What do you think?
Rate this book
The Beautiful Ones #1
The Beautiful Ones
My mother once said that only the Beautiful Ones survive. This is because, in the war-torn Great South, beauty is a currency, and to have it means you will never have to worry about a thing.
The only problem is: beauty is judged by our capital’s Gentlewomen, and there is no guarantee that we will pass their test.
Every year, the Gentlewomen of the capital leave the Glittering City to oversee the annual Procession. They travel settlement to settlement selecting girls, aged sixteen and older, to become Beautiful Ones. If chosen, we will be lifted into a life of luxury, but the cost is our free will.
The only problem is: beauty is judged by our capital’s Gentlewomen, and there is no guarantee that we will pass their test.
Every year, the Gentlewomen of the capital leave the Glittering City to oversee the annual Procession. They travel settlement to settlement selecting girls, aged sixteen and older, to become Beautiful Ones. If chosen, we will be lifted into a life of luxury, but the cost is our free will.
279 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 27, 2018
134 people are currently reading
332 people want to read
About the author
Kody Boye
127 books273 followersBorn and raised in Southeastern Idaho, Kody Boye began his writing career at fourteen with the publication of his story [A] Prom Queen’s Revenge in the Yellow Mama Webzine.
After being published nearly three-dozen times in various markets, he went independent at eighteen and currently writes horror and dark fantasy fiction.
He is the author of the young-adult science-fiction series When They Came, The Beautiful Ones trilogy, and other novels.
He currently lives and writes in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas.
After being published nearly three-dozen times in various markets, he went independent at eighteen and currently writes horror and dark fantasy fiction.
He is the author of the young-adult science-fiction series When They Came, The Beautiful Ones trilogy, and other novels.
He currently lives and writes in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
June 10, 2020
The Beautiful Ones is set in a world where beauty can either make you or break you. Once a year there is an annual Procession in which the Gentlewomen from the country's capital, the Glittering City, come to the outer, poorer regions in order to judge 16-year-old girls on their appearance. If deemed beautiful enough, they will be sent to the Glittering City to live a life of luxury, but also to “ensure the beauty and integrity of the gene pool.”
It’s okay, I don’t really get it either.
Our 16-year-old protagonist, Kelendra Byron, knows she’s beautiful (LMAO IMAGINE HAVING THAT CONFIDENCE), and to prove it, gets chosen to be sent to the capitol. She feels relieved; she’s been practically living her whole life just for this moment. But upon arriving, she realises there’s a lot more to being beautiful than she previously thought.
To be honest, the reasoning behind the Processions feel so lazy and cheap. “To ensure the beauty of the gene pool,” yeah right. It sounds more like an excuse to write a dystopian novel and embed important messages in it (more on this later). Because of this, I never really saw a goal to the novel, and I had no idea where the story was headed (in a bad way).
Kelendra and the other Beautiful Ones never really have a target they’re trying to strive towards, which made me feel disconnected from them. While they are trying to survive in this newfound world, there’s nothing really at stake.
Our protagonist is quite bland but still good. Kelendra may not have spectacular characterization, but she is a smart and intuitive character and (somehow) makes all the right decisions... most of the time. This does, overall, make her an interesting character to follow about. But I fail to write more about her in this review because, well, there’s not much to her. Again, she’s good, but oh so very bland. PLEASE GIVE HER SOME FLAWS. NEVER THOUGHT I’D SAY THAT SENTENCE BUT PLEASE.
However, the ending really took a turn on things and I’m excited to see where her final choice takes her character! Hopefully out of bland-ville, but who knows?
Despite being a dull plot and having dull characters, the messages this book sends are not. It raises questions as what really defines beauty? What is the price of it, and how does a society that revolves around said beauty thrive on such an ugly system? I wasn’t expecting this book to be that thought-provoking, but I guess now I have a lot of existential crisis material... 🤔
The Beautiful Ones was a solid, enjoyable dystopian novel and while could use a bit of refinement, was a pretty good read. Don’t know if I’d read the sequel for anything other than to see where Kelendra’s character goes. But hey, it’s free on the Kindle store, so me being the cheap bitch I am can’t complain.
tl;dr: if the hunger games and miss universe had a baby it’s this. just with less killing ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
It’s okay, I don’t really get it either.
Our 16-year-old protagonist, Kelendra Byron, knows she’s beautiful (LMAO IMAGINE HAVING THAT CONFIDENCE), and to prove it, gets chosen to be sent to the capitol. She feels relieved; she’s been practically living her whole life just for this moment. But upon arriving, she realises there’s a lot more to being beautiful than she previously thought.
To be honest, the reasoning behind the Processions feel so lazy and cheap. “To ensure the beauty of the gene pool,” yeah right. It sounds more like an excuse to write a dystopian novel and embed important messages in it (more on this later). Because of this, I never really saw a goal to the novel, and I had no idea where the story was headed (in a bad way).
Kelendra and the other Beautiful Ones never really have a target they’re trying to strive towards, which made me feel disconnected from them. While they are trying to survive in this newfound world, there’s nothing really at stake.
Our protagonist is quite bland but still good. Kelendra may not have spectacular characterization, but she is a smart and intuitive character and (somehow) makes all the right decisions... most of the time. This does, overall, make her an interesting character to follow about. But I fail to write more about her in this review because, well, there’s not much to her. Again, she’s good, but oh so very bland. PLEASE GIVE HER SOME FLAWS. NEVER THOUGHT I’D SAY THAT SENTENCE BUT PLEASE.
However, the ending really took a turn on things and I’m excited to see where her final choice takes her character! Hopefully out of bland-ville, but who knows?
Despite being a dull plot and having dull characters, the messages this book sends are not. It raises questions as what really defines beauty? What is the price of it, and how does a society that revolves around said beauty thrive on such an ugly system? I wasn’t expecting this book to be that thought-provoking, but I guess now I have a lot of existential crisis material... 🤔
The Beautiful Ones was a solid, enjoyable dystopian novel and while could use a bit of refinement, was a pretty good read. Don’t know if I’d read the sequel for anything other than to see where Kelendra’s character goes. But hey, it’s free on the Kindle store, so me being the cheap bitch I am can’t complain.
tl;dr: if the hunger games and miss universe had a baby it’s this. just with less killing ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
October 15, 2019
http://booknest.eu/reviews/charles/16...
4.5/5
THE BEAUTIFUL ONES by Koby Boye is a Young Adult dystopian novel with a twist. Rather than being about a young action heroine who is struggling against the tyranny of the week, it is the story of a woman who wins a peculiar "beauty pageant" that results in her becoming one of the Beautiful Ones. They are people who have been selected for their strong genetics to be the pampered and beloved wives to a eugenicist experiment in the Glittering City. If this sounds like there's a shoe waiting to drop, you'd be half-right.
Kelendra is an entertaining but reserved character as she has been raised by her family to endure The Process. They've done her best to use their meager resources to make her spectacularly lovely in hopes of getting her accepted as one of the Beautiful Ones. It's something Kelendra never got a chance to particularly want for herself and when she is accepted, doesn't quite know what to do with herself since it separates her from the only life she's ever known.
If I had to describe this, I'd say this is something akin to a PG-13 version of the Handmaid's Tale. There's even a figure known ominously as the Commandant who develops a liking for Kelendra's best friend (and goes after her in a subdued but horrifying scene). There's also elements of the Hunger Games with the entirety of Kelendra's village being fascinated by the prospect of her becoming a Beautiful One even as they expect to never see her again.
The world-building is exceptionally well done as Kody draws on the Antebellum South and Civil War motifs to give a sense of what the world is like. It is definitely in the future but not so far in the future that the Old World is completely forgotten. Indeed, it's implied it may be only a few decades away from now with the dystopian Glittering City having been built in the aftermath of the United States' recent fall.
Do I have any issues? Well, one. The thing is that being a Beautiful One doesn't actually seem to be that bad. You're required to be in an arranged marriage but Kelendra is set up with a young man of her own age, who seems to be every bit the kind of pleasant and good person she is. It also does rescue her from poverty and near-starvation.
When dealing with a bunch of eugenics-obsessed bad guys, I kept expecting some terrible twist: that Kelendra was actually asexual or gay, her husband to be was, her husband to be was abusive, or the Beautiful Ones were meant to be harem girls for the rich and powerful of the city. Kelendra is horrified by the thought of getting married so young and having children but arranged marriages were the way things went for most of human history. At the least least, I was expecting a horrible racial undercurrent to exist to the Process but I didn't see any evidence of that either.
This is a small issue, though, as I genuinely enjoyed following Kelendra through her journey. She is a passive character but incredibly perceptive. I really did sympathize with the fact she's being taken from her loved ones for the promise of a new life she's not sure she wants for herself. There also are many hints to just how horrifying this society is with the majority of lower-class men having been conscripted into what is implied to be a WW1-esque meatgrinder. I immediately picked up and read the second book after finishing the first one and suspect you will too. I rarely comment on covers but I also feel the artist for this one should be commended--it's a really lovely work.
4.5/5
THE BEAUTIFUL ONES by Koby Boye is a Young Adult dystopian novel with a twist. Rather than being about a young action heroine who is struggling against the tyranny of the week, it is the story of a woman who wins a peculiar "beauty pageant" that results in her becoming one of the Beautiful Ones. They are people who have been selected for their strong genetics to be the pampered and beloved wives to a eugenicist experiment in the Glittering City. If this sounds like there's a shoe waiting to drop, you'd be half-right.
Kelendra is an entertaining but reserved character as she has been raised by her family to endure The Process. They've done her best to use their meager resources to make her spectacularly lovely in hopes of getting her accepted as one of the Beautiful Ones. It's something Kelendra never got a chance to particularly want for herself and when she is accepted, doesn't quite know what to do with herself since it separates her from the only life she's ever known.
If I had to describe this, I'd say this is something akin to a PG-13 version of the Handmaid's Tale. There's even a figure known ominously as the Commandant who develops a liking for Kelendra's best friend (and goes after her in a subdued but horrifying scene). There's also elements of the Hunger Games with the entirety of Kelendra's village being fascinated by the prospect of her becoming a Beautiful One even as they expect to never see her again.
The world-building is exceptionally well done as Kody draws on the Antebellum South and Civil War motifs to give a sense of what the world is like. It is definitely in the future but not so far in the future that the Old World is completely forgotten. Indeed, it's implied it may be only a few decades away from now with the dystopian Glittering City having been built in the aftermath of the United States' recent fall.
Do I have any issues? Well, one. The thing is that being a Beautiful One doesn't actually seem to be that bad. You're required to be in an arranged marriage but Kelendra is set up with a young man of her own age, who seems to be every bit the kind of pleasant and good person she is. It also does rescue her from poverty and near-starvation.
When dealing with a bunch of eugenics-obsessed bad guys, I kept expecting some terrible twist: that Kelendra was actually asexual or gay, her husband to be was, her husband to be was abusive, or the Beautiful Ones were meant to be harem girls for the rich and powerful of the city. Kelendra is horrified by the thought of getting married so young and having children but arranged marriages were the way things went for most of human history. At the least least, I was expecting a horrible racial undercurrent to exist to the Process but I didn't see any evidence of that either.
This is a small issue, though, as I genuinely enjoyed following Kelendra through her journey. She is a passive character but incredibly perceptive. I really did sympathize with the fact she's being taken from her loved ones for the promise of a new life she's not sure she wants for herself. There also are many hints to just how horrifying this society is with the majority of lower-class men having been conscripted into what is implied to be a WW1-esque meatgrinder. I immediately picked up and read the second book after finishing the first one and suspect you will too. I rarely comment on covers but I also feel the artist for this one should be commended--it's a really lovely work.
Want to read
February 8, 2020🎁 FREE on Amazon today (2/8/2020)! 🎁
November 17, 2019
I wasn’t a fan of this story. I wanted to be, but it just wasn’t happening.
Was I the only one who had “Hunger Games” come to mind after reading this story? I don’t know. There were instances that kept making me think of it. For example, there was the capital and the outlining cities or districts. There was the process that took place every year in which young people (women in this case) were chosen and taken back to the capital. This process was used to make lives overall better. C/Kalendra(?) was the face of that year’s process (similar to Katniss being the face of that year’s hunger games). There were the rebels in both stories. Lastly, there was the creation of C/Kalendra’s dress. Essentially it was like Katniss’ first dress she wore when introduced to the capital’s people. Both stylists wanted them to stand out from the crowd and were in similar colors. C/Kalendra’s dress was based on the sunset (red, orange, yellow), while Katniss’ was fire (red, orange, yellow). Sunset = fire. Tell me I wasn’t the only one to pick up on these things?!
I was somewhat confused as to the world setting of this story. C/Kalendra was from… what sounded like a village. Daniel, and the capital, on the other hand, was from a city that sounded like the present time. For whatever reason, it seemed strange to me. I mean there was mention of For Sale signs in yards of houses. The idea of some crazy process taking place in a current-day nothing-special-about-it city didn’t work for me.
The idea that people would still be as crazy-obsessed over Beautifuls baffled me as well. I mean, I could see them going all out with the first few girls/the few years, but how would it have continued for so long when they bring back several girls each year, with each girl then getting engaged and married? It wasn’t like the girls were really going on to do great things, become important (real important) people minus their charity work; they were having children! Like a regular woman does. It just seemed strange, especially when we learn the point of them having kids was to increase the number of attractive people in the capital. FYI, two attractive people can have an ugly child… just saying. The photojournalists were one thing but what was the point of the Mothers/ladies in charge feeding into that craziness? How did that benefit them?
Anyway… I wasn’t sure how I felt about the author’s writing style. I automatically had the idea of some love-struck poetry-writer-turned-fiction-writer-of-novels… writing this story. If that made sense. Most of the phrasing just had me thinking of it sounding poetic.
A big issue for me was that I noticed a lot of repetition/redundancy throughout the story. For example:
1. “As the sounds of marching footsteps sound down the hall.”
2. “The thoughts rushing through my mind going the same speed the train is currently speeding…”
3. “With a nod and with a ('a' wasn't needed) trepidation that I have never felt in my life, I break away. Feeling innately that chain connecting us will break away.”
4. “I meander slowly like a bird lame and crippled and make my way slowly up the aisle…”
5. “…and turns to the page that has been marked by a dog-eared page.”
“When our rings click together, I curl our fingers together.”
There were some issues with the dialogue tags, at least in my opinion. Now, when two characters are talking, dialogue tags aren’t necessary unless you want to provide an action along with whatever the character is saying. For example, “'I really don’t want to leave you here alone,’ she said.” Basic tags like he/she said really grate on my nerves as they’re not needed. Be inventive! Or just not use them. The author also incorporated these random basic tags in the middle of dialogue sentences. Why? I have no clue, but they stood out to me like a red flag.
I really couldn’t stand C/Kalendra. I know not every female protagonist is going to be strong; C/Kalendra was somewhere on the opposite side of that spectrum, no matter how many times she said she didn’t always follow the rules. The fact she was constantly stumbling over her words or unsure of how to respond to simple questions… I was ready to strangle her. At the end, when she told Mother Tara she wanted to dedicate her life to the war, I was so waiting for her go on and say how she wanted to stop the rebels. Obviously, she didn’t like the results of the process, but with how weak and clueless of a character she came across as, I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what happens in the next book. Am I interested in reading book 2? Sorry, but no.
Moving on…
The narrator had a nice-sounding voice, but I had some issues with her narration. She didn’t change her voice… much. Like all the older females sounded the same, the younger ones the same, etc. She seemed to pause randomly in the middle of talking. It was as though she were turning a page and then continuing with the story. I’m not saying these pauses took place at the end of sentences either. The majority of the time they took place in the middle. It was very annoying. Did no one listen to the narration once it was completed? I’m guessing not, otherwise, the pauses would have been picked up. Lastly, if you’re unsure the pronunciation of a word, look it up. Simple. The word “dais” is not pronounced “days.”
Questions/Comments:
When Stylist was putting makeup on C/Kalendra for the first time, it seemed strange that she was unsure of what concealer was yet could identify the highlight/lowlight makeup.
Wednesday was telling C/Kalendra about the “Corpse Bride” and how she stopped eating. C/Kalendra asked, “How would they know she hadn’t been eating?” Um… because she wasn’t gaining weight? Because she was only getting thinner?
At the engagement… event, C/Kelandra apologized to Daniel for making him think she didn’t like him. Huh? Why would he have ever had that impression?
Why were the women in charge referred to as Mothers or Gentlewomen? Why were the SAD agents all women? Where are the men in this world? Besides the driver, the “first-lady’s” husband, and the guy from the elevator.
Mess-up. C/Kalendra tried on a corset prior to having her wedding makeup put on, as in a practice run. Yet, when the wedding day comes, there was no mention of her wearing a corset. Okay, maybe it was one of those things that the reader was to assume she had donned without the author putting it into words? But when she was running away after the bombing, she had to keep her stomach taut against her dress. If she were wearing a corset, she wouldn’t have had to suck in. Therefore, she had no corset.
C/Kalendra doesn’t say anything to Mother Tara when she acknowledged C/Kalendra might hold some reservations about getting married. Why? The reasoning in the story made no sense to me. Apparently, C/Kalendra had a fear of her retaliating. How? She’d previously spoken back to Mother Tara without this fear or repercussions. Then she went on to say how words hurt. Um… Again, she had no problem taking back prior.
Heading to the ceremony, C/Kalendra stopped when the photojournalists began taking her picture. Of course she wasn’t supposed to stop. Was I surprised she did? Nope. Anyway, she started thinking of her mother and whispered ‘mother.’ Paraphrasing here, she said her words were silent beyond the four walls but would be captured in magazines, books, and on-screen forever. On-screen? There had never been any mention of them having televisions or movie theaters (just saying). “What will they say? I do not know. But what I have said only I will know.” (That was the poetry part I mentioned above.) If she were the only one to have heard herself say ‘mother,’ then how would it get printed elsewhere?
C/Kalendra was given a ring and “holds the ring as though it were her child who had been freshly born.” Freshly born? Can a child be born stale? Har har. The phrasing just sounded weird to me.
Daniel was from the city. Why were his parents never brought up (minus one time when he told C/Kalendra they would live with them)? Why were they not at the wedding?
I couldn’t help but notice there seemed to be a lot of “While I…” do not know, cannot say kind of talk. Just one of those random things that I pick up on.
C/Kalendra woke to find Daniel talking to a SAD agent who was looking down on him from an impressive height of… six feet. I don’t know about most, but I would never consider six feet to be impressive. Maybe six-five? How tall was Daniel?
Heading back to the Spire, C/Kalendra saw herself in the elevator mirrors. She noticed the destruction of herself, her dress, skirt, and train. Um… I’m not a dress person, but wouldn’t the skirt and train be part of the dress? Hence, she noticed the destruction of her dress, period.
Daniel ended up asking C/Kalendra why the woman bomber had done what she did. Her response? Nothing. Why? Because apparently, she had no idea… even though she’d just spoken to Mother Tara who explained it to her.
Now I don’t know if this was a narrator or author mistake but when C/Kalendra and Syon(?) were talking about the first lady's husband visiting her again, the narrator had Syon refer to C/Kalendra as Mel. As in “That’s ridiculous, Mel.” Although, there was also the time when Mother Tara was talking to C/Kalendra in chapter 9. She referred to her as “Kendra Elizabeth Byron.” Also during this situation, why in the world would C/Kalendra have told Syon to tell someone that the one guy had essentially raped her? She already knew nothing would be done about it, yet again, she played dumb as though she hadn’t already talked Mother Tara about that exact situation.
I received a free audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.
Was I the only one who had “Hunger Games” come to mind after reading this story? I don’t know. There were instances that kept making me think of it. For example, there was the capital and the outlining cities or districts. There was the process that took place every year in which young people (women in this case) were chosen and taken back to the capital. This process was used to make lives overall better. C/Kalendra(?) was the face of that year’s process (similar to Katniss being the face of that year’s hunger games). There were the rebels in both stories. Lastly, there was the creation of C/Kalendra’s dress. Essentially it was like Katniss’ first dress she wore when introduced to the capital’s people. Both stylists wanted them to stand out from the crowd and were in similar colors. C/Kalendra’s dress was based on the sunset (red, orange, yellow), while Katniss’ was fire (red, orange, yellow). Sunset = fire. Tell me I wasn’t the only one to pick up on these things?!
I was somewhat confused as to the world setting of this story. C/Kalendra was from… what sounded like a village. Daniel, and the capital, on the other hand, was from a city that sounded like the present time. For whatever reason, it seemed strange to me. I mean there was mention of For Sale signs in yards of houses. The idea of some crazy process taking place in a current-day nothing-special-about-it city didn’t work for me.
The idea that people would still be as crazy-obsessed over Beautifuls baffled me as well. I mean, I could see them going all out with the first few girls/the few years, but how would it have continued for so long when they bring back several girls each year, with each girl then getting engaged and married? It wasn’t like the girls were really going on to do great things, become important (real important) people minus their charity work; they were having children! Like a regular woman does. It just seemed strange, especially when we learn the point of them having kids was to increase the number of attractive people in the capital. FYI, two attractive people can have an ugly child… just saying. The photojournalists were one thing but what was the point of the Mothers/ladies in charge feeding into that craziness? How did that benefit them?
Anyway… I wasn’t sure how I felt about the author’s writing style. I automatically had the idea of some love-struck poetry-writer-turned-fiction-writer-of-novels… writing this story. If that made sense. Most of the phrasing just had me thinking of it sounding poetic.
A big issue for me was that I noticed a lot of repetition/redundancy throughout the story. For example:
1. “As the sounds of marching footsteps sound down the hall.”
2. “The thoughts rushing through my mind going the same speed the train is currently speeding…”
3. “With a nod and with a ('a' wasn't needed) trepidation that I have never felt in my life, I break away. Feeling innately that chain connecting us will break away.”
4. “I meander slowly like a bird lame and crippled and make my way slowly up the aisle…”
5. “…and turns to the page that has been marked by a dog-eared page.”
“When our rings click together, I curl our fingers together.”
There were some issues with the dialogue tags, at least in my opinion. Now, when two characters are talking, dialogue tags aren’t necessary unless you want to provide an action along with whatever the character is saying. For example, “'I really don’t want to leave you here alone,’ she said.” Basic tags like he/she said really grate on my nerves as they’re not needed. Be inventive! Or just not use them. The author also incorporated these random basic tags in the middle of dialogue sentences. Why? I have no clue, but they stood out to me like a red flag.
I really couldn’t stand C/Kalendra. I know not every female protagonist is going to be strong; C/Kalendra was somewhere on the opposite side of that spectrum, no matter how many times she said she didn’t always follow the rules. The fact she was constantly stumbling over her words or unsure of how to respond to simple questions… I was ready to strangle her. At the end, when she told Mother Tara she wanted to dedicate her life to the war, I was so waiting for her go on and say how she wanted to stop the rebels. Obviously, she didn’t like the results of the process, but with how weak and clueless of a character she came across as, I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what happens in the next book. Am I interested in reading book 2? Sorry, but no.
Moving on…
The narrator had a nice-sounding voice, but I had some issues with her narration. She didn’t change her voice… much. Like all the older females sounded the same, the younger ones the same, etc. She seemed to pause randomly in the middle of talking. It was as though she were turning a page and then continuing with the story. I’m not saying these pauses took place at the end of sentences either. The majority of the time they took place in the middle. It was very annoying. Did no one listen to the narration once it was completed? I’m guessing not, otherwise, the pauses would have been picked up. Lastly, if you’re unsure the pronunciation of a word, look it up. Simple. The word “dais” is not pronounced “days.”
Questions/Comments:
When Stylist was putting makeup on C/Kalendra for the first time, it seemed strange that she was unsure of what concealer was yet could identify the highlight/lowlight makeup.
Wednesday was telling C/Kalendra about the “Corpse Bride” and how she stopped eating. C/Kalendra asked, “How would they know she hadn’t been eating?” Um… because she wasn’t gaining weight? Because she was only getting thinner?
At the engagement… event, C/Kelandra apologized to Daniel for making him think she didn’t like him. Huh? Why would he have ever had that impression?
Why were the women in charge referred to as Mothers or Gentlewomen? Why were the SAD agents all women? Where are the men in this world? Besides the driver, the “first-lady’s” husband, and the guy from the elevator.
Mess-up. C/Kalendra tried on a corset prior to having her wedding makeup put on, as in a practice run. Yet, when the wedding day comes, there was no mention of her wearing a corset. Okay, maybe it was one of those things that the reader was to assume she had donned without the author putting it into words? But when she was running away after the bombing, she had to keep her stomach taut against her dress. If she were wearing a corset, she wouldn’t have had to suck in. Therefore, she had no corset.
C/Kalendra doesn’t say anything to Mother Tara when she acknowledged C/Kalendra might hold some reservations about getting married. Why? The reasoning in the story made no sense to me. Apparently, C/Kalendra had a fear of her retaliating. How? She’d previously spoken back to Mother Tara without this fear or repercussions. Then she went on to say how words hurt. Um… Again, she had no problem taking back prior.
Heading to the ceremony, C/Kalendra stopped when the photojournalists began taking her picture. Of course she wasn’t supposed to stop. Was I surprised she did? Nope. Anyway, she started thinking of her mother and whispered ‘mother.’ Paraphrasing here, she said her words were silent beyond the four walls but would be captured in magazines, books, and on-screen forever. On-screen? There had never been any mention of them having televisions or movie theaters (just saying). “What will they say? I do not know. But what I have said only I will know.” (That was the poetry part I mentioned above.) If she were the only one to have heard herself say ‘mother,’ then how would it get printed elsewhere?
C/Kalendra was given a ring and “holds the ring as though it were her child who had been freshly born.” Freshly born? Can a child be born stale? Har har. The phrasing just sounded weird to me.
Daniel was from the city. Why were his parents never brought up (minus one time when he told C/Kalendra they would live with them)? Why were they not at the wedding?
I couldn’t help but notice there seemed to be a lot of “While I…” do not know, cannot say kind of talk. Just one of those random things that I pick up on.
C/Kalendra woke to find Daniel talking to a SAD agent who was looking down on him from an impressive height of… six feet. I don’t know about most, but I would never consider six feet to be impressive. Maybe six-five? How tall was Daniel?
Heading back to the Spire, C/Kalendra saw herself in the elevator mirrors. She noticed the destruction of herself, her dress, skirt, and train. Um… I’m not a dress person, but wouldn’t the skirt and train be part of the dress? Hence, she noticed the destruction of her dress, period.
Daniel ended up asking C/Kalendra why the woman bomber had done what she did. Her response? Nothing. Why? Because apparently, she had no idea… even though she’d just spoken to Mother Tara who explained it to her.
Now I don’t know if this was a narrator or author mistake but when C/Kalendra and Syon(?) were talking about the first lady's husband visiting her again, the narrator had Syon refer to C/Kalendra as Mel. As in “That’s ridiculous, Mel.” Although, there was also the time when Mother Tara was talking to C/Kalendra in chapter 9. She referred to her as “Kendra Elizabeth Byron.” Also during this situation, why in the world would C/Kalendra have told Syon to tell someone that the one guy had essentially raped her? She already knew nothing would be done about it, yet again, she played dumb as though she hadn’t already talked Mother Tara about that exact situation.
I received a free audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 14, 2020
Extremely slow and repetitive with poor editing.
July 28, 2020
The Beautiful Ones is the first book in a series, and it introduces us to Kelendra Byron, a 16 year old girl who dreams of being chosen as a Beautiful One. She lives in poverty, but if chosen, she will get to move to the Glittering City and have everything her heart could ever desire. Thankfully, Kelendra knows she's beautiful, since she's been told that all her life. And, thankfully, she is chosen to move to the City. Unfortunately, being beautiful isn't all it's cracked up to be, and Kelendra slowly starts to realize that maybe she's not quite ready to give up her free will.
I have to say, I was fascinated by the synopsis when I first read it. The cover also drew me in. I'm a sucker for YA dystopian novels, and this one gave off Hunger Games meets Uglies meets Chemical Garden (trilogy) vibes. I was curious to see how using beauty as a currency would play out.
I'll admit, I wasn't quite sold on the story, although it was a good read, and I'd be keen to read the other books in the trilogy to see where Kelendra's journey takes her. I was a bit annoyed by the whole "beauty is the most important thing ever" vibe, mostly because that's how society has always seemed to be. Nowadays, if you're stick-thin, big-chested, blonde, etc, you're deemed beautiful. Doesn't matter if you have no personality or intelligence. As long as you're beautiful, that's all that matters. Can we say ugh? It made sense for the story (although Kelendra doesn't seem to be big-chested or dumb; just a bit naive, which makes sense), but it also irked me. Give me average (or what society would consider below average) beauty with brains and a good personality over someone shallow and empty-headed any day.
Anyway... the idea behind the story was intriguing, but I felt it could have been a bit more fleshed out. Same goes for the world building. I would have liked to know more about what started the War. Why was it still ongoing? Why is beauty the most important (other than needing to keep the gene pool "perfect") thing ever? What makes someone more beautiful than someone else (especially if all of the girls have been striving for the same goal)? How did the people in the City (who are already there) come to be there, and why are they considered better than the people who live on farms or the outskirts of the desert? And why are the Rebels so against the Procession? I assume some of those questions are answered in the sequels, but I would have liked a little more in this book, to sort of set a better tone. Maybe that's just me, though.
I also noticed there were a small handful of grammatical errors within the pages, but nothing major to detract from the story itself.
Overall, I did like the story, and I would consider continuing the series. I didn't really connect with any of the characters, but they were all written well enough for me not to hate any of them. Except maybe the Countess and her husband, even though we don't really get to know them all that much in this book.
If you're a fan of YA dystopian novels, check out The Beautiful Ones.
3.5 stars from me.
I have to say, I was fascinated by the synopsis when I first read it. The cover also drew me in. I'm a sucker for YA dystopian novels, and this one gave off Hunger Games meets Uglies meets Chemical Garden (trilogy) vibes. I was curious to see how using beauty as a currency would play out.
I'll admit, I wasn't quite sold on the story, although it was a good read, and I'd be keen to read the other books in the trilogy to see where Kelendra's journey takes her. I was a bit annoyed by the whole "beauty is the most important thing ever" vibe, mostly because that's how society has always seemed to be. Nowadays, if you're stick-thin, big-chested, blonde, etc, you're deemed beautiful. Doesn't matter if you have no personality or intelligence. As long as you're beautiful, that's all that matters. Can we say ugh? It made sense for the story (although Kelendra doesn't seem to be big-chested or dumb; just a bit naive, which makes sense), but it also irked me. Give me average (or what society would consider below average) beauty with brains and a good personality over someone shallow and empty-headed any day.
Anyway... the idea behind the story was intriguing, but I felt it could have been a bit more fleshed out. Same goes for the world building. I would have liked to know more about what started the War. Why was it still ongoing? Why is beauty the most important (other than needing to keep the gene pool "perfect") thing ever? What makes someone more beautiful than someone else (especially if all of the girls have been striving for the same goal)? How did the people in the City (who are already there) come to be there, and why are they considered better than the people who live on farms or the outskirts of the desert? And why are the Rebels so against the Procession? I assume some of those questions are answered in the sequels, but I would have liked a little more in this book, to sort of set a better tone. Maybe that's just me, though.
I also noticed there were a small handful of grammatical errors within the pages, but nothing major to detract from the story itself.
Overall, I did like the story, and I would consider continuing the series. I didn't really connect with any of the characters, but they were all written well enough for me not to hate any of them. Except maybe the Countess and her husband, even though we don't really get to know them all that much in this book.
If you're a fan of YA dystopian novels, check out The Beautiful Ones.
3.5 stars from me.
July 29, 2020
Review originally posted on my blog: I Heart Fictional People
INITIAL THOUGHTS
I was drawn to that beautiful cover! I had to see what this one was about. And when I read the book blurb, I was intrigued by beauty being a currency and valued so highly. Doesn’t sound like the most ideal place to live, but I had to see what happens!
WHAT I LIKED
The premise. These girls live their whole lives striving to be chosen, to be selected as a Beautiful One. They don’t exactly know what awaits them if chosen, but they know that they will no longer live a life of poverty. They will live in the Glittering City and never have to worry about barely surviving. I was instantly reminded of Uglies and The Hunger Games, two of my favorite series, and the movie The Island, which I loved. So, I was really excited to see where this went.
The camaraderie. What I loved was that Kelendra is thrown into this brand new world, and she has no idea what to expect. But she meets a couple people along the way, and even though they are strangers, they instantly bond and have each other’s backs. Instead of feeling alone, they grasp onto each other, heads held high, and face this fascinating yet scary world together.
Kept me intrigued the whole time. I just kept reading and reading. I had to know what happened. I was on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book. However…
WHAT DIDN’T WORK FOR ME
Disappointing plot. I was waiting and waiting for something to happen…and it never did. When something happened toward the end, I was like, that’s it?? It was a lot of buildup for nothing, in my opinion. Now, I do think that the next book will probably be more exciting. BUT, I feel like this book should have had a lot more action and excitement to keep me wanting to read the rest of the series. To be honest, I feel a little cheated. I was so invested in this book, and then it just ended with not much happening. In a series, each book should be equally exciting with almost a new plot for each book. But this one seemed to be a whole lot of buildup for the second book.
The purpose of the Beautiful Ones. So, their purpose is to get married and have babies? That’s it?? Kinda disappointing. I thought it would be more exciting or mysterious.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
On one hand, I’m thinking okay, interesting concept, let’s see what happens. On the other hand, I’m thinking what did I just read? Nothing much happened. The whole book was just buildup, a little excitement at the end, but then nothing. I had such high hopes for this book, but I was ultimately disappointed. However, since I became so invested, I am curious about the second book, so I may have to pick that one up. I just know it’ll be better than this one. So, overall, interesting idea with memorable characters and relationships but kind of poorly executed.
*I received an eBook copy of this book from Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review*
INITIAL THOUGHTS
I was drawn to that beautiful cover! I had to see what this one was about. And when I read the book blurb, I was intrigued by beauty being a currency and valued so highly. Doesn’t sound like the most ideal place to live, but I had to see what happens!
WHAT I LIKED
The premise. These girls live their whole lives striving to be chosen, to be selected as a Beautiful One. They don’t exactly know what awaits them if chosen, but they know that they will no longer live a life of poverty. They will live in the Glittering City and never have to worry about barely surviving. I was instantly reminded of Uglies and The Hunger Games, two of my favorite series, and the movie The Island, which I loved. So, I was really excited to see where this went.
The camaraderie. What I loved was that Kelendra is thrown into this brand new world, and she has no idea what to expect. But she meets a couple people along the way, and even though they are strangers, they instantly bond and have each other’s backs. Instead of feeling alone, they grasp onto each other, heads held high, and face this fascinating yet scary world together.
Kept me intrigued the whole time. I just kept reading and reading. I had to know what happened. I was on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book. However…
WHAT DIDN’T WORK FOR ME
Disappointing plot. I was waiting and waiting for something to happen…and it never did. When something happened toward the end, I was like, that’s it?? It was a lot of buildup for nothing, in my opinion. Now, I do think that the next book will probably be more exciting. BUT, I feel like this book should have had a lot more action and excitement to keep me wanting to read the rest of the series. To be honest, I feel a little cheated. I was so invested in this book, and then it just ended with not much happening. In a series, each book should be equally exciting with almost a new plot for each book. But this one seemed to be a whole lot of buildup for the second book.
The purpose of the Beautiful Ones. So, their purpose is to get married and have babies? That’s it?? Kinda disappointing. I thought it would be more exciting or mysterious.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
On one hand, I’m thinking okay, interesting concept, let’s see what happens. On the other hand, I’m thinking what did I just read? Nothing much happened. The whole book was just buildup, a little excitement at the end, but then nothing. I had such high hopes for this book, but I was ultimately disappointed. However, since I became so invested, I am curious about the second book, so I may have to pick that one up. I just know it’ll be better than this one. So, overall, interesting idea with memorable characters and relationships but kind of poorly executed.
*I received an eBook copy of this book from Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review*
October 19, 2020
For most of this book, I was ready to give this book a great rating. As I kept reading I started to have a few points I wanted to address. Before I continue with my points I want to say this was not a bad book. I enjoyed most of it but I started to have more and more questions as I went along. (I'll try not to give spoilers.)
1. Kelendra's entire life leading up to the selection is to be deemed beautiful so she can go to the glittering city and marry a handsome man and live a life of privilege in order to continue the beautiful line of people. She never lets the sun touch her skin, she eats healthy so she doesn't gain weight. She gives herself the utmost care all so can be chosen. Surprise! She is chosen! She then spends the entire remainder of the book balking against the system. Now, I can understand the process happens much quicker for her than anyone else and that can be scary but she constantly feeling like a slave. While the people in charge are less than sympathetic to her, they are not cruel. She has all of her needs met. So after a while, her constant feeling of being used and a victim start to get annoying. This is what you wanted...
2. Speaking of annoying... We know she is beautiful. Because we hear it 9495638 times.
3. So, throughout the book, we find out there are only 150 TOTAL beautiful ones. (Past and Present) So if they are doing this to continue the beautiful gene pool why aren't there more of them? They also mention only the women are taken from outside the city and there are many more handsome men Within the city than beautiful women brought in for the selection. They only choose enough men to match with the beautiful women. But there is talk of some girls not receiving matches because suitable handsome men couldn't be found. Surely there are 7 suitable handsome men.
4. You never get a clear idea of why they need a beautiful population. It seems like 90% of the city's population is not beautiful. Being a beautiful one doesn't seem to make you rich and or provided for. The husbands still seem to work and provide for their families. So what is the point?
So these are things I just didn't understand. Pared with a very abrupt ending made me give this book fewer stars than I was originally planning. I still think it's worth a try if you're so inclined.
1. Kelendra's entire life leading up to the selection is to be deemed beautiful so she can go to the glittering city and marry a handsome man and live a life of privilege in order to continue the beautiful line of people. She never lets the sun touch her skin, she eats healthy so she doesn't gain weight. She gives herself the utmost care all so can be chosen. Surprise! She is chosen! She then spends the entire remainder of the book balking against the system. Now, I can understand the process happens much quicker for her than anyone else and that can be scary but she constantly feeling like a slave. While the people in charge are less than sympathetic to her, they are not cruel. She has all of her needs met. So after a while, her constant feeling of being used and a victim start to get annoying. This is what you wanted...
2. Speaking of annoying... We know she is beautiful. Because we hear it 9495638 times.
3. So, throughout the book, we find out there are only 150 TOTAL beautiful ones. (Past and Present) So if they are doing this to continue the beautiful gene pool why aren't there more of them? They also mention only the women are taken from outside the city and there are many more handsome men Within the city than beautiful women brought in for the selection. They only choose enough men to match with the beautiful women. But there is talk of some girls not receiving matches because suitable handsome men couldn't be found. Surely there are 7 suitable handsome men.
4. You never get a clear idea of why they need a beautiful population. It seems like 90% of the city's population is not beautiful. Being a beautiful one doesn't seem to make you rich and or provided for. The husbands still seem to work and provide for their families. So what is the point?
So these are things I just didn't understand. Pared with a very abrupt ending made me give this book fewer stars than I was originally planning. I still think it's worth a try if you're so inclined.
June 17, 2020
4.5 Cranky Stars
Imagine if you will a world where being beautiful got you everything you ever dreamed of. A safe secure place to live, people doing your bidding at every whim and the like. That is what this book is about yet it’s much more sinister. I hate to compare it to the Hunger Games but in a way it’s like that instead of going off to fight in some competition there is a competition where your area is judging young girls on their beauty except if you are chosen you are to leave your life behind for the Glittering City. This is the story of Kalendra.
Kalendra was told from a time when she was little that being a Beautiful One was a great honor. Her and her mother scrape to get by while her dad is off fighting in a great war. When her time comes up to be judged she is nervous and filled with trepidation. She doesn’t want to leave her life behind, but she has been raised for this moment. When she finds herself in the capitol, she finds it increasingly harder to keep her mouth shut and her eyes down when she learns her true purpose. She is to marry Daniel Cross a fellow Handsome One despite not knowing him at all and they suddenly become targets for the rebel army. Her life is spiraling out of control and she doesn’t know who to trust anymore.
I’m not going to lie this book was different. It’s been a while since I read a dystopian novel so it took me a bit to get into the swing of it. I liked that Kalendra knew her cause and what she wanted to fight for. I can’t wait to watch her grow as the books go on. I like that Daniel is actually a good person at his core so at least she has a friend in him. I just hope Ceyonne comes around though. All in all a good start to a dystopian world where being beautiful has its advantages and it’s price.
Imagine if you will a world where being beautiful got you everything you ever dreamed of. A safe secure place to live, people doing your bidding at every whim and the like. That is what this book is about yet it’s much more sinister. I hate to compare it to the Hunger Games but in a way it’s like that instead of going off to fight in some competition there is a competition where your area is judging young girls on their beauty except if you are chosen you are to leave your life behind for the Glittering City. This is the story of Kalendra.
Kalendra was told from a time when she was little that being a Beautiful One was a great honor. Her and her mother scrape to get by while her dad is off fighting in a great war. When her time comes up to be judged she is nervous and filled with trepidation. She doesn’t want to leave her life behind, but she has been raised for this moment. When she finds herself in the capitol, she finds it increasingly harder to keep her mouth shut and her eyes down when she learns her true purpose. She is to marry Daniel Cross a fellow Handsome One despite not knowing him at all and they suddenly become targets for the rebel army. Her life is spiraling out of control and she doesn’t know who to trust anymore.
I’m not going to lie this book was different. It’s been a while since I read a dystopian novel so it took me a bit to get into the swing of it. I liked that Kalendra knew her cause and what she wanted to fight for. I can’t wait to watch her grow as the books go on. I like that Daniel is actually a good person at his core so at least she has a friend in him. I just hope Ceyonne comes around though. All in all a good start to a dystopian world where being beautiful has its advantages and it’s price.
January 31, 2021
Just don't get it, sorry.
Not quite sure what to say about this book. It sounded really interesting but I have some serious issues with it.
First the writing style, it's not had as such but I just don't feel any connection to the characters, only way I can explain it is that I don't know how the main character feels by her words or actions, more I know how she feels because I am told she's upset or angry etc.
But the main issue I have though is the whole hypothesis that not only are the leaders only interested in preserving beauty, but that the population not only accepts this, but is complicit in it.
Kelendra spends her whole life staying out of the sun, avoiding carbs, not frowning in case she gets lines...for what? So she can at age 16 be taken away from her friends and family, her whole life to live in luxury in the Glittering City. I would understand it more if her family got some benefit from this, but as far as I can see they don't. I get that they aren't rich and the life they live is hard but really, at least she is loved and looked after.
It seems a thoroughly selfish concept that the young girls would try so hard to be beautiful just so they can be dragged away from their family to be pampered. Then when they get everything they want they seem surprised that there is a cost to pay for it.
I've read a lot of this genre of book, but generally I feel empathy for the protaganist as they are pushed into impossible situations by forces out of their control or to protect their family...in this case I must admit I kind of think it serves them right.
One other thing that has really put me off reading any more is the last few pages. The last conversation with Kelendra and Ceyonne really disturbed me, not giving any spoilers, but given this is sold as Teen and YA one thing Ceyonne said there was totally inappropriate.
Sorry but I'm not going to read any more in the series.
Not quite sure what to say about this book. It sounded really interesting but I have some serious issues with it.
First the writing style, it's not had as such but I just don't feel any connection to the characters, only way I can explain it is that I don't know how the main character feels by her words or actions, more I know how she feels because I am told she's upset or angry etc.
But the main issue I have though is the whole hypothesis that not only are the leaders only interested in preserving beauty, but that the population not only accepts this, but is complicit in it.
Kelendra spends her whole life staying out of the sun, avoiding carbs, not frowning in case she gets lines...for what? So she can at age 16 be taken away from her friends and family, her whole life to live in luxury in the Glittering City. I would understand it more if her family got some benefit from this, but as far as I can see they don't. I get that they aren't rich and the life they live is hard but really, at least she is loved and looked after.
It seems a thoroughly selfish concept that the young girls would try so hard to be beautiful just so they can be dragged away from their family to be pampered. Then when they get everything they want they seem surprised that there is a cost to pay for it.
I've read a lot of this genre of book, but generally I feel empathy for the protaganist as they are pushed into impossible situations by forces out of their control or to protect their family...in this case I must admit I kind of think it serves them right.
One other thing that has really put me off reading any more is the last few pages. The last conversation with Kelendra and Ceyonne really disturbed me, not giving any spoilers, but given this is sold as Teen and YA one thing Ceyonne said there was totally inappropriate.
Sorry but I'm not going to read any more in the series.
October 5, 2018
What makes The Beautiful Ones such an aptly named book is that Kody Boye has such an exquisite and clean style. His word choice and attention to detail are on point in this bold look at courtship and marriage in a dystopian future. Kelendra is to be presented, along with other girls from her small town that are her age, to The Revered Mother. If she is accepted, she will begin a journey to the Glittering City.
The Beautiful One is YA and scifi and dystopian, but it is also a romance book, just not like any romance you've ever seen before. This really kept me on my toes, which is a blessing. I really didn't know where this book was going or what was going to happen next.
Although the war is distant, its affects are most profoundly seen in the absence of adult males like Kelendra's father, who are off fighting the war, and in the all female corps of bodyguards protecting Kelendra. While The Beautiful Ones is clearly using The Hunger Games and The Handmaid's Tale as touchstones, I think it is looking at gender politics and the effects of war in a profound way. There is a wedding scene that really rattled me. As a first book in the series, I am looking forward to where Kody is taking the series from here. Kody Boye is quickly establishing himself as a new and provocative voice in YA.
I recommend the book to fans of dystopian and YA literature, especially the aforementioned books The Handmaid's Tale and The Hunger Games, but also The Age of Miracles and Black Moon.
The Beautiful One is YA and scifi and dystopian, but it is also a romance book, just not like any romance you've ever seen before. This really kept me on my toes, which is a blessing. I really didn't know where this book was going or what was going to happen next.
Although the war is distant, its affects are most profoundly seen in the absence of adult males like Kelendra's father, who are off fighting the war, and in the all female corps of bodyguards protecting Kelendra. While The Beautiful Ones is clearly using The Hunger Games and The Handmaid's Tale as touchstones, I think it is looking at gender politics and the effects of war in a profound way. There is a wedding scene that really rattled me. As a first book in the series, I am looking forward to where Kody is taking the series from here. Kody Boye is quickly establishing himself as a new and provocative voice in YA.
I recommend the book to fans of dystopian and YA literature, especially the aforementioned books The Handmaid's Tale and The Hunger Games, but also The Age of Miracles and Black Moon.
November 22, 2020
Definitely different.
I was asked by family to read this book to see if I thought it was suitable for a 14yr old to read. A family with a very conservative non conformist faith.
I was delighted with the book. It's well written, the characters are totally believable and the storyline makes sense. I had no idea what was going to happen next and just had to keep reading, read it all in one go and then went back and read it again. If anything I enjoyed it more the second time.
I thoroughly recommend this to anyone. I was amazed to see that it's a Y A novel. It deals with many themes some of which are complex and challenging to an adult let alone a teenager.
It's ages since I enjoyed a book that I was asked to read as much as this one. No offensive language, no sex, just a brilliantly constructed world which contains thought provoking ides and leaves you wanting more.
I was asked by family to read this book to see if I thought it was suitable for a 14yr old to read. A family with a very conservative non conformist faith.
I was delighted with the book. It's well written, the characters are totally believable and the storyline makes sense. I had no idea what was going to happen next and just had to keep reading, read it all in one go and then went back and read it again. If anything I enjoyed it more the second time.
I thoroughly recommend this to anyone. I was amazed to see that it's a Y A novel. It deals with many themes some of which are complex and challenging to an adult let alone a teenager.
It's ages since I enjoyed a book that I was asked to read as much as this one. No offensive language, no sex, just a brilliantly constructed world which contains thought provoking ides and leaves you wanting more.
June 10, 2020
Interesting adventure of a 16 year old girl from the sticks who has been raised in a culture that praises physical beauty. There's a lot of internal dialog throughout the book, which I mostly skimmed, pretty repetitious, but the story unfolds in an interesting and surprising manner. I gave it 4 stars because there needs to be some more careful proofreading. Otherwise, there's a lot of angst, and ends in a cliffhanger, urging us to read the next book.
November 24, 2019
This novel by Kody Boye is very thought provoking. It is set in a world where to be beautiful is the most highly sought-after commodity. Unfortunately, being beautiful is not quite as glamorous as they've made it seem to those on the outside looking in. No spoilers here, but definitely worth checking out. Can't wait to start the sequel!
I received this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
I received this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
October 7, 2021
Not for me
I truly wanted to like this book as it seemed to embody most of the elements of a dystopian story that I like. However, I just couldn't connect with either the character or the story. I kept waiting for something to happen, what was the plot, but it didn't materialize. I will not be reading any of the other books in the series.
I truly wanted to like this book as it seemed to embody most of the elements of a dystopian story that I like. However, I just couldn't connect with either the character or the story. I kept waiting for something to happen, what was the plot, but it didn't materialize. I will not be reading any of the other books in the series.
January 24, 2021
Beautifully written
This was a great powerful start to the books! I jumped right in and was hooked. Love the way it is depicted.
This was a great powerful start to the books! I jumped right in and was hooked. Love the way it is depicted.
December 14, 2021
Great book!
December 20, 2022
Not much happened.
August 31, 2019
All her life Kelendra has been taught that beauty is everything. If you have beauty then you will want for nothing and you will be rich. Well that is if you are one of the chosen ones.
Each year girls sixteen and older are to participate in the annual Procession and if chosen will then be taken to the Glittering City to live, marry and raise a family of their own.
This is Kelendra’s lucky year as she is sixteen but will she be one of the chosen. Is Kelendra beautiful enough for the Gentlewomen the ladies who are in control of Glittering City? If she is chosen what awaits Kelendra on the other side? Will a life in Glittering City be the luxury she has been lead to believe?
I have really and truly enjoyed reading about this world that the author has created for The Beautiful Ones and can’t wait to see what is around the next corner for Kelendra and her new life and to see what she will do with it.
The Beautiful Ones caught my attention from the summary and never let it go until I had read the last page but even now I am still thinking about it and wanting more. I can’t wait to see where Kelendra’s journey takes her and how it will turn out. While I loved seeing things from the Beautiful Ones point of view I would also like to see things from the Handsome Ones point of view as well to see what their lives are like and to the go through the same process as the ladies. How are the men chosen to be a Handsome One?
The Beautiful Ones is a very new and interesting take on the dystopian world it is filled with beauty of course to hold your interest right up until the end. The Beautiful Ones is a great introduction into this new dystopian world one in which I would love to see more of. I agree with the reviews of others who are comparing The Beautiful Ones to The Hunger Games and The Handmaids Tale.
If you have seen or read either of these two books or TV shows, The Hunger Games or The Handmaids Tale and like them both then I am sure that you will love The Beautiful Ones. So I would like to suggest that you one click yourself a copy today to start on this beautiful journey with The Beautiful Ones.
Each year girls sixteen and older are to participate in the annual Procession and if chosen will then be taken to the Glittering City to live, marry and raise a family of their own.
This is Kelendra’s lucky year as she is sixteen but will she be one of the chosen. Is Kelendra beautiful enough for the Gentlewomen the ladies who are in control of Glittering City? If she is chosen what awaits Kelendra on the other side? Will a life in Glittering City be the luxury she has been lead to believe?
I have really and truly enjoyed reading about this world that the author has created for The Beautiful Ones and can’t wait to see what is around the next corner for Kelendra and her new life and to see what she will do with it.
The Beautiful Ones caught my attention from the summary and never let it go until I had read the last page but even now I am still thinking about it and wanting more. I can’t wait to see where Kelendra’s journey takes her and how it will turn out. While I loved seeing things from the Beautiful Ones point of view I would also like to see things from the Handsome Ones point of view as well to see what their lives are like and to the go through the same process as the ladies. How are the men chosen to be a Handsome One?
The Beautiful Ones is a very new and interesting take on the dystopian world it is filled with beauty of course to hold your interest right up until the end. The Beautiful Ones is a great introduction into this new dystopian world one in which I would love to see more of. I agree with the reviews of others who are comparing The Beautiful Ones to The Hunger Games and The Handmaids Tale.
If you have seen or read either of these two books or TV shows, The Hunger Games or The Handmaids Tale and like them both then I am sure that you will love The Beautiful Ones. So I would like to suggest that you one click yourself a copy today to start on this beautiful journey with The Beautiful Ones.
January 17, 2021
This was a good book overall. I would recommend it to anyone who likes YA or dystopian books.
What I didn't especially like:
-The main character was a bit passive, especially at first. I did see an improvement in this, especially towards the end of the book.
-Slow beginning. Not boring, just a slow pace, which can be a good or bad thing, depending on what you like.
-Much information was held back at first, which was a bit frustrating, but as it was given little by little throughout the book, this did not last.
-It kind of felt like another dystopian YA book in the sea of YA Novels for now, but there is definitely potential for greatness in the sequel, The War Outside.
What I liked:
-This book was clean, like very clean..
-.. even though it dealt with important topics, such as arranged marriage and sexual abuse. It did so in a discreet way, with no scary scenes or gory descriptions.
-This book made me think quite a lot about how we perceive beauty, and how it can easily model our perception of people, and the growing importance it has on our lives.
**A copy of this book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.**
What I didn't especially like:
-The main character was a bit passive, especially at first. I did see an improvement in this, especially towards the end of the book.
-Slow beginning. Not boring, just a slow pace, which can be a good or bad thing, depending on what you like.
-Much information was held back at first, which was a bit frustrating, but as it was given little by little throughout the book, this did not last.
-It kind of felt like another dystopian YA book in the sea of YA Novels for now, but there is definitely potential for greatness in the sequel, The War Outside.
What I liked:
-This book was clean, like very clean..
-.. even though it dealt with important topics, such as arranged marriage and sexual abuse. It did so in a discreet way, with no scary scenes or gory descriptions.
-This book made me think quite a lot about how we perceive beauty, and how it can easily model our perception of people, and the growing importance it has on our lives.
**A copy of this book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.**
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews