First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if, instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?

The Rules:

• Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page.
• Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first.
• Finally… reveal the book!

First Lines:

“Paris past midnight is a magnificent creature, conjured from curving iron and café lamps. Its gardens swallow every color of spring. Electric lights pave the boulevards. Doors open to cabarets and salons, where sugar drips through absinthe spoons and pianos fall into familiar songs. Every corner is en fête, each shop window resplendent.”

I love a first paragraph that can transport me directly to a place I’ve never been and tantalizes all of my senses. This is one of those paragraphs.

Do you recognize the lines?

Here’s a hint:

This is an upcoming historical fantasy that I have been waiting for!

Still not sure? Here’s another hint:

It’s written by Ryan Graudin.

The First Lines Friday book is:

The Enchanted Lies of Céleste Artois.

About the Book:

• Title: The Enchanted Lies of Céleste Artois
• Author: Ryan Graudin
• Page Length: 545 pages
• Publication Date: August 27, 2024
• Publisher: Redhook

Synopsis:

In this lush and lyrical fantasy, Ryan Graudin transports readers to the hidden magic pockets of early 1900s Paris, a place of enchanted salons, fortune tellers who can change your stars, and doorways that can take you to the most unexpected places—and introduces readers to the delightful Céleste Artois, a con artist who will make a deal with the devil in exchange for her life…and change the fate of the world.  

Once, Céleste Artois had dreams of being an artist. But when the creative elite of Paris dashed those plans, she turned her talents to forgery and cons. She and the Enchantresses—her two fellow thieves and best friends—see Paris as a rich hunting ground for marks. Yet even though their hideout in Peré Lachaise cemetery is bursting with francs, Céleste cannot rest. There is always more to take. And the blood she has begun to cough into her handkerchief means her time is running out.   But everything changes when she encounters Rafe, a mysterious and beautiful stranger who leads her to an enchanted salon—a place where artists can bring wondrous imaginations to life. Céleste is captivated by this establishment, and learns of the existence of magical Paris, hidden in the pockets and alleys of the ordinary world, if one only knows where to look.  Rafe offers Céleste an irresistible the gift of time in exchange for lending him and his benefactor her forging talents. But one must be careful making deals with devils, and there’s more to this hidden world than meets the eye. Shadows have begun to circle Paris. And soon, the Enchantresses will find that true magic is far more powerful, and deadly, than they ever imagined. 

Links: Goodreads     

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