A young woman from Revolutionary-era France enters a dangerous magical game in the mysterious, romantic dark fantasy Château Reverie by Natasha Siegel (As Many Souls as Stars).
In 1790, noblewoman Genevieve de Vienne and her maid and lover, Claire Marchand, flee the Revolution, but unidentified attackers stop their carriage. In the end, the narrator pronounces, "Claire Marchand died that night. And Genevieve de Vienne died, too." Five years later, Genevieve now lives in Devon, England, with her grandfather, but memories of her tragedy in France and Claire's loss still haunt her dreams. An invitation arrives for her to attend the Auction of Secrets at Château Reverie. Genevieve need only write her heart's desire on the reverse of the invitation and burn it to accept. She is not sure what to make of the offer, but she knows her heart's desire: "To forget Claire Marchand."
Leander Sterne is a prisoner of the Château Reverie with no memory of his life before he came there. He receives an invitation to the Auction of Secrets as well, and his wish is simply for "liberty." He knows all too well the auction and its games and penalties--and the château's ruler, Lady Reverie, who calls herself his mother. He knows the only way to win is to bid the best secret. Amnesiac Leander has no secrets and will have to steal from someone else, such as the "guileless, wide-eyed woman" called Genevieve. Their genuine connection catches him off guard. As the five other auction contestants begin to disappear, Leander and Genevieve will have to decide what matters more: winning or each other.
Siegel builds an opulent atmosphere with lavish clothing. In this luxurious environment, characters feast on delicacies that allow Lady Reverie to steal into their memories or find themselves turned into home furnishings after breaking a rule. The resulting air of dissolute wonder enchants and disturbs. At the novel's heart lies an examination of how grief and memory shape lives and minds, and whether it is better to suffer pain for the sake of experience and wisdom or to live in forgetful comfort. Readers who love Caitlin Breeze's The Fox Hunt, Holly Black's Folk of the Air series, or Heather Fawcett's Emily Wilde adventures will sink into Siegel's graceful fever dream of a novel like they're slipping into a bath of delicious chaos. --Jaclyn Fulwood, blogger at Infinite Reads
Shelf Talker: A dangerous magical auction ensnares a grieving young Frenchwoman and an amnesiac prisoner in this dark, secret-laden fantasy.