Review: The Everlasting Rose (The Belles #2) by Dhonielle Clayton

Summary from Goodreads:

In this sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller, Camille, her sister Edel, and her guard and new love Remy must race against time to find Princess Charlotte. Sophia's Imperial forces will stop at nothing to keep the rebels from returning Charlotte to the castle 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 restore peace to Orleans.

Review:


What I Liked:

Writing Style. There are still a few Dhonielle Clayton novels I really need to get my hands on because I love the way she writes. Her writing is beautiful and I'm always sad when I finish one of her novels because I always want more. 

Plot. I went in with a vague knowledge of book one (there was not a book recap online) but quickly was able to remember what happened. The start was a bit slow but once it picked up it was action packed right until the end. 

Characters. I'm a fan of how Clayton writes and develops her characters. My favorite character was as expected the main character Camille, and her teacup dragons. The side characters were well done too, the good ones like Remy and the evil ones like Sophia. 

World Building/Fantastical Elements. I was more than happy to dive back into this well-crafted and interesting world. I loved the fantastical aspects and how the magic is described. I felt that the world building was well done and pulled me in from the first page. I'm really hoping that Clayton will revisit this world with the Bells and the teacup animals. 

Love Triangle. I was unsure about how I would like the romance elements and love triangle going in. I actually adored how Clayton dealt with the love triangle aspect from book one and the main romance. It was done so well because it was not the main focus of the novel. 

What I Disliked:

Beginning/Pacing. It took me around fifty pages to get fully engrossed back into the world. However, once that happened I got sucked it just like I did with the first novel. 

I recommend checking out this well-done sequel to a great and unique fantasy series! Also, Teacup Dragons!

Rating:

4.5 Stars out of 5 Stars.