The Belles
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The Belles
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Narrated by:
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Rosie Jones
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Written by:
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Dhonielle Clayton
About this listen
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.
©2018 Blackstone Audio, Inc. (P)2018 Blackstone Audio, Inc.What listeners say about The Belles
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Geneviève Rouleau
- 2022-01-19
loved it
TW : attempted rape, bullying, murder, body modifications, animal cruelty
I haven't been able to get into fantasy for years. So when I had the opportunity to listen to an audio copy of a book sitting on my shelves, I thought... why not!!
I absolutely loved this book. The world was unique, creative, but not too complicated either. This is the first fantasy I've actually been able to listen and actually follow what was happening (visual learning style problems, am I right).
ABOUT THE BOOK :
This story is set in a bright, colorful world reminiscent of the lavish French lifestyle (Marie-Antoinette vibes for sure), but add magic. I was reminded quite a lot of the society in which we live, but amplified : these people are so set on outward appearances, that they are willing to undergo frequent and very painful modifications in order to maintain themselves. It definitely highlights how harmful and toxic a society based on beauty standards actually is.
I also had the impression this book combined various elements from reknown fairytales, such as Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Snow White.
I appreciated the diversity of the characters, and how every skin color, body shape, gender, and sexual orientation was welcomed and celebrated. Oh, and the importance of family is definitely one of the main themes of this book!!
For some reason, I thought this was a stand-alone, and I was super excited to cross it off my TBR. But damn it, now I need to add its sequel 😂😂
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kare
- 2022-10-29
Beautifully written and performed!
I loved this story! It's not my usual genre, so I was surprised that I enjoyed it as much as I did. The author does an amazing job with the world building and character arcs. The descriptions help you really see this world and its people without being boring. There is enough mystery and suspense to keep you turning pages (or listening for just 5 more minutes) and the evil characters are delicious. The performance by the narrator was top notch!
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Jamie @ Books and Ladders
- 2021-09-05
Disappointing
So disappointing. Started off so strong and good with the way we were introduced to the characters and the world. But then increasingly became worse and worse. The villains were comically evil, the characters were comically naive, and the magic was the only interesting part and was barely touched. I have the second book already so I'll continue but it's just not shaping up to be great.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Alicia
- 2018-03-13
Good narrator, terrible story.
if you enjoy hearing the words "Beauty" and "favourite" so frequently that you're not sure why these words exist, or how there is a political structure or social structure or anything else in this Kingdom which should be called a Queendom. If you care about frivolity and an obsession with youth and beauty in your teens you might enjoy this book. However, if you enjoy a story that is nuanced has proper world-building component to it, a political structure (if you're going to be in a castle), a social structure, or why these girls seem to not have asked any questions through their life about how they came to be - did they really think that they came from [spoilers]. This is a terrible book... stop it, just stop it. Give it a pass and read anything else.
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1 person found this helpful