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. A fascinating, imaginative exploration of beauty and the value society places upon it. I have never seen such innovative world-building, from the culture of the Belles, to the sumptuous food and clothing and teacup animals, to the ingenious method of balloon post. Think Marie Antoinette's France warped into a cutthroat, cruelly elegant version of teahouses, petit macarons and sweets, pastel gilded palaces, devastatingly painful beauty rituals, and chillingly amoral villains. Do NOT miss this!