''The Belles'' is a dystopian young adult novel series by

Dhonielle Clayton Dhonielle Clayton (born 1983) is an American author and chief operating officer of We Need Diverse Books. She has written multiple book series, including '' The Belles'' (2018-2023). She also collaborated with Tiffany D. Jackson, Angie Thomas, N ...

, consisting of three books: ''The Belles'' (2018), ''The Everlasting Rose'' (2019) and ''The Beauty Trials'' (2023). The first two books are

Junior Library Guild Junior Library Guild, formerly the Junior Literary Guild, is a commercial Book sales club, book club devoted to juvenile literature. It was created in 1929 as one of the enterprises of the Literary Guild, an adult book club created in 1927 by Samue ...

selections.

Reception

''The Belles'' (2018)

''The Belles,'' published February 6, 2018 by Disney-Hyperion, is a ''New York Times'' best seller. The book received starred reviews from ''

Kirkus ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, non ...

'' and ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is ...

,'' as well as positive reviews from ''

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, wi ...

,'' ''

Horn Book ''The Horn Book Magazine'', founded in Boston in 1924, is the oldest bimonthly magazine dedicated to reviewing children's literature. It began as a "suggestive purchase list" prepared by Bertha Mahony and Elinor Whitney Field, proprietors of t ...

,'' and ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

.'' ''Booklist'' applauded Clayton's examination of "the price of beauty in a society that reveres it," refusing to "shy away from facing uncomfortable truths in our own society." ''The Horn Book'' echoed the sentiment, explaining that "while Clayton’s primary theme is the destructiveness wrought by societally imposed beauty ideals, she also touches upon other systems of exploitation, including slavery, racism and colorism, rape culture, and forced labor." ''Booklist'' also appreciated how Clayton incorporated race throughout the novel, stating that it holds up a mirror to "literature today, ... that fetishizes and commodifies omen of color" The audiobook, narrated by Rosie Jones, received a positive review from ''

,'' who noted that "Clayton’s exotic world is perfectly matched to narrator Jones’ breathy and silky-smooth voice." The

Chicago Public Library The Chicago Public Library (CPL) is the public library system that serves the Chicago, City of Chicago in the U.S. state of Illinois. It consists of 81 locations, including a central library, three regional libraries, and branches distributed thr ...

and ''Kirkus'' named ''The Belles'' one of the best young adult books of the year.

''The Everlasting Rose'' (2019)

''The Everlasting Rose'' was published March 5, 2019 by Freeform. The book received starred reviews from ''

'' and ''

'', as well as positive reviews from ''

The Horn Book ''The Horn Book Magazine'', founded in Boston in 1924, is the oldest bimonthly magazine dedicated to reviewing children's literature. It began as a "suggestive purchase list" prepared by Bertha Mahony and Elinor Whitney Field, proprietors of t ...

'' and ''

''. ''Booklist'' preferred the sequel to the original book, stating, "Although ''The Belles'' is a phenomenal read, this is even more staggering. Clayton seizes the opportunity to expound upon Orléans, rendering a world that is breathtaking and crushing, beautiful and vile, and whimsical and terrifying. She poignantly uses a harrowing, fantastical tale to illuminate the very real horrors of unattainable beauty standards and the enslavement of marginalized bodies. As relevant as it is exquisite." ''The Horn Book'' disagreed with the improvement, noting, "This second installment in the series is more repetitively plotted than the first, and particularly overuses a device of an ally dying mere moments after being reunited with Camille."

Awards and honors

''The Belles'' and ''The Everlasting Rose'' are a

books.'''' ''The Belles'' book was a ''New York Times'' bestseller. The

(CPL) and ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

'' named it one of the best young adult books of 2018. CPL also included it on their list of the best teen book covers of the year.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Belles African-American young adult novels Book series introduced in 2018