The glamourist

Elena Boureanu returns in Smith's second Vine Witch book, visiting Paris to deal with bureaucratic fallout from the events of The Vine Witch (2019), and to meet her future mother-in-law. When her vine-witch registration is revoked, the minister offers her a deal: if she turns in escaped witch Yvette Lenoir, who is rumored to be in Paris, her vine-witch registration will be reinstated, along with the court-ordered "venefica," or poisoner. Elena has no idea where Yvette might be, but fate brings them together, and Elena finds herself increasingly drawn to Yvette's cause and disinclined to betray her. With assistance from a bewitching cat, a curio-shop proprietor, and a skilled thief from Yvette's past, they work to unravel the mystery of Yvette's parentage while evading the police and a mysterious stranger who has a bounty out for Yvette's capture. This is a coming-of-age story for Yvette as she reaches an understanding of her powers, and learns which mortals and witches she can trust.

Smith mixes myth and mystery in this transfixing, standalone sequel to The Vine Witch. Untrained witch Yvette Lenoir, an orphan, escapes from imprisonment for a crime she did not commit with the help of a jinni. In the chaos of the prison break, Yvette accidentally makes a wish on the jinni's magic: that she discover her ancestry and learn proper magic. Now a fugitive in Paris, Yvette is bound by the wish to uncover the truth of her past, leading her to confront her adoptive mother, who gives her a cryptic book of spells left by her birth parents. When Yvette is attacked by a mugger with an interest in the book, Elena Boureanu, the heroine of the previous installment, comes to her rescue. Elena works with Yvette to decode the grimoire before a powerful, nefarious enemy can get his hands on it, uncovering magical and familial secrets along the way. Smith smoothly weaves the perspectives of the two women as she ramps up the intrigue surrounding Yvette's identity. Though the plot is propulsive, the premise of the unintentional wish feels contrived and the mechanics of its magic are never fully explained. High fantasy readers will enjoy this fast-paced page-turner, though they'll long for tighter worldbuilding. Agent: Marlene Stringer, The Stringer Literary. (June)