Enchantée YA novel set in Paris by Gita Trelease

Submitted: 23rd February 2019

Paris is a city on the edge of revolution and…magic

I always admire an author who can pull you into a period of history that never interested you at school. The French Revolution interested me later on but it was the poverty of the streets and thte stoies of the everyday people which really fascinated me. Stories of palaces, rich, entitled people not so much. However Gita Trelease has woven her magic and conjured up a novel with fantastical elements:

Enchantee Gita Trelease

BookTrail Travel to locations in Enchantée

Bookreview

I don’t normally read much YA but this book caught my eye and my imagination. Camille Durbonne lives in poverty and is an orphan. With a drunk for a brother, she has to look after her sister. She wants more from live and so dreams of working and living in the Palace of Versailles. In order to do this however, she’s going to have to quite literally, work her magic.

This magic is a mix of tricks she learns to get one over on others and to improve her lot in life.She plays cards to win money amongst other things, but it turns out that Versailles and revolutionary France was a hotbed for cheats and blaggards like her. She is about to meet her match!

The star of the show however was the setting. The glamour and frivolity of the court of Louis XVI was a sight to behold. It didn’t seem as glamourous and exciting as this in the history books I’ve read! The magic was a nice touch and stole the show. The author has clearly done her magic home work and come up with an enchanting tale.

“Remember—magic is a cheater’s game, and everyone who sees it wants to play.”

Paris is evoked with style and panache. Glamour and poverty live side by side. Within the walls of the gilded Versailles, there is magic at play. With whispers of Caraval and The Night Circus, this was a magical journey for me. Once the book entered black magic and stronger magic territory it got even better. Camille transforms herself into the Baroness De La Fontaine, and sets her sights on the glittering court itself. La Magie was fun and fantasy all at once.

Paris has never seemed so magical!