*"Staggering... A world that is breathtaking and crushing, beautiful
and vile, and whimsical and terrifying. [Clayton] 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
**
In this sequel to the New York Times best-selling novel, The Belles,
Camellia Beaureguard, the former favorite Belle, must race against time
to find the ailing Princess Charlotte, who has disappeared without a
trace.
The evil queen Sophia's imperial forces will stop at nothing to keep
Camille, her sister Edel, and her loyal guard, Rémy, 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 Orléans. But enemies lurk in the most
unexpected places, forcing Camille to decide just how much she's willing
to sacrifice to save her people.
Nothing is what it seems in this must-read sequel to the instant New
York Times best-seller.