Set in Paris in the 19th Century, this rollicking tale based on an old story of a cursed gemstone stolen from India is full of twists and turns.

A long way from home and trying to make the best of living and working as a maid in the home of a haughty benefactor, Zélie makes an unlikely ally in a sewer boy called Jules.

Jules has somehow found Zélie's father's locket in the underground sewer tunnels, despite the man himself being thousands of miles away at home in India.

This discovery sets Zélie and Jules off on an adventure to work out what has happened, with lots of spooky gothic detail along the way. Themes of trust, friendship and self-belief weave through the book too.

This is a story pitched at middle grade - so 8 to 12 years old. I'd exercise caution at the lower end of that band due to the peril and violence, but it's a fantastic book especially if kids or adults alike have a taste for mystery and macabre!

I'm happy to post on Goodreads, Instagram, Facebook, Storygraph etc nearer the publication date.

3.5 stars
One Liner: Fast-paced and entertaining

1895, Paris
Zelie Dutta is not a witch, even if she is accused of being one. However, a chance encounter brings her face-to-face with Jules, a sewer cleaner boy who found a gold locket. This locket once held the (in)famous Snakestone, the one Zelie needs to find her father.
However, the quest is far from easy, with a dangerous brother society wanting the same magical stone. Time is running out, and Zelie has to use all their talents to stay alive and find her father. Can she do it?
The story comes in Zelie (mostly) and Jules’ third-person POV.

My Thoughts:
How can I resist a book that has Indian characters? And, of course, the vibrant cover grabbed my attention. This one connects colonial India and France (Paris) with magic, science, mystery, adventure, steampunk, and loads of danger.
The narration is fast-paced, so much so that we don’t get time to breathe before Zelie is off on another adventure. This suits her character, as she is a bundle of energy, ready to jump, leap, and rush (for different reasons). However, there isn’t much time for anything else, be it character development or detailed world-building.
The book starts with Zelie being called a witch. We see how the fellow maids in the house are wary of her for belonging to another race and most importantly, because her eyes are of a different color. Zelie has heterochromia, where the color of each eye is different.
Jules is a sewer boy, twelve years or so. He is not eager to help Zelie but agrees eventually. There were instances when I liked Jules more than our MC. He is balanced and not prone to impulses like her. However, I didn’t find any mention of Zelie’s age. She should be around the same or a year younger, based on my calculation. It’s hard to imagine the characters in such instances.
In a way, I like that Zelie is not perfect. She is judgmental, stubborn, reckless, and not someone who will listen to good advice. Despite that, I feel many young readers will connect to her determination to find her father and the risks she takes in the process. Her love for her family comes across very clearly. She is kind, which works in her favor.
The overall content is darkish but nothing too scary. There’s no time to feel scared with the girl racing off to a bigger danger. Sigh!
The book deals with themes like trust, friendships, family, greed (for fame and money), privilege, differences between rich and poor, the lack of pockets in women’s wear, etc. And oh, it puts forward an important question - why do men’s dresses have buttons in the front and when women have to deal with buttons at the back? So unfair, right?
Each chapter comes with a title, hinting at what’s to come. Some of these are spoilers, too. It won’t be a problem for all, but some readers won’t like it.

To summarize, Secrets of the Snakestone is an entertaining adventure set in the dark side of Paris. Despite the flaws, the book is a good read and should keep young ones hooked.
The Kindle version is okay, but the formatting is the best in the PDF.
Thank you, NetGalley and Nosy Crow, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
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The review will be rounded up to 4 stars on Amazon.

Many thanks to NetGalley for an E-ARC of this book. 3.5 stars.

Generally well written though it does fall prey to some gender stereotypes which weren't necessary. Lots of peril and adventure and a great peak beneath the city of Paris including the catacombs and sewers!

A didactic tale that teaches us not to judge a book by its cover and that, in this case, the seemingly respectable, wealthy characters are actually the villains.

More sophisticated writing and less obvious plot transitions would have gained an additional star.

Overall a well paced, book suitable for pre teens.

Kids will absolutely adore this story.
This is defintely a book that I would stock inna primary school library for the older students.

The story has all the elements that a child could dream for in an adventure story
- mystery
- secrets
- ancient legends
- dastardly characters trying to foil the heroes plan
- diverse cast

I would definitelly reccomend to the kids at work.

The plot

The prologue sees a rat run deep under the city of Paris, into the sewers, ending near where a man and boy work clearing a blockage. The rat sees a small gold object winking bright in the mucky water but is driven away by the sense of something "deep and slow and older than the city or the earth upon which it was built." Evil. The boy, Jules, spots the item, its like two haves of a walnut held together with a clasp. A locket engraved with indecipherable symbols. It twitched in his hand like a living thing and gave off a sickly yellow-green glow. Pocketing it, he notes under which street, and possibly which house, the effluent has come from. There may be a reward for him if he returns it to the owner . . . .

Zélie Dutta has been sent by her father away from their home in the jungle south of Culcuta to live and work in Paris as a maid for Madame Malaise. She lives in an attic room shared with another maid called Blanche. The house was once the home of Doctor Malaise, discoverer of the cure for Blisterpox. The discovery had got the Doctor much fame and wealth, but he died a year later. He had been a member of a dark and decidedly dubious society called the Brotherhood of Blood. Readers will find out more about their dodgy dealings and wicked works later. Needless to say, it is not good.

Being a foreigner does not help Zélie, and the other staff are weary of her, more so as she has heterochromia – different coloured eyes. They attribute any accident, lost item or theft in the grand house they live and work in on Rue Morgue, to Zélie, and call her a witch. Items being lost, stolen, get blamed on her.

Of course, that is all rot, bigotry and covering up their own mistakes and shortcomings. Our protagonist doesn't understand why she had to travel abroad and come to this house to work. It could have something to do with her father having to borrow money and thus using her to repay the debt.

Whatever the reason, she wants to get home. But as the lady of the house reads her letters to her father, she can not write about the dire conditions. When her father does not respond to her letters after a few months, Zélie becomes very worried, heightening her desire to escape the house and France.

One day, on the way out to get some mercury-based powder for Madame's make-up, she bumps into the same sewer boy, Jules. He is holding the locket and is intent on finding an owner.

Zélie immediately recognises the locket as the one that her father used to wear around his neck. He would never speak of what it was or how he came by it, but he would never have given it up.

What I can and will say is that the locket used to house the Snakestone. The stone is cursed, like so many famous stones are reputed to be. And even though the stone brings long life, health and fortune to the possessor, it demands and exacts a terrible price – the loved ones of whoever holds the stone will die a horrible and unexplainable painful death. So why does Zélie's father have it, or at least have the locket? Could her mother have been killed by the curse?

Persuading Jules to take her to where he found it, she begins a search to understand why it is in Paris and what has happened to her Baba - her father.

Now, dear reader, the book escalates by many notches. In the search for the truth, Zélie and Jules find new allies, are betrayed, and get entangled with the 'Brotherhood of Blood'. They, too, and their sinister leader, are interested in the stone and, it seems, have a connection to Mr Dutta. What of Madame Malaise? Is she just a grieving widow? Then there are the circus folk Zélie visits. Could they be possible friends? With lives other than their own lives at risk, the story enters one captivating grand finale, which — did you really think I'd give that away?

Ultimately, everything in this adventure is intertwined, but not everything or everyone is as they seem. You now have great fun, as we did, of finding out for yourselves.

What did we think?

A beautiful literary jewel, filled with adventure and a plot worthy of grander, classical novels. Steeped in the very essence of 1890's Parisian life, above and below ground, that leaps from the pages. Captivating and compelling from the first enigmatic page through until the very last. Sheer genius not to be missed.

I haven't been hooked on a book so quickly or compelled to read on more than I was with this. That, indeed, is an excellent sign. What I found within was a delightful plot that entertained and provided oodles of character, adventure, suspense, heroines and villains, dark and sinister, spangly and exotic, all sewn deftly together with lyrical expertise and a hint of magic.

It is, I think, very much of the same sort of magic Wilkie Collins infussed into the classic, The Moonstone, which was written in the same era and has enthralled children and adults alike ever since.

Finally, we loved the quote from Les Misérables, by Victor Hugo, about the sewers under Paris. That sets a flavour, a tone, at the beginning of the book that lasts throughout.

I thoroughly enjoyed joining Zélie and Jules on their adventures and derring do. Although Jules is more reluctant than Zélie to place himself in danger, he is a good friend and wants to help. He tries to warn her that not everyone should be taken at their word but she ignores his pleas, which puts her in mortal danger more than once. I particularly enjoyed the internal, inspirational speeches Zélie gives herself when in need of a bit of extra bravery.
Set in the underbelly of Paris near the end of the 19th century and based on a colonial tale of a healing stone (with severe small print warnings), the story involves family separation and loss, subterfuge, circus acts, a secret society up to no good and a cast of diverse and often dastardly characters.
The main themes are friendship, trust, making the right choice, greed and power.
Thank you to the author for pointing out the absolute truth about pockets (severe lack of) in women’s clothes and the huge issue of back and front fastenings on clothing…how many items of men’s clothing need contortionist skills to fasten them? Exactly!
Thanks to NetGalley and Nosy Crow for the eARC in exchange for this review. The book will be published on March 14th 2024.

The premise and the beautiful cover are what first attracted me to this adventure story set in 19th century France. The story itself does not disappoint - Zélie Dutta, the main character, has been sent from her home in India to work as a maid in the terrible home of the aptly-named Madame Malaise. The opening of the novel shows how Zélie is discriminated against, suspected of witchcraft and mistreated but she is a determined, confident and irrepressible character, which we see in her letters to her beloved father and in the wonderful pep talks she gives herself about all the reasons she is great. I loved these and makes me wish we could read a prequel about all these cobra-killing, chess-playing, underwater adventures she mentions.

It’s very hard to summarise this story but it centres around her discovery of a familiar stone, which leads her and her new friend Jules to try to solve the mystery of what has happened to her father. It involves a circus, a sloth, a mysterious secret society, cutting edge 19th-century scientific discovery as well as magical elements. There are riddles, moustache-twirling villains, and even an Indiana Jones-style adventure through the sewers of Paris. This is a fast-moving and engaging read.

There is almost too much crammed into this rich and evocative story. Zélie herself as a character has so much to offer but each side character is also intriguing, I could happily have read more about any of the circus friends or the staff at Madame Malaise’s house. I hope there will be a sequel or more books from this author set in this world, it has such imagination and potential.

Thank you to NetGalley and Nosy Crow for providing this copy for review. All opinions are my own.

Edge of seat adventure with a plucky and ingenious heroine in the sewers of Paris. The Secrets of the Snakestone is a rollicking read with so much packed into it it's a wonder the spine of the book doesn't burst! Zelie is a fantastic protagonist - resourceful and brave and determined to track down the mysterious, and dangerous, Snakestone in order to save her beloved father. Set in the streets (and under the streets) of 19th Century Paris, the story takes in dastardly secret societies, the world of the circus, colonialisation, racism and class struggle in an adventure which still manages to often be humorous, thanks to Piu Das Gupta's skill as a storyteller. A magnificent achievement in storytelling and a feast for the imagination.

When Zélie is sent to France to work, her unusual appearance gets her branded as a witch. Zélie doesn't believe in magic but knowing the power of a good story, she handles the taunts by modelling herself on her favourite book hero - the daring Count Rudolph.

Zélie's courage and skills are quickly put to the test when she finds the locket of her dear father who is supposed to be on the other side of the world. How did the locket end up in a Parisian sewer? Who are the shadowy people desperate to get their hands on it - and why?

Secrets of the Snakestone is a thrilling tale set between murky underground tunnels, an exotic circus and the dangerous realms of a secret society. It sparkles with adventure and will keep you hanging on until the last page. Just brilliant!

Loved this magical adventure steam-punky book inspired by Indian colonial lore! Zélie is a kick-butt main character whom I'd follow anywhere – the list of cool things she can do actually made me lol in amazement. I especially loved her clever, action-packed quest through murky, underground Paris, solving riddles and exploring a weird circus while tracking down a famous cursed jewel to save her dad. And the stunning descriptions of Zélie's home in Calcutta simply took my breath away. This book is GREAT for kids looking for a cool twist in fantasy – it blends mystery and magic, hilarity and heartache, and in its heart sits coiled the perfectly creepy gem of truth.

Secrets of the snakestone is a historical tale with fantasy elements set in victorian France and aimed at Middle grade children.

It tells the tale of Zélie who an Indian girl who has been brought over to be the housemaid of a rich and rather horrible woman. Its a tale of magic, friendship, family and betrayal with hints at social injustice. it's a wonderful book with the odd joke that would appeal to the younger readers. Would like to see more from this author