Review: The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

The Belles (The Belles #1) by Dhonielle Clayton
Published by Disney-Hyperion on February 6th 2018
Pages: 440

Source: Borrowed from the library
Goodreads

Camellia Beauregard is a Belle. In the opulent world of Orléans, Belles are revered, for they control Beauty, and Beauty is a commodity coveted above all else. In Orléans, 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 Orléans 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 now faces an impossible decision.

With the future of Orléans 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.

I’ll be honest. At first, I thought this book looked dumb. A dystopian all about beauty? Pass. But everyone kept raving about it, so I grabbed it from my school library on the last day of school.

I’m so glad I did because this book lives up to the hype!

I loved everything about this book. The world building is amazing and also manages to be a critique of modern society and our obsession with image. I am a sucker for pretty things, and I loved getting my view of the Belles’ beautiful lives and learning the intricacies of their society. One thing Clayton does really well is to develop complicated, realistic relationships. It was heartbreaking and relatable to see how the competitive nature of being a Belle affected each of the girls different.

I also loved the way power is explored. The Belles should have power, but they slowly realize they are only tools in a system. Even the queen should have power, but you learn that there are a lot of players and nobody is as powerful as you think they should be.

Once I started reading, I couldn’t stop. I’ve already ordered Clayton’s other books and have the next book in this series on pre-order.

TL, DR: Dark, desperate, and beautiful, this book kept me turning pages.