By
Dhonielle Clayton
Freeform Books, 2018. 434 pages. Young Adult.
The Belles are women born with a magical power to
change the way people look, to make them physically beautiful, which is revered
above all else in the world of Orleans. While any imaginable transformation is
possible, Belles are brought up to follow strict rules, and laws are in place
to prevent certain dramatic or unsafe trends or transformations. There are those who push
these boundaries and desire to use the Belles’ power for their own personal gain
at the expense of others. When one of those people is royalty, can a Belle continue
to do her duty to beautify as commanded, when what is asked of her conflicts with own moral compass, the law, and may bring a great evil into power?
While there is no shortage of YA books that question societal beauty norms and the dangers that can come from a fixation on appearance, this one adds to that narrative in ways that didn’t feel
played out or repetitive. There were plenty of twists and turns that helped the story feel fresh and characters with questionable motives who kept me, and
the Belles, wondering who they could trust. This is the first book in a series and
I am looking forward to revisiting the world of Orleans to find out what happens next when
the second book is released later this year.
RC
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