Terrifying and twisty, but a little slow - Spectacle ARC Review

*Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader's Copy from Netgalley for review consideration. This does in no way affect my opinion, and all thoughts expressed in this review are unbiased and my own.*

Title: Spectacle

Author: Jodie Lynn Zdroc

My rating: 3.5 hearts

Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Historical

Pub. date: February 12, 2019

Publisher: Tor Teen

Synopsis: A YA murder mystery in which a young reporter must use her supernatural visions to help track down a killer targeting the young women of Paris.

Paris, 1887.

Sixteen-year-old Nathalie Baudin writes the daily morgue column for Le Petit Journal. Her job is to summarize each day's new arrivals, a task she finds both fascinating and routine. That is, until the day she has a vision of the newest body, a young woman, being murdered--from the perspective of the murderer himself.

When the body of another woman is retrieved from the Seine days later, Paris begins to buzz with rumors that this victim may not be the last. Nathalie's search for answers sends her down a long, twisty road involving her mentally ill aunt, a brilliant but deluded scientist, and eventually into the Parisian Catacombs. As the killer continues to haunt the streets of Paris, it becomes clear that Nathalie's strange new ability may make her the only one who can discover the killer's identity--and she'll have to do it before she becomes a target herself. (synopsis from Goodreads)

I had really high expectations of this one. I’d just finished Escaping from Houdini, and I was frantically looking for something like it when I stumbled upon Spectacle. I read the synopsis, and knew I had to read it. It didn’t quite live up to my expectations, but it was really good. Perfect for fans of Stalking Jack the Ripper.

I really liked Nathalie. She was relatable, and her reactions to suddenly having weird visions was very realistic. She very obviously struggled with her visions, and my heart went out to her. She was easy to relate to and interesting to read about. I think her struggles are something most teens can relate to, the feeling of being different and therefore alone, and although her problem is her powers, and I liked how this book showed that even though you may feel alone in your struggles, you aren’t. 

The plot was a little slow. I had some trouble getting into it at first, because I felt like nothing really happened for the first 30% or so, but it picked up after that. The mystery deepened, and the plot picked up, and once things started happening, it was impossible to put down. I made the mistake of reading that last part right before bed, which I wouldn’t recommend if you value your sleep. This book is not good for your sleep.

So let’s talk about the mystery. The Dark Artist reminded me a little of Jack the Ripper, actually. The mystery was well-written, with twists and turns, some surprising, some not surprising. But the ending was definitely surprising, and it really fit. But back to the Dark Artist. As he spread fear throughout Paris, he terrified me equally, which brings me back to the whole reading before bed thing. Not a good idea.

I also have to mention the settings. I’ve studied French since I was a kid, I’ve always loved the language, and I’ve always dreamed of going to Paris. The setting of Paris was really the perfect setting for this murder mystery, and it added a lot to the plot. The settings were described in such a way that it felt real, even though I didn’t know the setting, and the mix of the touristy parts of Paris and the darker, terrifying parts of Paris (the Catacombs kept me up at night) really added tension to the plot. 

Overall, I really enjoyed Spectacle. It was a little slow to start, but once it did, it was amazing. The murder mystery was intricately built, leaving the reader guessing and suspicious of everyone – I even suspected Nathalie’s friend at one point. It was terrifying, but written in such a way that it was hard to put down once you got into it. And the ending… I need 2020 to get here now, so I can read the sequel!