Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

7 reviews

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!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Bullying, Grief, Mental illness, Medical trauma, and Sexual assault

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.

_book_girl_82_'s review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

There's a cliffhanger and I don't have the next book 🥲
Some of the characters were questionable, but the ending was pretty good (even though it was a cliffhanger

we love Edel (is that her name I always forget))

)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual assault

Minor: Death of parent and Colonisation

coymeld's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Bullying, Classism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Sexual assault, Torture, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Rape, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Gaslighting, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Slavery, Violence, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence

kassidyreads's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia, Sexual assault, Body shaming, Death, and Torture

Minor: Death of parent, Confinement, Animal cruelty, Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Fire/Fire injury

periwinkle_flora's review

adventurous informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The Belles started off as a interesting tale of a world filled with beauty - Beautiful people, pretty landscapes, and gorgeous magical powers. I liked the protagonist - Camellia - at first. She's determined, fearless, and creative, which makes her stand out from her sisters in the competition to work inside the castle as "the Favorite". As the book took us further on the main character's journey, it held onto my interest, yet the events made me frustrated. I wish Camellia did more. Her personality becomes flat and observant and doesn't grow or explore the world + systems around her. Regardless, I enjoyed the mysteries in the castle, but the main character really made the book "meh" for me.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Fatphobia, Body horror, Body shaming, and Bullying

Minor: Death of parent and Grief

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 being

sent to the tea house at the beginning

) begin to feel too convenient to the plot progression.

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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

manicpixi3dreamgirl's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Minor: Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Torture, Physical abuse, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Body shaming, and Animal cruelty