Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer by Katie Alender

Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer by Katie Alender

Release Date: September 24, 2013
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Rated: YA 14+
Format: ARC
Source: ALA 2013
Buy: Amazon ● The Book Depository
Goodreads ● Website

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 realizes 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 remember picking this one up at ALA way back in the summer of 2013. I was immediately drawn to the cover and, of course, the title. I’d seen it around on goodreads and I knew the book was on my TBR shelf, so I took a copy for review. However, I only got around to reading it now, and...it was okay. Not the best book, but definitely not the worst. It’s a very silly book, but I would be lying if I said it bored me. I first thought this book would be about zombies, but it turned out I was very, VERY wrong.

I was really on the fence with Colette’s character. At the start and for maybe around half of the book, she’s pretty spoiled. Her mother had to work extra shifts just so she could go on this trip to Paris. Heck, her younger brother had to drop out of his private school to go to public school just so she could continue at the same school. This little fact just pissed me off. There’s also the fact that she treats other people like dirt. Definitely not a fun character to have as the heroine of the story. The romance also annoyed me. I didn’t really seem to have a problem with Jules (except his choice in girls maybe), but he also seemed like a pretty flat character. But yes, the romance. I mean, a few days and BAM they’re inseparable. Glad it wasn’t insta-love though–that would have been a disaster on top of everything else. Also, what I didn’t get, was how the heck these girls were able to go around Paris, a city in a different continent let alone country, by themselves. C’est étrange, non?

Speaking of French, there are quite a few French phrases in the book. It’s not too difficult to decipher them if you’ve got a good understanding of être, avoir and faire. Some of them sounded kind of ridiculous, but it’s pretty elementary French. There’s no English translations for some of the parts in the book, so if you have absolutely no experience with French, I suggest a phone or laptop translator on hand just so you don’t end up wondering endlessly what the phrases mean.

Anyway–the main story. Ugh, it all seemed so ridiculous. I mean, okay, with all the murders going on, you still think that this school trip is a good idea, let alone the girls walking around the city by themselves? And the whole history thing tied to a prophecy was pretty predictable. With the ghost of Marie Antoinette to top it all off. The plot was too cliché, too bland, and just too annoying for me. I felt like my eyes were constantly rolling throughout the book. It made you want to read more, yes, but around halfway through I just wanted it to end.

I had high hopes for this one, but I’m sad that Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer wasn’t the book for me. With a semi-ridiculous plot and an annoying main character, only the setting was a major plus–seriously, I NEED to visit France soon after reading some gorgeous descriptions and learning about some of the history in this book. I’ve heard some good things about Katie Alender’s other books, especially about Bad Girls Don’t Die, so I’ll probably give it a try. Oh well–il faut voir.

If you like this, try...

• Royally Lost by Angie Stanton ● Goodreads
• Liv, Forever by Amy Talkington ● Goodreads