I enjoyed this a bit more than the 1st book, but am just as frustrated with Camille. Unforgiving to the 'I'm sorry' of others, she barely offers the same to others that she wrongs. And the degree of selfishness that she displays is stupefying.
( )

I definitely should've reread [b:The Belles|23197837|The Belles (The Belles #1)|Dhonielle Clayton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1492784901l/23197837._SY75_.jpg|42742745] before starting this, as it picks up rather quickly after the end of the first, and it's hard to discuss without spoilers for it I suppose (because of who the ruler is, and what exactly is happening with other Belles).

With young protagonists, I do feel like there's a little bit of unreliable narrator (or at least, their preconceived notions are very transparent). I expected several betrayals that didn't happen because Camille still feels a little too trusting, and I'm surprised there isn't more fallout from the revealed extension of Belle powers. While the ending did neatly tie off a lot of threads, I still have questions about the nature of the Belles, and how/why they are they way they are (so tantalizingly close to science fiction!) ( )

Not as engaging as the first. Still an interesting story in a beautifully imagined world. The prose was overwrought at times. ( )

I enjoyed the ideas of this dystopian society from the first novel, but The Everlasting Rose felt like a rushed sequel. ( )

The Everlasting Rose is the sequel to the book The Belles. Camille, Edel, and Remy are on the run and in hiding from soon to be Queen Sophia as they race to find where Princess Charlotte is hiding. With the help of the underground resistance called The Iron Ladies, Camille uses her powers, connections, and her cunning abilities to race against time to restore peace within Orleans.

The Everlasting Rose kept the same voice of Camille as with The Belles. She's a lot stronger now and more independent. She also has a rage inside her from the treatment of both her and her sisters. Yet, with all that, she's still very clueless when it comes to anything. I know her and her sisters were all very sheltered while growing up, and they were lied to about a lot of stuff, but she seemed to really struggle here. She was also very bland. I enjoyed her in the first book, but this second time around, it was either about her and whoever she was with at the time finding a new hiding spot, her newfound love for Remy, teacup dragons hiding in her sash, or how much she hates Sophia. That's it. Edel had some characteristic but hardly any interactions with Camille besides teaching her more about the arcana and being seasick. I would have loved to learn more about the side characters and see more interactions with them in this book.

The Everlasting Rose was a bit of a disappointment for me to be honest. I had conflict with the ending where it was rushed in a matter of a few pages. Almost like a "boom-bang-finish!". I was left feeling slightly underwhelmed. I don't want to give away anything with it, but like I said, Clayton spent these last two books building this whole world up and then I felt like she just deflated it to wrap up the storyline. It just made me sad for the missing magic the first book had. ( )