I really enjoyed this book. The world was fun and lush, but the pace was just okay. I loved the characters and story, and it is a charming novel.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! The characters are complex, the setting is fun, and the story is really exciting. I really appreciated the mix of history and magic and I loved the relationships between all of the enchantresses!

I got this book as an audio book and I felt that the book was really well read by Marisa Calin, especially with the accent and pronunciation of the French names.

I would recommend this book as either a book to be read or as an audiobook to listen to.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for the digital audio galley in exchange for my honest review.

For readers who wanted V.E. Schwab’s The Secret Life of Addie LaRue to last forever. The Enchanted Lies of Celeste Artois tries to do exactly that.

Beautiful prose, lush descriptions, stunning narration, and a trio of witches you want to follow. But the audiobook is 19 hours long, and I never managed to get fully immersed in the world.

The vibes were great, the characters were gorgeous. The audio narration was pristine. But I don’t know what was going on. I’m going to attempt another read with a physical copy.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

This book was right up my alley and I was very excited to read it. Unfortunately, I was unable to play the audio version. I'll write an actual review once I get my hands on a physical copy.

In the Fantasy novel “The Enchanted Lies of Céleste Artois” by Ryan Graudin we follow the con artist Céleste who is introduced to a hidden magical world in 1900s Paris by a mysterious stranger named Rafe.

With a heavy heart I had to DNF this book. On paper the setting and characters should have worked perfectly but the pacing was too slow for me and the characters and their stories didn't catch my interest.I was really interested in the magical setting of this book but since it is more character focused I had a hard time getting into the story.

I listened to this as an audiobook and the narration by Marisa Calin is great. Their voice was very fitting for the characters.

A big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Hachette Audio for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a wonderful epic fantasy, beautifully written! The magic system is based on the power and wonder of imagination. The characters are well developed and lovable. The pacing was a little slow at times, but it didn't affect my enjoyment of the story. The narrator was very good, highly recommend.

Marisa Calin did a wonderful job with the narration. I had to slow it down a little with the accent, but I was still at 1.75x. The writing was lyrical and transports you to 1900s Paris. The magic and characters were interesting and I loved joyed reading about them. There was something with the pacing and it was hard for me to keep some of the storylines straight. I wanted to love this one, but it fell a little flat for me. I could see a lot of people who are lovers of historical fiction enjoying this story.

Thank you to Orbit Books and Hachette Audio for the early read and listen.

This tale is richly developed urban fantasy set in the graveyards and alleys of the Parisian Belle Epoque

It's a new enchantment on every page, each scene a new spell cast on the reader or listener...and this narrator is more than equal to the task, not only giving each character a distinct voice but keeping just enough French accent to add charm while still being understandable to non-French ears. Marissa Calin wafts you along on Celeste's smooth cons, Sophie's bubbly excitement, Honore's cool, curt calculations...right into an urban fantasy as complex and charming as any ever written.

This trio of young orphans is grifting their living in Pere LaChais cemetery, gathering their ill-gotten spoils to feed themselves, making offerings and confessions to the statutes there. But a childhood friend leads them astray... into a shadowy world of living magic, where anything they dare imagine can become real…at least until dawn. And the magic imagining gs have value beyond the girls' ill-gotten gold. But in making their bargains for all the boons that magic can bring,they soon find that even statues can have a sting in the tail

As with any good adventure book, there's a balance of the light and the dark, the joyous and that most dire. For all the whimsy of tea-serving elephants, there's the very real risks and harsh lives of street children, and the fatal diseases (in this case tuberculosis, or consumption, like in Moulin Rouge) that was rife in the Paris of that golden era. For those without family and money, the life of the gangs offers both the only protection and the greatest threats. The lure of a world where such horrors could be left behind, if only for a few hours at a time, is easy to believe in. The pacing of the growing menace is masterful.

Our heroines are convincing, their strange guide has his own secret motivations, and altogether there's plenty of gripping story woven among the enchantments to keep young adult and adult readers turning the pages.

I was quite confused by this story. It takes place in Paris but in like a different dimension or plane of Paris (more magical etc.), I think? The language is flowy and poetic. The audiobook is fairly long – just over 19 hours – and even though I tend to listen to things on double speed it felt as if the story just went on and on and on. One of the most interesting bits, in my opinion, was the author’s explanation of how the story came to be at the end of the novel. The inspiration being WW1 but I have a hard time seeing that present in the story as such.

If you are a reader that like being really immersed in a work, I think you would like this story but for me it was a bit of a drag, sorry. I, however, like more fast paced and direct stories.

The following is just a trifle, really, but the main villains name is redacted and when mentioned the audiotrack did a bzz-ing sound. I thought there was something wrong with the file for the longest time before I realised it was supposed to sound like that.

Temporary DNF at 18%

I want to clarify that this is a DNF of the audiobook and not of the physical one. I am intrigued by this story and the world. I just got to the part that I feel like is going to change the trajectory of the book, but my mind has not been able to process much of it so far. This book has very descriptive writing, and my brain is struggling to process it without the written words. On top of that, the narrator is using multiple different accents, which are well done and fun, but when combined with the writing style, this is just not the audiobook for me. I found my mind wandering too often in the first bit of it.

I would like to try it out in print at some point, but it currently is not available at my library. I will be keeping an eye out for a sale on the ebook, but in the meantime, I will be putting this down for now.

A delightful look at Paris through a different lens. I love time altering titles and this one did not disappoint. It was a fun read and I look forward to more by this author.

This book has a really interesting premise and I was drawn to it because of the magic and intrigue of 1900’s Paris. It didn’t quite work out for me though. The writing is really gorgeous and descriptive, but there wasn’t enough action to keep me engaged. The pacing was off, and I often felt confused about what was happening because of the multiple storylines. I listened to the audio and the narrator did a good job and I enjoyed the music.

Thank you to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the advance copy.

At first, it took me some time to immerse myself in this book because the pacing was a bit slow. However, once it captured my attention, I was completely enthralled. The story is incredibly emotional, beautifully written with lyrical prose, and creates a captivating atmosphere that is rich with magic. This is a must read!

Magical Paris is a concept that drew me in immediately, it offers such a breadth of opportunity for a lush and evocative atmosphere. Unfortunately I think the world itself overshadowed the plot and characters.

Lovers of quick moving heist stories will likely find our trickster cast one worthy of their time. I think the story was set at a moderate pace and has a clever and thorough plot with a satisfying ending. I just felt so little connection to our three MC's , who in my opinion lacked nuance and depth. The world however did feel lush and engaging and it left me wanting more.

The narrator did a most wonderful job bringing this world to life and in the end I think ultimately bumped this one up a whole star for me!

With fantasy, Paris and history and felt this book would be right up my alley. I didnt love this book but I also didnt hate it. It’s one I’m glad I got my hands on, Im afraid is not one I’ll be reaching out more for. I struggled a bit to finish it; because it didnt hole ny attention as much. The plot was just okay; the characters were beautifully written, but it just didnt meet my bucket of expectations. Its not necessarily a cozy read in my opinion, but it would be one I would recommend to that community of readers.

I was really excited for this one but my audio does not work at all. I will circle back and update this when I am able to get a copy through my library.

I enjoyed this whimsical tale that takes place in early 1900s Paris! The writing was beautiful and full of lush prose and charming magic! The characters formed a found family and I love them each! The narrator was great, I have listened to other books by her and she never dissapoints! I can't wait to read more books from this author in the future!

3.5 stars

🎧Audiobook🎧 is very wonderfully read.

The world-building that makes up this beautiful, artistic world in Paris, just before and at the beginning of WW1, is incredible - the author having taken inspiration from the artistic resilience of those soldiers fighting in this horrific war. There is soul and shining spirit running through all of the text, and so many of the characters are delightful. Three strong, amazing young(er) women fight their way through a gritty Parisian life, on the dusky side of the law, in order to survive. And despite the trauma that they have each seen, their hearts are good. Once they each find their own way into the magical underworld of Paris, they will find even more to fight for.

So, why am I giving this magical story only 3.5 stars?
The writing is good, the premise magically inspired, and there are three lovely yet strong female leads who make up a wonderful "found family". There is no overt misogyny, classism or other marginalization that seeps from our own world into this one (one reason that I strongly dislike many fantasy and sci.fi. books - especially those mainly written by cishet, white male authors). This book is full of hope and imagination, as that which has the best chance of beating out fear, violence and war.

Honestly, I am not sure - I can't put my finger on it. I simply wasn't overly enamoured by the story, as a whole. I often wanted to give up (and only didn't so that I could properly review it), and had a really hard time finishing this audiobook despite all of its merits.

Really, it frequently felt just too long. Ordinarily, I love both magical fantasy and stories woven out into beautifully long adventures - this however did not hold my attention like books that I give full accolades in my reviews. I wanted more substance, somehow. Had it been edited down to 3/4 of its length, without any other change, I may have given this book 4.5-5 stars. That said, I don't want to give the impression that I dislike long books (I often adore them).

I am certain that others (of perhaps different dispositions or age groups) will adore this book. It will definitely delight many. This is very likely just a "me problem". I do urge anyone intrigued by the book's premise to cozy up in a comfy corner and give it all of your attention.

Huge gratitude to Netgalley and the publisher, Hachette Audio, for an Audio-ARC, in exchange for my honest review.

Marisa Calin's voice is an absolute delight to listen to but I'm gonna have to put this down because the pace is just too slow and the prose is too flowery/not my style. If flowery prose is what you go for then this could be a fantastic read for you cause the premise is fantastic!