Wow! It's been a while! I've been very busy editing two novels and haven't had much time for anything else. But I'm giving myself a few days off from writing to catch up on other things, like blogging and reading. I've read some superb fantasy novels over the past few months which I'm excited to finally get reviews down for.
I'm starting with The Belles, by Dhonielle Clayton.
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. {goodreads}
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld has been one of my favourite books for a long time, but The Belles took everything I loved about Uglies and made it even better. I adored this novel. It explores society's obsession with beauty and appearance, and has amazing characterisation, friendships and superb world building.
I'm obsessed with all the tiny details that made the world so realistic. The post balloons were my favourite; I would love to see them interpreted in a film version.
This year, I've been reading more like a writer and one of the things which really struck me about The Belles was how tight the plot was: it hit all the right places with its highs and lows and it is a superb example of exactly how you should write a book - but that's not to say it's in anyway formulaic or unoriginal - far from it.
The Belles was innovative, surprising and utterly captivating. While I don't think it's a world I want to move to, it's definitely one I want to read more about.
