This historical mystery was a good one, but not one that I won't forget. I think the setting was fine, the pace was good. But, the book lacked characters that will stay with you and also more science behind what's happening.
Also, it's a bit too gory for my taste, so content warning for sensitive readers.
Thanks a lot to NetGalley and the publisher for this complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book set in Paris that I've read recently (the other being Gita Trelease's Enchantée) and I think this might be my preferred of the two. I think this book managed to grab me more without feeling like I was being smothered by a French flag and beaten by a baguette. It is also possible that the darker nature of this book appealed to me more than the more whimsical aspects of the former. But we're not here to compare books, we're here to review. My point was that this book manages to write a book set in Paris without being annoying about it.

I really liked Nathalie as a character, I thought that she was interesting, smart, driven and basically everything I wish I was. I loved that this book recognised that it was unusual for her to be a reporter, but managed to find a way to make it work - the sections where Nathalie has to dress up as a boy to deliver her stories were some of the most fun parts of the book. She is absolutely the star and if she hadn't been done well I don't think I would have enjoyed this book nearly as much.

It's interesting, there is a fair amount of fantasy in this book, looking at the aftermath of a series of experiments that left some people with powers, but my lasting impression of the book was not revelling on how that 'magic' fit into the historical setting of the book, but rather it was of the overall tone of the story itself. That's probably what I enjoyed most, the creation of this world, the little details and the descriptions of the streets and locations really managed to capture me, I felt like this was one of the more cohesive and believable historical fantasy books I have read of late.

The mystery element is interesting, I do think the pacing is a little off towards the end, the denouement of a mystery novel (ok fine, TV show but I'm working on the novel thing) has to be this big reveal and really make you go 'oh so that's what's going on' and I didn't quite get that from this. However, I do think that the book as a whole is strong enough that it isn't enough to ruin it for me.

If you enjoy this kind of book, and you aren't opposed to a grizzly murder (ok, bad phrasing, of course I do not condone murder), I think you'd probably really enjoy this, at the very least I think you'll fall for Nathalie as hard as I did - because oh boy.

My rating: 4/5 stars

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

A fascinating look at a strange moment in history, when visits to the morgue and attending executions were de rigueur. 16-year-old Nathalie is a journalist for Le Petit Journal, where she writes the daily morgue report. During one of her visits, she learns she possesses a supernatural talent - the ability to see through the eyes of a killer. What follows is a cat-and-mouse game between Nathalie and the serial killer who calls himself the Dark Artist, as Nathalie tries to make sense of her visions and learns that her family has been keeping more secrets than she realized. Spectacle is a dark and macabre tale, perfect for fans of Stalking Jack the Ripper.

Jodie Lynn Zdrok's SPECTACLE is enthralling from the first page and takes the reader on a twisty and turny ride until the very end! Zdrok is shaping up to be master of the page with her ability to plop the reader firmly in 19th century Paris and intense descriptions. I would highly recommend this story to anyone.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance reader copy of Spectacle by Jodie Lynn Zdrok. I received the book electronically in exchange for my honest review.

Spectacle is an exciting debut thriller set in the 1800s that is sure to please. The story has a fast-paced plot that mixes magic, insanity, and murder. Add in an ending that clearly makes way for a second book, and you have a winner. Pick this book up!

Disclaimer: I received an eARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Paris. 1887.

Nathalie has gotten a job as the morgue reporter for a newspaper. Every morning, she finds herself waiting outside of the public morgue waiting waiting to view the bodies for the day. Her job is then to write a brief report about the bodies and submit it.

But things don’t go as planned. After 2 weeks on the job, she views a body who has been so brutally murdered that she touches the glass separating her and the victim. Instantly, she is transported to a scene where the murdered girl is still alive. She views this as if in a dream, and when she is pulled back out of it, she is still in the morgue.

Startled by this response, the detective at the morgue asks to speak with her, but Nathalie finds that her memory has gaps. She continues on with her day, but she is haunted by what she has seen and does not wish to repeat it.

But there’s a problem: there’s a new body of another girl murdered very much in the same way. Soon it becomes clear that there is a serial killer on the loose, and perhaps Nathalie can use her newly discovered ability to find them.

A combination of thriller, historical, and a touch of fantasy. Spectacle is the brilliant debut novel by Jodie Lynn Zdrok.

Normally, if a novel takes place pre-1940s and includes fantasy elements, I avoid it, but I had heard so many good things about this book that I decided to give it a try. Zdrok is able to make both elements deeply fascinating and extremely relevant. It’s also worth noting that the Paris morgue was a real attraction for Parisians during the 1880s.

I was intensely fascinated by this story, and there were moments that took my breath away. There is a sequel coming too, and I must say, I am still highly suspicious about the true intentions for one of the characters.

This is a very solid debut, and you need to check it out.

Spectacle releases February 12.

So good! It's like a Jack the Ripper tale, but in France. The young woman at the center of the tale writes the morgue column for one of the local news papers in Paris. Everyday she goes down to the morgue to wrtie about the latest murders, suicides, and suspicious deaths. At this time in France, if they couldn't identify someone, they put them on display for everyone to come and look at in hopes of identifyinig victims. Well, one day, our intrepid reporter Nathalie, touches the glass. She is transported into the murder of a young woman.

Through the course of the book, we the reader learn more about her astonishing ability, and of others around her. The Dark Artist is the murderer the whole town is looking for, and she catches his eye. It's a great murder mystery with a bit of supernatural flair, and I enjoyed it. I thought the ending was abrupt, but if it leads to another installment in the life of the Parisian, then I guess I can wait!

So Nathalie is a girl of 16. Unlike today's 16 year olds however, she is smart and street-wise, knowing when to push and when to let things go. While her friends are off learning how to be a lady and a fantastic wife for the men they will soon court and marry, Nat is attending the coroners office every day so she may report on societies demise. Being female, she has a hard slog. Noone would actually want to advertise that they have a female writer, so instead she writes from the shadows, accrediting her work to a made up man. She's a trooper, unwittingly facing the Dark Artist and his lady friend on multiple occassions, none the wiser until the final pages. I liked her but something was off, I couldn't quite put my finger on it to be honest.

Her friends, Agnes and Simone, are polar opposites of one another. Agnes is a lady, writing letters to Nathalie while on holidays and bringing her back gifts from the seaside when she returns. Simone on the other hand is brash and feels kind of judgemental of everything Nat does (she's kind of mean but everyone has that nasty friend they just adore). I feel the dichotomy of these two characters really helped to expand Nathalie's persona, allowing her to be better understood by the reader.

The token love interest within the piece, was well placed and a little unexpected. I was so very happy to find that while it is mentioned and there is a sweet moment or two, after his admission that he is taken, Nathalie backs off and it is never mentioned again. In recent years, the 'love interest' trope seems to have become a must have in novels and I found it refreshing that in Spectacle, it was such a minor occurrence that it had absolutely no effect on the story (To you Ms Zdrok, I raise my glass for going against the stream).

Now, as I said earlier, this novel is set in Victorian era Paris. There is a public viewing for every corpse that comes the coroners way. There's dank, dark underground tunnels. Some filthy streets add to the ambience of the whole thing. It is basically a setting deserving of any good Penny Dreadful novel of the era. Add in a Jack The Ripper-esque villain in The Dark Artist and you have the makings of a fantastic novel. Everything is spot on, mostly...

Here is where I wish to mention the down sides. It felt a little like I had heard it before. As I said in the previous paragraph, it has all the eerie setting and mass murder you would expect to see in a Penny Dreadful. And I am partial to a good Penny Dreadful story. Alas instead of feeling fresh and new, it felt a little like a retelling of Jack The Ripper rather than a whole new tale. Yes there were different aspects thrown in (I got to around 75% through and THOUGHT it was over but turns out it wasn't), but at its core it felt a little like I had in part read it before.

Second, I want to point out the language. It has French which is all well and good. But the amalgamation of English and French, Spanglish-style, made me a little irritated. Then a little more until I got to a point where i skipped large chunks of the dialogue in one specific part (I had to go back and read it again because it was kind of important. Oops). While it is a seemingly small annoyance, it distracted from a fairly evenly paced, slow burn of a novel.

So, as a whole, I enjoyed Spectacle. It was well paced and oozed ambience. I liked the MC and loved her relationships with her friends. The villain of the piece was sinister at every turn, getting to be so self assured, he flouted his expertise in advance letters to the coroner by the end. While it had a very Jack The Ripper vibe, the Dark Artist brings his own sense of mischief, seemingly wanting to be caught whilst also wanting to stay in the shadows. The dialogue was a little too back and forth for my liking and the arc of the story felt a little cliched but overall, I found it an interesting read

2019 seems to be the year for YA books set in France. There's Spectacle, which will release on February 12 (go preorder, people), and Enchantée by Gita Trelease, which releases February 5.
I absolutely love anything to do with France, and I also love murder mysteries. Spectacle incorporates both, while also including strong, well-rounded female characters.
Spectacle is set in 1887 Paris, and is about a series of murders committed by "The Dark Artist," and the girl who has visions of the murders as they're being committed. Nathalie Baudin is sixteen years old and the morgue reporter for the newspaper. However, everyone assumes it is a man who writes the column. One day while visiting the morgue, Nathalie touches the glass and is thrown into a vision of the victim's last moments-- from the point of view of the killer. Desperate to discover the origin of her strange power, Nathalie begins to explore her family's past, beginning with her Aunt Brigitte, who has been locked in an asylum for years. But the killer discovers that Nathalie has been having visions of the murders, and will stop at nothing to find out the root of Nathalie's power.
I really enjoyed my time reading Spectacle, thanks to the ARC I received from Netgalley. I loved Nathalie as a character; as a morgue reporter, I expected her to be a bit morbid or dark, but she was such a smart, kindhearted character who just wanted to protect her family and friends. She had the sweetest relationship with her mother, who had recently suffered burns on her hands from a fire, and with her father, who was gone from their home for months at a time for work.
Nathalie also had two best friends, Simone and Agnes. I thought that Agnes was a bit one-dimensional; then again, most of her interactions with Nathalie were through letters. I do think that her primary function was as a plot device, which made it kind of hard to connect with her as an individual. Simone, on the other hand, was larger than life. She's a cabaret dancer who leads a much different life than Nathalie; nevertheless, she's so supportive of Nathalie and hardly bats an eye at Nathalie's strange ability.
As for the mystery, I thought it was delightfully creepy. The plot twists towards the end really solidified my love of this book, as it made the whole thing much more complicated than before.
I also really enjoyed the paranormal aspect of the book, which became more apparent further into the story. So much of the plot was finding the balance between the two mysteries: the identity of the Dark Artist and the origin of Nathalie's ability.
Nathalie developed so much as a character by the end of the novel. She comes to terms with the fact that she is essentially stuck with this strange ability, but perhaps she can use it for good. I loved seeing her become more confident as she unravels the mysteries.
Oh, I also liked that the romance was pushed to the background for most of the novel. I think Nathalie has much more to worry about than a cute guy at the morgue.
I did rate Spectacle only 4 out of 5 stars, because the first half of the book, while enjoyable, dragged quite a bit. The majority of the action happens in the second half, so I was bored for a lot of the first half. This was really only a minor problem, though, because I still really enjoyed reading the descriptions of Paris and Nathalie's everyday life.
If you like murder mysteries, French culture, or anything that's a little bit creepy, Spectacle is definitely the book for you.

Overall, not a bad story, but I felt like the science behind it was lacking, and that's why it was set during the late 1800's in Paris. The magic/science equilibrium didn't seem to match up.

I liked the main character and the writing is decent. There are some elements of the mystery twist that were off-putting and the end happened quickly and tied everything up in a bow. I would possibly order for my library, but not sure how much it would go out.

Nathalie Baudin writes the morgue column for Le Petit Journal, which is all the more impressive considering she’s a sixteen-year-old in 1887. Though she longs for a more challenging journalist position, she dutifully attends morgue viewings each day without incident. That is, until the body of a murder victim is displayed, and Nathalie has a vision of the killing in brutal detail. Soon, Paris is in a panic as more bodies are discovered and someone begins taking gleeful credit for their demise— the Dark Artist. Nathalie realizes, with the aid of her newfound visions, she might might be the only one able to find the killer’s identity and bring peace to city, even if she risks becoming a victim herself.

Great books, in their opening pages, totally transport readers to a different time and place. Here, readers are plopped into a stunning portrayal of 1880s Paris, and it's due to the careful direction of author Jodie Lynn Zdrok. She opens with a bang, expertly twisting the start around Nathalie attending a crowded corpse viewing at La Morgue and then suffering a psychic vision. It’s doubly unexpected, but sets the tone perfectly— here’s a society obsessed with death, and it’s about to get even more macabre.

But then Zdrok pulls back, letting some slack in the pacing. She takes her time building the mystery, building the characters, and, ultimately, crafting an engrossing world. The payoff is immense. This glimpse into Paris feels real, and there’s an ever-present danger— after all, there’s a killer on the loose. But it’s not immediately evident how this directly affects Nathalie. Zdrok dangles each reveal carefully, dropping new twists that draw Nathalie in and propel the action forward at the most delicious times.

Really, there’s perhaps no better character to follow around 1880s Paris as she stalks a murderer than Nathalie. She’s cool, determined, and complicated— everything a main character should be, and more. She’s helped along by a brilliant cast of friends and family. Scenes with her mother are highlights, and Zdrok, with finesse, navigates the complications of a mother-daughter relationship as Nathalie moves to the cusp of adulthood.

At its core, this book is a mystery, but it certainly isn’t a standard one. In fact, it tosses out the formula entirely. There’s more introspection, with Nathalie constantly questioning her role in the sleuthing process. Her detective work is just as much about her journey as it is about the case, which clicks. It’s a character-driven process, with clues and red herrings taking a backseat at times, but Zdork merges these two narratives in such a satisfying way.

All of this is not to suggest there isn’t a bit of fun to be had. Nathalie’s best friend, Simone, works in a club and adheres to some mysticism, providing both fun and tricky subplots. And there’s some mild flirting with Christophe, an inspector. Refreshingly, romance is not a major element of the book, and their interactions feel sweet and perfectly natural.

That’s the beauty of Spectacle. Sure, there’s a serial killer on the loose and some paranormal aspects that are being kept hush-hush, but everything feels natural. That’s an amazing feat on Zdrok’s part, and it’s resulted in a brilliant debut.

I really enjoyed this! The mystery was really well done and there was a lot of interesting subplots and side characters and complexities. I also loved that there wasn't really a romance? There were hints there, but it was very minor to the plot. The main mystery wrapped up a little early for me, but there were added components to help the story not feel like it's dragging on. I'm also intrigued because where it ended left room for a second book and I'm curious what would be done with that.

3 STARS

TW: murder, gore, self-harm, suicidal ideation, other suicide mentions, domestic abuse mention

Having read this on the heels of Truly Devious and The Vanishing Stair, I was definitely in the mood for a murder mystery, all primed and ready for sniffing out suspects. I had the sleuth bug, the mystery itch, the NEED for some good old murder solving.

This may not have been the place to go looking for it in a rush.

It wasn't that Spectacle was bad so much as it was slow. Some folks like me are probably willing to stick with it, but I suspect a lot of people would probably be unhappy with the pacing. It's almost halfway into the book before Nathalie, the main character, starts expanding her network of who to ask for help, and starts collecting more and more evidence about the murders.

It's a bit of a character-driven book in some ways, too, not a plot-driven one. Nathalie wrestling with the consequences and origins of her power to see visions of recently committed murders takes up a good chunk of the book, and to be fair? If I was sixteen and discovered I could see how someone died violently, that'd mess me up and leave me in a panicked, second-guessing limbo, too. Especially when the people around me are being evasive or insensitive to things. That doesn't help either.

And yet I wouldn't call this a character-driven book, because Nathalie is the only character who felt like anything more than shallow. Simone and Agnés MAYBE feel like they've got some life to them, but Christophe, Nathalie's parents, and even the antagonist feel extremely flat. In a murder mystery, I should either suspect someone or fear for them as the next victim, and more often than not, it was a little hard to care.

And the antagonist should definitely scare me. I should worry for the main character, be concerned about their connection to the killer especially once the killer starts clearly targeting them, and...I wasn't? I just didn't get a strong sense of menace. Just gruesomeness and a dash of greed.

On the other hand, I am extremely interested in Nathalie's powers, because the ending implies there will be another book, and one that likely focuses on those powers, which are fascinating. I won't get too into it, just to avoid spoilers, but I will say that Nathalie has something unusual up her sleeve, something that's barely understood and has the potential to be both useful and dangerous. It's intriguing enough that I'm likely to read the next book, just to see where it goes and what becomes of Nathalie and the people around her. I have some hope that it'll be stronger on the character depth front, especially if it moves away from the murder mystery angle, and that it would reach outward from just Paris of 1887. We'll have to wait and see, but still: I'll keep some hope on hand.

Anyways, if murder mysteries are your kind of thing, mixed in with historical Paris, journalism, and a touch of fantasy that's laced with science, Spectacle might be the book for you! It's out tomorrow, February 12th, so hurry and get your last-second pre-orders in now if you're looking to buy it!

And once you've done that, you should totally tell me what you think.

[This review will go live on The Words Gremlin around 10am EST, February 11th.]

I enjoyed this novel. It was well written and entertaining. The plot and characters were both interesting and entertaining. I look forward to reading more from this author.

This book was not what I thought it was about. I thought it would be about a girl who discovers and uses her powers to find a killer. Most of her detective work is discovering where these powers came from. Clues about the killer just fall in her lap. At the end, the biggest discovery that happens is discovered by someone else.

The best thing about this book is that the powers have a price to it. This makes the character not feel that special. It adds weight to her decision to use her powers.

Spectacle is a young adult murder mystery that takes place in 1800's Paris. Beautiful young women are being brutally murdered by a serial killer who believes the way he mutilates the bodies are a work of art. Nathalie writes a morgue column for a newspaper and when the first victim is brought to the morgue and displayed, Nathalie accidentally touches the pane of the viewing area and receives a vision of how the victim was murdered. She thinks it must have been a hallucination or some type of fluke. However, when the next victim is brought in, she touches the glass again and once again receives a vision of the woman being murdered from the murderers perspective. Why is she receiving these visions and how did she receive these powers? Do other have powers or is she just an anomaly? Could these visions help solve the mystery of who is murdering these young women?
The writing in this novel is fast paced and beautiful. It left me wanting more. The world building and character development was done well. The visions were really unique to this novel, which made me love it anymore. Now, what I really want to know is if there will be a sequel due to how Spectacle ended.

A murder mystery in which a teenage girl discovers she has the paranormal ability to witness a serial killer's murders backwards after she sees the bodies in the morgue. It takes place in 1800s Paris.

Such an interesting context, the setting is so richly described, the plot gets a little convoluted and I could not connect with the main character, though.

Unique writing and story that kept me interested. A story that had me wanting to read more. Relatable characters and a good flow. Would recommend!

It kept my interest, but seemed to drag in spots. Nathalie is a 16 year old morgue reporter, who takes the job only after her Maman suffers injuries to her hands in a fire. Almost immediately, Nathalie has visions of young murder victims while she is at the morgue viewing each body and then writing about them. Her father and Tante have unusual powers, and Nathalie thinks she does as well. There is a pretty big cast of characters in this novel, and I kept thinking one of them was thrown in as a red herring. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to be an early reader.

I received this book for review through NetGalley and I was so excited to read it. I loved a lot about this book: the history, the location, and the mystery of it and I was not disappointed. As a fan of historical fiction and fantasy, this book satisfied all of my cravings regarding both genres. My favorite part about this book was the realistic way that Nathalie's powers could have arrived, it made it that much more easy to comprehend and digest with the relatively realistic setting. The one thing I did have a problem with this book were patches of disconnect. Moving from the middle to the end was a bit of a struggle and I found myself unsure of the reasoning. The ending seemed kind of unnecessary to me, but that could be from that disconnect. I will not forget that ending though - it makes me want to read the sequel immediately! Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I loved reading Nathalie's story. I can't wait for book 2!