Historical fiction and fantasy is mixed together in this book set in the world of the French Court. Camille who comes from poverty but has magic uses it to her benefit. But what follows may not be what she was wanting. This has you on the edge of your seat with the tension and the drama. All she has is a magic box left to her and even weighing how dangerous it is to use it she will do what she needs to, to take care of her siblings. As she learns the magic she learns what the cost can be. Buckle up for a dip into this fantastical world of illusion and magic.

ENCHANTEE sounded like it would memorize me, but unfortunately I had trouble getting into the fantasy world so this is a DNF for me (for now at least, I may try again in the future).

I freakin hated this book. Wvwrythig from the thieves to the gods to the fucking accents. What was the point of this book? IT DIDNT HAVE ONE

Unfortunately this was a did not finish for me. I typically enjoy historical fantasy but this did not quite hit the mark :(

DNF

I had a hard time getting into this book, so I will not be reviewing this title at the moment. Thank you for the opportunity to read the title early.

This is a French Revolution story, only with magic! I did not expect to like it but I did! The magic element could be read as someone flirting with addiction. There is a Marie Antoinette "cameo", which is done well because she is not romantized at all.

Debut YA novel, well-written. Trelease does a good job of portraying the high-stakes tension between Camille's poverty and Versailles, and between her determination to use magic until there is enough money and her inability to stop because there is never enough. The villain was a little over the top, but his comeuppance was satisfying.

Thank you for approving me for this ARC. I was really looking forward to reading Enchantee, because I love historical fantasy, and Camille's character sounded multi-faceted and unique. Unfortunately, this book just didn’t click with me. I picked it up and put it down multiple times, before officially marking it as DNF around page 120. I loved Enchantee's concept, but thought that the plot was a bit weak. The pacing of the story was also very slow, which is why I finally threw in the towel.

I was die hard trying to get my hands on this book and I am so sad that it was just kind of meh. This one felt like an overload of things going on. It felt the author had a ton of ideas an instead of doing a few books with them she crammed them all into one. Which made this one just so hard to follow. The other issue I had was that for me this was very predictable. I guessed the twists before they were revealed and I really wished I hadn't. And other parts of this one just didn't work out for me at all. So sadly my expectations overran what this book was set to give me.

Enchantée seemed like it would be right up my alley. Magic, the French Revolution, and romance? It sounded perfect. Although I loved Trelease's world-building and her lush, evocative writing, this one ultimately didn't work for me.

I'll start out with what I enjoyed (because there is a lot!). I loved the juxtaposition between Camille's life as a commoner and her life as a noble at Versailles. The poverty experienced by the commoners made the opulence of the palace really stand out. I also thought that, despite the decadence of the court, Trelease did a great job of humanizing the nobles. Plus there's a few historical figures who make some fun appearances! The hot air balloon storyline was also a favorite, I loved it when the book returned to it every once in a while.

Overall, I enjoyed Camille's story arc. It was fascinating to see how it played out and Trelease did an excellent job of explaining why Camille made the choices she did. I also loved the different types of magic and how each exacted a different toll. Her relationship with her sister Sophie was wonderful, I liked how they supported and cared for each other.

However, Enchantée was just too long for me. I did appreciate how much history and world-building the author included. But at over 450 pages, there were a few sections that dragged and a few parts that felt repetitive. The reveals were predictable and I never really understood the villain's motivation. There just wasn't enough tension to keep me engaged.

I do think that many readers will absolutely love this book though! There are a lot of wonderful things in Enchantée and I'll definitely be picking up Trelease's next book. This one just didn't work for me.

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Take magic and romance, mix in the tumult of Paris on the eve of revolution, and you’ll get the historical fiction delight that is Enchantée. Gita Trelease’s début young adult novel is an enchanting romp through the streets of Paris in 1789 in which magic literally winds through the city and through the story.When smallpox takes her parents, orphaning her and her two siblings, Camille Durbonne must find a way to keep her family afloat. Her younger sister, Sophie, was affected by smallpox as well and needs medicine, while her older brother Alain - once a protective and responsible sibling – has become a volatile drunk and a gambler who loses all of their money. The only sibling in her family to whom their mother was able to teach magic, Camille relies on her ability to painstakingly transform scraps of metal into money to buy food and medicine. But the coins don’t hold their shape, and Alain is constantly losing what they earn, leaving them unable to pay the rent.When Alain suddenly disappears, it’s a mixed blessing. The sisters are no longer burdened by his presence, but he’s absconded with the savings Camille had been hiding. With nowhere else to turn, Camille begins to use the dark magic forbidden by her mother in order to transform herself into a baroness in the hopes of using magical sleight of hand to win the money she and her sister need.In the glittering court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, aristocrats both fear and hunger for magic. Camille finds that if she isn’t careful, there’s much more at stake than the discovery of her true identity. As she struggles with her resentment of the opulence around her and the allure of the glamour, Camille meets a handsome young inventor who puts love and liberty just within her reach. But magic has its costs, and Camille is trying to stay in control of her many secrets. When the revolution erupts, it seems Camille’s world will as well.Camille is, in a lot of ways, a typical seventeen-year-old young woman - unsure of herself, trying to find her way in the world - interacting with a beautiful boy who has captured her heart. But she also deals with so much more; trying to take care of her family after the sudden loss of her parents and trying to control her magic, a power that maybe is taking more from her than it’s giving to her. She’s so responsible in some ways and so naïve in others. Her younger sister Sophia is jealous of Camille’s abilities, but it’s her voice through the novel that helps us understand Camille.Camille believes herself to be ordinary, and therefore sees no reason why the handsome young inventor - Lazare - might be interested in her, but thanks to Sophia’s urging and Lazare’s longing looks, we’re able to see a spark there - long before Camille does. But don’t worry, Camille’s crush is heavy, and there are plenty of moments to make readers swoon along with her while she’s still figuring it out. And then there’s the danger to Camille the longer she’s using her magic. It’s only when seen through Sophia’s PoV that we can really understand the physical effects that the glamour is having on Camille, and that it’s endangering her life. But Camille feels responsible for taking care of her sister – as only she was able to have learned from her mother, she feels her ability has tasked her to with the care of the other two. As we delve into Camille’s life, we assume that the antagonist of the story is Alain and their poverty, but the more embroiled in noble life Camille becomes, the more we begin to sense that there’s danger for Camille at all sides, and her lives begin to overlap in ways she could have never anticipated.At some point in the novel I found it difficult to track when Camille was in her glamour and when she was not. One easy tell was the use of her false name, but there were times she’d need to use it even in the presence of her sister and so at those times I found it difficult to immediately discern the difference.  I also found a few of the events hard to follow amid all the excitement and drama of the books’ end, but that didn’t take away from my general appreciation for the attention to detail throughout the novel. There’s a clear appreciation and understanding of Paris and French history, making an exciting and magical read all the more enchanting (pun intended).Overall, the immersion in the history of the period along with some swoonworthy moments and an adventurous magical ride make Enchantée a great pick, not just for a young adult reader, but for anyone with an appreciation for historical fiction.Buy it at: Amazon/Apple Books/Barnes & Noble/KoboVisit our Amazon Storefront

Gorgeous! If you liked Caraval, you should try this book. I absolutely loved the characters, the stakes, the writing. I got lost in this book <3

Before I get started, I want to say, take this review with a grain of salt. There's only a couple "me" things that intrigued me about this book, so I probably wasn't the right one for it. I was intrigued with the promise of magic, Paris, and the BEAUTIFUL cover. Enough to ignore the historical fiction aspect of it since I'm not a fan. I should have thought twice about it though.

Camille lives in Paris in the year 1789. She and her sister have been struggling to get by and have had to rely on her magic to get by. But things with her brother go awry and she knows she has to do more, and decides to try her luck at using her magic in the French Court. But things go south and Camille gets more than she bargained for.

Starting with what I did like. I knew I wasn't going to make it through the actual book/e-book because once I finished chapter 2 I was bored. I put myself on the waiting list for my library to get the audio book and decided to see if i could finish it then. And it worked! The audio is great and it does all the right pronunciations. And the narrator was really good as well. She kept me intrigued enough to want to keep listening when honestly, I wasn't sure I would have.

I also liked the magic and the way it was conducted in this one. The three ways magic is conducted is: Magie Bibelot which is making objects sentient, Glamoire which is changing oneself, and Magie Ordinaire which is changing things. I also really enjoyed the article of clothing that changed and helped changed her. It was an interesting idea and I liked what Trelease did with it.

Unfortunately, that was the end of what I liked. The world-building could have used so much more depth. I never really felt like I knew the world like I should have. I wish there had been more. Also, I was bored for the majority of it. If I had been actually reading this and not listening to it, I probably would have DNF'ed or at least skimmed most of it. I didn't care for the balloon parts or the romance. It seemed like the author was trying to cram way too much into this book.

This book intrigued me with its sparkly cover and some of the words that get me excited about books: magic and Paris. But unfortunately, even still, this wasn't the book for me. But like I said, take this review with a grain of salt. I knew there was a chance I wouldn't like this because I'm not a historical fiction fan, but I gave it a shot. So if I can, you can too! Give it a shot and see if this is more a fit for you instead!

Thank you, Macmillan, for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

MAGICIANS NEEDED SORROW. AND DEEP SORROW EXISTED ONLY BECAUSE OF LOVE.

What’s great about historical fiction is that it removes, if not embellishes, the “boring” or pedantic aspects of the past. Add a touch of magic, and it becomes even better. Following this train of thought, I hoped to thoroughly enjoy this novel, which I thought was a clever combination of Cinderella and Les Misérables.

Set in 18th-century France, Enchantée depicts the miserable life of Camille Durbonne. After her parents died of smallpox, she and her sister Sophie become desperate to make ends meet. Sophie can magically turn scrap metal into gold, but the effect is temporary. To make things worse, Alain, their older brother, is too debaucherous to save them from poverty. Dreading the idea of being evicted from their home, Camille decides to step up her game. Through blood magic, she disguises herself as a beautiful baroness and infiltrates the court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. There, Camille learns two important things. First, affluence doesn’t necessarily equate to happiness. Second, as stated by Rumpelstiltskin in Once Upon a Time, “All magic comes with a price.”

If I were an elementary student, I would give this book perfect marks because of its “moral lessons” (the redundancy makes me cringe to this day). After all, reading should be not only for pleasure but also for enlightenment or self-improvement. I particularly resonated with Camille, who felt that she had a void in her heart. She managed to fill it for a time through magic and gambling, but she eventually realized that such addictions would only make her feel emptier in the end. The Palace of Versailles provided for Camille’s needs and wants. On the other hand, it alienated her from Sophie, who was worth more than gold. In this world of sex, drugs, and other vices, Camille’s life story is very relevant.

Lazar, Camille’s love interest, was similarly inspiring in terms of character development. Since he was a person of color, many people disrespected him. Some even treated him like an exotic animal that they wished to keep as a pet. It didn’t matter that he was half French and very inventive; his Indian blood was more important to his peers. Our society now claims to be “progressive,” but I’m sure that some people are more than willing to regress to the harsh racism of the olden days.

I also liked the author’s atmospheric writing, which was perfect for the historical setting. The remarkable places and weirdly dressed royals were vividly described, so I could imagine them without difficulty. Enchantée rekindled my desire to visit France even though I became familiar with its dark past. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were annoying rulers, enjoying a lavish life at the expense of the common people. Considering their disregard for those “beneath” them, I strongly supported the French Revolution (the demolition of the monarchy). My only issue with the writing was the abundance of French terms. Really, I wish that I had studied French so that I didn’t have to keep on checking the glossary. Doing so was such a hassle!

Regardless of how much I loved the book’s themes, I decided not to give it a higher rating because of its disappointing climax. The buildup to the confrontation was incongruous to what actually happened. The villain wasn’t so powerful after all. And he/she was defeated so quickly like the author was forcing a happily ever after. In other words, the climax spoiled some of my fondness for the story.

Nonetheless, don’t let my 3.75 stars discourage you from reading Enchantée. As far as “moral lessons” are concerned, it’s one of the most meaningful novels in my library. If you want to immerse yourself in the glittering (yet dirty) city of 18th-century Paris, you already know what book to pick up.

This was very difficult to read. I thought the plot was just a little too much and I didn’t enjoy how often I had to flip back to re-read something or trying to keep up with who is who.

YA historical fantasy? About Revolutionary France? With magic? OH YES. Dang, I loved this. It hit all the right notes for me - *just* enough drama, *just* enough magic, *just* enough romance. Reading about Camille living her double life, swinging between poor peasant girl and magical card-playing baroness, while also flirting with her hot-air-balooning beau, was amazing. I never learned French in school unfortunately (quel dommage!), but I've picked up just enough along the way that all the simple French phrases that were thrown in to Enchantée kind of added to the immersive feeling for me - and this book did a pretty fantastic job of drawing me in and making me feel like I was really there in this magical version of Revolutionary France. The only drawback I found was that I could kind of see how it was going to end up as the final chapters were playing out, but that didn't stop me from enjoying it and being a bit stressed out frankly over the high stakes of it all... Ah, it was so good. They're saying this is a series which, *shrug* I don't know, I felt like the first one wrapped it up pretty well? But if there's another, I will certainement be reading it!

A thrilling, lush debut fantasy! I loved the world that Gita built filled with charm and danger. The French setting and descriptions were divine and the book's prose is captivating. A great fantasy read!

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.

Paris seems to be the theme of YA Fantasy novels so far this year! This the second one I’ve read (so far) that takes place in Paris. The stunning cover of this book, and the intriguing description of magic and gambling in Revolution-ero France, made me really interested in reading this book and learning more about the magic Gita Trelease has created. I received this book in exchange for an honest review through Netgalley.

The setting of the novel, Revolution-era Paris, at first seemed a bit over-played, especially since I had just recently read “Gilded Wolves” which also takes place in France. However, as you get into the story, you realize it could not have taken place anywhere else. The author does a wonderful job of describing the world and scenes, so I could truly picture every home, room, street the character walked through. The setting also set up some dramatic irony throughout, as the author understands what will happen to Maria Antoinette and many of the aristocrats in the upcoming years.

The plot of Enchantee is quick paced and high-tension throughout. The book starts with Camille stealing from a shop-keeper and things really don’t slow down from there. Camille is constantly looking over her shoulder and trying to figure out her next steps in keeping herself and her sister alive, while not giving up on the small things in life they still enjoy. There are multiple plot elements at the beginning, which seems difficult to tie together, but around the halfway mark, all the elements meet up and become one, solid and compelling journey through the end.


Camille is the narrator and protagonist of this novel. She starts with a pretty definite objective: save her family from being evicted and protect herself and her sister from their own brother. However, as the plot progresses, her objectives become more and more muddied as she meets new people and becomes more ingrained in the world of aristocrats, magic and gambling. Her chemistry with her love-interest is absolutely perfect and I loved every scene the two of them shared. I did feel like the cast of this book was large, considering the plot and length of the book, but the author did a good job of differentiating everyone so I never confused characters.

Enchantée is a fast-paced, high-tension read that had me eagerly turning pages until I reached the end. The setting is beautifully developed and the author does a great job of dropping her readers into the scene. The plot and characters are fairly complex and detailed, but I was never confused who characters were or what was happening. I was disappointed to put this book down, but am looking forward to seeing what happens next.

Enchantée Is Available Now Through Amazon, Barnes & Noble Or Your Favorite Local Bookstore!

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
DNF @ 19%

The unfortunate thing about this one is that is does have some good writing and occasionally I'd find a spark of interest in what was going one, but it is too slow paced to me. Sometimes I can do slower, but this is one of those times I just couldn't get into it.

I also couldn't find interest in the characters. Again, once in awhile I'd perk up, but I just couldn't. I kept wondering why if they were so poor the sister wasn't already working, and what did Camille do to earn money because I don't think it was ever mentioned... besides tricking people. Camille also has magic, which I was interested in learning about, but I was more shocked that she didn't know much about it since her mother had magic. How did you not know that you could do more than turn metal into coins? I sincerely doubt that her mother only taught her that one devious trick when her parents weren't terribly poor.

This isn't to say Camille is a bad main character. She is very likeable and I think many people will come to like her and want to root for her.

Had I just a little bit more interest in the book I'm sure I would have come to really like. I do think this is a book many people will enjoy, this is just one of those "me not the book" situations.
If you are interested in historical fantasy and don't mind a slow start, then you should give this a try.

I struggled when I first started reading ENCHANTEE due to some outside/personal circumstances, but once I refocused on the book, I started flying. The French words and phrases that are interspersed throughout the book took me a while to get used to. As someone who is not familiar with the language it threw me a little, but I could typically figure out what was intended in the context of the rest of the sentence.

The author did a beautiful job of telling a historical fiction with magical realism. I especially enjoyed the unique magic system that Gita created. I'm not sure I've ever seen magic portrayed in such a way. The main character Camille has the ability to practice La Magie, the ability to transform things. She has been using this gift to help her family survive but the magic comes at a cost.

I wouldn't necessarily call it a "rags to riches story" but Camille and her family have been struggling since the loss of their parents. When the older brother turns his back on them, Camille is left to pick up the pieces and finds herself mixed up with some interesting characters and a dangerous game.

The ending of the book felt a little bit rushed, but overall I ended up liking the book. OH! I almost forgot to mention the scenery. The way that the author described the city made me feel like I was almost there myself. I found out when I finished that there is going to be a sequel but ENCHANTEE warps up nice enough that it can definitely be read as a standalone.