I was initially tugged in by the cover -- beautiful, and I was excited to see a POC heroine! -- of this piece, but wasn't a bit disappointed by the writing itself. The language is lush and detailed, creating a world that's both fantastical and futuristic, one where creative beauty is clamored for and skin color or hair color can be changed to suit a mood, but all color and beauty seems to be celebrated and strived for. If The Hunger Games is about the starving people of the Districts, this is the life of a more magical Capitol: run by women born into the role of passing on beauty to the poor, possibly diseased masses.
And of course, there's the problem, but even in the first few chapters, the book isn't heavy-handed enough to come right out and say it, nor is it dumb enough to ignore it. I found myself really wanting to know more about Camellia and how she grows to understand -- or what she understands -- about the people who are not born into luxury and the inherent issues with changing people's appearances to "become beautiful".
And of course, there's the problem, but even in the first few chapters, the book isn't heavy-handed enough to come right out and say it, nor is it dumb enough to ignore it. I found myself really wanting to know more about Camellia and how she grows to understand -- or what she understands -- about the people who are not born into luxury and the inherent issues with changing people's appearances to "become beautiful".