The Palace of Illusionsbrings readers to a Paris breathless with excitement at the dawn of the twentieth century, where for a select few there is asecond, secret Paris where the magic of the City of Light is very real in thisenchanting and atmospheric fantasy from the author ofThe Fairy Bargains of Prospect Hill.

In the run up to the 1900s Worlds Fair Paris is abuzz with creative energy and innovation. Audiences are spellbound by the Lumiere brothers moving pictures and Loie Fullers serpentine dance fusing art and technology. But for Clara Ironwood, a talented and pragmatic clockworker, nothing compares to the magic of her godfathers mechanical creations, and shed rather spend her days working on the Palace of Illusions, an intricate hall of mirrors that is one of the centerpieces of the worlds fair.

When her godfather sends Clara a hideous nutcracker for Christmas, she is puzzled until she finds a hidden compartment that unlocks amirror-world Paris where the Seine is musical, fountains spout lemonade, andmechanical ballerinas move with human grace. The magic of her godfathers toys was real.

As Clara explores this other Paris and begins to imbue her own creations with its magic, she soon discovers a darker side to innovation. Suspicious men begin to approach her outside of work,and she could swear a shadow is following her. Theres no ignoring the danger shes in, but Clara doesn’t know who to trust. The magic of the two Parises are colliding and Clara must find the strength within herself to save them both.