The Belles

Description from the Publisher:

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. Dhonielle Clayton creates a rich, detailed, decadent world of excess and privilege, where beauty is not only skin-deep, but a complete mirage. Weaving deeper questions about the commodification of women's bodies, gender equality, racial identity, and vanity with high-stakes action and incredible imagery, The Belles is the must-read epic of the season.

My Thoughts:

I do not totally agree with the description here, but I do not want to create spoilers. I think they should at least talk about Sophia, one of the antagonists, especially since the description makes it seem like the queen is the bad person here. She is a minor player, as is the "ailing princess." I actually cannot remember the name of the ailing princess, so that says a lot.

That being said, though, that is just a comment on the descriptor that the publisher puts out. The book itself is good if you like dystopia, female-centric, fantasy (with the royalty and magic, but not the fae). They also throw in a futuristic cloning plot that hints of all the evil science fiction cloning movies and books of the past.

This book reminds me of this generation's The Uglies series (The Uglies, The Pretties, Specials, Extra). Considering the Uglies came out in 2006, that counts as the next generation of YA readers. Dystopia in YA continues to be popular. The grass is not always greener on the other side, which is a harsh life lesson, but the magic of YA literature is that the teen protagonists don't let their age/youth/innocence/naivete let them just curl up and die. They are fearless and brash. They set out to change society as social justice warriors. And they always succeed (most of the time, and usually by the third book).