The Belles (The Belles series, Book 1) (The Belles, 1)
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Description
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.
Book Information
Posts
Klappentext: Glitzernd, glanzvoll, grausam – willkommen in der Welt der Belles! Die Welt von Orléans wird von Hässlichkeit bestimmt, und nur die Belles können den Menschen Schönheit verleihen. Camelia ist eine Belle – schön, begehrt, mit magischen Fähigkeiten. Am Königshof will sie allen zeigen, dass sie die Beste ist. Doch hinter den schillernden Palastmauern lauern dunkle Geheimnisse. Camelia erkennt, dass ihre Fähigkeiten viel stärker und gefährlicher sind, als sie es je für möglich gehalten hätte. Sie sind eine Waffe, die sich andere zunutze machen wollen. Daher muss sie sich entscheiden: Soll sie die Tradition der Belles bewahren oder ihr eigenes Leben riskieren, um ihre Welt für immer zu verändern? Das Schicksal der Belles und von Orléans liegt mit einem Mal in ihren Händen … Meine Meinung: Die Idee fand ich interessant. Und mir gefiel Camellia richtig gut. Jedoch ist der Auftakt ziemlich langatmig und erst am Ende wird es dann mal endlich spannend. Für mich persönlich zu viele Details. Das Ende endet mit einem Cliffhanger, sodass ich doch schon wissen will wie es weiter geht. Der Schreibstil war einfach und flüssig. Schade dass man den Anfang der Handlung etwas zu langweilig und zu detailreich gestaltet hat. Insgesamt 3,5 Sterne
The Belles is an amazingly diverse book that addresses many important issues and topics and creates a unique world, that one can get completely lost in. The World of Orléans is something different, everybody trying to be more beautiful all the time, trying to defy the laws of nature, thinking they don't matter and won't reach any goals without the help of the Belles. It carries messages about out own expectations in especially female looks and bodies and the author's note in the end specifies that (def don't skip that or go back and read it now if you already did, it really put the story in perspective for me). My issues with this story are just some minor things, mostly I couldn't connect to specific characters, sadly including the main character Camellia. That might be because I'm older now and teens often seem so off to me. Like so many decisions she made and outburst she had just seemed stupid and not thought out at all to me. I connected way more to Rémy, her bodyguard, whom she disliked most times for following the rules and doing his job (which is why I liked him haha). Rémy was actually on of my favourite characters, funnily enough with Camellia's sister Edelweiß, who never followed the rules and hated the life she was destined to have. She at least seemed honest to me and I always understood her impulses. My biggest issue was with thew romance, which I though was forced and went way too fast, even though this book had a super slow pace in the beginning. Didn't like it and also didn't like the romantic interest, which didn't make it more appealing. Not gonna go into details about it though cause spoilers. So all in all I really enjoyed this book, it's refreshingly diverse and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys YA. The world is interesting and enticing, I'm definitely excited to see where this series goes and I'm hoping to see more of my two faves then.
2,5 ⭐ As the general plot of the book sounded quite superficial, with a world where only beauty matters and all that, I expected a deeper plot during the continuation of the story and have to say I was vastly disappointed. The story lacks depth in my opinion and the pacing felt weird as well. While many things happened in the story it felt like nothing happened at all. The plot twists towards the end were also completely predictable for me. The main character was lovable but quite naïve at times.
3,5 Stars. The first half of the book was quite slow paced in order to build up the world, which was needed in a way, but was a bit too long for my taste. I really like the concept and the idea of the book, but it was very confusing as well. Instead of getting into more details, it kept repeating the same things all over again. Also, i was very confused by the names. There were so many names that I couldn’t remember where they came from. The story development was nicely done, though it was very predictable sometimes. In my opinion, there was too much detail concerning the world description but too less concerning most of the characters which i often could not tell apart.
I was weary when I started this book because the premise seemed a little superficial to me. It took me a while to get into it as well. The beginning just drags a little bit too much for my taste and I didn´t really care for Camellia. But when it got rolling, hot damn, it really did. The other Belles, the betrayal, the psycho princess, it was fabulous. Camellia´s thoughts stuck with me and, as someone who has lost her mother herself, I got really invested in her desire to make her mother proud. I am so glad that they didn´t create a love triangle... yet, I feel. Rémy is a really good character and Auguste definitely tricked me long enough. They were both enjoyable to read about. All in all, I am excited to read book two. And I hope Camellia ends up bi because Edel is just fabulous.
+++GERMAN+++ Camille ist eine Belle. Nur sie und ihre Schwestern haben die Gabe, die von einem Fluch getroffenen Menschen aus Orléans schön werden zu lassen. Für Camille ist das Leben fast perfekt - nur eine Sache könnte sie jetzt noch glücklich machen: Favoritin werden und als Belle für die Königin und die Prinzessinnen zu arbeiten. Doch schnell stellt sich heraus, dass nicht alles im Palast so ist wie es scheint. Camille muss sich entscheiden: rettet sie sich und ihre Schwestern? Oder setzt sie ihr Leben aufs Spiel, um das Königreich zu retten? Dieser Band ist der Auftakt einer Reihe, und ich bin ehrlich gesagt froh, dass Band 2 schon griffbereit neben mir liegt! Das Worldbuilding ist so detaillreich und schön, der Stil leicht und flüssig, die Charaktere alle spannend und vielschichtig. Niemand ist so, wie er auf den ersten Blick scheint. Unsere Protagonistin Camille wächst im Verlauf des Buches über sich hinaus. Das Buch ist ein perfekter Mix aus Spannung, Beschreibungen und Liebe. Keiner romantischen - sondern Schwesternliebe. Sehr erfrischend zu lesen! Dieses Buch gibt einem viele Denkanstöße über das Thema Schönheit - besonders im Bereich "wie weit darf man für Schönheit gehen?". Ich kann The Belles mit wärmsten Herzen empfehlen. +++ENGLISH+++ In the country of Orléans, everybody is born ugly after a curse. Only the Belles have the abilites to change the appearances of the people with the power of their arcana. Camille, or Camellia, is born a Belle. Together with her five sisters, she is trained, until her 16th birthday, where they will be given their placement. One of them will become The Favorite, Belle to the queen and princess. And being favorite has been Camille's dream since forver... Unless she discovers disturbing secrets inside the palace walls. Now she has to decide: will she save her own and her sister's lifes, or save the princess and change the world she knows? Book 1 of The Belles series started off really strong. The first couple of pages felt a bit slow, but there was a lot of worldbuilding going on, which was definitely necessary. The style is beautiful and easy; I flew through the pages. All of the characters are so cleverly written - nobody is as they might seem. And especially Camille grows so much as a character in this book! What I also liked is that the focus isn't on romantic love, but rather on the love between sisters. That's something refreshing we don't read that often in fantasy novels. And this book also has a moral aspect: How far would you go for beauty? It definitely gave me a lot to think about!
Description
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.
Book Information
Posts
Klappentext: Glitzernd, glanzvoll, grausam – willkommen in der Welt der Belles! Die Welt von Orléans wird von Hässlichkeit bestimmt, und nur die Belles können den Menschen Schönheit verleihen. Camelia ist eine Belle – schön, begehrt, mit magischen Fähigkeiten. Am Königshof will sie allen zeigen, dass sie die Beste ist. Doch hinter den schillernden Palastmauern lauern dunkle Geheimnisse. Camelia erkennt, dass ihre Fähigkeiten viel stärker und gefährlicher sind, als sie es je für möglich gehalten hätte. Sie sind eine Waffe, die sich andere zunutze machen wollen. Daher muss sie sich entscheiden: Soll sie die Tradition der Belles bewahren oder ihr eigenes Leben riskieren, um ihre Welt für immer zu verändern? Das Schicksal der Belles und von Orléans liegt mit einem Mal in ihren Händen … Meine Meinung: Die Idee fand ich interessant. Und mir gefiel Camellia richtig gut. Jedoch ist der Auftakt ziemlich langatmig und erst am Ende wird es dann mal endlich spannend. Für mich persönlich zu viele Details. Das Ende endet mit einem Cliffhanger, sodass ich doch schon wissen will wie es weiter geht. Der Schreibstil war einfach und flüssig. Schade dass man den Anfang der Handlung etwas zu langweilig und zu detailreich gestaltet hat. Insgesamt 3,5 Sterne
The Belles is an amazingly diverse book that addresses many important issues and topics and creates a unique world, that one can get completely lost in. The World of Orléans is something different, everybody trying to be more beautiful all the time, trying to defy the laws of nature, thinking they don't matter and won't reach any goals without the help of the Belles. It carries messages about out own expectations in especially female looks and bodies and the author's note in the end specifies that (def don't skip that or go back and read it now if you already did, it really put the story in perspective for me). My issues with this story are just some minor things, mostly I couldn't connect to specific characters, sadly including the main character Camellia. That might be because I'm older now and teens often seem so off to me. Like so many decisions she made and outburst she had just seemed stupid and not thought out at all to me. I connected way more to Rémy, her bodyguard, whom she disliked most times for following the rules and doing his job (which is why I liked him haha). Rémy was actually on of my favourite characters, funnily enough with Camellia's sister Edelweiß, who never followed the rules and hated the life she was destined to have. She at least seemed honest to me and I always understood her impulses. My biggest issue was with thew romance, which I though was forced and went way too fast, even though this book had a super slow pace in the beginning. Didn't like it and also didn't like the romantic interest, which didn't make it more appealing. Not gonna go into details about it though cause spoilers. So all in all I really enjoyed this book, it's refreshingly diverse and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys YA. The world is interesting and enticing, I'm definitely excited to see where this series goes and I'm hoping to see more of my two faves then.
2,5 ⭐ As the general plot of the book sounded quite superficial, with a world where only beauty matters and all that, I expected a deeper plot during the continuation of the story and have to say I was vastly disappointed. The story lacks depth in my opinion and the pacing felt weird as well. While many things happened in the story it felt like nothing happened at all. The plot twists towards the end were also completely predictable for me. The main character was lovable but quite naïve at times.
3,5 Stars. The first half of the book was quite slow paced in order to build up the world, which was needed in a way, but was a bit too long for my taste. I really like the concept and the idea of the book, but it was very confusing as well. Instead of getting into more details, it kept repeating the same things all over again. Also, i was very confused by the names. There were so many names that I couldn’t remember where they came from. The story development was nicely done, though it was very predictable sometimes. In my opinion, there was too much detail concerning the world description but too less concerning most of the characters which i often could not tell apart.
I was weary when I started this book because the premise seemed a little superficial to me. It took me a while to get into it as well. The beginning just drags a little bit too much for my taste and I didn´t really care for Camellia. But when it got rolling, hot damn, it really did. The other Belles, the betrayal, the psycho princess, it was fabulous. Camellia´s thoughts stuck with me and, as someone who has lost her mother herself, I got really invested in her desire to make her mother proud. I am so glad that they didn´t create a love triangle... yet, I feel. Rémy is a really good character and Auguste definitely tricked me long enough. They were both enjoyable to read about. All in all, I am excited to read book two. And I hope Camellia ends up bi because Edel is just fabulous.
+++GERMAN+++ Camille ist eine Belle. Nur sie und ihre Schwestern haben die Gabe, die von einem Fluch getroffenen Menschen aus Orléans schön werden zu lassen. Für Camille ist das Leben fast perfekt - nur eine Sache könnte sie jetzt noch glücklich machen: Favoritin werden und als Belle für die Königin und die Prinzessinnen zu arbeiten. Doch schnell stellt sich heraus, dass nicht alles im Palast so ist wie es scheint. Camille muss sich entscheiden: rettet sie sich und ihre Schwestern? Oder setzt sie ihr Leben aufs Spiel, um das Königreich zu retten? Dieser Band ist der Auftakt einer Reihe, und ich bin ehrlich gesagt froh, dass Band 2 schon griffbereit neben mir liegt! Das Worldbuilding ist so detaillreich und schön, der Stil leicht und flüssig, die Charaktere alle spannend und vielschichtig. Niemand ist so, wie er auf den ersten Blick scheint. Unsere Protagonistin Camille wächst im Verlauf des Buches über sich hinaus. Das Buch ist ein perfekter Mix aus Spannung, Beschreibungen und Liebe. Keiner romantischen - sondern Schwesternliebe. Sehr erfrischend zu lesen! Dieses Buch gibt einem viele Denkanstöße über das Thema Schönheit - besonders im Bereich "wie weit darf man für Schönheit gehen?". Ich kann The Belles mit wärmsten Herzen empfehlen. +++ENGLISH+++ In the country of Orléans, everybody is born ugly after a curse. Only the Belles have the abilites to change the appearances of the people with the power of their arcana. Camille, or Camellia, is born a Belle. Together with her five sisters, she is trained, until her 16th birthday, where they will be given their placement. One of them will become The Favorite, Belle to the queen and princess. And being favorite has been Camille's dream since forver... Unless she discovers disturbing secrets inside the palace walls. Now she has to decide: will she save her own and her sister's lifes, or save the princess and change the world she knows? Book 1 of The Belles series started off really strong. The first couple of pages felt a bit slow, but there was a lot of worldbuilding going on, which was definitely necessary. The style is beautiful and easy; I flew through the pages. All of the characters are so cleverly written - nobody is as they might seem. And especially Camille grows so much as a character in this book! What I also liked is that the focus isn't on romantic love, but rather on the love between sisters. That's something refreshing we don't read that often in fantasy novels. And this book also has a moral aspect: How far would you go for beauty? It definitely gave me a lot to think about!