
Young adult
Enchantée
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A sweeping tale of dark magic, family duty, and epic love set in the royal courts of 18th-century Paris.
Romance
400+ pages
Family drama
Magical
Paris in 1789 is a labyrinth of twisted streets, filled with beggars, thieves, revolutionaries—and magicians...
When smallpox kills her parents, Camille Durbonne must find a way to provide for her frail, naive sister while managing her volatile brother. Relying on petty magic—la magie ordinaire—Camille painstakingly transforms scraps of metal into money to buy the food and medicine they need. But when the coins won’t hold their shape and her brother disappears with the family’s savings, Camille must pursue a richer, more dangerous mark: the glittering court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
With dark magic forbidden by her mother, Camille transforms herself into the ‘Baroness de la Fontaine’ and is swept up into life at the Palace of Versailles, where aristocrats both fear and hunger for la magie. There, she gambles at cards, desperate to have enough to keep herself and her sister safe. Yet the longer she stays at court, the more difficult it becomes to reconcile her resentment of the nobles with the enchantments of Versailles. And when she returns to Paris, Camille meets a handsome young balloonist—who dares her to hope that love and liberty may both be possible.
But la magie has its costs. And when Camille loses control of her secrets, the game she's playing turns deadly. Then revolution erupts, and she must choose—love or loyalty, democracy or aristocracy, freedom or magic—before Paris burns…
Yves Rencourt, the chandler’s apprentice, had lost his wig. After the last customer left the shop, he searched through baskets of curling wicks and blocks of beeswax and teeter- ing stacks of bills. Rien. It was nowhere to be found. And he needed the wig for tonight: he alone was to deliver candles for the Comte d’Astignac’s party, which would last until the sun came up. This was Yves’s chance to be noticed. To rise. And he didn’t want to show up wearing his own hair, looking ridiculous. He had to look promising. Like someone who could be Somebody.
At least his coat was good, he thought, as he lifted the dove-gray silk from its hook and shrugged it on. And voila?—there the damned wig was, its long white hair tied back with a black satin bow. He pulled the wig on and cocked an admiring eyebrow at his reflection in the window: he was no longer a tradesman’s apprentice. He was absolument parfait.
Into a canvas satchel he tucked his most precious candles, the ones he’d tinted the hazy apricots and violets of dawn. All he needed now was money for the carriage. From under the counter he heaved up the strongbox and lifted its lid to reveal a shining pile of coins: rivulets of gold louis and livres and tiny sous. Candles were good business. No matter how little bread there was, how few people bought snuffboxes or plumed hats, they all needed light. In the back, Mai?tre Orland kept the cheap tallow candles that reeked of hooves. They sold more of those every day. But in the front of the shop, nestled in boxes and dangling from their wicks, were Yves’s own lovelies: wax candles, their colors like enchantments.
Camille hated magic, but it was all she had.
When I started writing Enchantée, I knew I would draw on the time I’d lived in Paris to create the most immersive experience I could for my readers. I wanted them to feel as if they were stepping into the past … playing cards with the scheming courtiers at Versailles, soaring over the city in a hot-air balloon, sitting down to a whispered tête-à-tête with Marie Antoinette, and getting caught up in the revolutionary fervor of 1789. Then I added the thread of Camille’s darkly gleaming magic, because at its heart, this is a story about transformation and what we have the possibility of becoming.
Determined not to end up on the gritty streets of eighteenth-century Paris, impoverished orphan Camille Durbonne keeps herself and her younger sister alive by turning scraps of metal into coins, using a changeling magic fueled by her own sorrow. But when that isn’t enough to keep them safe, Camille turns to riskier spells to transform herself into an aristocrat and gamble at the court of Versailles. Aided by an ancestor’s enchanted dress, she strives to win this high-stakes game—but the court is more dangerous than she could have imagined, and she will need all her magic and more to survive as revolution erupts.
To all of you who dream, who want more from life, who are willing to use your magic to remake yourselves and rise: this book is for you.
Rebecca C.
Pasadena, CA
Beautifully written. The characters danced off the page and drew you in all at the same time. The story was carried out wonderfully and kept you guessing about what would happen next. Loved this book.
Addie D.
Waterbury, CT
I very much enjoyed the blend of French history with magic, as well as the glitz & glamour of Versailles. The characters’ mysterious backgrounds had me racing to the finish. Very satisfying ending.
Lani J.
Norman, OK
Magic, Versailles, double lives, and love, could it get any better. Of course using magic to gamble at Versailles and keeping your story straight for your "pretend life" can only lead to trouble. ❤
Jale S.
Fort Worth, TX
Loved this one! Create historic accuracy and charming characters that will melt your heart. Magic comes with a twist in this book that makes your heart ache and ensures that this story won't leave you
Eleni S.
ALBUQUERQUE, NM
What's not to love? Versailles/Paris just pre-revolution, a strong female lead who uses magic to help her & her sister survive, a love story, and hot air balloons. Many struggles but a happier ending.