With a price on her head, the evil Queen Sophia out for blood, and no idea who to trust, Camellia Beaureguard, the former favorite Belle, must race against time to find the ailing Princess Charlotte, who has disappeared without a trace. Sophia’s imperial forces will stop at nothing to keep Camille, her sister Edel, and her loyal guard, R├®my, from returning Charlotte to the palace and her rightful place as queen.
With the help of an underground resistance movement called the Iron Ladies—a society that rejects beauty treatments entirely—and the backing of alternative newspaper the Spider’s Web, Camille uses her powers, her connections, and her cunning to outwit her greatest nemesis, Sophia, and attempt to restore peace to Orl├®ans. But enemies lurk in the most unexpected places, forcing Camille to decide just how much she’s willing to sacrifice to save her people.
Download and start listening now!
“The sequel to Clayton’s The Belles freezes blood and steals breath. Narrative craft that can hold the tension of the implicit value of black and brown features as beautiful as it intertwines with incisive commentary on the overall commodification of beauty is no small feat, and Clayton manages thrills of action, magic, romance, and revolution as well.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“The Belles series delivers the high-stakes action of the Disney princess movies we grew up with, but with a hero who doesn’t look like Snow White.”
— Refinery29“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.”
— Booklist (starred review)“This unique story remains a terrific metaphor for beauty and its place in society and culture.”
— School Library Journal“Belles fans will be eager to revisit this lavishly imagined, immersive fantasy realm, which Clayton effectively uses to critique several ugly aspects of our own society.”
— Horn Book MagazineBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Angie Thomas was born, raised, and still resides in Jackson, Mississippi. She is a former teen rapper whose greatest accomplishment was having an article about her in Right On! magazine. She holds a BFA in creative writing from Belhaven University and was an inaugural winner of the Walter Dean Myers Grant awarded by We Need Diverse Books.
Rosie Jones is a voice talent and audiobook narrator.