Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer by Katie Alender Review

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Title: Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer
Author: Katie Alender (Twitter)
Publisher: Scholastic
Publish Date: September 24, 2013
Genre: YA, Thriller, Mystery
Pages: 304
Source: Publisher

Colette Iselin is excited to go to Paris on a class trip. She’ll get to soak up the beauty and culture, and maybe even learn something about her family’s French roots.

But a series of gruesome murders are taking place across the city, putting everyone on edge. And as she tours museums and palaces, Colette keeps seeing a strange vision: a pale woman in a ball gown and powdered wig, who looks suspiciously like Marie Antoinette.

Colette knows her popular, status-obsessed friends won’t believe her, so she seeks out the help of a charming French boy. Together, they uncover a shocking secret involving a dark, hidden history. When Colette realizes she herself may hold the key to the mystery, her own life is suddenly in danger...
Colette really just wanted to enjoy a holiday with her best friends in the City of Lights, but she got a whole lot more than she bargained for. All she'd expected was a chance to escape her tumultuous family life at home, bask in the beauty of the city and, of course, see all the cute guys. But her trip is overshadowed as Colette continues to see an odd vision of a historical woman parading around in a ball gown and wig. She knows it's not possible, and she knows she'll be risking her own social status, but could it possibly be who she thinks it is?

First and foremost, there is nothing greater than a novel that takes the past and brings it alive through its pages. Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer offers readers a true glimpse into the bright, beautiful and dangerous history of Paris. Author, Katie Alender, offers readers a chance to absorb the magnificent culture of France, merging it beautifully with modern-day nuances, grisly details and a story worth reading. Rich, vivid and alive, Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer is sure to melt the heart of many a historical fiction lover.

I had a really difficult time formulating this review because, for the most part, I really enjoyed this book. However, it kind of left two vastly different tastes in my mouth. I'll begin with what I loved. Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer does an absolutely stellar job of bringing Paris alive through the rich imagery, spot-on descriptions and true feeling for the City of Lights. From Versailles, to the Louvre and more, the book puts you in the actual locales so that we experience the environment as though we're actually there in person. Furthermore, the book doesn't shy away from the eerie and macabre details of the victims' deaths, which makes it a hearty thriller in its own right. And, funny enough, I love a good thriller that stays true to its title. Now, I did have a few issues with the novel though. Colette was an extremely unlikable character in the beginning, and her clique of girls was cruel, snide and altogether unpleasant, which made it extremely difficult for me to feel any sort of empathy for her situation. Now, trust me, I understand why she blindly followed the mean girls. She feared losing her status, but it makes it difficult to like a character when, at first, we aren't privvied to any redeeming qualities. There was some definitive character growth in the end though, so I'll give it that. I guess my real issue with Marie Anoinette, Serial Killer lies within the title itself. The synopsis teases a mystery, which immediately piques my interest, but it didn't take long to realize that the title of the book actually reveals the meat of the mystery anyway. Perhaps it's just me, but I find that to be an incredibly risky and, unfortunately, poor move. The book did, however, have a strong highlight in the sweet love interest, Jules, and I felt that he added another dimension to the otherwise shallow characters. 

Overall, I was decidedly entertained by Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer despite its flaws. I wanted more, but perhaps that's just the picky blogger in me. I give it a 3.5 out of 5, and I recommend it to all fans of YA, especially those who enjoy historial fiction and thrillers.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

18 comments:

  1. I don't think that this book would be for me Melissa, but I'm glad that you gave it a try. The mystery aspect would definitely sound appealing to me too, but I'm sorry that things didn't actually go this way. Thank you for the honest review!

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    1. It's worth a read, Jasprit, but I guess I'd just expected more, you know? Ahhh the difficulties of being a book blogger ;)

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  2. I love writing that makes scenes three dimensional, espcially if it's for Paris.

    Lovely review, Melissa! <33

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    1. Right?! It's the best ever. I love when an author can bring a city or background alive in a novel!

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  3. Marie-Antoinette as a serial killer? I don't think this is the book for me. I don't think the MC is my kind of girl either. I like the cover, though!

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    1. I like the cover a lot, too! I just wish we'd got a little bit extra to go with the fantastic backdrop that the author gave us!

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  4. I love historical fiction, especially featuring the French Revolution, but I've really come to detest books that reveal the secrets of their mysteries, especially in the title. It's simply disappointing, so I doubt I'll pick this up. Still, thanks for your honesty, Melissa - beautiful review!(:

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    1. Thanks, Keertana! I guess I'd hoped for some sort of crazy twist that threw me off the title but, unfortunately, we didn't quite get that. Oh well!

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  5. I've seen so many negative reviews for this, so I decided to get rid of it from my tbr. Your review just proved that I made a good decision. I don't think I would have been able to handle an unlikable character along with a clique of mean girls. There's nothing more I hate than an unlikable character. It just makes reading a chore, you know?
    It's also a shame that the title gives away too much of the mystery. That is such a silly move. I wonder what made the publishers do that.
    I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed the book despite some flaws. The description of Paris has me intrigued. I might borrow this from the library some day.
    Lovely honest review, Melissa! :)

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  6. How disappointing that the title gives away the main aspect of the mystery! That's super frustrating to learn. I love a good mystery, and I don't mind the kind where I know a few things upfront because I'm going to see how they all tie together as we go, but to have something that could have been really surprising made known to me in the title is no fun. Boo. Still, the fact that you were entertained still is a good sign! Beautiful review as usual:)

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  7. It's so difficult when you don't like a character. In some ways, an unlikable character isn't a bad thing for me. Assuming I'm able to get in her head and understand why she does what she does. But that's hard for an author to get right.

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  8. It's hard to face disappointment when you have such high expectations going into a book. Have you read Bad Girls Don't Die? It's also by Katie Alender and is a well-written debut.

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  9. Great review Melissa - I have to admit that while I find it hard to stomach characters that tend to fall under the vicious and mean category, I'd read this based on your descriptions of the settings and the concept alone. I'm a sucker for books that manage to bring to life visions of a past era and love losing myself in different time periods, so consider myself sold.

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  10. You and I are definitely on the same page with this book, Melissa! My GR review mirrors yours:) I loved the history parts (details on the bloody French Revolution--heck YES!) and I loved the tromping around Paris bits. I also thought Jules and his family were awesome. But unfortunately I felt a bit put out about the predictable mystery--it felt like a missed opportunity. I wish there had been more meat to this one because I thought the premise was fun:)

    Great review!

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  11. I think I'm going to pass this off as a fun read. I love books set in Paris and thank goodness Alender does a good job with the setting! Although Colette is not the most lovable character, I love growth so there's that. I'm really curious about the mystery and how it'll all play out. I'll be reading this one soon, so thanks for your honest review! Glad you enjoyed it, Melissa.

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  12. I don't really mind a flawed story as long as it's entertaining. The title alone is awesome and I do love the premise of this one. Think I'm going to have to check it out!

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  13. Oh, wow, no mystery at all? I'm sympathetic to Marie Antoinette, so I'm wondering if I should read this as entertainment, or be a little peeved that there is a slight historical (fictional) tweak.

    Great review!

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  14. I love how unique this sounds and wonder if we'll be seeing more about historical France/French Revolution specifically in YA-I feel like there are so many books set in historical England and America and much less anywhere else. Still I'm not sure if I do want to give this a read despite its cool premise-it's just not grabbing me.

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