Cake Eater was a fun read that I can see my students enjoying. With a lot of social media aspects and many fashion nods, this novel will likely catch the attention of many readers and hook them on as the story grows more and more sinister in revealing what is happening.

As something tied into history, I wish they had explained more of the actual history that it is based on. However, the more vague and referenced ideas might encourage some to research French history and find out the actual story of these figures.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this novel! This will certainly be on my classroom shelf in the future.

An exciting twist on the French Revolution, imagine if it had taken place where social media was in play! Ugh! the relationship was well-done and carefully scripted, the awkwardness was so spot on and all the back and forth between siblings and who was supposed to be on whose side, what a dizzying time to be alive. I felt the full range of emotions with this one, and I've got readers lined up to get started. highly recommend.

Thank you, HarperCollins Children's Books. for allowing me to read Cake Eater early!

Allyson Dahlin crafted a bewitching, futuristic, retelling of the one and only Marie Antoinette's reign. I definitely devoured this book as if it was a delicious cake, and the cherry on top? The inclusion of demisexuality in the tale! The asexual spectrum is a very underrepresented part of the queer community.

This was a fun reimagining of the Palace of Versailles and Marie Antoinette set in 3070, over 1,000 years in the future. In a history-repeats-itself style of story, a marriage is arranged between and "Austro" princess and a "Franc" prince to form an alliance. Maria Antonia becomes Marie Antoinette and suddenly experiences culture shock over her fashion choices, naivete, and rich, privileged life. Initially she struggles to find her footing within the palace, but just as happened in the French Revolution, there is upheaval beyond the palace walls that she slowly becomes aware of.

I found this YA modernization to be a fast-paced, fascinating read. I researched more about the real Marie Antoinette's life as I read, and saw the clever connections the author made between the real Queen of France, and our futuristic heroine. The characters were nuanced, and humanized in this version, to the point that I wonder how things might have been different if the real Marie Antoinette had been able to tell her side.

I highly recommend this for anyone who likes history, dystopian fiction, and fashion influencers.

This book was absolutely fantastic. I've already added it to our list for order this year and will recommend it to students.

I'll be honest - this was not a good book fit for me. I had a lot of trouble getting into the story and connecting with the characters - it felt like the ride we were on was interesting, but just far too slow to build momentum.

However, this book might be for you if you like:
•larger-than-life YA feelings / drama
•Marie Antoinette and/or French & European History
•Futuristic sci-fi
•alt-history, but in the future
•Commentary on social media and the role it plays in our lives / teens' lives
•Questioning expectations of others, esp. around coming-of-age

Three stars - would have been less just based on my personal enjoyment, but I think the book can definitely stand on its own if it checks more of your boxes.

Cake Eater tells how history repeats itself even when tech should open our leaders' eye in this future of environmental disaster and wealthy overconsumption. Told through the light eyes ofa fashionista with massive followers, Marie Antoinette!

This is a fun romp through a futuristic society that has failed to learn from our contemporary one. Many of my students will enjoy Cake Eater.

History reimagined with a futuristic spin on Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI. Marie Antoinette is a social media influencer, and King Louis XVI is a nerd. Interesting take.

Hand to fans of the television shows The Crown, Dickinson, and The Great. Will recommend.

Cake Eater has a colorful cover and intriguing premise-- a future-set Marie Antoinette-- to recommend it, and the central relationship between this Franc royal and her future king Louis is the best thing about the novel. Their slowly developing love is captured effectively, especially in terms of Marie's frustration and confusion. The other relationships here (and there are a lot of them) don't get the same amount of development, nor do the online interactions that provide glimpses of the troubles that will threaten Marie and her husband's rule.

Ultimately, I think this novel is the rare YA text that could have been productively lengthened, particularly in the second half; the first several chapters move gradually, giving some pretty effective world building, but then it's a race to the end. I'm also put off by the idea that the book is set one thousand years in the future, but the "Event" that changed everything in the book's past is never fully explained, the technology appears to be almost completely unchanged from today's, and even the slang is deeply 2010s. More importantly, the book seems confused about its relationship with its historical inspirations.

Cake Eater is kinda sorta historical fiction set in a dystopian world. I liked how the book did use history interens of the events (for example whem Marie crosses the border betwen Autria and france), but I was a bit thrown of by the dystopian aspect. I did greatly enjoy how each character was developed, including Louis XVI siblings. If you like dystopian books you may like this. Personally this one was ok, Glitter by Aprilynn Pike is a book that was set in a futureistic Versailles wit a moraly grey main character.

*I was given a free copy in exchange for an honest review*

I love reading historical fiction about the French Revolution, so when I saw this was a different take on the story of Marie Antoinette and her life. I loved that this story was set in a climate change destroyed future, where the royals have advanced and yet more old fashioned lives. I thought the future-tech was very clever and well thought out, and the idea of social media stars being considered nobles made a lot of sense to me. Especially since technology and influencers are so big now.

I was a little frustrated that things seemed to plod on in some instances, and I didn't really enjoy the constant descriptions of clothing, but I understand that it was a part of Marie's interest and characterization. It felt right that she was constantly thinking about the next step (or overthinking in some cases) and focusing on what she was going to wear or was wearing.

Overall, I enjoyed this, and was rooting for Marie and Louis to change things and to show their people that they were waking up and not letting themselves be led down the same path as their ancestors were. I felt like I knew where the story would end, but was also suspicious that things wouldn't end the way I assumed the would, which I loved. Definitely going to recommend this to my friends!

They say books that take you a while to get into often end up the most satisfying.
It’s true
At first, I thought this was a mix of Zenon; Girl of the 21st Century and Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette. It was extremely light hearted and bubbly, silly even. There was always the tiniest inkling of danger though and those who know the real history know that there couldn’t be a happy ending.
The danger kept growing and growing, ending with the inevitable but with a twist. I smell a duology or more in the works. Please say it’s true and please let me be lucky enough to get first crack at the next books if they happen.

Rating: 4.5/5

This book was so good in a way I wasn't prepared for. The combo of a distant future high tech society mixed with the court pageantry of 18th century absolute monarchs worked really well, Marie Antoinette works really well as a social media influencer. There's enough hints at everything being more scripted than the characters may think that give off a sense of dread and dawning horror as the plot progresses. The characterization of Louis and Marie in particular walk a fine line between historical accuracy and separate characters, and for anyone familiar with them and the French Revolution will likely see where the author has taken inspiration for their characters. My biggest issues with the book, and they're very minor overall, is the liberal use of fake techno slang throughout and the lack of more info on the worldbuilding. The author built a fascinating world, and parts I was expecting to be explained never really were.

The palace of Versailles meets the dystopian future in this tale of exploitation, excess, and revolution.