Scan barcode
geckotigerwolf's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Torture, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Infertility, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
tealstarlight's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I enjoyed the world the Belles live in. The vivid and frothy descriptions are a great contrast to the disturbing side of life in the kingdom. There are charming elements in the relatively simple ways people live in this world: the unique postal system, the floating lanterns that can be changed according to mood/ occasion, and the bustling, almost Dickensian marketplaces.
The Belles' magic takes the place of plastic surgery. I wasn't expecting the vivid descriptions of the painful magical procedures, but they highlight the kingdom's obsession with beauty.
Random favorite thing that enchanted me in this book? The absolutely adorable idea of teacup animals!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
I thought "The Belles" would be a simple sweet story with a bit of mystery. It was a pleasant surprise to see the story unfold to be more interesting than expected. Can't wait to read the next book in the series.ablakley's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Vomit, and Murder
Minor: Body shaming
dustghosts's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
+ An engaging, mysterious, thrilling read that feels just right for the age the series is geared towards
+ Through the narrator and her sisters’ POV, a refreshing celebration of diverse forms and interpretations of beauty
+ Representation/inclusion that feels natural and casual, only occasionally heavy-handed
+ Visceral and gripping descriptions, dialogue that feels True, a protag who is naive, charming, and morally challenged time and again.
- Pacing can be a bit strange— slow and meandering at the beginning, too fast near the end. Some of the protagonists largest concerns feel underaddressed as a result, and some situations (ie: her beingsent to the tea house at the beginning ) begin to feel too convenient to the plot progression.
+ Through the narrator and her sisters’ POV, a refreshing celebration of diverse forms and interpretations of beauty
+ Representation/inclusion that feels natural and casual, only occasionally heavy-handed
+ Visceral and gripping descriptions, dialogue that feels True, a protag who is naive, charming, and morally challenged time and again.
- Pacing can be a bit strange— slow and meandering at the beginning, too fast near the end. Some of the protagonists largest concerns feel underaddressed as a result, and some situations (ie: her being
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, and Death
Moderate: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Fatphobia
bendersreads's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Death, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Animal cruelty, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
nytephoenyx's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The Belles is a delicious dystopia with some of my favorite twists and tropes. I regret sitting on it for so long, but it was just what I needed right now – an engaging story with an excellent world and interesting characters.
Dystopia is such a popular genre – there are so many post-apocalyptic stories that feel like carbon copies of one another that it’s exhausting. The Belles offers something different – not a vision of Earth in its shattered future, but a different world altogether whose “perfect” society is not so perfect when you look at its bones. In Orléans, Belles like Camille are revered because they can change the appearance of their clients and make them beautiful – all within the law, of course. They can also touch a person’s personality, removing their anger or adding to their charm. It’s a temporary fix for the red-eyed, grey-skinned citizens of the kingdom, who envy the Belles for their natural color and shape.
And, as can be expected, there’s something sinister lurking in the shadows. Or, more to the point, within a usually blonde, overly sweet-at-first princess. Which is much better than finding evil the shadows.
Where do I start talking about the things I loved about The Belles? Other than the world, which was lovely, I adored the sisterly relationship. While I liked the dynamic between all six girls, Camille and Amber’s relationship is wonderful. It is written so well – there’s a balance of love and bitter rivalry that suits siblings. It’s a complex relationship, which makes it interesting and believable. Up until about 85% through the book, I was ready to come here and complain about Camille/August’s flirtation, but that ended up good. No more spoilers on that.
Character deaths properly enraged me in the way Clayton intended. After a while of getting to know the antagonist, they weren’t surprising deaths… but oh, I desperately wanted them not to happen. Clayton is a writer who follows the pull of her story. You can sort of tell when an author chooses the path between the best possible story and saving a character or making a point. It feels forced, awkward, or at least it does to me. Clayton is brutal in the best way – she came here to tell the story of The Belles and she tells it well.
A couple technical notes about the writing and the narrator. First of all – the pacing is excellent. I devoured this book. But it’s worth noting that Clayton uses foods repeatedly to describe things, particularly skin tones. She’s not particular, and uses these descriptors for all shades of skin. I completely understand the need for a variety of adjectives in a world so obsessed with color it constantly needs to be described. If a writer must use color to describe skin tones, I feel Clayton did it the right way for the right reasons.
Second, I want to take a moment to acknowledge Rosie Jones, the audiobook narrator. The voices and accents Jones uses in this reading are fantastic. I particularly adored Sophia’s – it added an entirely new level to the character.
I would like to enthusiastically endorse The Belles to any readers interested. The conversation on beauty standards, the exploration of different kinds of relationships, and the look at use/abuse of power is fantastic. On top of that, The Belles is an entertaining story and extremely well-written. I enjoyed my time in Orléans and look forward to the next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Sexual assault, Violence, and Vomit
Moderate: Death and Blood
Minor: Torture
line's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Minor: Vomit
wyrmbergsabrina's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Violence, and Vomit