The Enchanted Lies of Céleste Artois

• Author: Ryan Graudin
• Genre: Fantasy
• Publication Date: August 27, 2024
• Publisher: Redhook

Thank you to NetGalley, Redhook, Orbit, and Angela Man for sending me a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In this lush and lyrical fantasy, Ryan Graudin transports readers to the hidden magical 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 …

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 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 Race, 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 deal: the gift of time in exchange for lending 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.

This was a book that I was really looking forward to. It sounded so intriguing, and I’ve always had a special love for historical fantasy. Taking a place from the past and creating a completely unique version is a special kind of magic, to me, and this book sounded chock full of it. As it turns out, I was right.

To start with, Graudin’s writing is incredible. This is what really caught my attention and kept me reading until the story really got going. The version of early 1900s Paris in this story shares some commonality with the action historical version, but this adds a new level of wonder to it. She demonstrates her boundless capacity for imagination, with one character able to make the most fantastical ideas she has into reality, and the rest of the book full of enchantment.

It’s hard not to fall in love with the Enchantresses. They each have their own very unique personality and backstory, and they’re all so different from each other. I never found myself getting confused between each of the three, and while Céleste herself is the subject of the story, Honoré and Sylvie play such a huge role that they have their own stories. These morally gray characters were so clearly rendered through her words and this story that I found myself rooting for them, and they’re all in the same place through a combination of factors that led them to live outside the boundaries of societal expectations, despite living in a place where societal expectations tend to be more lax than most. But ultimately, as three women running cons and making forgeries, they aren’t quite socially acceptable.

The story weaves each of the characters arcs into one cohesive story with its own trajectory. I found myself equally interested in each of the characters, especially Sylvie, who grew on me so much over the course of the story. There’s more than one romance over the course of the book, and I loved them both. The connection between each couple in the story is palpable, and I was surprised it took them as long to realize they were becoming more than rival. One of the romances is a queer one, and I loved watching it unfold, even against a backdrop of an upcoming war and looming threats to them and the city they love. There’s even some scenes that are a little spicy, which I wasn’t expecting but certainly didn’t mind.

Our characters dream and enchant their way from Paris all the way to the court of Tsar Nicholas and his children, facing all kinds of danger lurking where they least expect it. The thing that stood out most about this book is how it made me remember my own childhood, when a different reality was only a little bit of imagination away, and anything could happen. Sylvie, as the youngest of the Enchantresses, is free and wild and loves nothing more than to dream up the most outrageous things, yet still finds a way to be big-hearted and do what she can to help others.

Overall, this is a fantastic read, and I can’t find a single negative thing to say about it. The pace was steady throughout the book, never making it feel like the story was dragging or moving too fast to follow. There’s a good amount of action in the story, and these conflicts keep things interesting as the rest of the story unfolds. I found myself completely enchanted by this book, and wishing that I could go back and read this for the first time again. This is perfect for readers who enjoy historical fantasy, historical fiction, slow-burn romance, and people who never forget their childhood sense of magic and amazement.

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