Thanks to Disney-Hyperion for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Release Date: February 6th, 2018
448 Pages
Synopsis: Camellia Beauregard is a Belle. In the opulent world of Orleans, Belles are revered, for they control Beauty, and Beauty is a commodity coveted above all else. In Orleans, 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 Orleans 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 Orleans 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.
First, is that cover not exquisite? It perfectly fits the image of Camellia that I had in my mind. And to my delight, Belles not only lives up to the hype that’s surrounded it for months, but it is without a doubt one of the best debuts I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading!
Everything in this story is meticulously developed and detailed, from the characters to the world-building. I actually had my doubts about Camellia in the beginning, because I thought she was a bit self- absorbed and full of herself. But almost before I knew it, I found myself admiring her self-confidence and gutsiness. I also loved the bond she shares with her fellow Belles. These girls are basically sisters, and while they may fight occasionally, at the end of the day they’re there for each other. As most of the story revolves around Camellia, I’m looking forward to getting to know the others more, although I can already tell that Edelweiss, the rebel, is going to be my favorite.
There’s a hint of a love triangle between Camellia, Remy (her personal guard), and August, who is one of Princess Sophie’s suitors. But while relationships do grow, there really isn’t a lot of time spent on the romance element, which I was quite happy about.
While there is a clear cut villain, what’s truly scary is Orlean’s dangerous obsession with physical perfection. The lengths they go to attain their perceived ideas of beauty are insane and cringeworthy. It had me thinking of our own society’s fixation on physical appearance, and I have no doubt that we would do the some of the same things if such magic or science existed.
Dhonelle Clayton does a wonderful job creating this world where everything is so glittery and beautiful at first look, but underneath there’s a sordid darkness. I cannot stress enough that it’s all these descriptive details that really make this book. I was completely immersed while reading and more than once felt as though I was in the mythical world of Orleans.
What I also loved about this book was the vast diversity of the characters and the very strong message it sends about not only our never ending pursuit of physical perfection, how other people shape our own personal beliefs. It also brings up the questions of how far would you go and how much is too much?
The plot itself is fast-paced and captivating and I feel like we’ve only scraped the surface of this intriguing world. The ending was absolutely perfect and wonderfully sets the stage for the next book.
Belles will definitely be in my top ten 2018 favorites list and I HIGHLY recommend it for older teens and adults who love fantasy and are looking for something completely different than anything they’ve ever read before. There one scene which features a sexual assault though that I want to warn you about. It’s brief, but some readers might have a problem with it. Otherwise, my only disappointment is that it will probably be at least a year before the next book is released. Oh, and if you do pick this up, Dhonelle Clayton’s Afterward where she talks about how this book took form is an inspirational must read!
raistlin0903 said:
Aww Kim, I wish you could have seen my face when I saw your post appear. So glad to see a review make an appearance again from you.
And such a great one at that. I really loved this, and boy does this one intrigue me. Ugh…I wish I had some more time to read. I’m so busy currently with so many things at once. I know…I have to make some priorities.
Also…I hope you are feeling better Kim. I know I can be overly concerned at times, but I just hope your pain is a bit less now.
Please take care..oohhhh and before I forget. I have a competition over on my blog with some great prizes that can be won. It’s still open to the end of the month, but I hope you might join in as well 😊😊
Did I say already it’s great to see you back again. Take care okay? 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thank you so much Michel. I just told Pete, I’m still not doing great, but I had this already written but never posted it. I have a couple of other reviews in reserve too that I’ll post this week, but other than that I’m still trying to take it easy. I’m hopping over to your blog right now.🤗😙
LikeLiked by 1 person
raistlin0903 said:
You are very welcome 😊 And it’s definitely wise of you to take a bit of rest. Blogging is fun, but your health is so much more important right now. So please take all the time you need to fully recover 😊😊
And of course looking forward to those upcoming reviews.
Cool…hoping over to that comment right now 😉 And as I said, please take care 😊😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
beetleypete said:
Southern Belles? That sounds familiar!
Five stars though? You must be back on form, young Kim.
Happy to see that.
Best wishes, Pete. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I thought you might get a kick out of that Pete.😁
I’m still on shaky ground, but this was a review I had written and hadn’t posted yet. I have a couple more in reserve to get me through this week.
LikeLiked by 1 person
beetleypete said:
Get well soon, honey. Please! xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Pete. I’m working on it.😙
LikeLiked by 1 person
beetleypete said:
Let me know if I can ever be of any help.
I meant that, as you know. x
LikeLiked by 1 person
By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I do know Pete, and thank you.🤗
LikeLiked by 1 person
fragglerocking said:
So sorry to read you are not feeling too well right now, will send pink thoughts to you across the pond. xxxx
LikeLiked by 1 person
By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Fraggle!🤗
LikeLiked by 1 person
vinnieh said:
Hope you are feeling better, Kim. A wonderfully written review I must say.
LikeLike
Didi Oviatt - Author said:
I love books with gutsie women! Great review, as always! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Didi! I think I recommended this to you on Goodreads but if not I think you’d like it.😁
LikeLiked by 1 person
Didi Oviatt - Author said:
I think you did too! I’m so behind on Goodreads, it’s getting to be a problem I think lol.. Hope you’re feeling better 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I know how you feel Didi! I’m still a work in progress health wise, but I’m not giving up.🤗
LikeLiked by 1 person
Didi Oviatt - Author said:
definitely don’t give up! Sending love, my friend.
LikeLiked by 1 person
By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
😙🤗
LikeLiked by 1 person
Kay Wisteria said:
Great review; this sounds amazing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
It really was.😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lashaan (Bookidote) said:
Absolutely wonderful review, Kim! The hype around this title is insane and I’m so glad to hear how good it was for you. I do love a book that makes you reflect on our society too, and the themes in this one sounds very 2010s! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Lashaan! I saw on Goodreads that Trang has this on her want to read shelf, so tell her I said she needs to read this ASAP!😁
LikeLiked by 1 person
Carrie said:
Great review Kim! Boy I went back and forth on this one for what seems like months now and decided not to try to get a copy but after seeing your review I’m getting a case of FOMO. LOL
LikeLiked by 1 person
By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
You definitely need to read this ASAP Carrie! I know you’re going to love it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dani☆Touch My Spine Book Reviews☆ said:
Fantastic Review Kim! I saw this book available for request and now I am beating myself up for not requesting it! I will have to check it out at my local library! I hope you feel better soon. Best wishes your way.
LikeLiked by 1 person
By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Dani. I think you’ll love this.🤗
LikeLike
Dani☆Touch My Spine Book Reviews☆ said:
Sounds like it! I can’t wait to read it!😍😘 Thanks for sharing such an awesome review!😄 Putting this one on my Wishlist!😍
LikeLiked by 1 person
Plot Monster said:
Wow, 5 stars? Sounds like a really good book. I am going to have to check this out. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Yep. Absolutely sheer perfection!😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Raven @ Dreamy Addictions said:
Amazing review, kim! I just started this book and I’m so glad to hear that you loved it! I really hope I enjoy it as much as you did. *fingers crossed*
LikeLiked by 1 person
By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Awesome! I do hope you love it Raven. I think you will🤞🏻
LikeLike
Jen said:
Oh my gosh, this sounds so magical and fun! I was scared that it would not live up to the hype….because there seemed to be SO much surrounding this book, but I’m so happy to see that it did! This also sounds like a book I need to recommend to my library! Fabulous review!
LikeLiked by 1 person
By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Oh, OH Jen! You definitely should recommend this to your library. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this adapted into a tv series, especially since the publisher is Disney’s Freeform.
LikeLiked by 1 person
mlbradford said:
So good to see u again! Back w a fantastic Review
Sincerely hope u r feeling much better, Kim
This might cheer u up:
It’s got some rather familiar elements in it 😉
Bless u
LikeLiked by 1 person
By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Brad.😊
LikeLiked by 1 person