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A review by jonezeemcgee
The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton
4.0
3.75-4.0
I am stuck between a 3.75 and a 4 stars for this book. I think the setting was well described, the plot was very interesting (the ability to change inward and outward beauty and how that is weaponized), and I appreciated the court intrigue. The characters were, however, not fully fleshed out. Some were very one dimensional, and none really seemed to experience any character growth. The world building was only slightly lacking, and there was a lot of telling and not showing, but honestly, that is something that almost every YA fantasy seems to suffer from, in my opinion. Make no mistake that there was actually a lot of depth that Clayton has written here, and I am excited to pick up the next book and see how things progress. I am hoping that the main character, Camelia, shows growth in the first book that I think she was lacking in the first.
I am stuck between a 3.75 and a 4 stars for this book. I think the setting was well described, the plot was very interesting (the ability to change inward and outward beauty and how that is weaponized), and I appreciated the court intrigue. The characters were, however, not fully fleshed out. Some were very one dimensional, and none really seemed to experience any character growth. The world building was only slightly lacking, and there was a lot of telling and not showing, but honestly, that is something that almost every YA fantasy seems to suffer from, in my opinion. Make no mistake that there was actually a lot of depth that Clayton has written here, and I am excited to pick up the next book and see how things progress. I am hoping that the main character, Camelia, shows growth in the first book that I think she was lacking in the first.