The Belles came out in February, and a friend and I bought it...in February. But, since we promised each other we would buddy read it together and my friend had been busy binge reading The Red Queen series, it was put on hold...until now.
Guys, don’t let the cover fool you. Sure, it’s pretty and pink (as are the GORGEOUS maps inside *heart eyes*), and the flower blossoms are breathtaking. But underneath the cover, inside the pages of The Belles, lies a plot that is much darker than I imagined—and I loved every second of it.
For a few nights, my texts to my friend were pretty much “OMG” and “WHAT IS HAPPENING?!?!” and other variations to that effect. In fact, when we finished the last page (and properly freaked out), I jokingly told her my review was probably going to be:
AHHHHHHHHHH
OMGGGGGGGG
Read itttttttt
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh
And while that is still my internal monologue after all the plot twists and that ending, here’s a bit more than semi-nonsense freak-outs. (But, first, seriously. Read this book.)
Camellia has been raised beside her sisters and groomed to be Belles, a select group of girls who control beauty in a cursed world. While Camellia strives to become just like her mother before her, her actions don’t always follow the conventional rules. As she tries to find her place in her new world, Camellia begins to uncover hidden truths and more secrets than she ever thought.
I enjoyed watching her character develop, and I especially loved seeing her interactions with her sisters. (Give me all the scenes with Edel in particular. Girl, the sass!!!). I could say pages and pages on Princess Sophia’s character; that girl takes it to a whole new level.
Reading this book was like biting into a candy-coated apple and discovering it was actually a chocolate-covered onion: on the surface, this world is beautiful and presents such striking concepts, like the post balloons and the teacup animals (BTW: how can I get one of those? I want a teacup wolf, like, yesterday), but with each stunning detail, more and more ugliness in the cities is revealed. It’s fantastic, it’s imaginative, and it’s compelling, and it’s an incredibly smart fictional critique on beauty standards.
I know this book was released just a few months ago, but I’m already eagerly anticipating the next book in this sequel. I have so many questions (with more to come, no doubt) and I can’t wait to further explore the world Dhonielle Clayton has created.
Guys, don’t let the cover fool you. Sure, it’s pretty and pink (as are the GORGEOUS maps inside *heart eyes*), and the flower blossoms are breathtaking. But underneath the cover, inside the pages of The Belles, lies a plot that is much darker than I imagined—and I loved every second of it.
For a few nights, my texts to my friend were pretty much “OMG” and “WHAT IS HAPPENING?!?!” and other variations to that effect. In fact, when we finished the last page (and properly freaked out), I jokingly told her my review was probably going to be:
AHHHHHHHHHH
OMGGGGGGGG
Read itttttttt
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh
And while that is still my internal monologue after all the plot twists and that ending, here’s a bit more than semi-nonsense freak-outs. (But, first, seriously. Read this book.)
Camellia has been raised beside her sisters and groomed to be Belles, a select group of girls who control beauty in a cursed world. While Camellia strives to become just like her mother before her, her actions don’t always follow the conventional rules. As she tries to find her place in her new world, Camellia begins to uncover hidden truths and more secrets than she ever thought.
I enjoyed watching her character develop, and I especially loved seeing her interactions with her sisters. (Give me all the scenes with Edel in particular. Girl, the sass!!!). I could say pages and pages on Princess Sophia’s character; that girl takes it to a whole new level.
Reading this book was like biting into a candy-coated apple and discovering it was actually a chocolate-covered onion: on the surface, this world is beautiful and presents such striking concepts, like the post balloons and the teacup animals (BTW: how can I get one of those? I want a teacup wolf, like, yesterday), but with each stunning detail, more and more ugliness in the cities is revealed. It’s fantastic, it’s imaginative, and it’s compelling, and it’s an incredibly smart fictional critique on beauty standards.
I know this book was released just a few months ago, but I’m already eagerly anticipating the next book in this sequel. I have so many questions (with more to come, no doubt) and I can’t wait to further explore the world Dhonielle Clayton has created.