Enchantee by Gite Trelease
Published 21st February 2019 by Macmillan Children's Books
Star Rating - ****
Goodreads Challenge - 11/50
I was gifted an eARC of this from the publisher via NetGalley
Synopsis (from Goodreads)
Paris in 1789 is a labyrinth of twisted streets, filled with beggars, thieves, revolutionaries—and magicians...
When smallpox kills her parents, Camille Durbonne must find a way to provide for her frail, naive sister while managing her volatile brother. Relying on petty magic—la magie ordinaire—Camille painstakingly transforms scraps of metal into money to buy the food and medicine they need. But when the coins won’t hold their shape and her brother disappears with the family’s savings, Camille must pursue a richer, more dangerous mark: the glittering court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
With dark magic forbidden by her mother, Camille transforms herself into the ‘Baroness de la Fontaine’ and is swept up into life at the Palace of Versailles, where aristocrats both fear and hunger for la magie. There, she gambles at cards, desperate to have enough to keep herself and her sister safe. Yet the longer she stays at court, the more difficult it becomes to reconcile her resentment of the nobles with the enchantments of Versailles. And when she returns to Paris, Camille meets a handsome young balloonist—who dares her to hope that love and liberty may both be possible.
But la magie has its costs. And when Camille loses control of her secrets, the game she's playing turns deadly. Then revolution erupts, and she must choose—love or loyalty, democracy or aristocracy, freedom or magic—before Paris burns…
When smallpox kills her parents, Camille Durbonne must find a way to provide for her frail, naive sister while managing her volatile brother. Relying on petty magic—la magie ordinaire—Camille painstakingly transforms scraps of metal into money to buy the food and medicine they need. But when the coins won’t hold their shape and her brother disappears with the family’s savings, Camille must pursue a richer, more dangerous mark: the glittering court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
With dark magic forbidden by her mother, Camille transforms herself into the ‘Baroness de la Fontaine’ and is swept up into life at the Palace of Versailles, where aristocrats both fear and hunger for la magie. There, she gambles at cards, desperate to have enough to keep herself and her sister safe. Yet the longer she stays at court, the more difficult it becomes to reconcile her resentment of the nobles with the enchantments of Versailles. And when she returns to Paris, Camille meets a handsome young balloonist—who dares her to hope that love and liberty may both be possible.
But la magie has its costs. And when Camille loses control of her secrets, the game she's playing turns deadly. Then revolution erupts, and she must choose—love or loyalty, democracy or aristocracy, freedom or magic—before Paris burns…
My Thoughts
I went into this book thinking it was an historical fantasy however, I don't think that's the best way to describe it. To me it was a historical fiction romance infused with magic. That being said I still really enjoyed this book but I just wanted to preface this review by saying the main focus of this book is the characters and the romance as opposed to the magic.
Throughout this book we follow Camille as she tries to make ends meet and provide for her sister, the only family she has left. Camille knows she can do magic and she uses this as a way to better themselves but this comes with consequences. This was quite a slow burn. The writing is very descriptive and can be described as lyrical in places and the story progressed and built up quite slowly. I'm not usually a fan of slow books and, because of this, there were times when I found myself struggling to pick this back up but, when I did I was completely invested in the story. The pace does pick up in the last 25% and we get quite a bit of action and I found myself devouring this portion of the book in one go.
I really liked the characters in this book. I thought Camille was a great main character. She was quite destitute and tries so hard to do whats best for other people and I really admired her for that. She had a lot upon her shoulders and there were times when she didn't always make the best judgements however, I think this just shows how young she still is to have all the responsibility. I liked Camille's relationship with her sister and her aristocrat friends and I loved the romance. It developed slowly throughout the course of the story and when things were revealed to each of the characters they actually listened to one another as opposed to jumping to conclusions as often happens in YA novels. I would of appreciated a bit more development of the villain character. We didn't really find out much about the who, what and why surrounding his story. This did leave an air of mystery surrounding his character but personally I would of liked to of seen this developed a bit more.
Overall I enjoyed this story, the characters and the romance however, I would of liked a bit more development of the magic system in this world. We are introduced to the basics but something is discussed regarding the Queen and magic in the last quarter of the book that I would of loved to have known more about. That being said if your looking for a beautifully written historical romance with and infusion of magic I would recommend giving this one a go.
Trigger warnings for gambling, alcoholism and addiction.
Throughout this book we follow Camille as she tries to make ends meet and provide for her sister, the only family she has left. Camille knows she can do magic and she uses this as a way to better themselves but this comes with consequences. This was quite a slow burn. The writing is very descriptive and can be described as lyrical in places and the story progressed and built up quite slowly. I'm not usually a fan of slow books and, because of this, there were times when I found myself struggling to pick this back up but, when I did I was completely invested in the story. The pace does pick up in the last 25% and we get quite a bit of action and I found myself devouring this portion of the book in one go.
I really liked the characters in this book. I thought Camille was a great main character. She was quite destitute and tries so hard to do whats best for other people and I really admired her for that. She had a lot upon her shoulders and there were times when she didn't always make the best judgements however, I think this just shows how young she still is to have all the responsibility. I liked Camille's relationship with her sister and her aristocrat friends and I loved the romance. It developed slowly throughout the course of the story and when things were revealed to each of the characters they actually listened to one another as opposed to jumping to conclusions as often happens in YA novels. I would of appreciated a bit more development of the villain character. We didn't really find out much about the who, what and why surrounding his story. This did leave an air of mystery surrounding his character but personally I would of liked to of seen this developed a bit more.
Overall I enjoyed this story, the characters and the romance however, I would of liked a bit more development of the magic system in this world. We are introduced to the basics but something is discussed regarding the Queen and magic in the last quarter of the book that I would of loved to have known more about. That being said if your looking for a beautifully written historical romance with and infusion of magic I would recommend giving this one a go.
Trigger warnings for gambling, alcoholism and addiction.
Overall Rating
Great review. I appreciate the positives and negatives that you highlighted.
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ReplyDeleteI loved this book! I gave it 5 stars. I now own 5 different copies of it!
ReplyDeleteI have not heard about Gite Trelease before. Thanks for sharing. Great review!
ReplyDeleteGreat review, not my typical genre but I have recently learned that sometimes expanding your reach can lead you to a few gems.
ReplyDeleteI think I'd like this one - thanx for the info
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like my kind of read. Great review.
ReplyDeleteAwesone review. Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteThis has been on my radar and I’m excited to read it, whenever I get it in my hands. Thanks for your honest review. It encouraged my interest even more!
ReplyDeleteThis one sounds pretty great. I love a good book with magic in it.
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