Set in a decadent fantasy world inspired by the court of Marie Antoinette and Japanese beauty rituals, Dhonielle Clayton’s latest novel combines magic, fashion and palace intrigue in the best way. Filled with lush descriptions of frothy dresses and mouthwatering food, The Belles is a fun if predictable new series about a world obsessed with being beautiful.

THIS BOOK. The Belles is *completely* addictive. I could NOT put it down. The world is lush and pretty but also so, so dark. There are so many twists and turns it kept me engaged and needing more.

I love the main character Camellia and her love for her sisters. Their relationships were the one thing I wish we had gotten more of (though I suspect we’ll see a bit more as the story continues). The villain is also super terrifying and made me physically cringe at some of the things she did.

My love for this book is huge and I’m a little sad that I read an ARC as now I’ll have *that* much more time to wait before I can read the sequel. I definitely recommend this if you love YA fantasy!


Thank you to Disney Book Group for sending me an ARC to review!

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

Really enjoyable plot that becomes darker the further you go. Besides a few too many descriptions with food and my preference for some more explanation on a couple subjects, this was a very good read. The characters were all their own, the Belle magic was unique, and there was enough mystery and action to keep the plot moving. Looking forward to what happens next!

I absolutely loved this book. The world-building was A+, a little weird and off-putting at times but mostly in that way where suddenly you remember this world is different from your own. The descriptions were magnificent, especially when it started to sink in just why everything was often compared to food: beauty is a consumable product in the world of The Belles, one that people often treat decadently. I love Camille as a character; sometimes she made stupid decisions and got distracted and didn't ask the right questions, but I related to her so much. She was trying so hard to be the best, to be perfect, all while still being herself and totally unprepared for the cutthroat world she's been plunged into. I loved the mystery elements of the story and trying to puzzle out exactly what was going on behind the scenes along with Camille. I loved her relationship with her sisters and how messy and complicated things became due to the competition they're all forced to take part in. I loved Camille's friendships with both Bree and Remy. I liked that the book, even as it started to feel a bit predictable, was able to surprise me and throw me for a loop (the whole last 20% of the book was amazing and terrifying because I didn't quite expect it all to hit that hard and fast but when it did :-O holy moly). And I so can't wait for the sequel and to read any other books Dhonielle writes!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me early access to this book in exchange for an honest review. If you like interesting fantasies with great world-building, strong character development, and a twisty-turny plot, check out The Belles.

In the world of Orléans, people are born damned. Gray. Above all, they want Beauty. It is only with the help of Belles, who control Beauty, can they be made beautiful.
Camellia Beauregard is a Belle. All her life, Camellia has wanted to be the favorite, the Belle chosen by the Queen to live in the palace and work with the royal family. The most talented Belle.
But at court, Camellia and her sisters learn there’s far more to this world of beauty than they ever imagined, and there’s more to their powers than they know. When the Queen asks Camellia to help the sick princess, Camellia must decide whether to help the Queen—and risk her whole world—or to continue to be the favorite Belle, the one who does everything that’s expected of her.
So, this book is more than a fairytale/fantasy epic. Orléans absolutely reminds me of the Capitol (from The Hunger Games), with over-the-top costumes and obsession with appearances and popularity. So much. But this book is really a commentary on issues we face in society today—and not just vanity—with layers and layers of reality and mystery twined together. On the surface, a book obsessed with beauty isn’t my cup of tea. But the world is richly-detailed, and the characters are complex and driven, and I can’t wait to see where the author takes them next.

(Galley provided by Disney Books in exchange for an honest review.)

**A free Arc was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

I was excited to read this book as it had been getting quite a bit of buzz and I was intrigued by the concept. A New Orleans inspired setting with a main character who can make others beautiful because the normal population has to pay to be beautiful? Heck, yes. Where do I sign up? I could just drown in all the social commentary that I knew must be waiting for me within these pages. However, I struggled with the first half of this book. And I'm not entirely sure why, if I'm honest. I didn't particularly like Camellia at first and I wasn't sold on the writing style either. Something was a little too disjointed for my liking. It took me over two weeks to get through the first half. But once I powered through, I finished the last half of the book in one day. I am so glad I stuck with it because the last half was phenomenal for me. I didn't see one of the twists coming and it took me by surprise (which I loved). It did indeed, have all the commentary that I was looking for: how much is too much in the name of beauty? What defines beauty? Is beauty a commodity? etc.

I am interested in the second book and am looking forward to continuing this series.

In The Belles, beauty is a valuable product held exclusively by a small group of girls know as the Belles. They are able to use their powers to create any beautiful look that a paying customer demands. Beauty is the ultimate goal in this world. As always what is seen is not the whole story! I enjoyed the beautiful world created and the vibrant characters!

Is it possible to overuse food metaphors? This book proves that it is. During the first 50 pages, every single page contains a food-related metaphor or simile. (There are 685 uses of the word "like" in this manuscript. In case you are wondering, yes, it is excessive. ["... like an overly frosted piece of caramel cake..." "...like a row of eggs..." "...like silver knives ..." "...like pink champagne on the tip of my tongue ..." ' like amethyst stars..." "like jewels on velvet cushions..."]) It is ridiculously distracting, pulling the reader out of what could be (but isn't) a fascinating new world. The ending does pick up steam, resulting in a cliff-hanger, but it doesn't feel like enough to save this book from the author's unremitting onslaught of similes. Couple that with inconsistencies in characters (and stereotypical characters at that) and this book is just barely readable for anyone over the age of 16. Tween readers will probably adore it.

Posted to Goodreads: For a more in-depth review watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CHFT...

Camellia is one of the elite in her country of Orleans. She is a Belle, a girl with powers to control beauty. Camellia has only one goal, she wants to be "The Favorite Belle". Camellia believes she'll do whatever it takes to be the best but the closer she gets to her dream the more she learns about what's really going on in Orleans and the truth behind the Belles.

This was a well written fantasy that felt fresh and original. The characters were well crafted and the court intrigue aspect was well done. However, the beginning of the book moved slow and the first one hundred pages felt a little unnecessary.

I was curious about this book as I was seeing so many mentions on social media, I did not know what to really expect. Once I went over the first few chapters describing a dystopian world and understood the role of being a Belle, I really enjoyed the characters and the storyline. This book is not a typical story of beautiful debutantes and charming heroes, it goes so much deeper with friendship, courage, villains and makes you think about the value of beauty.

This was a very clear case of almost, but not quite. I felt myself reaching, wanting this to be outstanding, but it kind of just hi medium.

I absolutely adored the premise, and wasn't surprised after finishing it to realise Dhonielle Clayton's involvement in WNDB. Super kudos for that. But I felt like the premise had so much it could delve into in regards to exploration of relations between the Belles and the regular people and the power dynamics that were going on.

I enjoyed learning about the wold that they were inhabiting and as such it felt kind of jarring when halfway through lots of political stuff became happening. I liked the political stuff. I wanted more of that. But I'd already settled into this being an exploration of pretty girls and their abilities. I wish all of the concepts had come in earlier.

There was one major romance... and there just plain shouldn't have been. There was one side romance that was PERFECTION, so that's cool.

Almsot, but not quite. The language was fine, but could have been taken up a few notches and been stronger. The plot could have been smoothed out extensively. The characters could have been more distinct.

I wanted to love this. Sigh.

4.5 stars. Stunning. On one level this is about the pursuit of beauty and resisting aging. I was expecting something like The Selection. But there's a whole other layer to this that is dark and twisting and unexpected.

The world building is fascinating. It took me awhile to get the feel for it, but once I did, I couldn't put the book down. Terrific teasers and secrets throughout the story as it unfolds. The ending drove me from page to page, stunned by the way things played out. The sequel will be in high demand. (Trigger warning - assault)

Today six girls who considered themselves sisters were turning sixteen. There were also to make their debut Camilla arriving in a clear and beautiful carriage and she was the last in line. This was the first time camilla visited the imperial island, the first time she had ever left home. Camilla felt like she never wanted to return home. One minute here was richer than a thousand minutes home. Camilla knew her life was about to transform that night. Camilla was a Belle and controlled beauty. Camilla wants to be the one who makes the royal family beautiful. Camilla wants to be the one the queen picks as her favorite. She wants the power the comes with being her majesty’s favorite. Camila knew if she could be better than Amber she will be chosen. Camilla’s mother tells Camilla she must be the favorite just like her mother before her before she died. The favorite shows the world what is beautiful. She reminds the people of Orleans what is essential. Camilla and her sisters had been prepared for this day since their thirteenth birthday- all the lessons. The lectures, and the practice. She knows exactly what to do it’s been rehearsed. The crowd believes Camilla and the others were born knowing how to make them beautiful. They don’t know how hard Camilla has worked to perfect the traditions and master the arcana, how she struggled to learn all the rules. As the carriages are lined outside the palace Camilla is outside and a boy talks to her which is forbidden yet she is not afraid of him. It is forbidden for men to be alone with Belles outside the confines of beauty appointments or to speak to them unless the conversation relates to beauty work. They were not to fraternize with non-Belles. Camilla did something different and against the rules to show what she could do and because of that she went to the best teahouse but was not the favorite Amber was chosen. Then Camilla and Amber had an argument and Camilla pushed Amber and Amber fell down and Amber said some very mean things. Time went by and then something that had never happened before Camilla was summoned back to the palace and the queen and asked to assume the duties of the favorite. But none will tell her where Amber is. Elizabeth only told Camilla what Amber had done in exchange for some beauty treatments.
I read about 40 % of this book and really couldn’t get into this book. I didn’t connect with the characters or the story . I won’t rate this unless I have to as I didn’t finish this book. I am sure others will enjoy this book.

I wanted to love this book so much. First off, the cover is absolutely stunning. It provides just a hint of the lush, magical world of The Belles. And yet… Well, when authors I love rave about this book as well, it makes me all the more excited. This is the first book by Clayton that I’ve read, her fantasy debut. While I enjoyed it for the most part, there were also some glaring issues which prevented me from clutching the book to my heart in merriment.

TW: Sexual assault

What a luscious, gorgeous, delectable world Clayton has created. We dive right into the action from the very first page. The world of Orléans and that of the Belles is filled with beauty and wonder. I cannot get over the concept of this novel. How incredibly unique to have a handful of women control beauty. And yet how dreadful for them to control it as well–pushed and pulled in a variety of directions all for the rich and glamorous who can afford it.

There were times I didn’t quite understand how the magic–or arcana–of the Belles worked, but as the story progressed and we followed Camellia into her world, I found myself comparing the Belles’ work to that of a modern-day plastic surgeon. People can change their looks on a whim–at the right price, of course–pale moon skin color or tawny brown the next, flowing black hair or brilliant red the next. The people of Orléans are born as Gris, gray-skinned, red-eyed, but the Belles can make them beautiful. The unfortunate part is that the beauty never lasts, and the Belles are always in business.

However, as I continued reading, I came across a handful of problems and personal dislikes. While I liked the world-building to an extent, I eventually felt like I was reading a laundry list, whether it was colors, fabrics, or food (which all sounded delicious actually). I loved that it gave off an elegant utterly decadent 1700s French style, à la Marie Antionette. But that also meant there was a dark side, and we saw just how much some people were willing to pay for beauty.

The characters were conniving and yet…confusing. I loved how close Camellia and her sisters were, and I just had to keep reminding myself they’re only sixteen. Yet sometimes I thought their antics were very two-faced, especially that of Camellia and her best friend, Amber. One of the most uncomfortable part was in the last few chapters and what happened with Claudine, one of Princess Sophia’s ladies-in-honor (ladies-in-waiting?). Claudine is the only queer woman in the book and her fate made me a bit uncomfortable. I thought it was horrible to use her in such a way to show how bad one particular character was. (Thank you, Destiny @ Howling Libraries, for pointing that out to me.) But besides that, the princess also announces Claudine’s marriage to a gentleman who is quite possibly a known serial rapist. Not to mention this same person also attempted to sexually assault the main character! No good! I also found some of the characters to be very flat, especially Rémy and even the queen. (Though I quite liked Rémy and his role at the end of the novel in regards to helping Camellia.)

The writing style also fell short for me. There was a lot of room for stronger sentences instead of the typical “noun verb direct object” style. I don’t know if that’s Clayton’s usual style of writing as this is the first book I’ve read by her, or if it’s because this is her first fantasy book. Regardless, I’d like to see more intricate writing.

I thought about giving this 2.5 stars, but the ending and the light shed of a lot of the Belles’ history and how they’re raised, along with what Camellia and Amber did together (girl power!) helped bulk this up to a full 3 stars. I also have some hope for the next book in the series, and that queer woman (if there are any in the next book) receive better treatment.

Hello happy readers! So I didn’t have any new books to share this weekend but I did get some reading done so yay! One of the books I was able to finish is a new release I got thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, for an honest review, The Belles (The Belles #1) by Dhonielle Clayton. I didn’t know a ton about the book when I requested it just that I had seen it around on many anticipated reads sections and when I saw it the summary was rather intriguing so I wanted to give it a go.

Rating: 4 Stars

Camellia is a Belle. She is one who is not born gray and dammed but full of color and able to control beauty in others. Beauty is a commodity and Belles are raised and trained to use their gifts to beautify. Camellia wants more than to be any Belle she wants to be the favorite chosen to serve the Queen of Orleans. When Camellia and her sisters arrive at the palace to be sorted to the proper slots it becomes clear there is much more to the world than they were raised to believe. Danger, intrigue, secrets and half-truths are everywhere including their own guardians. Their gifts may be more powerful than anyone realized and when propositioned with a request by the Queen herself to risk her life she is caught between pleasing the queen and trying the untried or save herself and her sisters.

So this book appealed to me in the form of seeing beauty as a commodity in a more literal sense. I am not the make-up type of girl mostly because I don’t have the patience to figure it out or the energy to do it but I love watching other looks and how they can be transformative. As many people base things on first impressions and looks (beauty) is how most people (women especially) are judged I was curious about this world.

The first start of this I was a bit concerned because I didn’t really like Camellia. She was vain and a bit selfish and it was harder to really feel for her character at first. I say this because as the story progressed I did grow to like her. There were moments where she felt just a bit static at times where later progress seemed to come out of nowhere so it was a bit out of synch to me. There was a bit of romance as well that just never felt viable for me so I wasn’t too invested though I feel I should have been. Though he did have some of my favorite lines. Another platonic relationship was nicely developed and had me invested but had a rather unsatisfying ending and the lack of concern to even ask about it bothered me a bit given the connection there before.

"I don't mind it. Sometimes it reminds me that I'm awake."


"Love is when hearts beat together."

That probably sounds like a lot of negative things but they were just little things and overall they didn't stop me from enjoying the story. If anything when I grew to care for Camellia it was even more rewarding. I did enjoy the slow burn and build of the story and how many different strings that started to tug and play their way into the larger picture over time. It was beautifully written and paced nicely keeping the suspense and danger building. We got to know many characters. I really enjoyed some of the ladies of honor, the other Belles, Remi, Bree and some of the royals and guardians and look forward to learning more about many of them and their roles in the future books. While you didn’t get to know as much about some they had their own uniqueness to them that had nothing to do with their beauty treatments. There is also much more to this world than beauty and my favorite moment is when Camellia is trying to help some see their own unique beauty that is there already. I have some theories about the next book and what I think this one has lead to. I felt some deeper meaning to beauty than what is on the surface and it deepened the story that much more.

I am excited to learn more about the world not in the court or high society but the regular every day markets and such which we only got glimpses of. I also look forward to getting to know more about the sisters and characters. While there were a couple moments with Camellia and Amber that felt a smidge off I am hoping at least one can be explained later. I am looking forward to the next book in this series.

Until next time…

A compelling voice and central character can't quite make up for the shaky worldbuilding and pacing of this second-world fantasy with an interesting premise. The citizens of Orléans are born with grey skin, red eyes, and brittle hair - except for the Belles, who also have the power of the arcana in their blood, the ability to make people beautiful. Their power makes them central figures in the court but also constrains their life to one of service, exhausting themselves to create beauty in others. Camellia wants nothing more than to be the Favorite, chosen to do the beauty work of the royal court, but when she's assigned instead to the Chrysanthemum House she begins to see a dark underside to the beauty economy of Orléans.

While Camellia is engaging and the idea of the world has a lot of potential, there are quite a few details of the worldbuilding that don't make sense on closer examination. The pacing is odd at best, and the ending is so abrupt as to demand a sequel. Overall I love the idea of this book, but I'm not convinced by the execution.

I'm going to start this review by just plain saying: READ IT. NOW. DO NOT QUESTION, JUST DO. Because let me tell you, it will be worth every moment of your time.

I first heard about this book about a year ago, and it shot straight to the top of my 2018 anticipated reads, and happily it lived up to my mountain of expectations. The world building is rich, ambitious, vibrant, sinister and thought out to a T. The characters are diverse (yes!), complex, interesting and compelling. Need I say more? I found this book very refreshing in the giant bubble of YA fantasy. Also, Remy. Just, sigh.

Also, I would like to point out that I am now a complete wreck because the last hundred pages or so just literally blew me away! It changed the game, and I need book two immediately.

I eagerly awaited this title after reading about it in social media. It exceeded all my expectations. The characters, the setting, the universe. I loved all of it. I immediately sought out the author’s other books as well. Highly recommended.

Rating: 5/5

Genre: YA Fantasy/Dystopian

Recommended Age: 16+ (sexual abuse and harassment, attempted rape)

Pages: 448

Author Website

Amazon Link to Order the Book

I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley! Thank you NetGalley and thank you Disney Book Group! All opinions are my own.

When I originally heard the title about the book I actually thought it would be about beauty queens. Seriously. But the more I heard about this book, the more I realized that while I’m not entirely sure what it’s all about (because I actively try to not look at synopsis anymore) that I needed to read this book. If you’ve not heard about this book it’s takes place in this fantasy world called Orleans. There are people who have been blessed by the Goddess of Beauty, The Belles, who can use their magic, arcana, to transform people into picture perfect beauty. Our main character is Camellia, who wants to be the favorite. The favorite is a Belle chosen by the Queen to live in the royal palace and tend to the royal family. However, things aren’t all they seem when Camellia leaves her small world for the royal palace. This book was FANTASTIC! The character development was amazing for all of the characters, even the smaller ones, the plot was not only intriguing but held my interest throughout, the world building was so well done that I could accurately picture everything in my mind, the pacing was perfection, and there was SO MUCH DIVERSITY! I AM IN LOVE!!!

The only, ONLY, thing that could be offputting about this book was that the book was longer than expected. I don’t have a physical copy with me but I expected the book to be about 250-300 pages, but it’s actually 448 pages. This didn’t offput me from the book at all because I actually enjoy longer books for the first book in the series, but some people might not. I also had previously read a not-a-review review (weird, I know) about there being ableism in this book, which is the discrimination of able-bodied people. I went into this book with that in mind, but then saw no evidence of this. There was one sentence in the book that described a character as “invalid” which can be used as a derogatory term, but in this sense it meant as it is defined “a person made weak or disabled by illness or injury” in which that character was. She was in a coma. The literal definition of weak by illness or injury. I’m not sure if the comment was in jest or if the person did not understand what invalid really meant.

Verdict: No ableism, amazing use of diversity, and an empowering and fantastic tale about a girl who doesn’t just suddenly gain power overnight. A definite must read for 2018!

I’ve been hearing talk about The Belles for months now, and, for the most part, it totally lived up to the hype. The idea that Belles have the power to change a person’s appearance/ demeanor is fascinating to me. The world building was great, but I wish there was more. I was constantly asking myself why and how. I get that Camilla didn’t have the answers or was so used to her situation that she didn’t ask questions, but I want to know how the world came to be this way, and not just because of a myth. Unless the gods are actually interacting with the characters, I need more explanation than that.

I love that diversity is welcome and accepted in this world, and that the narrator’s brown skin is considered beautiful. I truly enjoyed this one.