Underwhelming

I have a passion for all things French and an even stronger passion for anything related to magic. I came into this book exited by the story and plot. In the beginning, it was ok but didn't improve. The book is repetitive. OK! WE GET IT: THE GIRL IS POOR AND NEEDS TO GAMBLE TO PROVIDE INCOME AND HATES THE MAGIC THAT SHE IS FORCED TO DO TO ACHIEVE THAT AND HER SISTER IS A PERFECT ANGEL THAT CAN DO NO WRONG! Those same themes are just drilled into readers' heads. I found myself not caring for any of the characters as the book progressed and I can barely remember the main character's name much less the other characters. It is slightly redeemed by the French words here and there and spending time in Versailles during the book was nice. I wanted to like this book but it wasn't for me. However, I'm sure there are other people who would enjoy this book.

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2 people found this helpful

Great concept, somewhat repetitive

I enjoyed the imagery of this book and the nods to ancient magic legends. The setting was beautiful and I found the main character to be flawed but brave and relatable. It’s a unique story about magic which I think is really difficult to do in current literature.

The only issue I had was with the pacing. Sometimes it moved far too slow and I felt certain phrases and thoughts of the main character were repeated too often.

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3 people found this helpful

Simply magical

I found it simply magical. It was long and slow, but that only prolonged my enjoyment. There was the excitement and hope of the balloon, the glitter of Versailles with its dark underbelly as it all threatened to come crashing down, the struggle of the poor and the excess of the wealthy aristocrats, the simmering resentment and growing rebellion among the people. Woven through it all was the magic, ever so slowly revealed, the increasing stakes, the ever-tightening web Camille found herself trapped in. The climax was a little rushed, but still felt right. I'm terribly curious what Trelease has planned next for her characters, as everything wrapped up so nicely. (A definite plus) The audiobook narration was also very well done, and I much preferred hearing the French words and names pronounced properly rather than butchered them in my head as I'd have done reading the paper book.

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1 person found this helpful

very enchanting

Absolutely magical and beautifully worded french spin on the times back when marie Antoinette was in power. All the raw emotions I felt and some related to when it came to lost of family, betrayal, uncertainty love interest, and exhausting ones self for family/survival. Would read again.

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Enchantee Book Review

I did not originally plan on purchasing this novel. I noticed it on several bookstagramers and heard good things about it but didn't think it would be a book I would like at all. I was honestly intimidated in reading this book. I knew that it would be set in Paris. I do not know much of Paris and was also intimidated that it would have French terms and phrases that I would not understand and would cause me to just disconnect from the story.

There were indeed French terms throughout the story, so that is the first thing I want to note. However the author did provide a glossary at the end of the book for readers which helped a lot. I could tell the author wanted to make sure the reader really enjoyed her novel, and I extremely appreciated the inclusion of the glossary. My not having taken any French in high school or college did not affect my reading, and having that experience in this book was extremely interesting. It actually kept me more invested in the story and what the characters were saying.

The story was very interesting, and the struggle the main character endured drew me in. However, the conflict was fairly "lukewarm" in a way. The novel focused more on the characters rather than the plot or main conflict. I enjoyed the characters very much and was really glad this was not an over-dramatic, romance-filled novel. However, I did find myself at time questioning what the main conflict was. At some point, the characters seemed to forget their troubles, but it seemed like that was intentional. I found myself asking if the character even really cared about the financial difficulties that drive the beginning of the novel. At some point, I said, "Camille, it's time to snap out of it. Remember what you told herself."

By about forty to fifty percent into the novel, Camille's focus changed. Or rather, she got distracted and too caught up in the elegance of her facade. I mean, I couldn't blame her. I was just as much invested in it as she was. The elegance and beauty of it just drew me in, and I just wanted her to remain in that state longer so I could enjoy her lavishing experiences. I do admit that I wished her family conflicts drove more of the plot, but it drove it enough to lead Camille to other small conflicts and obstacles that held my attention. I expected the family struggles to provide more urgency than they actually did. However, they did eventually catch up to Camille and remind her of what she was fighting for.

Who would I recommend this to? Anyone in love with France and elegantly clever female characters. Magic lovers. Fantasy lovers. And history lovers. This book has a bit of everything. There's a bit of romance, but it is not the main driving force of the story, which I actually enjoyed for a change. There is just enough of it to draw you in.

Audible Review:

Eyre's narration is excellent. I will admit that the narration at 1.0 and 1.25 speeds were too slow for me. The best listening speed for me was at 1.50 speed. For those of us who like to multitask and listen on the go, I recommend listening at a 1.5 or 1.75 speeds, so one does not miss anything. These speed were also my favorite speeds when listening to this story. For those who are listening while reading the book and want to listen at a faster pace, I found 2.0 and 2.5 speed to be the best speeds. 3.0 was too fast for me, and I was missing a lot of what the narrator was saying and had to eventually slow down the narrator's reading speed. However, it is manageable. If you're used to speed listening, 3.0 speed should be manageable. 3.5 speed was definitely too fast for me.

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5 people found this helpful