Review by Mia H: Enchantée by Gita Trelease

A compellingly beautiful tale of magic, intrigue and deception, set against the backdrop of eighteenth-century Paris on the cusp of revolution. Paris in 1789 is a labyrinth of twisted streets, filled with beggars, thieves, revolutionaries - and magicians . . . When seventeen-year-old Camille is left orphaned, she has to provide for her frail sister and her volatile brother. In desperation, she survives by using the petty magic she learnt from her mother. But when her brother disappears Camille decides to pursue a richer, more dangerous mark: the glittering court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Using dark magic Camille transforms herself into the `Baroness de la Fontaine` and presents herself at the court of Versaille, where she soon finds herself swept up in a dizzying life of riches, finery and suitors. But Camille's resentment of the rich is at odds with the allure of their glamour and excess, and she soon discovers that she's not the only one leading a double life . . . Enchantee is a compelling historical fantasy and is Gita Trelease's debut novel.

One of the most captivating and breath-taking things about this book is the description of Paris in the late 1700s. In fact, all of the description was beautiful, especially that of the clothes and the attitudes towards others, which really helped with the illusion of the historical setting but also  got across the fact that some of the attitudes were similar to that of some people today.  It is absolutely spell-binding and when you’re reading it, it feels as if you’ve fallen through the pages, back in time. Another thing that was done well in this book was the relationship between the main character Camille and her sister, Sophie; how Camille would do anything to protect her sister, how that motivates her in everything she does, how Sophie is always the deciding factor in all her decisions. However, I wouldn’t recommend this book for anyone under twelve, due to violence and strong language (albeit in French). I would recommend this for fans of Wicked like a Wildfire as the magic also involves beautifying things in that, and The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, because the beginning that follows Ava’s grandmother reminds me of the setting in this novel.