A look at beauty that is as lush as it is chilling
In The Belles, Dhonielle Clayton certainly has brought to life Camellia and her world of Orléans. Her deft prose has rendered a world that is just as intoxicating as the perfume of the flowers these Belles are named after. As for the characters that populate it? They are rich in their beauty, personality, depth, and motivation.
The Belles centers around Camellia, and her opening scene is an assault on the senses in the best way. The reader is not only plunged right away into Camille’s hopes and fears, but is immediately introduced to the beautiful side of Orléans’ religious obsession with beauty. This is a world built on lush descriptions of jewel tones and patiserie flavors that contrasts with the dark revelations later on.
This is also a world, at least for Camille, built on sisterhood. Camille is kind, strong, open to growth, a heroine you not only learn to like but one you can support wholeheartedly. She has to balance her ambition with her loyalty to her sisters, but she does it realistically and without being hateful or catty. She is confident in herself, has every right to be, but doesn’t lord that talent or the power that comes with it.
What really showcases Dhonielle’s talent, however, isn’t her ability to make beauty leap off the page. It’s her ability to make your skin crawl using the exact same method. There are darker aspects to Camille’s godlike gifts and a villain willing to exploit them. The descriptions here are show, don’t tell, just how maniacally obsessive our villain is in their pursuit for beauty.
Built on a fantastic mythology, the world of these Belles is amazingly crafted, and the world building is inclusive and intricate: rooms are diverse, and this vast array of color is celebrated, queer characters are recognized in society and normalized, and the way trans individuals would interact with this world is addressed as well. This is a fantastic foundation for a series that is bursting with originality.
The Belles centers around Camellia, and her opening scene is an assault on the senses in the best way. The reader is not only plunged right away into Camille’s hopes and fears, but is immediately introduced to the beautiful side of Orléans’ religious obsession with beauty. This is a world built on lush descriptions of jewel tones and patiserie flavors that contrasts with the dark revelations later on.
This is also a world, at least for Camille, built on sisterhood. Camille is kind, strong, open to growth, a heroine you not only learn to like but one you can support wholeheartedly. She has to balance her ambition with her loyalty to her sisters, but she does it realistically and without being hateful or catty. She is confident in herself, has every right to be, but doesn’t lord that talent or the power that comes with it.
What really showcases Dhonielle’s talent, however, isn’t her ability to make beauty leap off the page. It’s her ability to make your skin crawl using the exact same method. There are darker aspects to Camille’s godlike gifts and a villain willing to exploit them. The descriptions here are show, don’t tell, just how maniacally obsessive our villain is in their pursuit for beauty.
Built on a fantastic mythology, the world of these Belles is amazingly crafted, and the world building is inclusive and intricate: rooms are diverse, and this vast array of color is celebrated, queer characters are recognized in society and normalized, and the way trans individuals would interact with this world is addressed as well. This is a fantastic foundation for a series that is bursting with originality.