Genevieve is a precocious girl with the remarkable power to read the future in a water glass. Left for dead by her family, she is taken in by La Voisin, who rules a secret society of witches that manipulate the rich—from tradesmen all the way up to the king himself.
Genevieve transforms herself into the mysterious Madame de Morville, rumored to be 150 years old. Driven by the spirit of revenge, Genevieve is on the verge of discovering true love when the police sniff out the secret network of poisoners and sorcerers. Genevieve races to escape the stake, unaware who will live and who will die in the wake of the King's terrible vengeance.
My thoughts:
It's a story about a girl from a good home, that is not really good. Her mother does not like her because she is deformed. So this girl transforms into the most sought after seer in Paris. What a Cinderella story. Ok not really. But she took life in her own hands and made something out of it. At a time when a woman should not be alone.
One negative thing about the book would be that it could have been shorter, like 150-100 pages shorter. Because even though it kept out the pace it still felt like it dragged a bit since it was so long. And I am unsure about the end. I can't say but, sometimes you know for sure, and sometimes you can just be 70% sure about something, mysterious, well yes ;)
A secret network of witches, poison, court intrigues at the splendid Sun Court. A world where you can tell futures and those rich enough to spend their money will believe every word you say.
Genevieve was a nice heroine, her mentor La Voisin a nice baddie without being crazy bad. She was just a big spider in a net. Then there was a tiny bit of romance, just a tiny bit late on as Genevieve became more popular.
Conclusion:
There are real historical characters in this one, including La Voisin. And the author mixes reality and fiction in a nice blend.
Cover
Eh, does not tell me much
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 544
Published: Nov 1st 2012 by Sourcebooks Landmark (first pub 1994)Source: For review