The Everlasting Rose

2.5 Meh. Not much happens until the last third of the book. The descriptions of the world continue to be lush but the pacing felt off and the plot was lacking. I would have liked to have learned more about the Belles and deeper elements of the world, but like the beauty world she created, much remained surface. This could serve as a conclusion to the story, but enough is left open that maybe there's space for another one...though I'm not sure what the demand for that would be.

This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: The Everlasting Rose

Soon to be Queen Sophie is obsessed with control and beauty. So much so that she is imprisoning Belles and experimenting with their blood. She wishes to create an endless supply of Belles to serve as tools to enhance the beauty of those willing to pay. On the run, Camille must find a way to stop Sophia and rescue her captured sisters. But for every step forward, obstacles will arise to test Camille's resolve. As she enters the world of the resistance she will find herself unwillingly sacrificing those she loves in order to stop Sophia.

The theme of oppression may not be new to storytelling, but the way Dhonielle Clayton executes it is stunning. Camille has a hard road ahead of her as she learns everything she has ever been told is a lie. As the history of the Belles unfolds in greater detail, readers will be horrified at the way society has twisted something so pure into something so corrupt. Greed and vanity are powerful allies for those who feel privileged.

Camille's character grows in leaps and bounds throughout The Everlasting Rose. And while the story had the chance to tip into a love triangle trope, Camille firmly put her foot down refusing to allow her feelings to get in the way of her goals. She is a passionate girl and watching her inner fire grow as she dedicated herself to changing the world was spellbinding. But it's not just Camille that will enchant you. Each and every character within this story is so pronounced and unique. The cast of characters Dhonielle Clayton has created will be sure to capture your full attention.

And the way descriptions are written in this novel are luxurious and smooth. Colors are compared to things such as cream and pastries, adding to the elegant tone of writing. The audiobook narrator, Rosie Jones, did such an excellent job with accents adding even more depth to the settings. The sights, sounds, and emotions came together to create an enchanting version of New Orleans.

I've enjoyed my time with The Belles series. It's like a breath of fresh air journeying with the characters and experiencing New Orleans through their eyes. The use of magic is original and the culture Dhonielle Clayton has created is fascinating. I hope to see more books in this series. I feel there is so much left to tell.

Considering how I loved the first book, I'm not sure what made it not work this time around. This book feels too long and yet too short at the same time. Pages and pages of awful pacing, leading to a very unsatisfying ending. The fact that the main character, Camellia, has little to no character growth really didn't help, neither did her romance with Rémy that seemed to have started out of nowhere.

See, Camille started out naive so her clueless trait worked for the first book. Here, it doesn't work anymore because she's been betrayed before and yet she continues trusting others easily. It makes no sense, and it also makes her look stupid. It feels kind of ridiculous to have such a character at the center of this so-called “revolution”, which is also very anticlimactic.

Overall, it just lost the magic of the first book.