Enchantée

November 15, 2018
In an alternate history, a teenage girl weaves magic to survive in revolutionary Paris. Camille has always hated using la magie ordinaire, a magic that draws from sorrow to transform knickknacks into coins--a necessity to make ends meet for her and her sister since her parents died of smallpox. When their abusive addict brother steals their meager savings, Camille resorts to a darker magic--a dress and makeup enchanted by magie bibelot--to transform her appearance and, combined with la magie ordinaire, becomes a practiced gambler at Versailles, where she falls in with a small group of card-playing aristocrats. But all is not as it seems, and as she becomes increasingly addicted to la magie and the French Revolution looms, Camille discovers she's not the only magician at court. With detailed descriptions and uneven pacing, the book sometimes feels overstuffed. Camille has a slow-burn romance with a biracial French/Indian balloonist, and race and racism are lightly touched upon. Camille's first friend at court is gay, and here too homophobia is implied but is not explored in depth. Camille and other main characters are white.Somewhat like its protagonist, Trelease's debut at times falls a little flat despite its ideal trappings and never rises to extraordinaire. (glossary, historical note) (Historical fantasy. 12-18)

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December 1, 2018
Grades 9-12 In eighteenth-century France, Marie Antoinette holds court in the Palace of Versailles, and appearances are everything. On the rue Charlot, three orphans struggle to survive. Camille uses exhausting magic inherited from her mother to transform twisted metal into temporary coins, willing to cheat to keep her sickly sister fed, while their older brother drinks and gambles. When he absconds one dark night with what little they have, Camille turns to more dangerous magicks: glamoire, which takes its power from sorrow, and which she can use to transform herself. Disguised as an aristocrat, Camille heads to Versailles to play games in order to keep herself and her sister alive. But she's not the only one here with two faces, and revolution is simmering on the streets of Paris. Safety may be beyond the grasp of even magic. The many-tiered plot occasionally stalls, but this is an immersive, glittering debut that intriguingly blends history and fantasy. A striking examination of power, privilege, and choice in a limited world, that makes Trelease a new voice to watch.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

Starred review from December 21, 2018

Gr 9 Up-Against the tumultuous backdrop of the French Revolution, two orphaned sisters, Camille and Sophie, struggle to survive on the streets of Paris. Possessing an inherited gift of magic from her once-aristocratic mother, Camille begins "turning" coins and cards for rent and food. When her debt-ridden, abusive older brother, Alain, steals their meager earnings, Camille is determined to save herself and Sophie. She conjures deeper, darker magic, creating a double identity, Baroness Cecile Descharlots, with a new appearance, elegant dress, and access to the gaming tables at Versailles. Even as she prospers and befriends courtiers and vicomtes, Camille's double life begins to fray. Her aeronaut boyfriend, Lazare, is hiding his own secrets. She suspects an ardent court admirer, Vicomte Seguin, of sinister intentions and destructive magic. Her pursuit of fortune in the royal court conflicts with her empathy for the common man. Then, Sophie disappears. Multiple threads of history are woven into this tale: the role and persecution of magicians in the French court; experiments with balloon aeronautics; contemporaneous attitudes toward women, queer folks, and biracial nobility; the opulent, decadent lifestyle of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI; and, the rising outrage of impoverished citizens. Informative historical notes and a French glossary are appended. Distinctive characters, vivid 18th-century images of Paris and Versailles, lively French-infused dialogue, an appealing heroine, and an upbeat ending propel this lengthy romantic fantasy. VERDICT Romance and fantasy readers will enjoy the magic realism, ruse and tension of Camille's double identity, authentic historical references, and Camille's daring, passionate spirit. A must-have.-Gerry Larson, formerly at Durham School of the Arts, NC