Welcome to Litsy!

Flowery, poetic language paired with disturbing, uncomfortable world building make a great backdrop for this book. The so-so rating comes from some issues with pacing and a too-passive MC. If you like detailed fantasy settings, or are interested in the questions surrounding beauty standards and dangerous body alteration, maybe give this one a try.

Really enjoyed this wicked take on Beauty!

Made a point to stop by my local indie bookstore on independent bookstore day and picked up The Belles. Look at this gorgeous map inside!

So pretty! 💕 I made this book sleeve and thought this book looked good with it. The colors remind me of fall. I usually use mine to hold my kindle or tablet though so I love how handy book sleeves are. I've had The Belles on my TBR list for so long maybe I will read it this month.
#litsycrafters

Picked up these books at Half Priced Book Store today. I always love searching the clearance section

Dhonielle Clayton‘s YA fantasy (the first in a trilogy) has interesting ideas about the power of beauty and society‘s obsession with it. Unfortunately the pacing was far too slow, the plot relies very heavily on contrivance (with Carmellia behaving foolishly when needed) and the characterisation just isn‘t interesting or consistent enough to hold my attention notably the “friendship” between Amber and Carmellia, which never convinces.

First book in a series, a bit of a rollercoaster of a read. I wasn‘t a big fan of the main character but she‘s interesting and does grow throughout the books. In this book beauty is a hot commodity and very controlled, the belles have the ability to reshape a persons beauty but there is a very ugly side to all of this as well. Intriguing world.

I‘ve had this audiobook sitting in my Kobo app for a while and finally decided to give it a go. I started listening on the first and just finished. The writing is lush, the story is good, and I enjoyed the characters. I found myself getting a bit impatient with some of the bad choices, but overall really enjoyable and I will likely give the sequel, Everlasting Rose, a listen

#June2020reads (I know, a little late...I had major surgery July 2, so I've been down and out for a bit.)
There were a lot of great reads, but I think my favorite was The Belles. Runner-up would be A Study in Charlotte, which got me interested in reading some classic Sherlock Holmes stories.

What were your favorite June 2020 reads?

I was going to pick Long Way Down by Reynolds, but everyone pics his books. They are just so good.

So I want to go with a book that is not an “issue“ book. The Belles is about a special group of young ladies who have the ability to make people beautiful. Beauty is a tool and a threat.

This was a fun sci-fi adventure with some great world building. I till need to read book 2 but i thoroughly enjoyed book 1.

#BlackVoices @shybookowl

This was amazing! I enjoyed it so much! The setting was great, everyone was obsessed by beauty. And the mystery of the Belles is pretty cool.
@maich definitely recommend it!

This was pitched to me as a mixture of Marie Antoinette and magic and I could not have been more in love. It was a great take on how obsessed we are as a society with beauty and just how far people are willing to go to gain their definition of perfection.

#bookquotewednesday

🌟🌟🌟

Clayton does some very impressive world building, and I loved the idea of beauty magic and the ugliness behind it. There's some romance, but at the heart of the book is a young woman desperate to make her mark, and later desperate to save her sisters. Also, teacup animals abound.

This was interesting. I enjoyed the world building and the details that went into this book. There were definitely some dreadful people which is always fun. And I liked seeing how everything played out.

I liked it but it didn‘t draw me in enough to love. I‘ll continue on with the second book though.

Enjoying this!

Really, really liking this so far. It‘s pretty dark which wasn‘t what I expected but I dig it!

I really enjoyed everything about this! The mixed reviews on Goodreads probably helped. But I was impressed with the world building, the drawing of the characters, and the pacing. Each time I out the book down I was excited to get back to it.
Such a fun romp that also had a bit of a dark side to keep the suspense on.

First book of 2020 is complete!!! Wow this book was a wild ride. At first I wasn‘t too sure about it. But about 100 pages in I was hooked! Camellia is part of a twisted world where she is a Belle given the power to change people‘s physical appearances. When she is chosen to work with the queen she is excited. She has no idea that she will be dealing with a very evil princess. I am so glad that I have the next book so I can start it next!

The Belles is set in a world where most are born gray and plain. They, of course, value beauty/color with the only way to obtain being through magical young women called Belles. Wicked royals, lavish parties, jealousy, chaos ensues.

As a read, it was okay. I was expecting a YA, but it just felt like it was more suited for middle school. It did have some things to say about beauty and defintely more going on in this world to explore in sequels.

While cleaning my book shelf. I found this beauty from last years book con and had it signed. Might be my next read.. 🤔
#tmskellington #wintergames @Crimson613 #bookcon

Thank you @maich! Everything is lovely! My daughter already wants one of the magnetic bookmarks. 😉 And both of us can't stop brushing over that lovely pillowcase! 😍 Thank you soooo much! Can't wait to start reading tonight
@MaleficentBookDragon
#jolabokaflodswap

Epic Reads suggested The Belles as an engaging audiobook and I agree. I loved listening to it. The world creation is fascinating and I enjoyed the plot. However, I will say I was getting very frustrated at the end. Clayton does a great job of making you hate the antagonist for sure!

I actually really enjoyed this. I‘m not a super fantasy reader at all. This book actually helped me to see why; it takes too long to set up the alternative world. I want to jump straight into the story that grabs me. With that being said I really LOVED this book. Once the action got started it was non-stop and there were even a few surprises that I didn‘t see coming at all. I‘m glad I already have book two but I may wait to read it. We‘ll see.

I am about to start the tagged book. I love a book with a map and this is a very beautiful one.

Taking a trip to Orléans for #mapmonday ?

I‘d heard conflicting opinions on this one, so I wasn‘t sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised! I thought the world building was excellent, and the rich descriptions made the book come alive. Some expected YA tropes, and the characters could have been a bit more developed, but overall I thought it was really well done. I had some very strong feelings about some of the characters. It left me wanting more. I‘ll definitely read the next one!

So good that Squidapus committed identity theft and signed into my Amazon account to preorder the next book. An absolutely fascinating world where beauty is everything and a populous cursed by a god to look ugly are transformed by Belles with the power to change appearance. A world of excess where only looks matter that can really be extrapolated to our lives today. Even tho it took Squidapus a while to read this it never felt overong or slow

Starting this one today.

Ooooo, Squidapus has been excited to read this one for a while. A fantasy New Orleans where the Belles use their powerful magic for the upper class. Seemed like a really unique world and could be quite the novel!

Stunning writing that made the world come alive in my brain, I didnt love it in the beginning, it was actually a little hard to get into, but by the end I was a fan, I started book 2 as soon as I finished book one.

I liked this lush YA fantasy, but I didn't love it. The premise is fascinating, as is the world building which shows a society obsessed with beauty and celebrity. However, the book was slow to get going and the characters weren't as full-blooded as I like them to be. Still, it was a pleasant way to spend a sunny afternoon.

#fantasy #youngadult

The first in a YA trilogy about what people will pay (also spiritually and emotionally) for beauty. In a world of gray people, only the Belles and their magic can make people beautiful. Great world building and lots of compelling characters, especially the unstable princess. Can‘t wait for book two!

It‘s time for the last interview of #EclecticSpringBreak! We interviewed Dhonielle Clayton and all agreed that adulting is hard, then discussed the idea of beauty, and, if you had the chance, how far you would go to change yourself… down to your very bones. eclecticreaders.fireside.fm/64

We‘re a week out from the release of the 5th and final #EclecticSpringBreak podcast episode with Dhonielle Clayton and it‘s one you definitely don‘t want to miss! #EclecticReaders

Enjoyed this quick read. There is a cliffhanger - so it makes you read book 2. I give it 7 out of 10. #commuterreads #ya #girlsofcolor #poc #diversity #womenofcolor #pocauthor #girlsthatlooklikeme

So far an interesting read. I got it from the library on my kindle. I would love to se SyFy or Netflix turn this into a movie.

Lots of imagery related to #flowers in this series.
Yes, my father really did give me my very own Beauty and the Beast rose. 🌹🥀
#SpringIntoReading #DaddysGirl

3⭐️ I had to let it sink in to determine what I wanted to say. This book is a fantasy that doesn‘t feel like a fantasy. But it also doesn‘t feel like a teen drama. In ways it reminds me of Rapunzel and Flowers in the Attic without the incest. Full review on GR and LT

#MountTBR
#ReadHarder
#Booked2019 - #newtoyouauthor
#LittenLoveBingo - #PrettyCover
#NancyDrewChallenge - #9 - #MCusesacandle
#KillYourTBR - #woninabookishfirstraffle

I had a dismal reading month in March. Between Letters about Lit, and a dismal work month, yikes!! I didn‘t even read one book. Just the end of one and the beginning of another.

Here is hoping for a better April.

⭐️⭐️⭐️🎧📕2019.03.31 Overall a good read. The main character was a bit annoying. LOTS of details & inner dialogue slowed the pace. The villain was most enjoyable bc she was so unnerving & unpredictable. The world-building was nice...would make for an interesting on-screen adaptation. I want to know what happens in book 2 but not sure I wouldn‘t just skip to the middle to see how things ends up.

Thanks @Endowarrior21 for this #BHMSwap book.

I have the house to myself and am listening to my audiobook via my Google Home speaker. Belles is such an interesting story. Not sure I like any of the characters and this extreme take on beauty is wild. Still reading RPP which is slow going because of my schedule but I am enjoying it knowing it‘s the last book of the series.

I wish there had been a bit more explanation to the world-building, but overall, it was still an intriguing YA fantasy.

(Substitute for Children of Blood and Bone)

#MarchMadnessChallenge

Is My Life Not Worth The Lives Of So Many Others?

May You Always Find Beauty 💖

1. Corned beef and cabbage in the crockpot
2. Probably not being able to get a job in the sciences and going into libraries instead
3. Done
4.hummmm. Tesla.
5. 🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀

#friyayintro

Which bok should I read next? Comment below Xx

The belles
Renegade
Two dark thrones
Red queen

🍀It's my birthday that day!! Hopefully my husband and I will be going out and spending time together. He has been busy calving 800 head of cows the last 3 months and has not left the farm since he started. He needs a break (and I need some time w/him!💓)
🍀Finding someone that puts up with me every day and still likes me after all this time.
🍀Done!
🍀Maya Angelou
🍀 @TheReadingMermaid @RvnclawWhovian

🍀🌈☘🍀🌈☘

#friyayintro
@howjessreads

I have finally finished this book. It took forever. I give it a pick but I need to let it stew before I write my review.