Book Shelf: The Belles (The Belles #1) by Dhonielle Clayton

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.

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Review: 

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton is a unique and richly told story of magic, deception and unexpected betrayals set within a world where beauty is more important than love and loyalty.

Sixteen year old Camellia Beauregard is a Belle. In a world of opulence and luxury, Belles are revered for their ability to control magic that is able to change the appearance of anyone they wish. In Orléans, everyone is born grey and only with the help of a Belle are they able to be transformed and made beautiful. Yet Camellia isn’t satisfied just being a Belle, she wants to be the Favourite, the Belle chosen by the ruling Queen to live at the palace and tend to the royal family and their court. Being the Favourite comes with spoils Camellia wants more than anything, but the position also comes with a lot of responsibility and secrets Camellia could never have imagined existed. The truth about the Belle’s have been kept from Camellia and her sisters their whole lives and when strange things begin happening Camellia will need to decide what is more important; beauty or her life?

There are some books that are harder to review than others and for me, The Belles is one of those books. There’s no denying that author Dhonielle Clayton has created was lush and unique but there was also moments where I struggled to really connect with the story. When The Belles picked up pace, the story became more appealing and addictive. Oddly enough it was the ovely detailed descriptions and settings that brought it down for me.

The concept within the novel is very different and I have to give the Clayton props for daring to create a world so vivid and rich, but I also found it difficult to stomach on occasion too. The Belles is full of luscious, candy-coated descriptions and depictions but sometimes this was just too sickly sweet. It went a long way in setting the scene, but made the novel seem convoluted and congested. I feel like some of this could have been removed and it would not have taken anything away from the overall storyline. In fact, it may have been beneficial.

I quite enjoyed the diversity of the characters within The Belles. Clayton introduces so many vibrant personalities and people’s from different walks of like that makes for some interesting reading. Protagonist Camellia grew on me. At the beginning of the novel I found her overly ambitious, fickle and difficult to like. I appreciated seeing her grow and come to care about the important things in life. I actually began to care about her and this made the story a more enjoyable reading experience.

The Belles cleverly addresses society’s obsession with looks and beauty. The extremes some characters go to in The Belle’s in pursuit of the ultimate look and in the name of becoming beautiful is mind boggling. The idea that this is the norm is both thought provoking and entertaining. Made for some intriguing reading seeing the things the Belles were capable of and what people’s ideas of beauty were.

Even though I had a few concerns with this novel, for the most part I did enjoy it and I am keen to see what happens in the next instalment. The final few chapters of The Belles were by far some of the best with developments and betrayals I wasn’t expecting coming to light. This especially makes me eager to see what will happen to Camellia next and leaves me hoping that Dhonielle Clayton continues to improve the series with the second book.

Rating:
Source: Sent for review by publisher via Netgalley (Thank you guys!)
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Format: Kindle ebook via Netgalley
Release Date: February 6th 2018
Purchase: Bookworld | Booktopia | The Book Depository | Amazon
Final Thoughts: The Belles definitely got better as it progressed and I'm interested enough to read the next novel when it comes out.