The Belles

Actual rating: 4.5★

⚠️ TW: attempted sexual assault.

Such an addictive read. The dollhouse / princess-ish theme at first glance, the lavish descriptions, and the beautiful writing provide a nice contrast to the darker undertones in the story that fully unraveled towards the end of the book, where all the beauty comes crumbling down and ugliness comes in full force.

After reading so many stories involving court politics, one would be aware that not everyone—or worse, no one—in court could be trusted. Throughout the entire book I was left wondering who's gonna turn on Camellia and stab her in the back because everyone is shady, and in that sense the story doesn't betray in the slightest. Of course, the Belles themselves also carry certain secrets that they may or may not be aware of. I love it.

The pace is a bit on the slower side, especially for the first half of the book, but it's really engaging still. Definitely looking forward to the next book even if it doesn't even have a release date yet.