The Kiss of the Nightingale

Gr 10 Up–In this romance set in alternate 19th-century Paris, a penniless dressmaker gets caught up in aristocratic intrigue and a love triangle after she steals a magical jewel conferring upon her the Talent—and identity—of a famous opera singer. In the city of Lutèce, status is conferred through the possession and inheritance of enchanted gemstones. Cleodora, 19, has lost the opportunity to inherit her father’s tailoring Talent, when her father died under mysterious circumstances and his gemstone was lost. With the help of the sexy crime boss, Lady Dahlia, Cleo gains a chance to join the Talented Elite—if she agrees to steal the Accounting Talent of the equally sexy Vicomte Nuriel Lenoir. The system of Talents is an interesting metaphor for inherited privilege. As Cleo prepares to steal Victome Lenoir’s talent, she discovers that others around her are “passing” as Talented and that Nuriel feels stymied by his inheritance. The novel shines in portraying Cleo’s passion for couture and her career in opera—she has an eye for the way a hemline or a bespoke tie conveys character. The romance initially skirts cliche as eyelashes are batted and there is a “firestorm of desire,” but Cleo recognizes that Dahlia is an abusive Alpha, regardless of gender, and Cleo and Nuriel’s insults fade into actual rapport.