"[2] The Horn Book echoed the sentiment, explaining that "while Clayton’s primary theme is the destructiveness wrought by societally imposed beauty ideals, she also touches upon other systems of exploitation, including slavery, racism and colorism, rape culture, and forced labor.
"[4] Booklist also appreciated how Clayton incorporated race throughout the novel, stating that it holds up a mirror to "literature today, ... that fetishizes and commodifies [women of color].
Clayton seizes the opportunity to expound upon Orléans, rendering a world that is breathtaking and crushing, beautiful and vile, and whimsical and terrifying.
She poignantly uses a harrowing, fantastical tale to illuminate the very real horrors of unattainable beauty standards and the enslavement of marginalized bodies.
"[8] The Horn Book disagreed with the improvement, noting, "This second installment in the series is more repetitively plotted than the first, and particularly overuses a device of an ally dying mere moments after being reunited with Camille.