[Book Review] The Belles 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.

4.5 STARS 

TW: Attempted sexual assault 

Wow, this was amazing. I am so happy I got a chance to read this because I definitely think it's one of the best books I'll read all year.

First, the characters. I love Camille as our main character. She is so talented and she is so sure of her talents. I love that she chooses to trust her instincts instead of blindly following all the rules. My favorite part of Camille is that despite being brought up with all these beauty rules and standards, but instead of pushing the idea that you must look a certain way to be considered beautiful she wants to celebrate all forms of beauty. She wants to help the people or Orléans learn to love themselves. She isn't against makeup or even changing your look, but she also wants to promote body positivity. I wish we got to know more of the other Belles, Camille's sisters. We are told Camille and Amber have a good relationship but it's been impacted by them both wanting to be the favorite Belle. I am excited to see their relationship strengthen in the next book, but also I am hoping we get to know the other sisters as well. There is a subtle romance that I actually really enjoyed. I really enjoy Rémy as a character and I am excited to get to know more of him also. The scene of him with his sisters was one of my favorites, it had me smitten with him pretty easily. 

The writing is vivid and lush. It feels like your floating on flower pedals when you're reading Clayton's rich descriptions. I have to admit the first couple chapters seemed heavy with her luscious writing, and it was a bit intimidating but thankfully those chapters are short so you get used to the writing and hooked up in the plot quickly. I am definitely going to be picking Dhonielle Clayton's other books because I love her writing so much.

I really loved the plot of this story. Reading the synopsis I wasn't entirely sure what to expect because of how unique it was but I was totally blown away. The Belles brings up and discusses how beauty standards are influenced by race, culture, and trends. So although the book is a fantasy book it's really easy to relate not only to the expectations these women (and even men) put on themselves but what these women will do to reach those expectations. It's a bit terrifying and really heartbreaking to read. 
  
*spoiler alert* I did have an issue with one thing, but I feel like it's a spoiler, so I'd say just ignore this chapter entirely if you don't want to be spoiled! One of Princess Sofia's ladies, a character named Claudine, is revealed to be in love with her female servant. Which I was really excited about because I didn't realize there was going to be a gay (bi? pan? it's not specified) character and I am always about more gay characters. However, not long after the reader finds out about Claudine she is basically tortured to death. The whole "bury your gays" trope is one of my least favorites and I was kind of disappointed that it happened. We barely got to know Claudine because she was a minor character and her death was to further Camille and Amber's plot lines. It felt like a cheap death and it bums me. I am probably being too nice by only docking half a star, but the rest of the book is amazing, *spoiler alert*

Things I am really hoping for the next book is more of the sisters and Camille's relationship with each of them. Most of the sisters are swept away from the plot so quickly and we only see them afterwards during small moments where they write notes to Camille so I'd love to see more of them. I'm also excited to see more of the world Clayton has built up for us readers. I can only imagine how beautiful the imagery will be. I am so grateful I had the chance to read this book so close to the release but the thought of having to wait for the sequel physically hurts. 

Overall, I can not recommend this book enough. Beautiful writing, amazing characters, a unique plot that takes something so real in our world and fleshes it out in a fantasy world. This is definitely one of the most diverse fantasy novels I've ever read and I cannot wait for more. 

Also, who to I have to beg and grovel to so I can have a teacup elephant? I will literally do anything  for one. Someone hook your girl up please! 

Thanks for reading!