Enchantee by Gita Trelease Review

Title: Enchantee

Author: Gita Trelease

Age Group: Teen/Young Adult

Genre: Historical Fiction/Fantasy

Series: Enchantee, book one

Star Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

  

              I borrowed this book from my local library and reviewed it.

                Enchantee has been one of my most anticipated books of 2019, and for the most part, it didn’t disappoint. I ordered it at my local library, and it’d been sitting at the top of my library stack for a while. As soon as I was finished with Superman, I dove in. It had all the things that I love in a novel. Magic, romance, revolution, intrigue, dark secrets, strong sibling bonds! I really enjoyed a lot of elements in this book, but there were some aspects that I wish had been fleshed out more. Nonetheless, this was a knockout series debut, and I can’t wait for the next book in the series! Gita Trelease is a new author to watch, and I can’t wait to see what’s up her sleeve!

                Camille Durbonne is a young woman who is trapped. After the brutal death of her parents from smallpox, she and her sister, Sophie, are left penniless. Their older brother, Alain, has become a drunkard. Despite his position as a soldier for the French crown, he spends all of his money gambling and drinking. With her dreams to be the first female printer nearly crushed, she is forced to use the forbidden magic passed down through her family to disguise herself as a wealthy baroness. Infiltrating the sparkling, dangerous world of Versailles and the wealthy royals and nobles that rule it, Camille must use all of her wits, the la magie she inherited from her mother, and find a way to save herself and her sister. But even with the sudden arrival of a man she may love, she discovers that everyone has something to hide, and no one can be trusted…

                This book was very good! I really enjoyed it. I’m such a sucker for historical fiction, and this story had elements of magic and fantasy thrown in! It made for an intoxicating debut. The pacing was breakneck, and I was spellbound by the very first page. The setting was gorgeous: Versailles! The period of The French Revolution is one of my favorite historical periods to study, and the prose was so lush and beautiful I felt like I was really there. I also adored the characters, especially Camille, Sophie, Lazare, and Seguin. I also really liked the intrigue and secrets that permeated the French court, seductive and frightening. The only thing that I wish had been better was the experience of Lazare, as a person of color, in that time period. I wish it had been fleshed out more. Nonetheless, with the breathtaking ending, I cannot wait for the next book in this beautiful, tense new series! I’m so excited to see what’s coming for Camille, Sophie, and Lazare! The bottom line: Beautiful, lush, and seductive, I loved Enchantee, and I can’t wait for what Gita Trelease is going to do next! Next on deck: Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus!