1. Themes
1.1. The protagonist, Mirabelle, struggles with the concept of Good vs. Evil. She is not a saint- she brews the poison that kills the Sun King and is also responsible for the magical dragons created for Lesages' use. However, she tries to right the wrong by brewing curatives for the sick and needy. She also hides her true self and several facts about herself when she meets Josse. This is a classic characteristic of the genre of dark fantasy--the protagonists is not necessarily "good".
1.2. Revolution and Corruption: The coup d'etat of the Shadow Society was a huge fail. After La Voisin came to power, she actually made the city a lot worse with the blood thirsty magic and the killing of the police officers to remain in power. Was it better than the oppressive rule of the Sun King? No. Was it worse? Perhaps....La Voisin did not really get the chance to rule , and rule well. Eventually, with the representatives, the idea that the book seems to be promoting is that of democracy- the need for people to have a say in the affairs of the state.
2. Literary Devices
2.1. Defining Characteristic of the Genre of Dark Fantasy: Deliberate Ominous Tone
2.1.1. "My laboratory reeks of death. Not of blood and flesh and decay, but the garlicky bite of arsenic, the musty essence of hemlock..." (p.1)
2.2. Use of Hyperbole.
2.2.1. "I do not move or breathe or blink for the space of five heartbeats as a tiny seedling of pride sprouts inside my chest. I know better than to let it take root. She will change her mind. Or her praise will transform into a bard, as it always has before. But when neither happens, the shoots curl around my heart and grow." (pg.8)
2.3. Alternating POV
2.3.1. Wrong: Both viewpoints convey the same character growth, plot information, or thematic material. "Again, if the dual POV is just hitting the same notes again and again, it’s just dragging the pacing and taking twice as long to tell one story. "
2.3.2. The voice remains the same between chapters dedicated to Mirabelle and Josse. This is not ideal for alternating POV.
2.3.2.1. “ I’ve nearly drifted off to sleep when shouting erupts down the tunnel, followed by the slap, slap, slap of boots on stone. I bolt upright. Cool tendrils of fear trickle down my neck, and I shiver as I stare into the darkness.” Pg. 127, Mirabelle's chapter
2.3.2.2. “Slowly, the streets fill with carts and carriages and people buying bread and cheese. At one point I think I see a man in a long black overcoat marching toward the shop and I scramble to my feet.” Pg. 146, Josse's chapter
3. Critical Review
3.1. The character, Mirabelle, is actually quite flawed. She doesn't really know what she wants to do, and she is mostly just ridden with guilt. She isn't able to completely help the Shadow Society in their mission nor is she able to do anything that might help Josse. Some reviewers talk about the purpose of her being the protagonist--that it wasn't necessary at all. The fact that there was an alternating POV with Josse and Mirabelle was actually not necessary. And I agree. She doesn't do much to increase the pace of the story, and she really does not have any agency. An alternating perspective with the Dauhpin would have been better. He is the character that actually saves the day, and he is also the character that took us by surprise.
3.2. While some reviewers actually point out that Mirabelle and Josse are actually similar, yet different, and therefore the use of an alternating POV is justified. They are both struggling to understand their agency, and are both"starved of acceptance". However, their lack of agency is taken over by other minor characters who actually have a major role to play. Their personal issues kind of gets lost in the chaos of the revolution.
4. Historical Context
4.1. The actual event: The Affair of the Poisons was an actual event that took place in the 17th century in France. La Voisin, also known as the "Duchess Among Witches" was born to nothing, and learned to read palms and faces from her mother when she was 9 years old. As she grew older, she married Antoine Monvoisin, who was a jeweller. She worked as a fortune teller for a while, until she started noticing patterns to what people wished for. Soon, she started brewing simple potions and powders to help people's wish come true. This slowly grew to become a huge network of fortune-tellers and alchemists around the city of Paris. She caught the attention of the royal family, including Madame de Montespan, who is rumoured to have hired La Voisin's assistance in killing Louis XIV, the Sun King because he traded her for Angelique de Fontanges in 1679. La Voisin attempted to deliver her poison to the Sun King 3 times before she was caught and executed with her associates between 1679 and 1682. La Voisin and her husband did not get along and broke apart. Unlike the book, Antonie Monvoisin was alive, but La Voisin hated him. However, she never tried to kill him. Louis XIV eventually had to stop the investigation on the Affair of Poisons to protect his inner circle and his own reputation. La Voisin was arrested and executed with 33 associates.
4.2. Marie-Marguerite, the eldest daughter of La Voisin, was actually an extremely crucial witness to incriminting and executing La Voisin. She was extremely wary of her mother and helped her out sometimes. She was arrested and executed in 1680.
4.3. The actual event took place in palace of Saint-Germain and not Versailles.
4.4. "Captain" Luc Desgrez was actually Lieutenant Francois Desgrez, right hand man to La Reynie, the lieutenant general of the Paris Police and principal investigator in the Affair of the Poisons. He is the one who arrested La Voisin.
4.5. Louis, the Grand Dauphin, died before his father in 1711. Marie Therese, died at the age of 5 due to Tuberculosis. Anne died at the age of 6, which crushed her sister Francoise.
5. Genre
5.1. Fantasy
5.1.1. This book is in the genre of Fantasy and Horror, and alternate history. "Fantasy is a story, movie, game or piece of art, which incorporates supernatural phenomena as an important part of its content, which can assume different roles, but without which it would not function."
5.1.2. Use of magical creatures
5.1.2.1. Use of dragons. The dragons are used here as a weapon, a way to threaten people, to show power. However, traditionally dragons have been fierce guarders/watchers, and are largely---untameable. With the smoke, they could have made really anything else---but she chose to make dragons. This indicates lazy writing and a lack of imagination.
5.2. Dark Fantasy
5.2.1. Sometimes, evil wins in the Dark Fantasy genre. Evil does not win at the end of this book, but it does not lose either. The Shadow Society does manage to overthrow the oppressive reign of the Sun King, but soon becomes a lot more oppressive and disruptive overtime. One could argue that it is a lot more oppressive than the rule of the royals. At the end, the reinstating of the royals does not necessarily mean that the status quo has drastically improved. Other than having a few representative with the royal king, the underlying theme of oppressive power does not change. As we know, this happened way before the French Revolution against the Aristrocrats in the 18th century.
5.2.2. Lack of heroes is another characteristic of this genre. The protagonists, actually, ends up being less than heroes in this book. Both Mirabelle and Josse seem to have their own personal struggle that they are trying to cover up with their plan to overthrow the Shadow Society. However, the book ends with the Grand Dauphin saving the day and restoring the royals to its former glory. Mirabelle and Josse are in prison at that time.
5.2.3. Gloomy atmosphere via precise descriptive language.
5.2.3.1. Comparison to The Island by Armin Greder
5.2.3.2. His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman