In early 20th century Paris, we meet a group of enchantresses who live among the tombs. They use their subtle powers to con rich folks out of their money.

However they soon become frequent visitors to the salon of the Green Fairy, where most visitors leave behind a precious dream in physical form for the Fairy’s collection.

Of course it doesn’t take for a scam to brew involving counterfeit dreams. And it also seems there’s a vampire roaming Paris with ties to one of the enchantresses.

While the writing is beautiful in its fantastical descriptions there’s just too much of nothing happening. It’s a slog to get through. There are also so many side plots happening, I don’t know what to look at.

Not a winner for me, but maybe for you.

(2.5 Stars rounded down to 2.0 for audio)

2.5 Stars for me is "average", which is what I would consider this book. When I read, I visualize things in my mind and I was never quite able to do that with this book. I found a lot of the book to be slightly confusing, and in a lot of cases uninteresting. I wouldn't say I disliked the book, but I would not read another book if this turns into a series, and would also have to think twice about the author. For me, it was just "okay", and I really had such high hopes for this book.

This is a story about slipping in between different "worlds", so a little bit like Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. If you liked that, maybe you would like this.

At the very end, the author has a write-up about her inspiration for this book, and I thought that segment was very interesting, and would probably read more of just that.

As for the audiobook narration, her enunciation was excellent, but her cadence seemed off. Sometimes it was distracting.

Celeste Artois dreams of becoming an artist in Paris, but her aspirations are crushed by the harsh realities of the city's elite. She turns to a life of forgery and cons, forming a group known as the Enchantresses with her two best friends, Helene and Sylvie. The trio sees Paris as a playground for their schemes, growing rich at the expense of unsuspecting victims. She knows her time is running out as she becomes sick.

The story takes a mystical turn when Celeste meets Rafe, a mysterious stranger who introduces her to a magical side of Paris. Rafe leads her to an enchanted salon where artists can bring their imaginations to life by intertwining with the ordinary world with their creations. Rafe offers Celeste an irresistible deal, the gift of time in exchange for her exceptional forging talents. However, this seemingly perfect bargain comes with its dangers, and she must play a vital role in a battle for the ones she loves.

Celeste has a dark and deep-rooted trauma that she has witnessed in her life. It creates a connection with the reader and the need to empathize with her. She is resilient and is full of hope. Her character was a perfect example of how we all find light in the dark. Her relationship with Rafe was magnetic. The book blends the gritty reality of Celeste's life with the astonishing elements of the hidden magical Paris, exploring the allure and peril of both. The novel's exploration of ambition, magic, and the human cost of power leaves a lasting impression. There were parts where the pacing was too slow and too many storylines trying to converge. I received the audio edition, and the narrator did a fantastic job of voicing emotion. The book serves as a reminder that our pursuits can have unforeseen consequences.


I received an ARC audiobook for my honest review. Thank you, NetGalley and Hachette Audio, Orbit.

Be ready to be transported into a truly fantastical hidden gem of 1900s Paris. While listening to this audiobook, you felt as if you were truly in another time and place. Marisa Calin did a wonderful job bringing out the lyrical writing style of this book. For some readers, this style may be challenging, which is why I'd highly recommend an audio format. I am also usually a fast reader, but this book requires you to slow down, listen, and imagine. Keep in mind you need to be in the right place for this type of story, but if you are it is lovely, magical, and unique.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for this copy.

I Loved Graudin’s Wolf by Wolf duology, so I was so excited to find this book. Unfortunately, I ended up DNFing it, which is very sad. The world was magical and surreal, mixing real life and fantasy (a ring that becomes a real dragon, yes please!!). The characters were full of life and color.

But everything was so vibrant and elaborate, it was sometimes difficult to keep track of what was actually going on. There was an intimate scene at a little over 40% in that I wasn’t expecting and I decided I wasn’t interested in continuing to read. I loved the premise of the book, but I got more confused as the book progressed. Might be one I return to at a different time.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the opportunity to enjoy this fabulously narrated audiobook!

The audio would not work for me?! Through my NetGalley app been downloaded so no review. I was shocked to see how long it was and am excited to see other reviews

I was really intrigued by the concept here but the experience of the audiobook lost me early on and I was unable to keep with it... The music underpinning the narration is very distracting and the narrator presented the story in an almost sing-song voice that I couldn't follow and also found distracting. Combine that with the floaty nature of the story and I was not able to focus enough on where things were trying to go to keep with it. I'm in the definite minority here, but this one was not at all a good fit for me. Maybe in print/ebook I might do better? But as an experience in listening, I found this one unenjoyable.

Had to DNF because the audiobook was not working through the Netgalley app. The beginning that I was able to get through was compelling and the narrator did an amazing job. I have this in print and will continue to read it.


For those who love:
✨Found Family
✨Historical Fantasy
✨Magic
✨Traitorous Deals
✨Fake Dating

Many thanks to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this ARC.

The Enchanted Lies of Céleste Artois is an imaginative look into Paris in the 1900s showing that magic can be found in truly unexpected places. I believe Graudin truly shines in this book in terms of setting richly detailed scenes and creating engaging characters with varied backgrounds. I adored Sylvie’s character and would challenge anyone to not be enamored by her. I also really loved how unique the magic system was in this book. I particularly loved how ideas can create their own unique magic. The other element I really loved was the role cats played throughout the story. The main struggle I had while reading was the plot pacing. It was a struggle at times to see where the story was going and why certain plot points were included. Because of this, I think there could be issues with readers sticking with the story. I both eyeball and audiobook read this, and I believe the audiobook really helped during the slower plot points. I enjoyed Marisa Calin’s narration and felt it added to the overall immersive nature of the story. I also appreciated the carnival sound effects that were added to certain scenes to really set the stage. If given the option, I’d recommend combo reading or reading via audiobook.

After watching the opening ceremony of the Olympic games, I found myself craving a visit to Paris, even if it is only virtual. And a visit to Paris at the turn of the 20th century, after the World's Fair, in the era of the salons and art nouveau seemed such a magical time too. The book starts with a feel of whimsey and magic, introducing the main characters and Paris with its cafes and salons, visiting the sites, and wandering through the recognizable streets and neighborhoods. There was also a fair amount of what I would classify as name dropping: Coco Channel, Stohrer (oldest patisserie in the city), Andrew Lang's Fairy books, and even Gaston Leroux's Phantom were pulled into the story. I found myself struggling to follow a coherent plot, or even several plot and one of these in particular just distracted me more than entertained me. I understand that historical fiction takes liberties with actual history, even embellishing famous people from history to enhance the story, but the thread about the Russian czars family felt like any historical research on the topic was done through watching the 1990's animated movie of Anastasia rather than reading a history book. Romanticizing the image of Nicolai, a tyrant and alcoholic, as a warm fuzzy daddy is one thing; but then having a character consuming the blood of a child that was a hemophiliac is in poor taste (pun not intended). Maybe it was me but I felt that there were too many disparate threads going through the book to weave together one coherent story and following these separate threads from Céleste to Honoré and Sylvie seemed like three stories that occasionally crashed into each other rather than homogenized.
I read the book as an audiobook and the voice actress did an admirable job conveying feelings and tone and with the exception of some of her (mis)pronunciations of Russian words/places, I enjoyed the performance. The music accompanying the introduction threw me at fist and I though it would be distracting if it lasted the entire book, but when the next part picked up without the accompaniment, and it only appeared intermittently through the rest of the book, I thought that it enhanced the experience and set a mood.
I received advanced access to this audiobook thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Hachette Audio) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

This audiobook is a masterpiece! I have read this book in both the ebook and audiobook versions. Personally, I feel like the audiobook is my preferred medium for this story. The narrator did a wonderful job portraying the narrative and the various characters. Her accent and storytelling kept me more engaged in the book.

“The Enchanted Lies of Céleste Artois” is best read at night for a more magical experience. It is true that this book is a mix of “The Night Circus’ ” whimsical magic and lyrical writing style; and “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue’s” journey of a girl in Paris. Celeste, Honoré, and Sylvie are the Enchantresses and they do what they have to in order to survive. They stumble upon a unique magical underground in Paris, and get swept into dangerous deals and magical dreams to protect. This story packs some fun surprises in the shape of a certain phantom from the opera and a Russian grand duchess. This book was slow-paced at times and, to me, it was trying to achieve too much. I believe this story could have been trimmed down in order to focus the plot more narrowly. That being said, I am excited to see what this author does next!

For those who love:
✨Found Family
✨Historical Fantasy
✨Magic
✨Traitorous Deals
✨Fake Dating

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this ARC.