I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Spectacle is about 16-year-old Nathalie Baudin, who writes the daily morgue column for Le Petit Journal. Nathalie is at the morgue gathering information in order to write her column when she has a vision from the newest body in the morgue from the perspective of her killer. Nathalie finds herself searching for answers as more bodies are discovered and the visions keep occurring.

I loved the basis for this book. It starts out with a girl fascinated by her job and trying to solve a murder, and ends up having a fantasy twist that I was both disappointed by and annoyed with. If this just stuck with the murder mystery vibe, it would’ve turned out to be a better book for me. The fantastical aspects of it detracted the big reveal of who the killer was, and lessened the impact with the motive for the murders.

Overall, this book has a great beginning and core storyline, but it’s mudded up with powers and fantasy.

I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

Spectacle is Jodie Lynn Zdrok’s debut and is a chilling mystery set in 1887 where there’s a long string of murders happening over the course of days. Sound familiar? The story has a very Jack the Ripper atmosphere to it and I kept thinking it has to be his story before he moved onto London, though as the pages continued, I found out that there was a much larger story happening.

Nathalie is a reporter who reports on the murderers and deaths that happen around town. It’s almost the obituaries, but not quite since a few of the victims that turn up are unidentified and yet she still reports on how things happened. It’s when she gazes upon the body of the first murdered young woman she sees something very terrifying. She witnesses how the girl was murdered as if she were the murderer herself, watching the scene in reverse. It’s very puzzling and troubling as she has no clue what this strange new ability is.

I am sad to say that this book wasn’t quite for me. 2019 is not my year apparently as 4/5 books haven’t been at all what I had hoped for. One was even a DNF. What didn’t work for me here was some of the pacing. I was anticipating the mystery to be drawn out and that was the problem, the problem was more how long it took to get from Point A to Point B. Nathalie has a lot of sidetrack memories to get through as they relate to whatever is happening. Sometimes I could see the odd connection, other times, I didn’t and the memories dragged on for a good long time. That sadly was the downfall for me in this one. There was too much wordiness almost throughout the storytelling part.

I still thought this was an interesting story though. Murder mysteries usually are for me. And then Nathalie’s gift also takes on a story of its own and that’s where a large portion of the story focuses on as well. But the pacing, the pacing killed me. It wasn’t until the halfway point that she finally “clicks” with the inspector, Christophe, who she exchanged one or two minor conversations with regarding the bodies. There was just too much downtime between Nathalie having her vision and then wanting to step away from the whole murder scene. I can understand that feeling in reality, but for a story, I had hoped that she would eventually overcome her fears faster than she did.

The mystery of the story was by far its strongest part! I was really getting into it and was surprised by the turn of events about 2/3 of the way through. I admit that I did a lot of skim reading because the pacing just wasn’t doing it for me and I wanted to find out what happened and all the whodunits. The outcomes were puzzling and that’s not due to my skimming. But at the same time it was a believable answer and all. We’re left with just a bit of a cliffhanger, but one that was being hinted at throughout the story.

As far as romance goes, this story was lacking. Yes there was the possible connection between Nathalie and Christophe, but just as soon as you think it, a roadblock comes between them, naturally. I suspect further encounters with one another will be happening in future books. But sadly this was a book without all the feels in that area and I am shocked that I missed those feels. 10 years ago I probably wouldn’t have cared. What has happened to me?! Lol.

All in all, this was an okay read. I was really intrigued by its premise and super excited to read it, but sadly, I found myself not immersed within the world. The pacing is what did me in yet again. While strong characters and enticing plot are very important for me with a story, the pacing is just as important and must be executed in a matter that works. Sadly, for me, it didn’t work. This won’t be a series I will be continuing, cliffhanger or not.


Overall rating 2/5 stars—friendly reminder that this just means an OKAY READ! ;)


Spectacle releases February 12, 2019

Spectacle is one of those historical fantasy books that is able to serve up the right story with all the flairs of the past. If you've been searching for a book that is full of mystery, mysterious powers, and power that can be both a blessing and curse. I knew I was going to really enjoy Spectacle from the beginning. What I wasn't counting on, is how obsessed I would be. Whether you're in the mood for a story about a girl discovering her powers (and struggling with the question of using them), or a good murder mystery, you're in for a treat.

Whenever you have books where the characters have dangerous powers, the question always comes up - should we use our powers? And what is the cost? Magic without a price has never made sense to me. And that's part of what I love about Zdrok's book - is that not only does everyone's magic speak to a very intimate piece of themselves, but it also exacts a hefty toll. Without going into a lot of detail about the magic in this book, in Spectacle we witness characters using their powers for good, for an advantage, for cons, and for something entirely more sinister.

This book is a perfect intersection of the morbid fascination we have with true crime and the intrigue of a twisty, supernaturally-tinged mystery. The main character had a strong voice made even more compelling by the question of whether she—and the reader—could trust her own telling of her story. I especially enjoyed the dynamics the main character had with other women, from her mother to her friends, to her aunt, and more. Despite the decades of separation in our worlds, I found the characters extremely relatable. They could have been any teens, any family, any true crime fanatic of today!

This was much different than what I imagined. I love murder mystery books but I find they can get repetitive with the same kinds of storylines repeated over and over again. This book was not that. I love how it was set so far back in the past - a time when computer and smartphones didn’t exist. It added an extra layer of mystery because it had to be solved the good old way, without technology being there to help it along.

The characters were well developed and they had many realistic aspects which I loved. Although I found the middle of the book a bit slower than the beginning and end, I still really enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

SPECTACLE turned out to be a lot more than I’d expected. I was intrigued by the idea of a murder mystery coupled with a historical fantasy, but I had no idea how well Zdrok had pulled off the immersive world building, and intricate plot line until, of course, reading.

Overall, this book was a solid four stars for me. I thoroughly enjoyed it for the reasons I’ll outline below. My main reason for docking a star was I didn’t fall head over heals in love with the story as I have my most favorite books, the climax came off as a bit underwhelming, and full cliff hanger endings are a turn off for me. I also would’ve loved Zdrok to push that creep factor just a tad more, as she already went for it, I wanted it turned up just a notch.

But other than that, I truly did enjoy this story, and after struggling to connect to a lot of YA fantasy as of late, it truly was a breath of fresh air.

The main reason a story holds my attention is through its characters. They don’t have to be my favorite characters, they don’t even have to be likable, but their presence in the story has to be very strong. I was to fee what they feel. Understand their thoughts, their actions and the reasons behind them. I had a clear understanding of who Nathalie was throughout the entire story. Not only that, but she was a character with agency who demanded answers, but it was also clear that everything that was happening to her terrified her.

This is in part to Zdrok’s writing style as a whole. I’m typically drawn to a bit more lyrical of prose than SPECTACLE provided, but nonetheless, the writing was extremely vivid, and emotion was very well evoked through sentence structure alone. I always felt the mood through the careful choice of words, and I found my heart beating a little faster at many points in the story, which does not happen often.

The way Zdrok portrayed Nathalie’s world was subtle enough to not be obvious but obvious enough that I felt immersed in it. Everything I pictured as I read took place in an 1800s France even though I’ve neber been there before. (This might be why I found it so effective, but regardless? I found it well done.)

I often worry when I start a novel written in third person that I’m nt going to connect with the main character or truly get inside their head, because more often than not, I don’t find the voice to be strong enough in that point of view to bring me close enough to the characters. That was not the case for Nathalie (or Simone, her mother, or the other side characters for that matter.) Nathalie’s voice was very strong and very distinct. I understood her, as I said, throughout the entire story, and felt as if it were being told truly from her perspective with her voice despite being written in third person. I find that this is so often not the case, and I truly applaud Zdrok for pulling it off so well.

In general this was a great read, and I am so appreciative for the early chance to experience this story. I’ve shared this thought with my 2000+ Twitter followers and will be posting a review to Goodreads and to my blog, which I am in the early stages of growing, but on which my previous and first book review received 18 views and 13 likes, two weeks before SPECTACLE’s release. Thank you again, and I wish Jodie the best of luck and success.

I absolutely loved this book! Spectacle was a thrilling journey through 19th century France that I didn't want to put down.

The main character, Nathalie, just got a job reporting on the daily goings-on at the public morgue (people used to visit a public morgue for entertainment? Gruesome!). When Paris is struck with a series of murders, she discovers that she has a gift that allows her to see the murders through the eyes of the murderer.

She discovers that this gift doesn't come without consequences. She also learns that other people in the city are gifted in different ways too, and maybe these gifts are connected to the murders. As the deaths continue, they start to hit closer to home. Will they catch the killer, or will the killer catch her first? You'll want to read this book to find out, but don't worry, you won't want to put it down.

I loved the setting, the characters were believable, and the magic in this book was interesting. This story was marvelously told. Spectacle is going to be one of those books that I'll be telling my friends about for months. It was incredible.

Oh how I wanted to love this one.  It was right up my alley - historical fiction, strong feminist character and a cool mystery.  Unfortunately, this one feel a little flat in places for me.

Spectacle starts off very intriguing.  Set in Paris, in the 1880s, there is a man running around killing young women ala Ripper style that the press have named The Dark Artist.   Our main protagonist, Nathalie works for a newspaper company, writing the morgue column (dreary much!).  The morgue happens to be displaying dead people (including the murder victims) for all the world to see.  Kind of like a side-show attraction.  Nathalie frequents this place often to write her column and when she comes face-to-face with the first victim of the killer, she feels the sudden urge to touch the glass - showing her a vision of the murder taking place.  Obviously, she is scared of what she saw and if it's even real and what's more it seems that she can't figure out who the killer is, but the killer just might know who she is.

I first want to say that I did enjoy this book.  I probably went in with too high of expectations because I love this type of story.  It had lots of potential and lots going for it.  The main character was a strong female - she was 16 and talked much older but that is pretty normal in YA books, so that didn't bother me.  She's inquisitive, brave and ahead of her time and I really enjoyed her as a character.  I also loved that their are not one, but two different strong female/female friendships.  The friendships are beautiful to read and they weren't about boys.  I love seeing more and more of this in YA - I really do hope it becomes the norm, because it's wonderful to read and really connects me to the characters so much more.

Another wonderful thing was the author's beautiful writing and descriptions.   I could imagine Paris in that time because of her lovely writing and there is enough talk about French pastries that I had to go get a snack while I was reading (ok, a couple snacks, but who's counting!).  I also loved that the author chose to throw some French in here and there, it just really adds to the atmosphere and getting lost in it.

Ok, so what was my issue with the book? The pacing - the pacing wasn't just slow, it was repetitive.  I felt like I spent half the book, at least, reading about the main character not accepting her ability.  It really slowed the story down and didn't offer a ton, it should've been wrapped up quicker, in my opinion, or we should've been getting more in-depth useful information while she went through her whole ordeal.  Although, many of the descriptions are well written and beautiful - the back stories and learning about key information (such as experiments) weren't really fleshed out enough. I wanted more of that type of writing and less French pastries.

There was also a very small love interest story that seemed a little pointless, but maybe it comes into play more in the second book.  The mystery was interesting, but I wanted some kind of cool twist, which didn't happen at all.  I do think that the end set up the second story to be much more exciting though and hopefully answer a ton of unanswered questions.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and will likely try the second one.  I had no idea this book wasn't a stand-alone when I went into it but I'm fine with that.  This is Jodie Lynn Zdrok's debut novel and I think her writing is very strong and certainly an author to watch.  If you like stories like Stalking Jack the Ripper then you might enjoy this one.  Give it a shot and let me know what you think!

This was an amazing, rich and detailed YA historical mystery with an unusual protagonist. I loved the premise of this book and was delighted that it lived up to my tentatively formed expectations. Twisty, challenging and beautifully written this is not to be missed.

For someone who finds difficulty in finding murder mysteries that I actually enjoy, this surprisingly surpassed my expectations. It kept me on the edge of my seat and the storyteller was enjoyable- making me feel like I was in on the plot while keeping me out of the loop at the same time. Nathalie was a great main character, she managed to keep her femininity while working in a male centered job. She was smart while making mistake and I especially appreciate the bit of selfishness she displays when it comes to herself and her survival. The conversation on magic vs. science was something I wished was explored more, but hopefully a sequel w=with rectify that.

The premise was interesting - murders in 19th centurty Paris and a girl who sees them in her visions (ala Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, but in reverse) because of bloodborne magic. These elements, however, never came together in a cohesive way for me. And Nathalie just didn't come off as the kind of female character she needed to be to helm the whole thing.

The wouldbe 'romance' element between Nathalie and Christophe was flat and didn't add much to the plot for me. The same could be said about many of the minor characters. It all seemed like filler and background noise.

I did enjoy some of the writing - Zdrok has the ability to evoke emotion and interest with her words. The problem is that it gets bogged down by repition and, at times, awkward language.

For me, the story plodded along. I nearly gave up several times. Given the ending, I wouldn't have regretted doing so.

I flew through the first third of this book.

It was paced and interesting. Sadly, it then really slowed down

Spectacle is set in the summer of 1887 in Paris where we have Nathalie who is a 16 year old who has been given the opportunity of writing the Morgue Column for the local newspaper. Every day she attends the morgue to write about the bodies that have been found for the Parisians to read about.
Until one day, Nathalie has a vision of one of the anonymous bodies final moments from the perspective of the murderer. As more bodies are discovered, Nathalie utilises her new powers to try to hunt down the killer.

I loved this book! The full review will be posted February 8, 2019 at kaitgoodwin.com/books! Thank you very much for this wonderful opportunity to connect books to their readers!

This was interesting, and I mostly liked the premise, but there was a fantastical/sci-fi element that just didn’t work for me. Had it been the main character’s power only, I think I would’ve enjoyed it more. There were moments throughout that I really liked, but just nothing that made it stand out as more than just ok.

When I read the description of this book I knew it would be completely hit or miss - love or hate. Luckily for me I loved it. 

Set in 19th century Paris  our heroine is already set apart from her contemporaries by holding a strictly masculine position at a newspaper. The indelicacy of her post is somewhat at odds with her personality. Add in a mysterious aunt, committed to a facility for patients with mental disorders, and her parent's hidden backstory and the story becomes more complete. 

Whilst there were small issues with plotting and storyline (as is often the case in YA books - a quirk of the genre) I really, really enjoyed the author's voice. As in I would promote any further releases to the top of my TBR pile. I can't quite pinpoint exactly what I liked so much but I can say that I did no eye-rolling in the reading of this book - something I am somewhat prone to do. Particularly  when reading in the YA genre. 

I debated posting this over on my blog for children's books as the romance was tame and there was nothing too distressing. And then I remembered it was a murder book so maybe not. That's possibly what I enjoyed about the writing - I forgot that the main premise of the book was so grim because the writing was so pleasant. 

A 4.5/5 (the writing was a definite 5 but the quirks in the storyline needed a slight deduction). 

I received an ARC through netgalley. 

*Set to auto-post on publication date*

<b>4.5/5 stars!</b>

I really loved this! I wasn't so sure how I would feel about this book from just the blurb itself, but after the first few chapters I was hooked! I started reading this late at night, and I struggled to put it down to get some sleep. I'll just say outright that this is a must-read! Definitely on my preorder list once I get back from vacation!

Nathalie discovers an amazing, but also confusing, ability while at the morgue viewing to write for her column in the paper. She struggles to figure out what her visions mean, and why she's getting these all of a sudden. She finds herself tied to the Dark Artist killer terrorizing the streets, and sees that her newfound ability may go deeper than she expected. She delves in the world of scientific magic, psychics, and even the asylum to find some sort of possible explanation for everything, and why she's been made to help find the killer.

I loved most of the characters in this book. I loved learning about Nathalie, her mad aunt, her close friends, and even Chirstophe. The mystery aurrounding the Dark Artist killer, and Nathalie's ability, was so well done. You think something may finally be over, only to realize there are loose strings that still need tying. The books delves deep into scientific magic, and how it is deemed as normal for some, but fearful or shameful for others. Nathalie's struggle of both the acts of the killer, and finding why she's tied to it all, had me glued to the book.

I couldn't get enough of the macabre setting and tone. The ending, while absolutely perfect, has me wanting more. I wanted to know what the future held for Nathalie, and how Paris recuperates from all the events. I absolutely loved this. It's a bit of a long read, but very well worth it and excellently done. I can't wait for this to release so I can get myself a copy lol! Definitely recommended!

<I>ARC given to me by the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.</i>

I was in a mood for a book JUST like this (murder mystery, slight magic/fantasy elementy, set in 1800s) and this book was no disappointment. A thrilling murder mystery set in 1800s Paris with a protagonist who finds she has a special ability that may help her solve the crimes. I really thought I knew how this one was going to go and was SO happy to find that the author didn't follow the typical murder mystery formula. I'm not sure if this will be a series, but it does end with a way that I could see her writing some more. Excellent book, very pleased with it and will be recommending it to my library patrons! I could have done with a bit more romance but I was partly happy that this took a back seat to the main plot.

This was spectacular. YA mysteries are far too often filled with petty drama, unlikable characters, and predictable twists. Spectacle, however, was none of these things. The author did a beautiful job of balancing gorgeous French phrases and historical buildings with just a touch of magic.

This follows a reporter named Nathalie, who, while visiting the morgue for an article, touches the viewing glass and gets a glimpse of the murder. In reverse. So she's obviously shook, and is trying to reconcile what she knows about the world around her and the secrets everyone has been keeping from her. Meanwhile, the killer? Yeah, he knows who she is...

Jodie's prose paints pictures in your mind, it plants thoughts of true depth to be pondered upon at a later notice. That's a more fancy way of saying I LOVED HER WRITING *flails forever

Nathalie was definitely a strong female character in many ways. Her dedication to being a reporter was actually rather inspirational, so don't blame me when I run off to join the online newspaper. I will say that I sometimes felt like her personality wasn't always steady. Sometimes she'd make choices I didn't think went with choices she would otherwise make? And sometimes her actions would annoy me but that's probably because I get impatient. And want the answers.

This was ridiculously twisty? Like, I THOUGHT I saw a couple of things coming but haha no. So many tiny details come into play later, but in ways I never expected. Of course, there were a few moments where I thought NO FORCED ROMANCE but I was pleasantly surprised. Sometimes, I thought that the plot was a little scattered but I was honestly too caught up in everything to care.

And the magic was too perfect? Like, it's magic/science and it's so flipping cool. The way it's integrated into the story is pure brilliance. THAT CLIFFHANGER THOUGH. I also really appreciate that Nathalie actually has a family? Which for some reason is rare in YA.

I'd totally recommend this to fans of Stalking Jack The Ripper! While it lacks the wonderful sass of Thomas Cresswell, it DOES have a female character placed in a "traditionally male role" in historical fiction, a murder mystery, and awesomeness. Except that this has a touch of magic, and a more well-thought out mystery!

4.5/5 stars!

Review to be posted on my blog closer to release date!

Hello, I will be adding this review to my Instagram, blog, and Goodreads on January 29th, 2019. The review will also be added to Amazon and Barnes & Noble on the publication date. Links to the reviews will be added once they are public, thank you.

Title: Spectacle
Author: Jodie Lynn Zdrok
Publication Date: February 12th, 2019
Rating: 5 stars
eARC provided by publisher through NetGalley

Spectacle follows a sixteen-year-old named Nathalie Baudin who writes the morgue column for a journal in Paris. Murders start happening and she soon starts seeing visions of their murder through the eyes of the killer. She can only hope that they will be enough to help catch the person responsible before its too late.

When I found out I was approved for this I literally screamed. I loved Stalking Jack the Ripper and needed more murder mystery in my life. This book was everything I had hoped it would be and more. Although it may be similar to the previous book mentioned, the author adds a dash of paranormal and magic that lures you in and gives it its own spin.

From the first page you are swept into this eerie plot. There were no slow spots for me as it left me engaged and guessing the whole way through. Although I had my suspects, I wasn't expecting the outcome and its always refreshing to be surprised!

Nathalie is a wonderful character that grows a lot throughout the book and really tries to find out who she is. Some of the other characters weren't as fleshed out as some but it didn't deter me from enjoying the back. One thing that stood out for me was that there was no romance. Nathalie may have liked someone but they were never together and not much was said about it and its great to find a book that doesn't need all that for a great plot.

Nathalie's visions are a unique way at looking at the murders and add a more eerie feel to the book. There is some background to her visions and how it may be tied to her family but for the most part the magic (not sure what other word to use) is subtle with most other characters and hopefully there will be another book that delves more into it!

Overall, this was a wonderfully fantastic read and I can't wait to see what comes next from this author!

Spectacle was quite different then what I was expecting. Though I did have my issues with Spectacle, I was nonetheless blown away by Jodie's writing style and the dark themes she wrote about in her debut novel. Spectacle was a page turner with characters that were easily likable and a series of grisly murders that you couldn't help but want to know more about.

My biggest issue with this book that by the way it is described I was expecting a blood soaked murder mystery that was going to send chills down my spine. Though it do that at many points, the murders and who the murderer is seemed to be a sub plot rather then the main plot. A big part of Spectacle was Nathalie trying to piece together where she got her ability to see the murders from and uncovering secrets from her parents and aunt's past.

Spectacle had a lot of potential and at certain points it felt like it just fell short of it. Important parts of the story were brushed past and I wish Jodie had taken more time to describe the experiments that gave people their magical abilities and a deeper view into the things that led Tante down the road to an asylum. I knew enough that everything made sense, but not enough to be emotionally invested.

I really enjoyed Nathalie's growth from the start of Spectacle and to the end of it. The story takes place over a few weeks worth of time and you can gradually to see the change in how Nathalie begins to act and think towards certain things. The friendship between Nathalie and Simone warmed my heart and I found it very similar to some of my actual relationships with friends, so I was able to feel her pain when her Simone would have disagreements. I don't thing Spectacle needed a romance aspect, it worked pretty well with out it. But Jodie did tease us with Christophe and Nathalie's interactions and by the end of the novel their relationship was very up in the air.

Spectacle did end very open ended and I can see the potential for another novel about Nathalie and her adventures since not everything was clarified by the end of Spectacle. Though I didn't love Spectacle, it was an enjoyable read and I am eager to see what is in store for these characters next.