Extremely compulsive read. Don't let the thickness put you off either; thanks to generous margins it's more like a 350-page book disguised as a 500-page book.

Teens are going to love this book. This world, which is a re-imagined dystopian, secluded New Orleans, is bursting with color - except for its people, who can only be made beautiful (ie, not grey and withered) with the help of The Belles. These young women are trained from birth for one purpose, and that is to serve their people by making them beautiful.

This would've been a 4-star book for me if I didn't find it to be so predictable. I'm not sure how much we were to supposed to pick up on (it's narrated in 1st person by a Belle who has NO clue what's going on). It also has HELLA world-building, which I don't mind because I could read sumptuous descriptions of cakes and dresses for DAYS, but I know that's not everyone's cup of tea.

It was a perfect book to take on my vacation, and I am definitely looking forward to reading the sequel!