A review by nytephoenyx
The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The Belles is a delicious dystopia with some of my favorite twists and tropes.  I regret sitting on it for so long, but it was just what I needed right now – an engaging story with an excellent world and interesting characters.

Dystopia is such a popular genre – there are so many post-apocalyptic stories that feel like carbon copies of one another that it’s exhausting.  The Belles offers something different – not a vision of Earth in its shattered future, but a different world altogether whose “perfect” society is not so perfect when you look at its bones.  In Orléans, Belles like Camille are revered because they can change the appearance of their clients and make them beautiful – all within the law, of course.  They can also touch a person’s personality, removing their anger or adding to their charm.  It’s a temporary fix for the red-eyed, grey-skinned citizens of the kingdom, who envy the Belles for their natural color and shape.

And, as can be expected, there’s something sinister lurking in the shadows.  Or, more to the point, within a usually blonde, overly sweet-at-first princess.  Which is much better than finding evil the shadows.

Where do I start talking about the things I loved about The Belles?  Other than the world, which was lovely, I adored the sisterly relationship.  While I liked the dynamic between all six girls, Camille and Amber’s relationship is wonderful.  It is written so well – there’s a balance of love and bitter rivalry that suits siblings.  It’s a complex relationship, which makes it interesting and believable.  Up until about 85% through the book, I was ready to come here and complain about Camille/August’s flirtation, but that ended up good.  No more spoilers on that.

Character deaths properly enraged me in the way Clayton intended.  After a while of getting to know the antagonist, they weren’t surprising deaths… but oh, I desperately wanted them not to happen. Clayton is a writer who follows the pull of her story.  You can sort of tell when an author chooses the path between the best possible story and saving a character or making a point.  It feels forced, awkward, or at least it does to me.  Clayton is brutal in the best way – she came here to tell the story of The Belles and she tells it well.

A couple technical notes about the writing and the narrator.  First of all – the pacing is excellent.  I devoured this book.  But it’s worth noting that Clayton uses foods repeatedly to describe things, particularly skin tones.  She’s not particular, and uses these descriptors for all shades of skin.  I completely understand the need for a variety of adjectives in a world so obsessed with color it constantly needs to be described.  If a writer must use color to describe skin tones, I feel Clayton did it the right way for the right reasons.

Second, I want to take a moment to acknowledge Rosie Jones, the audiobook narrator.  The voices and accents Jones uses in this reading are fantastic.  I particularly adored Sophia’s – it added an entirely new level to the character.

I would like to enthusiastically endorse The Belles to any readers interested.  The conversation on beauty standards, the exploration of different kinds of relationships, and the look at use/abuse of power is fantastic.  On top of that, The Belles is an entertaining story and extremely well-written.  I enjoyed my time in Orléans and look forward to the next book.
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