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A review by becandbooks
Belle of the Ball by Mari Costa
2.0
Belle of the Ball is a coming-of-age age, queer graphic featuring a love triangle. The art style is gorgeous, depicted through shades of pink and engaging character depiction. And through it, Costa tells a story of the messy dynamics of teenage romantic relationships.
There is no hiding the flaws in the decisions made by all three of our main characters, yet no one is depicted as a true villain. But despite this authentic approach to these young characters, the love triangle plot-line feels like it leads to a conclusion that never really eventuates. None of the characters feels incredibly enamoured in their romantic interests, despite this being the crux of the book. Tensions are understandably present but then seem to fizzle rather than result in any meaningful dynamics between characters. While there is a smidge of backstory for the main characters, overall it feels quite one-dimensional beyond the romance plot.
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There is no hiding the flaws in the decisions made by all three of our main characters, yet no one is depicted as a true villain. But despite this authentic approach to these young characters, the love triangle plot-line feels like it leads to a conclusion that never really eventuates. None of the characters feels incredibly enamoured in their romantic interests, despite this being the crux of the book. Tensions are understandably present but then seem to fizzle rather than result in any meaningful dynamics between characters. While there is a smidge of backstory for the main characters, overall it feels quite one-dimensional beyond the romance plot.
→ trigger warnings: cheating, alcohol consumption, bullying
becandbooks.com ‧ trigger warning database ‧ book depository ‧ more links