Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Series: The Belles #1
Format: Paperback ARC, 448 pages
Source: Publisher
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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.
**I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**
Let me just say, that I never want to live in the terrifying world but I wish Post Balloons and teacup elephants were real!
The Belles had been one of my most anticipated books of 2018 so when it arrived in my mailbox one day, I might have squealed with happiness. This is a book that will leave you wanting so much more!
We are introduced to this opulent world on the day that Camellia and her sisters are to be introduced to the Queen and her court. One will be chosen as the court Favorite and the others will be given positions elsewhere. Camellia wants nothing more than to be the Favorite, just like her Maman was. But once she and her sisters arrive at court, they soon realize that things are not what they seem and that being a Belle might not be what they originally thought.
There was definitely some good character development from Camellia. At the beginning she was extremely self absorbed and not caring about anything but becoming the Favorite. Once the story progressed, she became more humble, and cared about more than just being a Belle. She realized that her sisters and her were in trouble, and so were the people of Orléans. I really loved the relationship that she had with her sisters. Even though they were technically competing against one another to become the Favorite, they still maintained relatively great relationships throughout the book.
There is PLENTY of court intrigue to go around, especially because of some royals who are up to no good. Lies, betrayals, secrets, and romance gone awry are just a few things that are going on within the pages of The Belles.
I definitely got a Hunger Games feel from the story. The closer one was to the palace, the richer they were, and thus could afford the expensive beauty treatments offered by Belles.
After reading, I still had a lot of questions about the political side, like did they care about anything other than Beauty? Laws were mentioned but they only talked about Beauty issues. Also, how did the mothers of the Belles die, and why? So many unanswered questions combined with one hell of a cliffhanger made me need the next book ASAP! So much happened within the last 100 pages that made the entire book just explode with craziness. Also, I am needing a certain romance to happen because I can tell that it's there.
I cannot wait for the next book to see what happens with Camellia and her sisters.
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