Mirror, mirror on the wall... A review: The Belles

Title: The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton
Pages: 448
Rating: 4 stars
Verdict: A fictitious but still horrifying depiction of our society that everyone should read.


This was a pleasant surprise. It was not what I expected. At first the plot came across as shallow and annoying, something I would not like reading. Boy was I wrong, because after slogging through the first few chapters I read three quarters of it in one sitting.

The Belles is a painful reflection of our modern day society. A society obsessed with beauty and perfection. The main character Camellia is a belle which is a big deal. She is like a plastic surgeon only one who has powers called arcana to transform how people look but only for a while.

The ultimate prestige for a belle is to be a favorite and our mc here wants it so badly. She is eager to please, too bad she has no idea that life as a favorite is not as glamorous as it is portrayed because beauty can indeed be deadly.

This brings out clearly the madness and the shocking lengths people go to in order to be beautiful. What is sad about the whole thing is that even as fiction The Belles was an all too real representation of our society.  Thank goodness arcana doesn't exist in this world because I am not sure that I wouldn't seek out the services of a belle.

This thought came as a shock to me since I have always spoke against the superficial beauty standards of our time.  So what does it say about me that I would consider going to get some things changed so I could be more beautiful?

Anyway, you guys have got to go and read this book.  If for nothing else to experience the beautiful writing and how it brought out the descriptions in bold bursts of color.