For those of you who are regular readers of my blog, you will know that the Stalking Jack the Ripper series is one of my ultimate faves. The characters, the settings, the murder... Everything about it is *mwah*. I've always loved murder (okay, that sounds weird) and I've always been intrigued by forensics. So, it should come to you as no surprise that I like reading about things like that as well. I was looking for books similar to SJtR ON Goodreads, and came upon Spectacle. 

Paris, 1887.
Sixteen-year-old Nathalie Baudin writes the daily morgue column for Le Petit Journal. Her job is to summarize each day's new arrivals, a task she finds both fascinating and routine. That is, until the day she has a vision of the newest body, a young woman, being murdered--from the perspective of the murderer himself.
When the body of another woman is retrieved from the Seine days later, Paris begins to buzz with rumors that this victim may not be the last. Nathalie's search for answers sends her down a long, twisty road involving her mentally ill aunt, a brilliant but deluded scientist, and eventually into the Parisian Catacombs. As the killer continues to haunt the streets of Paris, it becomes clear that Nathalie's strange new ability may make her the only one who can discover the killer's identity--and she'll have to do it before she becomes a target herself.

I'm very much a mood reader, I can't create a set TBR, or do one of things where you pull a title of a book out of a jar... I HAVE to read the book depending on my mood, otherwise I will end up putting it down.

Even though we're going through a pretty depressing time right now in the world (I hope everyone is okay, and staying safe!), I really wanted to read something murder-y and I had been eyeing up Spectacle for a while. So, I took it off my shelf and started reading...



"Nathalie was never afraid of the dark, even as a child. If anything, she wanted to know what was in it."



It took me a while to get into. I couldn't really connect with the main character, Nathalie. She was sixteen and just read much older. I know that this is a common theme in YA, but I kept trying to imagine my seventeen-year-old sister doing half the things that the main character did and I just couldn't.

I have seen a lot of people saying in their reviews that the main character was 'annoying' because she couldn't accept her gift. BUT EXCUSE ME. Imagine if it was the 19th century - or any time period, to be honest - and you could suddenly see how people died. I'm pretty sure I'd be scared out of my mind, confused, and I'd definitely be thinking that I was going insane. So, yes I completely get where people are coming from when they're saying she was slightly annoying, but duuuuddeeee. C'mon. She's just found out she can see things... *shudders*



"To go to the morgue was to poke the grim reaper in the ribs, to tell him he was riveting. Because if he was riveting, he wasn’t scary."



Supporting Nathalie were two brilliantly written female characters: Simone and Agnés. I love a good f/f friendship in YA. There was a little bit of bitchiness but I kinda get it since tensions were so high anyway in Paris because of a serial killer that was on the loose. Another interesting side character was Christophe. I rolled my eyes at first at this weird-ass flirtationship and I really didn't want it to happen. But, when Christophe told Nathalie that he was engaged, I felt SO SAD and just lay there in bed like 'I WAS ROOTING FOR YOU!' Oh, how the tables turned.

One of the things that I thought was intriguing was the world of Insightfuls and the back story of the experiments. I'm really hoping that these are explored more in the second book - Sensational - because it was so interesting to read about this mad scientist who wanted to inject powers into people.

ALSO. LONG LIVE AUNT BRIGITTE! I don't care if she's gone mad, (well, I do care because I think she's amazing), her character was so interesting and even though she was in an asylum, she still wanted to help Nathalie... I love her so much.

Speaking of the killer, one of the main things that really let this book down was the discovery of their identity. It kind of reminded me of when Dracula is killed in the eponymous classic. His death is over in two sentences and the discovery of the Dark Artist was definitely reminiscent of Dracula. It was a shame, actually because there was this massive build up towards finding him and revealing his identity and then... nothing.

Other random thoughts:
- I didn't really see the point in her dressing up as a boy for the newspaper when half way through, she decides not to do it anymore.
- I lost count at how many times pain au chocolat was mentioned.
- Definitely Jack the Ripper vibes on how the women were murdered. Very grotesque, so content warnings for murder and gore.

Even though there are a few things that could have definitely been improved in this novel, it's brilliant for a debut, and I'm excited to see how Zdrok's writing style progresses in her second book.

Disclaimer: this book was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Where to begin with this book? I devoured it and fell in love with all of the characters except Christophe and Nathalie have stolen my heart (and yes, I am scheming ways of them to be together). This book had me at the edge of my seat, trying to guess who the killer was while strolling through the streets of 19th century Paris.
I fell in love with everything in this book, and it is one of the best books I have read this year.

For my full babbling review, check out my blog https://bookgirlreviewsbooks.blogspot.com or grab a copy yourself.

5 out of 5 stars.

Fantastic, paranormal murder mystery in Paris 1887. Nathalie writes the morgue report for Le Petit Journal. As she is observing the corpses one morning for her segment she has a vision of the victims murder taking place. Is her imagination running away with her? Then the letters start coming to the paper from the Dark Artist, taunting her and all of Paris. As you get deeper into the book and find out more about the characters and plot twists and turns you are left wanting more. I cannot wait for the next book to come out!!

Thank you NetGalley, Jodie Lynn Zdrok and Macmillan USA for this edition and hearing my honest review. Looking forward to reading more with you
#partner

It was like a French Jack the Ripper, but with its own unique twist that made it an enjoyable read. I liked the main character in the beginning, but I felt like in the middle she got overly weak and whiny. I understand that strong characters don’t have to be strong all the time, but I thought it was too much the opposite for her in the middle. I did like the ending.

My thoughts

Would I recommend it? Yes

Would I read more of the series? Yes, in fact I have the second book to read.

Would I read more by this author? Yes

Dark as well as twisted with a touch of the supernatural and pulls you in to the story. I mean what more can you want in a young adult mystery. You have sixteen Nathalie who is a report for the Le Petie Journal, and she starts to have visions about the crimes that is taking place and you start to wounder is she actually seen them or is it more like she's losing her mind type of the thing,then as for the bodies and the murder himself , is it possible that it could be Jack the Ripper himself or is it a copycat, another thing is you get to see what Paris was like doing that time and the author brings that to life as well. And as for the twists and turns you find out that there might just be more going then right you think and that other people are keeping secrets that might be good or bad and some of them might be linked to the killer themselves but are you strong and brave enough to brave this story and find out what they are. With that said I want to thank Netgalley for letting me read and review it and after reading it I can't wait to read the next book.

It took me a while to finish reading this book, mostly because I wasn't in a great reading mood. However, I really enjoyed this book! The atmosphere was charming and I liked the mystery aspect of it. The main character was a bit of an idiot at times but she is sixteen, I can't really say I didn't do dumb things at that age, so it's understandable. Also, I felt as if there were parts that were stretched out too much but that could be because I was reading so slowly.
In the end, I really liked it and I think I'm even excited for the sequel!

I had the extreme pleasure of reading an ARC of SPECTACLE and I can’t wait for it to be out in the world so I have more people to squeal about it with! I loved the historical details, the pseudo science, and all rollercoaster of plot twists! Such a fun book to curl up with!

Though this one started off slow the ending really made up for the anger I was feeling at the beginning. I’m a true lover of true crime and mystery so I knew I was going to like this one, this is why I was so upset at the beginning. Pushing myself through this was fully worth it and truly a surprising ending. I was always suspicious of everyone through the whole book because I wanted to know who did it. The twist that I didn’t see coming or why was probably my favorite part especially how it effect Nat in her regular life. Also the fact that it was put in the time period it did truly made it a pleasure to read and I can’t wait for the second one!

I loved this book! It was more fast-paced than what I usually read, and I think because of that I didn't feel as though the POV was very deep, but I didn't really mind *that* much. I was too intrigued by the world and murder mystery scenario to dwell on my lack of connection to the main character. This was also the first YA fantasy I've read in a while that didn't really have any romance, and it was kind of refreshing! The author created a portrait of a realistic but magical Paris, and propelled the plot forward at every opportunity. I would definitely recommend this for a quick, intriguing read.

There are few things I love more than historical mystery/horror. I don't know how to explain but there is nothing quite like a set of characters investigating a murder in a historical setting. It's not just a simple murder mystery though, the supernatural plays a big part in Spectacle. In fact it reminded me of The Diviners by Libba Bray, and if you know anything about me that's the highest praise I could give. What made this book even more enjoyable was the main character who is fighting societal norms and expectations, and never dails to be smart and spirited. Highly recommend to anyone who's a fan of spooky reads and lovable characters.

I first heard about Zdrok’s Spectacle duology after I finished Kerri Maniscalco’s Stalking Jack the Ripper series last year. In the haze of my book hangover I searched Goodreads for anything that could be remotely similar to Maniscalco’s macabre Young Adult historical mystery/romance. Spectacle was one of the books that was recommended as similar to Stalking, but I didn’t pick it up at the time and instead engrossed myself in Cassandra Clare’s Clockwork Angel trilogy.

I never forgot about Spectacle, though, and the premise continued to intrigue me. I love a good Young Adult historical mystery, and I love them even more when there is something ~magical~ going on.

Here’s the setup of Spectacle: 1880s Paris. Every day the unidentified bodies of people who have died are displayed publicly in the city morgue in hopes that each body can be claimed and identified. Our protagonist, Nathalie, is spending her summer writing the morgue column for a huge Paris newspaper. This is a really uncommon position for a 16 year old girl, so he has to write the column anonymously. Every day she writes about the dead, unidentified bodies of the people she sees through the morgue glass. But when a serial murderer starts terrorizing the city, things get complicated. Nathalie starts having visions about the victims’ last moments, and she starts having weird lapses in memory. This, of course, distresses her, and the story continues as she, her friends, and a very attractive police officer work to understand what’s going on.

The comparisons to Stalking Jack the Ripper are mostly justified– both stories are historical mysteries, and both deal in some fashion with the gruesome monotony of dead bodies. The main characters feel similar too; Audrey Rose and Nathalie could be related in another life. But there are a lot of differences between the series too. While Maniscalco’s Stalking series was largely romance based, the romance here is delicately sprinkled through the story. The mystery here is much more the focus of the plot, and I think that works well for the book as a whole. And, of course, Stalking Jack the Ripper doesn’t have much in the way of fantastical or paranormal elements. In Spectacle, the paranormal is very central to Nathalie’s story and in the development of the mystery plot.

I think other valid comparisons could be made between Spectacle and Roshani Chokshi’s The Gilded Wolves or Libba Bray’s The Diviners (both of which, coincidentally, I did not care for). The paranormal/fantastical elements of these YA books are also a big part of the narrative, and all of these are historical fiction/fantasy. The Gilded Wolves is actually set in Paris during the exact same time period as Spectacle. But where those books failed to deliver compelling plots for me, Spectacle just worked so well.

The atmosphere built throughout Spectacle is silently spooky and very delightfully Parisian. The build up to the last act is slow and deliberate, and the twists and turns of the last act had me flipping page after page and staying up late. Nathalie’s friends are side characters, but they actually have dimension. Her love interest, Christophe, is nice, understanding, and pretty uncomplicated. Nathalie, herself, is strong-willed, loyal, and not afraid to seek tough answers. She grows a lot through the book, too, and I loved seeing her character develop.

As for what I didn’t like, there isn’t much. I do think that Nathalie could have been aged up, and it would have made more sense for the time period. She feels 18 in the book, not the 16 she actually is, and I would have believed that she would actually be writing this newspaper column more had she been a little older. My understanding is that the sequel takes place two years after the end of this book, so she is actually 18 in the next installment.

All in all, this book is solidly four stars for me, and I will definitely continue on in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the eArc I received in exchange for an honest review.

Blog post: https://backshelfbooks.wordpress.com/2020/02/21/spectacle-by-jodie-lynn-zdrok/
Goodreads post: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3196804521

Spectacle
By Jodie Lynn Zdrok
3/5

This book was kind of creepy, kind of magical, a little teensie-tiny bit romantic, and a bit slow...unfortunately on that last one. The story follows Natalie, a 16 year old intrepid reporter in historical Paris, who writes the morgue report for a local paper to support her family after a tragic fire burns her mother's hands. Her father is away at sea and so it is up to her to help make ends meet, and she does with the help of a family friend at the paper. When a murderer comes to town and strikes out against young women, sending notes to the police and papers, Natalie must report on it all. But when she accidentally touches the viewing window's glass, she is transported in her mind to the perspective of the killer during the attack, watching it happen as though through her own eyes. Unsettled and afraid she has gone mad like her aunt, she tries to hide her new gift, and tried to find out what madness exactly plagues her aunt. This search leads her into the world of magically enhanced humans, blood transfusions, and discovering the secrets of her family. It also brings her closer and closer to the killer.

I found this book to be very exciting, but very long. There is a lot of days when nothing really important happens and it could be condensed so the story really focuses on a) the murder mystery aspects and b) the magical ability/family history aspects. The second half of the book is faster, with more emphasis on the actual plot. I did really like that a lot of the plot points were unexpected. When you'd expect the story to go one way--a conventional way--the author has chosen to pivot and present a new scenario. It was refreshing. I like that the book kept on throwing me curveballs. I never really knew what she was going to do next. I really enjoyed the side characters although I couldn't help but feel that they all seemed very much like 20-somethings and not the 16 year olds they were supposed to be. I realize this is a historical time period so that maybe accounts for it. My experience of 16 year olds is that they are just a bit more immature. Overall, I enjoyed it, but mostly because of the second half of the book. I would recommend this book to fans of Kerri Maniscalco's Stalking Jack the Ripper series and would love to hear what other Maniscalco fans think.

Spectacle is the story of a young French girl, Nathalie, who becomes embroiled in the mystery surrounding a serial murder case after having visions of the victims' final moments.

This is a darkly atmospheric book that opens strong with a visit to the morgue. However, from there it ebbs and wanes with some parts that are exciting and engaging and others which are slow and painfully dull. Which is such a shame, since the last 30% of the story is action packed, mysterious, and full of suspense - but I almost gave up before I got there.

The ending is very strong - I was not expecting any of it! Based on the ending alone, I intend to pick up the next book in the series, but I really hope that I don't have to wade through the boredom again to get to the good stuff.

At first, I would have given this book 3 stars, but that seems unfair now I've read the ending. If 3.5 stars were an option, that is what I would have gone with!

This review has been posted to Goodreads and Amazon (may take some time to appear on Amazon)

I'm slowly discovering that I do not like historical fiction as much as I would like to. I really wanted to love this story, truly I did. I mean, it had all the elements I love in a good story: a strong female, mystery, some dead bodies; but sadly, it did not turn out that way.
I mean, I like the writing of the story, I like the details and the main character. I even like the hint of supernatural! My issue is that the pacing didn't work for me, and thus, I found myself bored at times and putting it down. No one wants to put down the book their reading unless they absolutely have to. And the romance was just extra blah to me. I don't know. After a while, it seemed like I was forcing myself to continue reading this book and that everything in it was predictable.
Really, I wanted to love this book, but sadly, I just couldn't.

Paris 1887, a killer is running loose on the streets targeting young women. Nathalie Baudin, a local newspaper columnist who writes the morgue reports, finds herself drawn into the center of the murder mystery when she starts seeing visions of the victims while they’re being killed. Nathalie doesn’t know what to make of these visions, though she’s determined to use them to help her figure out who the killer is.

Spectacle was such a fun mystery that had a bit of a Jack the Ripper feel to it. There were so many elements I loved about this book — the historical Paris setting, Nathalie and her relationship with her friends, a blossoming romance, mysterious mind powers, and the well-crafted mystery. Nathalie was a great heroine and I adored her strength and her smarts, but I especially loved her tenacity and her spirit and the fact that she was quite an unconventional young lady for this particular time period. I adore when characters don’t conform, but I especially like it when it’s young women who push against gender constraints, and that’s exactly who Nata is.

The only thing preventing me from giving this 4 or even 5 stars was the pacing. Brutally slow at times, it felt like I was reading this for 2 years rather than 2 weeks. And even 2 weeks is kind of a long time for me. I’m hoping now that everything has been set up and explained that the sequel will move a bit faster, which I definitely plan to read. I enjoyed the heck out of everything else aside from the pacing and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for Nathalie and her new “team” in the sequel, Sensational.

Absolutely awesome! I totally loved it. Lots of mystery and suspense. Totally getting the next book!

I really wanted to like this one, it has a lot of the things I love reading about: magic, mysteries, strong female friendships, a historical setting. But it just didn't work for me. 'Spectacle' is a debut novel and it definitely reads like one, it could have used a better edit to remove some of the repetitive parts. There was oftentimes a lot of telling rather than showing, and the pace was very slow, especially towards the end. Speaking of the end, the book just ends abruptly practically in the middle of a thought.

I very much enjoyed this one. I personally found it to be a quick read because I just couldn't put it down.

I liked the story and I know I will most likely be reading this one again in the future.

I do highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I've had "Spectacle" on my radar for quite some time and I am so grateful to have the excuse to move this one to the top of my to be read pile because I really liked this book. I liked it so well that I am jumping straight into the sequel "Sensational". The story is about Nathalie, a teenage girl living in Paris. She writes the morgue report for the city's newspaper undercover as a boy. The morgue fascinated me so much I kept stopping the book so I could jump on an do internet research about it. This historical setting gets a creepy five stars from me. Any unidentified bodies are put out on open display in the morgue. At first this was done as a way to get identification for the poor souls. But it turned into a 'spectacle'--an entertainment venue of sorts. The more gory or shocking a death the better. Nathalie discovers that she can see things about the victim's final moments and wonders if she can help solve a string of murders of young girls by a killer calling himself the "Dark Artist". While "Spectacle" started out a bit slow, the last half of the book was so intriguing I could barely pause my reading. The characters are great and I really liked Nathalie. She has some inner turmoil but she didn't wallow in her situation for long. She was sometimes reckless but again, not too over the top. The murder mystery ended up going in a bit of a different direction than I expected and the part about special abilities pushed the book just slightly into the paranormal spectrum. I look forward to "Sensational" and I will make sure to give it a review as well as soon as I've finished reading it. I think there may only be two books in this series but I could see an almost endless amounts of plots going forward. More readers need to discover this book and its author.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review - Thank you!

3.75 stars

I enjoyed almost all the characters in this book and was thrilled to find that I really enjoyed the main character because of her flaws, her strength and common sense. The fact that she has common sense and acts on it at times had me from the start. Her feelings feel genuine to the new situations she is facing and adapts as she can for someone her age and station. I felt the panic, I understood the terror, because seeing it at her vantage point made sense.

The overall story was a little messy in parts and needed a bit more organization but the story moved at a good pace with various action sequences through out.

What I like most about the book is the fact that there is a sort of balance in their world and deals with its consequences well. There is enough foreshadowing to make you wonder if history will repeat itself.

Even though the world building isn't fully fleshed out yet, the mystery involved in the book offers enough of an explanation to propel the story along. I found the book to be a quick read with enough mystery, murder and creepiness to make me look over my shoulder while reading it and look forward to reading the next book after that ending.