I recently read THE BELLES by Dhonielle Clayton (also the co-author of TINY PRETTY THINGS) and I am still reeling from this fantasy novel. Check it out:
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 of all, let's take a moment to appreciate the book cover. The super fancy text, the beautiful girl with a fierce face, the color palette. Gorgeous!
Our heroine, Camellia, is a strong, relatable character. While Camellia doesn't know how to fight or hunt, qualities that are often associated with "strong" female characters, especially in fantasy novels, Camellia possesses loyalty, curiosity, and bravery. These characteristics definitely keep her alive during the hostile, glamorous court. In addition, one would expect that Camellia, someone possess beauty in a fantasy world where beauty is a commodity, would be vain and arrogant. However, Camellia desperately wants to help the people of Orleans especially the royal family. It is refreshing to see a main character in a fantasy novel rely on brains instead of brawn.
The heart of this novel is questioning and examining beauty standards in a fantastical and creative form. As a Belle, Camellia brings beauty to both men and women. She can change a person's hair, eye color--simple things. But once customers start demanding more complicated matters such as body shape, Camellia hesitates. She is brought up to believe that our unique characteristics, the shape of our lips, the slope of our noses, are what makes us unique. That what makes us unique makes us beautiful. As Camellia starts questioning other characters' ideals of beauty, the readers are asked to the same questions within our own world.
I highly recommend THE BELLES for fans of The Uglies trilogy.
You can pre-order THE BELLES at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and Indiebound. You don't have to wait too long as THE BELLES will be in your hands next week, February 6th.
That is all for today. Be sure to check out the blog for more fun, TBF posts!
Miranda
No comments:
Post a Comment