Belle of the Ball by Mari Costa
CW: Cheating, Toxic Relationship, Struggles with Grades, College Acceptance Stress, Vomit, Underage Drinking, Accidental Underage Drinking, Classism, Social Anxiety, Gossiping, Manipulation, Cursing, Break-Up
5/5
It'd been too long since I had sat down and gotten lost in a good graphic novel, so thank you Belle of the Ball for breaking that fast. Mari Costa whisked me away to her world for a few hours and I couldn't be happier! This book was dedicated to the gay kids who were obsessed with High School Musical in middle school, a category I'm proudly a part of. I was promised relationship drama, school sports, and kids that don't realize how rich they are. All were delivered with so much more in store!
Belle of the Ball is the story of three high school queer girls with very messy love lives. Chloe and Regina have been dating on and off for several years, but they are the "It Couple" as far as the cheer squad is concerned. Hawkins is the school mascot and secretly a huge nerd, and while she prefers to stay under the radar, she asks Regina out to the Fall dance. Regina tells her that Chloe and her are currently dating, but befriends her instead. Will love be able to bloom in this stressful high school environment? Will it matter that Hawkins and Chloe have a forgotten history?
Reviewing graphic novels gives me the chance to talk about visual arts and put both my Art History Minor and my Graphic Design Certificate to use. An unfortunate feature of thick graphic novels is that you're going to miss the middles of some great 2-page spreads. I can tell that Costa knows this because she follows these up with insert shots and montages that better explore the scene. The whole book is done in a pink gradient color palette, which is very pretty and was potentially chosen to reflect the themes of femininity in Belle of the Ball. Overall, the art style is cute, playful, and pairs nicely with the story it's being used to tell.
Belle of the Ball is beautifully diverse, truly living up to its dedication and taking it further than a DCOM would dare to go, even now. I mentioned that a main theme of the book is femininity, but please keep in mind that there are many different ways to be feminine. Chloe sees herself as both the princess and the knight, Regina loves dresses and makeup and proving that women can do it all, Hawkins longs to be the brave little princess she once was. This graphic novel is queer, body positive, racially diverse, super feminist, and even Jewish! All very worth the wrist and finger pain I have from holding the novel!
If you enjoy stories of love finding its way in unexpected places and queer nerds who could use a day to relax, Mari Costa's Belle of the Ball should absolutely be on your TBR list. This book can make you laugh, sigh, and hold your breath in anticipation. Reading this will be soul cleansing!
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