The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

Pages: 434

Intended Audience: Teens

Genre: Dystopian

Notes for Parents: Contains body-shaming, cruelty, and some mature scenes.

The Back Cover

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 Camellia 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 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.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This is the first book in a series. It is a Hugo Award Nominee for Best Young Adult Book (Lodestar Award) (2019), Locus Award Nominee for Young Adult Book (2019), and was a Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction (2018)

What’s good?

In a world where appearances are revered above all else, Camellia possesses the ability to physically manipulate people and things to make them more beautiful – and beauty is what everyone wants. The setting is potently assembled with rich imagery and lush descriptors that illustrate a Victorian-like society of magic and mystery. But the lavish world of parties and teacup animals is a thin veneer that hides a darkness that threatens the future of Orleans. The pace starts slow but picks up significantly in the last half and the plot is simple but strong.

Best Part: The world-building.

What isn’t good?

The obsession with beauty became tiresome quickly. It took a long time to get to the meat of the story where we finally feel like not everyone thinks appearances is most important. Character development is weak –Sophia is awful, but why? And what makes Camellia different? Why is the Queen so powerless? Why are Camellia and Amber friends? And I want to know more about Edel. The romance is unconvincing too since Auguste is not very likable. What does Camellia see in him?

Worst part: The novel ended with a lot of unanswered questions – presumably to be addressed in future books of the series.

Recommendation ☺☺☺(3/5)

I have so many books to read, I rarely continue with a series, so for me this story was just getting good when it ended. If you’re likely to stick it out for the long haul, this will probably be a good series, but as a stand-alone, Belles is a disappointment.

Clayton, Dhonielle. The Belles. Los Angeles: Freeform Books, 2018.