Violaine, a widow and mother of two, lover of books, finds herself in a proposition. After she discovers that her father sold her to a marquise in Boisaulne, she must leave her son and daughter in order to move in with the marquise. This is where she meets the marquis du Herle, also known as Harlequin, who brings her the the Castle of Enlightenment.

Heartbroken and lonely, Violaine discovers the vast library that holds treasures she never expected. But, Violaine discovers that the chateaux des Boisaulne has much more to offer than she thought.

Book: The Prisoner of the Castle of Enlightenment by Therese Doucet
Series: Standalone
Publication Date: February 4, 2020
Tags: Adult, historical fiction, romance, fantasy, retelling
Links: Goodreads | Ebook | Paperback | Hardback | Audio
Read: December 9, 2020 to December 22, 2020

A lover in and of the darkness …

Violaine, a devotee of books and learning, is sold by her father to a mysterious nobleman to become his companion. Fearing herself at the mercy of a monster, Violaine instead succumbs to the seductive spell of her magical new home, and the love of a man she has never seen, who comes to her only in the darkness of night.

The Château de Boisaulne is a place of many mysteries, but also a refuge for children of the Enlightenment in a time when Europe still languishes under the repressive chains of monarchy and superstition. But modern thought meets ancient lore, as the castle borders the forest lair of the roi des aulnes, an ogre said to be the ancestor of Violaine’s unseen lover … or are they one and the same?

Spoiler Free Review

Violaine, a widow and mother of two, lover of books, finds herself in a proposition. After she discovers that her father sold her to a marquise in Boisaulne, she must leave her son and daughter in order to move in with the marquise. This is where she meets the Marquis du Herle, also known as Harlequin, who brings her the the Castle of Enlightenment.

Heartbroken and lonely, Violaine discovers the vast library that holds treasures she never expected. But, Violaine discovers that the château des Boisaulne has much more to offer than she thought.

I gave The Prisoner of the Castle of Environment 3.5 stars, having a wondrous time reading this Beauty and the Beast retelling. This was a fascinating read as we dived into Violaine’s world when she is sold to a marquis as a companion, something that shocks her when discovering that this Marquis de Boisaulne wants nothing but a friend in his lonely château.

It started off a little slow, however as we slowly were introduced to our characters that either are friend or foe to Violaine, it starts to become intense and pushes you to lean forward and sit on the edge of your seat. I enjoyed the aspect of the Beauty and the Beast retelling as it didn’t necessarily copy our hero being a Beast and also loving how Violaine was – in ways – quite similar to Belle.

I love that they were both brave, book lovers, and kindhearted. It was amazing to sort of see the characteristics of Violaine grow as she began to spend time in the Castle of Enlightenment and how, as she began to make friends with the friends of Marquis du Herle that visit every year. The experiences that Violaine encounters shows that as a character, you can really tell how improved her life was from the beginning to the point she joined the Castle of Enlightenment.

This has been a great read as we discover how Violaine becomes much braver than when we were first introduced to her in the beginning of the book. This was a true character growth and I loved the way we got many glimpses of how she begins to stand up for herself and for her friends and the ones that she loves.

The Prisoner of the Castle of Enlightenment is a great read and I highly enjoyed the journey that I was on as I continued to push through the book.

I hope you guys have a great day, please like and comment down below if you enjoyed this book as well or if you plan on reading it!

Loves,

Veronica Chen