hmgauthier 's review for:

The Belles by Lacey N. Dunham

4.5

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Huge thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-Arc in exchange for an honest review!

“Tradition was a force that could not be stopped.” 

“… she had learned her lacking make others uncomfortable, even angry.” 

The Belles is everything good a dark academia book should be: a compelling look at class, race, and power. Where other books may focus on an aesthetic, The Belles to its core fits the brief. 

I found the pacing rough, picking up and slowing down randomly until the end. 

These girls are horrible and compelling and I loved reading about them. The rising hysteria and cult like following that festered until one act of “disobedience” upsets the pack beyond fixing. 

The flashbacks to Bellertons founding were probably my favorite part of the story!