Tag Archives: Dhonielle Clayton

The Weight by Dhonielle Clayton

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
A Universe of Wishes: A We Need Diverse Books Anthology by Dhonielle Clayton

Title: The Weight
Author: Dhonielle Clayton
In: A Universe of Wishes (Dhonielle Clayton)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Romance, Science fiction, Young adult
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Crown
Year: 2020

Thoughts

For a short story that didn’t have a lot of action, I loved this to a ridiculous level. It was just… thought provoking. And kind of sweet. It made me wonder, if I could find out more about my lover’s “heart”, then would I do it? Would I risk our happiness to get some concrete answers? I don’t know that I would… but then the temptation of knowledge shouldn’t be underestimated…

Although there are comments about what Grace and Marcus’ hearts contain, there is no way to know which heart belongs to whom. And, what kind of love is being discussed. You get the feeling at the end that they’ve realised they want happiness together, but it’s still really open ended. Which, is how it should be. Love and relationships are not a happily ever after and finished kind of story – they are open ended in real life.

As someone who has been with their significant other since they were quite young (almost half of my life), I get how difficult it is to grow together. It’s interesting that some of these challenges are highlighted. How love might not ever be lost, but does growth, change and curiosity alter the stakes? How do you know when it’s worth continuing with the known and when you should strike out to a new future? For me, these questions might not have been that difficult, but I also completely understand why both Grace and Marcus find themselves asking them…

<- WishUnmoor ->

Image source: Goodreads

A Universe of Wishes edited by Dhonielle Clayton

Book Review, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Overview
A Universe of Wishes: A We Need Diverse Books Anthology by Dhonielle Clayton

Title: A Universe of Wishes
Author: Dhonielle Clayton, Tara Sim, Natalie C. Parker, Libba Bray, Anna-Marie McLemore, Kwame Mbalia, V.E. Schwab, Rebecca Roanhorse, Nic Stone, Jenni Balch, Mark Oshiro, Samira Ahmed, Tessa Gratton, Zoraida Cordova & Tochi Onyebuchi
In: A Universe of Wishes (Dhonielle Clayton)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: LGBTQI, Short story collections, Young adult
Pace: Medium
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Crown
Year: 2020

Thoughts

A Universe of Wishes is a fantastic and brilliant anthology. One I really, really enjoyed. And one that introduced me to a whole lot more authors that I plan to add to my shelves. It was a fun and unique collection that gave the reader a whole lot of diversity, not only in tales and styles, but also in lead characters.

I loved that this is an #OwnVoices collection, and now I’m going to add more such collections to my shelves. I love having non-white leads in my stories. And this has given me a taste of a whole range of new authors and cultures. Something that I really love when reading – discovering the unknown.

This anthology runs the gambit of genres and styles. The only thing all of the stories have in common is that they are thoroughly enjoyable and I loved them. I look forward to reading this anthology again and again and again in the future.

<- HabibiA Universe of Wishes ->

Image source: Goodreads

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
The Belles (The Belles, #1) by Dhonielle Clayton

Title: The Belles
Author: Dhonielle Clayton
Series: The Belles #1
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Dystopia, Fantasy, Magic, Young adult
Dates read: 8th – 10th October 2020
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Gollancz
Year: 2018
5th sentence, 74th page: She touches the textured pattern of my gown.

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Synopsis

I am a Belle. I control Beauty.

In the opulent world of Orléans, the people are born grey and damned, and only a Belle’s powers can make them beautiful.

Camellia Beauregard wants to be the favourite Belle – the one chosen by the queen to tend to the royal family.

But once Camellia and her Belle sisters arrive at court, it becomes clear that being the favourite is not everything she always dreamed it would be. Behind the gilded palace walls live dark secrets, and Camellia soon learns that her powers may be far greater – and far darker – than she ever imagined.

When the queen asks Camellia to break the rules she lives by to save the ailing princess, she faces an impossible decision: protect herself and the way of the Belles, or risk her own life, and change the world forever.

Thoughts

I read this as part of a “underrated book” prompt for a reading challenge. It’s just one of those books that has been sitting on my shelf for a little while, and I figured I’d eventually get to it. And then I did… and WOW. This was really good. And fun. And just… wow. Most DEFINITELY underrated. One of the best young adult books I feel I’ve read in a while… there was just something wonderful, intense and seriously positive about this whole experience.

One of the aspects of this book that I absolutely loved was show much it really made you stop and think about how we define beauty. And, ultimately, the emphasis that we place upon it. The risks that some people take, and the lengths that people will go to be the “most beautiful”. Every moment of horror in this story are completely recognisable and it ultimately comes down to the premium that is placed on looks. There is also the whole idea that beauty is just “skin deep”. It’s when you start drilling down to the person underneath… that, well, in this story makes you seriously shudder in revulsion to be completely frank.

I didn’t pick the villain of this story at first (which was AWESOME). In fact, it took a little while to click as to just who the villain was and what their drivers were. To be fair, I’m still not completely confident on the motivations… I’ve put it all down to “that bitch is crazy”. But she was an amazing villain. Subtle, secretive and with a lot of power. These are the kinds of villains that I find truly terrifying, because it’s hard to imagine how anyone could beat them. I suppose I’ll just have to pick up the next Belle book to find out…

There are a multitude of unexpected twists and turns throughout this novel. They are captivating, make your heart skip a beat, and just downright pluck all of your emotions. It turned this book into not only a fantastic idea with beautiful and poignant themes, but also one which I seriously couldn’t look away from and forget about. It’s going to take all of my self control (again) to finish some of my currently reading books before diving into the sequel…

<- More Dhonielle ClaytonThe Everlasting Rose ->

Image source: Goodreads