The MUCH anticipated sequel to The Belles is on its way in 2019-- and it is worth waiting for! If you're unfamiliar with The Belles, it may be helpful to check out my review of Dhonielle Clayton's first book in this YA Fantasy series lush with commentary on societal beauty expectations and power. Basically, the Belles have control of arcane magic to shape the bodies and manners of human beings. Without them, people fade to gray (gris). When a twisted monarch takes the throne, however, the Belle power is under attack, as are the Belles themselves. 

Camille, former favorite of the Queen, is on the run with two Belle sisters and her former body guard, Remy. Together they must avoid capture and lead the resistance against the queen, which includes uniting with some unusual allies. Who can Camille trust? The answer is: almost no one. 


Lots more interesting world-building in this book, including more details about how Belles are "born" and mythology on where they came from. The idea of beauty is less of a focus here. The tagline "The Resistance is Here" on the cover really hits at the essence of this book. Corrupt power has to be met with resistance, both violent and nonviolent. The development and use of Belle magic in battle scenes is a real change here-- and an interesting one.

Only downside for me was a bit too much reliance on newsprint and letters to build the plot in the first quarter of the book. When a character is "reading" so much important information rather than gathering it in a more active way, it can slow down the flow a little. Otherwise, tons of great scenes, awesome character development, and a new host of teacup pets to wish were real.

Over all, a satisfying second book, with hints that a third could be possible here? No cliffhanger, exactly, but lots of details that leave the reader eager to return to Orleans.

I love this duology. The premise was so interesting, I will be reading it again so I can pick up things the first time I read the books. I would love to have more stories tell us what else was going on with the other characters. I really enjoyed how the story looked at beauty, is it worth the price, the pain?

When I read THE BELLES, I absolutely adored it. Dhonielle Clayton's delectable prose and rich storytelling plunged me headfirst into the extravagant world of Orleans. She turned the sickening standards of beauty on its head. It would have been a five-star read for me, if not for the treatment of her gay characters and fat characters who met very grisly ends. Instead, I rated it a 3.8 stars which I rounded up as 4 stars. When I sat down to read the sequel, THE EVERLASTING ROSE, I was absolutely pumped. However, now that I've finished this story, I regret to inform that this sequel did not enchant me like its predecessor. All of my favorite characters returned to the stage, but their performances were lackluster.

The engrossing prose was there, but the execution of the plot left much to be desired. If EVERLASTING ROSE was the conclusion of this series, I wasn't particularly satisfied. It ended on a high note, but I was low key disappointed with the journey it took to get there. This was a solid three-star read for me.

With that being said, I would love to see what Dhonielle Clayton does next. She is fully capable of spinning a breathtaking tale, but this installment missed the mark for me.

Would I recommend this book despite my views? Most definitely! As an educator, I want my students to see characters like themselves on book covers and within books. Though I did not enjoy the quality of Camille's story, I appreciate that a character like hers exists.

I really loved The Belles and was very excited to read The Everlasting Rose. I struggled to get into the book at the begin, even when I was so excited to continue reading the story. Near the middle, I suddenly couldn’t put the book down and was reminded of why I enjoyed this tale so much. It’s a beautiful and unique story. The message is important, especially in today’s society.

The Belles was a unique, action-packed tale filled with vivid imagery, solid character development, and a plot replete with intrigue and suspense. This sequel exceeded all of my expectations. As Camille races against time to reunite her sisters, save the Belles, find Charlotte, and stop Sophia's twisted plans, we are once again drawn into the dynamic and captivating world of Orleans and the mysterious Iron Ladies.

Some scenes were predictable, but most plot twists were completely unexpected. Sophia appears to always be five steps ahead of Camille and you never know when or if the tides will turn in Camille's favor. I would have loved to see a little more about the Iron Ladies but this is a solid follow-up to The Belles saga.

I really enjoyed this sequel to The Belles. The book starts out a little slow at first, but once I got farther in, it was harder to put down. Clayton's descriptions really allow the reader to feel like they were in Orleans with the Belle sisters.
While still a great read, there was definitely not as much action and intrigue in this book as in the first book. I expected more of the gasp inducing twists that The Belles gave me. There were some loose ends so I’m thinking (hoping with fingers crossed) that there is a third book in the works.
Overall, a slight letdown from the first book, but I would definitely still recommend it to readers who loved The Belles.

Love this series! It is original, exciting, and twisted - Clayton blends modern/ages-old issues of the corruption and power of beauty and body image with dystopian intrigue, young adult self-discovery, and adventure.

While I enjoyed the first book in the series, this book was not nearly as good. The plot was slow moving, the characters less believable, and the story less interesting. I also felt the word hourglass as a unit of measure was used too much - so much so it was distracting. Just use the word hour - as other characters did later on in the book.

**Spoilers Ahead** As an enormous fan of "The Belles", I was eager to jump back into the vivid, lush, insane world created by Dhonielle Clayton. This journey with Camellia was still enjoyable, but for me didn't pack as hard a punch as the first book. I kept wondering at our spending so much time on the road, the predictable joining up with a band of rebels (though the Iron Ladies are fierce and awesome and I enjoyed their spider's web lair), and with the build up of the horrors of the Everlasting Rose prison throughout the book, I was surprised and let down when we as readers don't get to face the horrors of it in person with Camille, it felt like a huge threat that never paid off somehow. In Belles we had so many secrets, mysteries, and horrors to uncover, and there were fewer in this sequel (though the shocks/twists that were in "Everlasting Rose" were gasp inducing!)
Overall, though a bit let down, I still wholeheartedly love the Belles, love this crazy world Clayton has created, and will reread it when the final version is published. The Belles was so fantastic I will read anything Clayton publishes!

This sequel to The Belles gave me everything I was left wanting at the end of the first book, and then some. As with The Belles, the pace of the book felt a little slow at first, but as I got into it I found it harder and harder to put down. This series would be great for use in an English lit or interdisciplinary class that explores the use of fantasy/allegory/dystopia as social commentary, or one exploring themes of intersectionality, oppressive beauty standards, or the complexities of privilege and oppression.

Second titles in series are usually a disappointment for me, however, this would be a definite read for fans of her first book, Belles. Camille, still strong willed and set on saving her sisters from the evil queen Sophia, comes to life in this title. Through her adept use of language, the author puts the reader into this created world based on New Orleans. She is skilled at descriptive writing. Although the plot is a bit predictable, the book is hard to put down once opened. A good choice for readers 12 and up. For those who enjoy love triangles, this title will fit the bill. There are many loose ends at the end, so I image a third title is in the works. I would recommend it to readers who enjoyed Uglies, and similar titles.

I really wanted to like this, as I quite enjoyed the first book, but I was just... bored. The first two-thirds felt like a classic second book in a trilogy, with a lot of setting things up with not a lot of action. I swear, they spent 2/3 of the book just moving from inn to inn and hiding. The last third picked up, but by then it was too late for me to be very invested. I also really wish that romance had just been left out of this one - the world is so interesting, and the premise, that I wish that had been explored more instead.

I did appreciate the continuing metaphor for how standards of beauty relate to race in our own culture. I feel like that was more fleshed out or alluded to in this book than even in the first book of the series.

I enjoyed The Belles so much that I just couldn’t wait to get my hands on the sequel. For the most part, I was not disappointed. It was great to return to Orleans with Camillia and Remy and see what was in store for them in this installment.
Clayton’s world building is so wonderful and all of the little details pop right off of the page. I enjoyed exploring new areas in the world and returning to the old ones as well. There are still some aspects of this world that are confusing (post balloons and all the powders), yet it is easy to look past them and accept them as part of the magic. There were some snippets about how this world was created and some of it’s past, yet I still want to know more of Orleans’ history.
Camillia, Remy, and Edel go through some great changes that further their characters and keep the story flowing. The dialogues were usually to the point and not too extensive. I was with these characters and felt their emotions as they did. The pacing of the novel was done quite well. There was action, romance, suspense, and a bit of horror all laced together to keep the pages turning.
The ending, for me, felt quite rushed and unfinished. The “final battle” was sort of underwhelming and rushed. I would have liked to have seen more of a stand of between good and evil, yet this was cut off quickly and settled easily. The short follow up left the reader hanging about the fate of this world. There is a brief letter stating that there will be change and then we are done. I do like this world and definitely didn’t want to leave it on those terms, but I’m not sure if there is enough for a whole new story to go on. I did some research to see if there would be another installment and found that there is a slight possibility, yet nothing in the works. If this is the final installment, it is a disappointment. If this story does stretch into a trilogy, I will be excited, but a little cautious.

I really enjoyed this next chapter in the lives of the Belles. With some of her sisters missing, Princess Charlotte dying, and evil Princess Sophia preparing to ascend the throne, Camille and her guard Rémy must work to set all to rights in Orléans. Nothing is as it seems as Edel and Camille muster up strong powers and join forces with a group of powerful women to try to free the Belles, save Charlotte, and stop Sophia. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to be an early reader in exchange for my honest review.

I felt like the rising action took so long that the end felt a little rushed, but I still love the sumptuous language and compelling MC. Thank goodness less of a love triangle. I’m looking forward to more work from Clayton.

Was this book even written by the same author? What a mess. Character development is all over the place. Subtlety goes out the window. Insta-love. This feels like two books crammed into one. Will there be a sequel or is the series wrapped up? I have no idea. This book is overloaded. What happened?

<i>The Belles</i> took me completely by surprise. It was filled with lush descriptions, political intrigues and an entirely brand new world that was unlike anything else I've ever read. However, <i>The Everlasting Rose</i> paled in comparison. Nothing really happened in this second installment. I was waiting for the action to happen, for Camille to break down barriers with the Iron Ladies, or for something to happen at all.

So, <i>The Everlasting Rose</i> happens directly after the events of the first book. Camille, Edel and and Amber are on the run with Remy as they try to escape the wrath of the newly elected Queen Sophia. Of course, hinted at in the first book, Sophia becomes obsessed with monitoring and assuring that a certain beauty standard is met. She is also invested in mass producing belles, who can bought and sold to the highest bidder to maintain these rigorous system.

Camille's story mostly revolves around evading capture, trying to find Princess Charlotte and rescuing her sisters. A majority of the book is spent as Camille, Edel and Remy move around the city to avoid Queen Sophia's guards and find someone, who will help them. Unfortunately, this is not very interesting, and the introduction of the Iron Ladies comes towards the end of the book. It was lackluster and the structure of the book separated our main character from the main action. Furthermore, I felt like Camille, despite seeing Sophia's cruelty, was apathetic and more obsessed with rescuing her sisters than the greater good.

I think Dhonielle Clayton has some very powerful themes in <i>The Everlasting Rose</i> that needed to be stronger and more developed. For me, I could see the themes of the abuse of black bodies, as well as, slavery entwined through the book. Especially when considering the obscured origin of the belles and how individuals decided to manufacture them to use for their beauty routines. It's a powerful theme and I wish Clayton had embellished upon it. Overall, I felt disappointed with Camille's lack of action and the very brief appearance of the Iron Ladies, who from the synopsis of the book should have appeared sooner.

Dhonielle weaves a spell of decadent elegance and poignant social commentary on beauty culture in this sequel to The Belles. Camille, Edel, and Remy are on the hunt for Princess Charlotte to restore order to the royal family, and this story is just filled with all of the action, romance, and the wonder of the first book amplified tenfold. It's a race against what might be the scariest antagonist I've read in years.

If you enjoyed The Belles, you should definitely grab this one for a bit of conclusion.

I was SO excited to get the sequel to The Belles from NetGalley and am grateful for the opportunity to review it this far in advance. Though YA Fantasy is not my typical "go to," I am a Youth Services librarian who orders materials for our library, so I try to keep up with what has a lot of buzz. Despite being unsure about The Belles' description, I really enjoyed the first book. It's vivid description and forefront of attention on the hierarchy within the society won me over and I appreciated that the hints of romance were not in the forefront of the story. The Everlasting Rose, unfortunately, fell flat for me. The prominence of the love interests and the way certain plot elements would appear but then dissipate without adequate attention or conclusion left me irritated. I do appreciate this was a duology and I think readers who are big fans of YA fantasy and don't mind some plot holes here and there, may be happy with this conclusion to the story of the Belles.

I loved this book! The full review will be posted soon at kaitgoodwin.com/books! Thank you very much for this wonderful opportunity to connect books to their readers!