This book had such a cool concept and the writing did not disappoint! I was enthralled with the world of Orleans, a fantasy New Orleans where magic is primarily used to make people beautiful--for a price. (Also there are teacup elephants and other animals as pets!) This magic enforces the stratification of society and can even alter personalities, but at first Camellia only sees it as blessing and a tool to assure her worldly success. She soon learns that she has far more power and influence than she knew.
Camellia was a great guide to this new world, since she was learning alongside the reader about the intricacies of court politics, the craziness of the royals, and the nuances of her craft. She felt like a cool older sister, stylish and expert. It's nice when characters aren't novices. It's also nice that even though it ended on a bit of a cliffhanger a lot of threads were wrapped up, so it felt complete even though I was dying for the second volume immediately.
Camellia was a great guide to this new world, since she was learning alongside the reader about the intricacies of court politics, the craziness of the royals, and the nuances of her craft. She felt like a cool older sister, stylish and expert. It's nice when characters aren't novices. It's also nice that even though it ended on a bit of a cliffhanger a lot of threads were wrapped up, so it felt complete even though I was dying for the second volume immediately.