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brookey8888's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This was fun and different!
I’ve never really read anything like this plot with the changing how people look and the power it might bring. This starts off kind of slow but after like 150ish pages o was entertained and wanted to know where the plot was going. I liked the main character even though she annoyed me at times. There’s a slight romance in this which was fine, but I’m hoping there’s a bodyguard romance in the next book, but I’m sure I’m wrong.
I’ve never really read anything like this plot with the changing how people look and the power it might bring. This starts off kind of slow but after like 150ish pages o was entertained and wanted to know where the plot was going. I liked the main character even though she annoyed me at times. There’s a slight romance in this which was fine, but I’m hoping there’s a bodyguard romance in the next book, but I’m sure I’m wrong.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Violence, Bullying, Lesbophobia, Torture, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Blood, Body shaming, Murder, Physical abuse, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Classism
goldenwing's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
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
Beautiful descriptive language created a vivid world and the world building was so interesting. The pacing felt a bit rushed towards the end and I was a little bit frustrated by some of the characters choices in the ending chapters (although it's a refreshing thing to have flawed characters at least) but on the whole I really enjoyed it and would definitely read the next in the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Blood, Murder, and Bullying
Minor: Animal cruelty, Body horror, and Animal death
notsobinaryart's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Classism, Medical trauma, Bullying, Gaslighting, Medical content, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, Violence, Death, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Sexual assault, Body horror, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, and Outing
thenovelbookshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
4.25
Camellia and her sisters are born to make and create beauty in others. So when she is asked to obey and do as she is told, she finds not everything and everyone is as they seem.
The Belles is an epic fantasy adventure that I found hard to start, but as the story picked up pace, I could not put down or stop reading.
The character development is very deep and thorough, the storyline plays on our vanity as humans and asks how far will we go to be beautiful.
The Belles is an epic fantasy adventure that I found hard to start, but as the story picked up pace, I could not put down or stop reading.
The character development is very deep and thorough, the storyline plays on our vanity as humans and asks how far will we go to be beautiful.
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death, Body shaming, Gaslighting, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Sexual harassment, and Toxic friendship
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 death, Body horror, Animal cruelty, and Death
Moderate: Death of parent, Body shaming, Torture, Toxic friendship, Murder, Physical abuse, Vomit, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Terminal illness, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Minor: Fatphobia
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
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, Vomit, and Violence
saroshnandwani's review
adventurous
mysterious
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, and Sexual assault
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