Everything That Burns by Gita Trelease

Title: Everything that Burns

Author: Gita Trelease
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Publication date: February 2, 2021
Pages: 448
Source/format: e-ARC//Publisher
Rating: ☆☆☆1/2

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

Magic. Betrayal. Sacrifice

Camille Durbonne gambled everything she had to keep her and her sister safe, and now the Vicomtesse de Seguin seeks a new life in Paris. But revolution roils the bloody streets and “aristocrat” is a dangerous word. Safety may no longer be possible.

Following in her father’s footsteps, Camille prints revolutionary pamphlets, sharing the stories of girls.

M Y  T H O U G H T S 

Camille Durbonne is back and fine as ever. Living a life of a well off young lady, she is a feminist and pushes for the rights of women in France. Because she couldn't sell her pamphlets at the local bookstore, the bookkeeper mentions the revolutionary pamphlets would not capture the interest of the masses since he cannot merely suggest women being true citizens.

During the first novel, All That Glitters (Enchantée), Camille was able to bring her sister and herself to safety from a life of poverty after the deaths of her parents. She was able to use magic and glamours to climb the ladder and to provide for her family. In Everything That Burns (Liberté), there is a bigger focus on feminism and equality. Camille wants to share her and her father's ideas through revolutionary pamphlets about girls whose stories need to be told. These are girls who live in outskirts of society; they are marginalized. These marginalized girls are the Lost Girls living in the Flotsam House are the ones Camille helps and seeks to have their voices to be heard.

And then there is Louis XVI who declares that magic a crime and all magicians are traitors. While Camille is very adept to magic, she must be careful while walking the dangerous path. She must hide her true self in order to stay safe. In Everything That Burns, the feminism takes the driver seat in the plot while the magic takes the backseat. The dazzling breath of magic fizzles out slowly in the novel since Camille cannot use her glamours and enchantments like before. It's less turning of coins and more printing of pamphlets. This novel shows humanity's true self and what issues the people suffer through everyday.

Everything That Burns shows what is underneath all the glitz and glamour of the royal courts. The nitty gritty truth of the revolution is rising to the surface. All though the magic isn't as charming, Everything that Burns has wonderful characters. I wish this is a more plot driven novel but I do enjoy the character development. Readers are reunited with familiar characters such as Camille, Sophie, Lazare, Chandon, Rosier, etc. but they also introduced to a variety of new faces of the Lost Girls such as Giselle, Odette, Henriette and Celiné. 

I recommend both All that Glitters and Everything That Burns for readers who are interested in a dark historical fiction duology. 

Enchantée by Gita Trelease

Title: Enchantée
Author: Gita Trelease
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Publication date: February 5, 2019
Pages: 464
Source/format: ARC // Publisher

Rating: ☆☆☆☆1/2

Synopsis (from goodreads.com): 

Paris in 1789 is a labyrinth of twisted streets, filled with beggars, thieves, revolutionaries—and magicians...

When smallpox kills her parents, Camille Durbonne must find a way to provide for her frail, naive sister while managing her volatile brother. Relying on petty magic—la magie ordinaire—Camille painstakingly transforms scraps of metal into money to buy the food and medicine they need. But when the coins won’t hold their shape and her brother disappears with the family’s savings, Camille must pursue a richer, more dangerous mark: the glittering court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.

With dark magic her mother forbade her to use, Camille transforms herself into the ‘Baroness de la Fontaine’ and is swept up into life at the Palace of Versailles, where aristocrats both fear and hunger for la magie. Though Camille's resentment of the rich is at at odds with the allure of glamour and excess, when she meets a handsome inventor she believes liberty and love may finally be possible.

But la magie has its costs. When a scheming courtier blackmails her and Lazare’s affections shift, Camille loses control of her secrets. Then revolution erupts, and she must choose—love or loyalty, democracy or aristocracy, reality or la magie—before Paris burns…

ENCHANTÉE is a thrilling YA historical fantasy that combines the decadence of Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette with the dangerous enchantments of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.

M Y  T H O U G H T S 

"Magicians needed sorrow. And deep sorrow existed only because of love."

Enchantée takes place in pre-revolutionary Paris in the late 1700's. Camille Durbonne wields a kind of magic that can twist pieces of scrap metals into coins with an illusion. Forced to rely on magic in order to live, Camille is left with no choice but to create an alter ego in order to survive. She reinvents herself as Baroness de la Fontaine after finding a magical dress. However, with this alter ego comes a price since she starts using dark magic.

Camille only does this in order to provide for her sister, Sophie, after her brother, Alain, gambled away their last bit of money and because they are on the cusp of being evicted. After their parents died, the three siblings have struggled to live with the basic living needs such as food and shelter. The price of the la magie takes a toll on Camille. She is exhausted everyday but she wants to make sure that Sophie is taken care of.

Gita Trelease showcases extreme poverty against pure luxury. Camille's mother used to be an aristocrat until she married Papa, the printer. But Camille's Grandmère shuns the family because of her daughter's marriage decision. Even when Camille goes out as Camille compared to Baroness de la Fontaine, she is looked down upon like she is unworthy. Status is everything.

Enchantée is beautifully written with an alluring plot and fantastic character development. I have to admit it took me some time to warm up to the book in the beginning. The novel started off a bit slower than I anticipated but then the pace picked up fast. I enjoyed reading about the relationships Camille made throughout the novel and she herself grew a lot from the beginning to the end of the book. Camille learns that lying to people, especially to loved ones, is hard. Keeping secrets slowly eats away at her. Camille learns that she must tell the truth about who she is and she needs to stay true to herself.

Camille reminisces about how her father took her to Versailles to see a Montgolfier when she "helps save" Armand, Lazare and Rosier when flying a hot balloon. The romance between Lazare is slow but steady. You can tell they care for one another but they don't rush anything. He is unlike the other aristocrats out there and truly believes in equality. And that balloon ride with Lazare and Camille is perfect!

I enjoyed reading about when Camille creating her glamoire and when she plays cards at Versailles. There is something satisfying knowing how confident Camille is in the things she does. Camille finding another magician, Chandon, was equally surprising but intriguing. Of course there are some good magicians around and some bad ones. Chandon warns Camille to be careful while she gambles. Little does Camille know is that someone knows of her magic and has been playing the cards of the game only for her to fall into a trap.

Enchantée is a compelling and enchanting historical fantasy that will keep you on your feet wanting to know more. Trelease's gorgeous writing draws in the reader. Enchantée is an ideal read for those who love the stories of Cinderella, Les Miserables and Caraval.