Marie Antoinette: Serial Killer ~ Katie Alender

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 realises she herself may hold the key to the mystery, her own life is suddenly in danger . . .

Acclaimed author Katie Alender brings heart-stopping suspense to this story of revenge, betrayal, intrigue — and one killer queen.

I really did enjoy this book. I hadn't been expecting much, but I am no longer sure why. It has a very Parisian feel to it, on of beauty, culture and history. I liked the character of Colette although her Mean Girl wannabe attitude annoyed me at the start. She does realise that Hannah's attitude to others is mean and wrong and I enjoyed how we watch her develop as a person and as a character to stand up and do what she thinks is right, no matter what the consequences.

   My favourite scene in the book is the one involving Jules and his family. It was such a heart-warming read and made me feel very nostalgic about my own family. I could see parallels between mine and his for examples family rituals such as everyone eating together and talking, which were lost when Colette described her own dis-functional family. Hearing about how her dad left, that her mum was suffering financially and that she and Charlie just didnt' get on as I do with my brothers really made e feel for her.

Although the storyline was a bit dubious, why does the ghost wait this long to carry out her revenge, and it wasn't always historically accurate (sorry to break it to you but there was never an Order of the Key, L'ordre de la clé) I found the story gripping and powerful in the way that you understand Marie's grief and anger as well as Colette's fears of being a social outcast and for her friend. I would have liked a bit more from her romance with Jules, for example in the epilogue a suggestion of whether or not they are together or will see each other again, but I still found him dreamy and I loved how much he cared for her, even before they became romantically involved.

I would really recommend this book if you want a light, easy to read story which at the same tine has a good mystery, great world building and hints of the history of Paris and their most famous monarch: Marie Antoinette.