The beauty aspect was hard for me to get into, but that was more of a personal preference than a fault of the book. The mystery was enough to keep me reading and ultimately it had a good payoff. I can't wait for the sequel. The story is vivid and well-written. I hope to see the books delve into some of the other characters thoughts (like Edel and Amber).

You know a book is good when you tell friends on a Friday night that you have plans, and your only plans are snuggling with your cat while finishing it.

This happened to me with The Belles. I can't muster even an iota of shame over it. This book was amazing, it was gripping and vast and unique and I loved it.

The world of the Belles is a New Orleans based dystopian fantasy in which humans have been stripped of colour and beauty, and left as greyscale monsters with brittle hair and bright red eyes. The only ones exempt are the Belles, who possess magical arcanas and can change the appearance of others. This book follows Camellia as she competes against her sister Belles to be the best and win the position of royal favourite.

I loved so many things about this book, but probably the best element for me was the skilful way Dhonielle Clayton built up the mystery of the Belles origins. I found myself questioning how they came to be, why some of them wore veils, how did they have children if they were prohibited from contacting men? I was also fascinated by how the concepts of magic equating to power was turned on its head in this world. The Belles have magic, but they don't have power. They are groomed, bred and controlled, despite being the only manipulators of the world's most coveted asset: beauty.

The way that the Belles manipulate beauty was also fascinating. People change sizes, skin colours, eye colours like we change hair styles. Bitter rivalries exist in the court and ladies desperately want to be featured in beauty magazines. A few characters were described as having chosen to be bigger because it represented their personality. While others wanted narrow waists. In this world, people can choose to be anything, to fashion themselves based on how they want to present. I've heard some people talk about how princess Sophia's fatness was associated with evil in the book, but I didn't think that was the case in a society where everyone's shape is constant evolving according to taste, including Sophia's. There is a lot of discussion of body size in the book, with some people wanting to be slimmer. Unfortunately, those characters do get more page time than some of the earlier characters who wanted to be larger, so there is a question of balance. But for the record, I am a fat woman and I liked the way body image and the obsession over it was dissected in this book, but I acknowledge that some passages read in isolation could be triggering for some readers.

My favourite character was probably Camellia's bodyguard, Remy. I loved how he was stoic and dutybound, but showed little flashes of character. I loved how he told little anecdotes to put Camellia at ease, and his interactions with his sisters made me melt.

I was totally not expecting the macabre twist at the end, even though I sort of was, because it was the answer to my burning questions. I'm not even going to spoiler tag it, because it's such a massive spoiler that I think it would ruin anyone's reading experience. BUT YOU WILL BE SHOCKED.

I felt like this book was a classic series opening in a lot of ways. It opens up the world and introduces the characters, but it leaves off on a huge cliffhanger. I AM ALREADY DYING FOR THE NEXT BOOK.

Dhonielle Clayton has a way of writing that is rich and layered, and my goodness, does she have a way with similes and metaphors! The way she utilizes words results in vivid, colorful imagery that is perfect for the world of The Belles, a society that prizes beauty above all else. In the country of Orleans, everyone is born with gray skin and red eyes – everyone except for The Belles, a group of girls supposedly blessed by the Goddess of Beauty. The Belles are trained in the arcana to utilize their gifts to cosmetically enhance everyone else – a sort of magical plastic surgery. It is a fresh, new concept that Clayton has clearly enjoyed exploring.

Clayton could have sat on her laurels with this concept and made the rest of her world-building derivative, but she did the exact opposite. Orleans is a fantasy world that makes use of a mixture of magic and technology, reminding me of a hybrid of Harry Potter and Legend of Korra. There are magic mirrors that reveal truths when given blood, but there are also flashing words on paper, clever “post balloons” that deliver mail, and of course the arcana itself, a mixture of art, science, and magic.

Our protagonist, Camellia, inadverdently begins to discover the dark underbelly of her world as she becomes mired in the lives of royalty, including the cruel Princess Sophia. As tensions mount and stakes rise, we learn more and more about the origins of The Belles, and things get more disturbing by the page. Greed and cruelty come out to play in this world.

I only had a few issues. First, I would have liked for there to be a clearer explanation of class hierarchies in this book. Getting your appearance altered seems to be very expensive, but never do we see hordes of gray commoners hanging around. Does everyone have enough money to be altered? Is there a huge underclass of people who can’t afford to do so? How does this further affect their status? However, this is a small issue, as in this first installment Camellia is quite sheltered and barely leaves the palace. I am guessing that we will see more of this in the second book.

My second issue was with the portrayal of the fat characters in the novel, of which there are two: Claudine, the Princess’s lady-in-waiting, and Prince Alfred, who assaults Camellia. When we first meet Claudine, she is essentially described as stuffing herself with food, and the way she is introduced seems to want to convey disgust. Pairing fat characters with gluttony is a tired trope that I would really prefer to never see again. Prince Alfred is, I think, the only fat man in the novel, and his fatness seems to contribute to the overall disgust Camellia has of him. When he is revealed to be a womanizer and a rapist, descriptions of his corpulence are abundant, implying that the two are related.

The third is the presentation of the few queer characters in the novel. First there is the Fashion Minister Gustave, who is portrayed as rather flamboyant. While there is nothing wrong with this, we never really get to know Gustave beyond his flamboyancy, thereby reducing him to a one-dimensional stereotypical character. He also has a staff of similarly flamboyant “dandies.” Now, I could be wrong regarding this, but I could have sworn that “dandy” is in some circles a derogatory homophobic term? Let me know if you’ve heard differently, as I’m not totally sure, but I did a sort of double-take when first coming across the word in this context.

The other queer character is Claudine, who is in love with her female servant against Princess Sophia’s wishes. I won’t reveal her fate because I like to keep my reviews spoiler-free, but suffice it to say that what happens to her gives off some ugly connotations about the cost of queerness. This wouldn’t have been an issue had there been other queer characters in the novel who were given equal space, but there weren’t, so Claudine sticks out, as does her fate.

Another not so much issue but question I had was regarding the friendship between Camellia and Amber, who is supposedly her best friend. For best friends, they are more competitive and jealous of each other than anything else. I’m wondering if this is meant to be a commentary on the sort of lives the Belles lead and how they are raised, but it seemed like Camellia’s friendship with the other Belles was much more supportive. So this was somewhat confusing.

My final issue was with Princess Sophia, who is portrayed as cruel and unhinged. So far she seems like a one-dimensional and cartoonishly evil villain. There is one instance in the book that humanizes her, when she seems to be in a panic about her older sister, Charlotte, but it is forgotten rather quickly, and barely acknowledged when it does happen, even though it would have belied various beliefs about Sophia’s character. In any case I certainly hope we see more layers to Sophia in the following book because as of now she’s not very interesting or believable.

These are, however, minor grievances in what was a thoroughly refreshing and entertaining book. Ending with an absolutely wicked cliffhanger, the second installment promises to be exciting and fast-paced as the Belles continue to unearth more seedy secrets about their origins.

Deliciously different than the rest of its genre. The Belles was truly a delight.

*full review to come closer to publication

I am halfway through and the mystery is driving me crazy! I have no idea how this book is going to end up, which I love. A bright and refreshing view on a world created and cursed by gods, this book really stretches your imagination to the extreme with vivid details and outlandish characters.

First off, the book was AMAZING. I was sucked in from page one and finished this in three days in the middle of a sixty hour work week because I couldn't put it down. 

However, there is one thing keeping it from being five stars. Princess Sophia (well delightfully terrible) is coded (to me) as being mentally ill, probably with Bipolar I Disorder. The words manic and mania are used to refer to her.
This is problematic since those words are used in conjunction with Sophia's episodes of public humiliation, violence, and domination over her subjects. While the words "manic" and "manic" have meaning outside of mental illness, having grown up with someone in my family who has Bipolar I (and myself most likely having Bipolar II) using those words was disheartening. Especially near the end of the book when one of Princess Sophia's ladies actually tells Camellia "She's manic" and then the following scene of violence and power is the catalyst for the rest of the plot. I've used that exact phrase to describe my cousin's moods (and for some of my own even though it's technically hypomania). Using that phase, followed by violence, makes it appear that mental illness (more specifically bipolar) is linked to violence, and it simply isn't true that people with mental illnesses are violent. Some are, some aren't. Mental illness does not equal violence, but Sophia's narrative and character arc reinforce this false narrative. At best, it's problematic; at worst, it's harmful. 

The only other thing that gave me pause was the scene in the market when Camellia accidentally catches the curtains on fire after Sophia is poisoned by a wedding dress. I didn’t have any indication of what Camellia was feeling in what should’ve been a tension filled scene, especially since Camellia was looking for a way to escape to the teahouse to see her sister. It was more like a list of sequences (which can work and did mostly), but I just really wanted some insight into how everything in that scene affected Camellia.

Now that I've talked about the only things I didn't like about the book, let me gush about all the things I did love. 

The prose is lush, sensuous, evocative, and rich with details. It's the kind of prose that old white men usually get the most praise for in all the classical fantasies with rich world-building. So, it must be mentioned because it was delightful. It's been a long time since I'd read such full, rich prose that quickly and seemingly effortlessly sucked me into a world and kept me there with food and fashion laden description without losing the tension of the narrative. 

The world-building was on point. Layers upon layers slowly and expertly revealed throughout the novel. Nearly every aspect of the world is considered. The pets! OMG, I WANT TEACUP PETS OF EVERYTHING. Teacup tigers?! And elephants?! A freaking teacup elephant! Can you imagine the hipsters in our world with freaking teacup elephants? The food described in this book was beyond. I could practically taste all the delightful morsels. 
 I love Camellia, the main character. She was a little sassy, not afraid to break some of the rules, and fiercely loyal to her sisters. The fight with Amber didn't feel fully real to me at first, but all of their other interactions did, and it's good to see a complicated yet still loving and ultimately positive relationship between sisters, especially sisters who are competing against each other for something they both desperately want. 

I was worried it was going to turn in a love triangle, but it didn’t! There was very little romance to be found (more on that in a minute), but I was, for once, totally fine with the kinda mysterious, super flirty dude because of Camellia’s reaction to him. Yes, Auguste was cute, but she liked talking to him so much because was challenging and she had to use her brain to keep up with their conversations. I mean, he tired out to be pretty terrible, but I liked their banter.

So, more on romance and feelings and power. Holy crap. The subtext here about woman’s feelings, beauty, and emotions in regards to power is STRONG and beyond applicable in America’s society. Their arcana (their gifts) can get out of balance is there is too much strong emotion. And the arcana can take away those emotions, can smooth out tempers and unpleasant dispositions. And pretty all woman know “unpleasant disposition” is code for a woman who isn’t obedient. Plus, the only way to keep their powers is to stay calm, to not feel things strongly, and to never love. And exactly how many times was Clinton criticized in the campaign to not showing emotion or showing too much of it? How often are women in power (the few times they get there in American society) critiqued on what emotions they’re allowed to show? How often are boys told to hide their emotions because crying is weak? Loved, loved, loved it. Clearly, beauty is more than an outward appearance even in a beauty obsesses world like Orleans.

While the process of the beauty treatments seems barbaric at time and gross and painful, it’s really not that different from plastic surgery, minus the magic. Even the beauty boards! Some surgeons want that to know what a patient wants and some people have those boards in their homes (like Sophia had the portraits) as beauty goals.

I was surprised to see all the food descriptions in regards to people, especially skin tones. From my reading, this is generally considered a no-no and is completely problematic because it is usually reserved only for non-white characters and most often done by white writer. Now, the author isn’t white and her main character’s skin is brown, so that changes the context, and the food descriptions were used for almost every skin tone. Plus, the critique of this method is because it can dehumanize character (and therefore, POC in real life), but in the world beauty obsessed world she’s created, this people seem like they view themselves as less than people. That beauty is the only way to be a person (I mean, literally, basically since it seemed like if they didn’t keep up the beauty treatments they turn gray and die; plus, THEY COULD MAKE ORGANS YOUNGER AND EXTEND YOUR LIFE CAUSE THAT’S TOTALLY A THING), and it felt intentional by the author. Not like some newbie relying on tropes to describe skin tone. I think it’s supposed to add to this world and equate beauty above all else, even viewing yourself and others are full human beings.

This novel deserves all the starred reviews from professional journals. This is a treatise on the intersections of power, race, beauty, and health wrapped in a veneer of a glittering, delightful, original city with a sassy main character perfect for fans of The Selection, Rebel Belles, and alternate history. The cliff hanger will leave readers wanting the next book IMMEDIATELY while they parse through the expertly handled layers of the deeper subjects.

Conceptually, I think this book is a lot of fun and the visual descriptions are stunning and ethereal. However, there is something very stilted in the execution, particularly in the storytelling itself as well as the development of the characters. There were also issues with pacing - the beginning started out with a bang and then proceeded to drag in the middle before picking up in the last 20 pages. Essentially while, yes, this book is very pretty, it doesn't hide the mechanical and pacing issues. Additionally, this is a long book and it doesn't really need to be. There are moments that can feel repetitive and redundant while other aspects of the novel are quickly rushed or explained too conveniently. I'm reluctant to say too else much because the release date is so far away and much can still change, or at least I hope it does. Clayton is a talented author (I loved "Shiny, Pretty Things") and I know she has it in her to create something more compelling than this. Additionally, like I said, the mood. the setting and the description of the treatments are all outstanding, it's everything else that needs a bit more development, a bit more fine-tuning, a bit more something in order to create a more balanced read. I'm optimistic for this one though - and will definitely re-read the finished product. Additionally - in terms of teen readers - I can definitely see them picking this one up. Despite my laundry list of negatives, there is a lot of good here and Clayton's world is one that is interesting, unique, and extremely relevant to today's hard-hitting issues. For that alone, I applaud the author. Also - there's that cliff-hanger! Sheesh! :)

Sumptuous, lovely and evocative, The Belles is the kind of novel that begs you to dig in like a midnight snack. With careful strokes of her pen, debut Dhonielle Clayton has created a world both dangerous and beautiful, intriguing and daring. Our MC, a wide-eyed, courageous 'Belle' named Camellia dives right into the world of Orleans, where beauty is bought and prized above all else, and discovers secrets in the cities depths.

Fans of Roshani Chokshi and Victoria Aveyard will love the stunning writing and brilliantly crafted world Clayton has created.

Being born a Belle is a great honor--beauty and power handed down by the Goddess of Beauty. Beauty is a commodity, and in the isles of Orleans it comes at a high price. But because the people of Orleans are grey otherwise the price of being beautiful feels worth it. Belles are the ones that create that beauty.

It isn't magic-- it is an ability in their blood. An ability that can move the structure of bones and change the color of skin and hair. Belles can change most anything about a person and they are highly revered for it... but what happens if their power is harnessed or bottled?

Camille and her sisters have trained their whole lives, each with the hope of becoming the Favorite, the personal Belle to the Royal family. And Camille receives that honor, but she quickly realizes that the ideals that she lived with for so long may not really be how the world really operates. And as she uncovers a sinister reaction to beauty she attempts to save her sisters and the kingdom.

This was an excellent book! It had a lot of heavy imagery on beauty and alterations of self.. I wouldn't suggest this book for anyone under a high school aged person.

I cannot wait for the next portion to come out!