Title: THE
BELLES (The Belles #1)
Author: Dhonielle
Clayton
Pub. Date: February 6,
2018
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Formats: Hardcover,
eBook, audiobook
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.
Title: THE
EVERLASTING ROSE (The Belles #2)
Author: Dhonielle
Clayton
Pub. Date: March
5, 2019
Publisher: Freeform
Formats: Hardcover,
eBook, audiobook
Pages: 352
In this
sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller, Camille, her sister Edel, and
her guard and new love Remy must race against time to find Princess Charlotte.
Sophia's Imperial forces will stop at nothing to keep the rebels from returning
Charlotte to the castle and her rightful place as queen. With the help of an
underground resistance movement called The Iron Ladies-a society that rejects
beauty treatments entirely-and the backing of alternative newspaper The
Spider's Web, Camille uses her powers, her connections and her cunning to
outwit her greatest nemesis, Sophia, and restore peace to Orleans.
My Thoughts: A fantastic sequel that delves into revolution, secret societies, ending the slavery of the Belles, questioning what's beautiful, and sisterhood. I love Camille's bravery and her determination. I like how she comes into her own - how she started off in the Belles wanting to be the favorite and how that changed her. She grew up, became aware of the world around her, and took action. I admire her love for her sisters and how she believes the best in them. I loved the Iron Ladies. The danger and action made me turn the pages quickly as I had to see what happened next.
I thought this was a trilogy, but it appears to be a duology. I really enjoyed this world and would be interested in more.
About Dhonielle:
Dhonielle
Clayton (“Dhon” like “Don” or “Dawn”) spent most of her childhood under her
grandmother’s dining room table with a stack of books.
She hails
from the Washington, D.C. suburbs on the Maryland side, but now lives in New
York City. She was an extremely fussy and particular child with an undying love
for Cheerios (honey nut only), pink lemonade, and frosted animal cookies. A
self-proclaimed school nerd, she loved covering her books with brown paper and
filled her locker with Lisa Frank stickers. She loved putting headings on her
homework, odd-looking pens and freshly sharpened pencils, and numerous notebooks
to fill with her research. On most Saturdays you could find her with her
equally nerdy Dad at Crown Books and then the comic bookstore where she stocked
up on her weekly reading material. Plus, she was so spoiled that her
grandfather took her to the library after school almost daily.
She attended
Our Lady of Good Counsel High School because her parents thought Catholic
school would keep her out of trouble. She went to Wake Forest University, and
studied pre-med until she received a fateful F in Chemistry. This setback
prompted her to change her major to English, and earned a BA. She rediscovered
her love of children’s fiction by re-reading Harriet the Spy, which pushed her
to earn an MA in Children’s Literature from Hollins University and an MFA Writing
for Children at the New School.
She taught
secondary school for several years – at a pre-professional ballet academy and a
private K-8 school. She spent most of her twenties in and out of America –
living in London, Paris, a small Japanese town, Bermuda – and wandering the
planet. She’s been on five out of seven continents, and has grand plans to
reach all of them.
She is a
former elementary and middle school librarian, and co-founder of CAKE Literary,
a creative kitchen whipping up decadent – and decidedly diverse – literary
confections for middle grade, young adult, and women’s fiction readers. She is
also COO of the non-profit We Need Diverse Books.
What’s next?
She will be enrolling in culinary school in New York City and plans to open up
a restaurant in the city of her soul, Edinburgh, Scotland.
Follow the tour this week:
Believe Me: You want this book!
Giveaway Details: 3 winners will receive a finished copy of THE EVERLASTING ROSE
(US Only.
Ends on April 2nd at Midnight EST)
