Enchantée

Publisher's Summary

Love. Magic. Revolution.... 

Paris is a labyrinth of twisted streets filled with beggars and thieves, revolutionaries and magicians. Camille Durbonne is one of them. She wishes she weren’t.... 

When smallpox kills her parents, Camille must find a way to provide for her younger sister while managing her volatile brother. Relying on magic, Camille painstakingly transforms scraps of metal into money to buy food and medicine they need. But when the coins won’t hold their shape and her brother disappears with the family’s savings, Camille pursues a richer, more dangerous mark: the glittering court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. 

Using dark magic forbidden by her mother, Camille transforms herself into a baroness and is swept up into life at the Palace of Versailles, where aristocrats both fear and hunger for magic. As she struggles to reconcile her resentment of the rich with the allure of glamour and excess, Camille meets a handsome young inventor, and begins to believe that love and liberty may both be possible. 

But magic has its costs, and soon Camille loses control of her secrets. And when revolution erupts, Camille must choose - love or loyalty, democracy or aristocracy, reality or magic - before Paris burns. 

"Deliciously addictive. Enchantée is a lit firework crackling with treacherous magic, decadent romance, and disguises that take on lives of their own. I adore this gorgeous book." (Stephanie Garber, New York Times best-selling author of Caraval) 

“A heady, sparkling dream of a book. I tumbled head over heels into Enchantée’s dark and sumptuous magical Paris and wanted to stay there forever. One of the best fantasies I’ve read in years." (Margaret Rogerson, New York Times best-selling author of An Enchantment of Ravens) 

©2019 Gita Trelease (P)2019 Macmillan Audio

Critic Reviews

"Narrator Justine Eyre helps transport listeners to pre-revolutionary France and the intrigues of Louis XVI's court...Period details, some romance, and an exciting ending create a satisfying listen." (AudioFile) 

"Enchantée is a soaring success. I can think of no more satisfying way to fly across the years and enjoy a gilded view of Paris as it never was but could have been, with a little magic." (NPR)  

Enchantee Book Review

I did not originally plan on purchasing this novel. I noticed it on several bookstagramers and heard good things about it but didn't think it would be a book I would like at all. I was honestly intimidated in reading this book. I knew that it would be set in Paris. I do not know much of Paris and was also intimidated that it would have French terms and phrases that I would not understand and would cause me to just disconnect from the story.

There were indeed French terms throughout the story, so that is the first thing I want to note. However the author did provide a glossary at the end of the book for readers which helped a lot. I could tell the author wanted to make sure the reader really enjoyed her novel, and I extremely appreciated the inclusion of the glossary. My not having taken any French in high school or college did not affect my reading, and having that experience in this book was extremely interesting. It actually kept me more invested in the story and what the characters were saying.

The story was very interesting, and the struggle the main character endured drew me in. However, the conflict was fairly "lukewarm" in a way. The novel focused more on the characters rather than the plot or main conflict. I enjoyed the characters very much and was really glad this was not an over-dramatic, romance-filled novel. However, I did find myself at time questioning what the main conflict was. At some point, the characters seemed to forget their troubles, but it seemed like that was intentional. I found myself asking if the character even really cared about the financial difficulties that drive the beginning of the novel. At some point, I said, "Camille, it's time to snap out of it. Remember what you told herself."

By about forty to fifty percent into the novel, Camille's focus changed. Or rather, she got distracted and too caught up in the elegance of her facade. I mean, I couldn't blame her. I was just as much invested in it as she was. The elegance and beauty of it just drew me in, and I just wanted her to remain in that state longer so I could enjoy her lavishing experiences. I do admit that I wished her family conflicts drove more of the plot, but it drove it enough to lead Camille to other small conflicts and obstacles that held my attention. I expected the family struggles to provide more urgency than they actually did. However, they did eventually catch up to Camille and remind her of what she was fighting for.

Who would I recommend this to? Anyone in love with France and elegantly clever female characters. Magic lovers. Fantasy lovers. And history lovers. This book has a bit of everything. There's a bit of romance, but it is not the main driving force of the story, which I actually enjoyed for a change. There is just enough of it to draw you in.

Audible Review:

Eyre's narration is excellent. I will admit that the narration at 1.0 and 1.25 speeds were too slow for me. The best listening speed for me was at 1.50 speed. For those of us who like to multitask and listen on the go, I recommend listening at a 1.5 or 1.75 speeds, so one does not miss anything. These speed were also my favorite speeds when listening to this story. For those who are listening while reading the book and want to listen at a faster pace, I found 2.0 and 2.5 speed to be the best speeds. 3.0 was too fast for me, and I was missing a lot of what the narrator was saying and had to eventually slow down the narrator's reading speed. However, it is manageable. If you're used to speed listening, 3.0 speed should be manageable. 3.5 speed was definitely too fast for me.

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