying events of The Belles, this book opens up with Rémy, Amber, Edel and Camellia on the run from the law and hiding out in boarding houses to evade capture. Edel confides in Camellia about a secret, which plays a big role in this book - something the Belles shouldn't be able to do. There is also a very handsome reward on offer to anyone who captures them so they can't trust anyone, and it soon seems, not even each other.
After one of them is captured, the reward increases and Rémy leads them somewhere that he believes they won't be found. They are able to get copies of papers and news readings where they learn about the resistance group called the Iron Ladies. It also comes to light that in every generation of the Belles there is one stronger than the rest, she is known as the 'Aether' and her blood is used to create more Belles. Camellia is told that she is an 'Aether' because she is stronger than her sisters.
Camellia is so strong and fierce, she sacrifices a lot to make sure Sophia's reign of terror comes to an end. Expect a few heartbreaking scenes.
Again, this world was so beautifully written with a dark undertone to it. If we thought Sophia was evil in The Belles, she's 100x worse in this, but she is also really well written. I really loved the introduction of new characters and the reappearance of old ones. I loved the element of the 'Teacup Pets' especially the dragons, they proved to be loyal and useful and they hold a special place in my heart. I also really loved how the romance was done in these books, it wasn't too much that it took away from the plot, it was just enough to be there fizzling in the background and I loved it.
This book, for me, was a tad more enjoyable than The Belles, there was always something happening and the plot grew and grew although there wasn't as much character development as in the first book but I can let that slide because this one was so jam packed full of stuff always happening and it was SOOO GOOD!