The three Enchantresses—Céleste, Honoré, and Sylvie—scrape a living with a variety of cons. They are forgers. They are liars. They are fighters. They can absolutely fend for themselves, thank you very much. But then one night at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées for an unforgettable performance of The Rite of Spring becomes Céleste’s gateway into a literally magical world of Sancts and imaginers. The Enchanted Lies of Céleste Artois, by Ryan Graudin, follows Céleste and her compatriots into an epic fight for the soul of Paris itself. This book is glorious.
Early in the book, Céleste learns that she is dying of tuberculosis. In 1913, years before a reliable treatment was available, it’s just a matter of time before she succumbs. She doesn’t tell her fellow Enchantresses. Instead, she decides to join the charming thief, Rafe García, who she met during the wild night at the Théâtre in a desperate scheme. If they can steal something from the magical Fée Verte’s (named for the spirit some artists found in absinthe) salon for the green fairy’s equally magical but much more sinister nameless enemy, Rafe can be un-cursed and Céleste will live. At least, they hope so. The nameless magician is mercurial and not afraid to threaten his pair of thieves.
While Céleste and Rafe lie and smuggle and forge their way deeper into the Fée Verte’s vault of magical creations, Sylvie and Honoré become the Fée Verte’s allies. Sylvie has a natural gift for bringing unlikely things to life (she imagines a blue elephant that serves smoky cocoa). Her bright mind is a shot of tonic for the Fée Verte. Honoré’s violence leads to her transformation into a would-be knight. Céleste, Rafe, Honoré, and Sylvie’s regular trips to the Fée Verte’s salon are graced by appearances from Jean Cocteau, the Duchesse d’Uzès, and Guillaume Apollinaire.
It’s not hard to work out which side is the righteous one in this fight. Where the nameless man (maybe?) uses his magic to hurt, threaten, and amass power, the Fée Verte fosters the creativity of the artists and writers who find her salon. Her only price is an idea or two to maintain a salon where any thought can come to life if the person who imagined it can believe strongly enough. Initially, everything is blue elephants and dresses of midnight and animated dragon sculptures but, before long, the cold war between the two magicians heats up. Not only is this a fight to the death for the two of them, it’s also a fight for the soul of Paris, the City of Light.
I was hooked on The Enchanted Lies of Céleste Artois from page one. I was so hooked on this book, in fact, that I tried to slow down and take breaks so that the experience of reading it would last longer. This book is a marvel of imagination. The characters are amazing; I absolutely fell in love with them. I adored the way that Graudin blended real history—Sylvie’s friendship with Anastasia and Alexei Romanov and fights with Grigori Rasputin, and Honoré’s transformation into the Angel of Mons—into the plot. I honestly cannot say enough good things about this book. Get your hands on a copy as soon as it hits the shelves!
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration.
- I’ve seen this painting at the Art Institute of Chicago; it’s one of my favorites. This image doesn’t show the massive scar in the canvas where the green-faced woman, May Milton, was cut out before being restored before 1914. ↩︎