There are some brilliant books coming out this year. Some of these titles I found out about at YALC, others I've seen a lot of buzz about on twitter. All of them sound amazing. I've narrowed it down to a top six, and I'm going to post about two each week.
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.
Would you look at that cover? So pretty. I read an excerpt of this on EW a few months ago and I can't wait to read the rest. The Belles easily tops my list of most-anticipated novels of 2018.
In the kingdom of Sempera, time is currency—extracted from blood, bound to iron, and consumed to add time to one’s own lifespan. The rich aristocracy, like the Gerlings, tax the poor to the hilt, extending their own lives by centuries.
No one resents the Gerlings more than Jules Ember. A decade ago, she and her father were servants at Everless, the Gerlings’ palatial estate, until a fateful accident forced them to flee in the dead of night. When Jules discovers that her father is dying, she knows that she must return to Everless to earn more time for him before she loses him forever.
But going back to Everless brings more danger—and temptation—than Jules could have ever imagined. Soon she’s caught in a tangle of violent secrets and finds her heart torn between two people she thought she’d never see again. Her decisions have the power to change her fate—and the fate of time itself.
Another beautiful cover and a really exciting concept. It reminds me a bit of the film In Time, and I'm hoping Everless will be just as exciting.
I wasn't sure about The Belles at first. Books where Beauty is a big theme don't seem to work for me. But I am really looking forward to it now!
ReplyDeleteI really like YA that deals with image and beauty - Uglies by Scott Westerfeld is one of my all-time favourite books. I'm so excited to read this when it comes out!
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