I gave this a four out of five stars. I really enjoyed this story, it gave me the vibes of Stalking Jack the Ripper. I really enjoyed the main character. I ship Nathalie with Christophe so much. I can't wait to get a finished copy of this and I cant wait to read the next book. I totally recommend this book.

The first page stole me away, as did the premise. Working in the morgue may deaden most protagonists, no pun intended, but Nathalie finds herself mired in a big mystery. She can see how a killer murdered the latest dead body; not through forensics, but rather a vision from the killer's perspective. Soon more bodies, appear. Parisians and the news talk about if they have a serial killer in their midst.

Keep in mind that it isn't a happy book. it's one with murder, and with family traumas that affect Nathalie's present. Prepare for many slashed throats, and a stark look at the dead when no one can mourn or identify them.

Typically historical books aren’t my jam but this one made the cut! Compelling and unable to stop reading!

A compelling mystery and a beautiful atmosphere, this is a compelling and entertaining read, now I need to get to the second book!

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

In 1887, Paris is hit by the shock of a serial killer on the loose. Nathalie Baudin may be only 16, but following a fire which injured her mother, and her father away at sea, she needs to take up a job, and is the new daily reporter for the morgue column at Le Petit Journal. Every day she visits Paris' main morgue, and reports on what she sees. Inadvertently touching the glass between the viewing platform and the morgue, Nathalie has a vision of the murder victim's last moments, and starts to wonder what this gift is, and why she's so connected to the murders. But as the deaths grow closer to home, and she finds herself in the path of the murderer, can Nathalie save herself?

I wasn't too sure about this book. I tried reading it multiple times from the moment I was approved, until now, and always put it down to move onto something else as I wasn't too hooked. However, when I tried again this time, I was definitely in the mood for it, and barely put it down until I was finished. I love historical books, and YA doesn't have anywhere near enough in my opinion. I don't know much about Paris or it's history, so really enjoyed seeing it through Nathalie's eyes, and learning about the city's traditions. Nathalie, as a character, was one you could rely on. She had had to step up after her mother's injuries stopped her working, and this changed her from a normal 16 year old enjoying her summer. The visits to the morgue didn't really affect her, until her visions started. This sparked a path of discovery for her, learning more about her family history, and about the people who underwent medical experiments in the years prior to her birth. Nathalie was extremely strong, and read as someone older than 16, especially with how she dealt with some really emotional things occurring. I'm glad this isn't a standalone book, as I want to learn more about Nathalie, and her powers, and those of the people around her. A solid debut, full of fantasy and history!

Listened to an audiobook version of the book.

In Spectacle we follow the main character of Nathalie Baudin who writes a morgue column for a paper in the last 1880s. She is to write the summaries of each person who arrives to help them become identified for their family to bury them properly. In order to do this, she must go to the morgue multiple times a day to get everything properly written down for each new column. While there one day though she suddenly gets a vision of sorts where she sees a woman being murdered through the eyes of a killer. Nathalie has no idea what is happening, and this starts her whole story in the Spectacle.

The killer keeps going on, and as more bodies get found Nathalie has more visions and the killer starts to catch on that she can see what they are doing. This leads Nathalie and her friends on a twisty turn of finding out who the killer is, before the killer gets them first.

Overall I did enjoy this book. I also think I had hyped this book up a lot in my mind, which made it fall a little flat for me. While this book did have its exciting moments, most of it was just kind of there and happening. I never felt super worried for Nathalie for some reason despite everyone else seemingly being worried about her. She never seemed in real danger to me, because the killer just wanted to taunt her in a way. I was more worried about others finding out her ability and thinking she was crazy and sending her to an asylum because of the time period this takes place. However, I will say that I did like Nathalie as a character and how she was able to piece everything that was happening together. She did the best she could and that's all that matters to me. I am curious to read what happens in the next book because this one kind of ended on a cliffhanger in my opinion.

Spectacle is a real genre-hopper of a novel. It’s a historical set in 1887 Paris with people who have extraordinary powers, but those powers are purely the product of science. Nothing particularly paranormal here. After a series of murders lead Nathalie to discover her own ability, she’s the best chance Paris has of solving the mystery of who is doing all this. Something that feels as fresh as this novel does? Count me in!

Nathalie Baudin is an extraordinary girl even before she discovers her psychometric abilities. She’s just sixteen, but she’s a journalist ghostwriting a paper’s column of new arrivals to the public morgue. Those columns and the deceased’s public display may lead these unknowns to be identified, so it’s a rather valuable job even if it is morbid.

Even so, once this strong-stomached girl realizes she may be the key to finding the Dark Artist, she wavers and briefly quits investigating on her own. As valuable as it is, she’s still a child and hunting a serial killer who is very aware of you is terrifying. Were I in her situation, I doubt I would choose differently. Nathalie may not have resumed her efforts at all if not for a catastrophic event.

The scientific thought Zdrok put into the idea of the Insightfuls is a strong point of the novel as well. Some of their gifts are incredible, but there are serious drawbacks as well that keep them in check. Nathalie’s father can heal, but he takes on a minor form of the injury or sickness he heals. Nathalie herself can see the past when she touches an object or body, but she loses a memory when she does so. For instance, her first vision takes away her memory of buying flowers from a woman that morning. The more detailed and lengthy a vision, the more time she loses.

The sense of setting is vivid; you can really feel the research and work put into bringing 1887 France to life. However, that level of detail occasionally bogs down the pacing and makes the novel a bit harder to get through.

And I must say, I have never seen a single novel anti-climax so many times. The identity of the Dark Artist? His fate? The death of another major antagonist? They’re all quick and without dramatics. You expect something a little more momentous or shocking given the state of terror they’ve put Paris in, but no. It’s like standing at the edge of a cliff thinking there’s a long way down if you go over, getting pushed over, and landing safely on a large plateau after maybe two feet of falling.

There’s no romance to be found in Spectacle if that’s what you’re looking for, but I hear there is some in its sequel Sensation. I’ve also heard the sequel is a bit weaker, so I’m not sure if I will read it myself. Whether you want to read both books or treat Spectacle as a standalone, you’ve got a thoughtful, well-crafted novel to look forward to.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the way that the twist was revealed and the confrontation that the main character had with the murderer. I am really looking forward to reading the second book.

The premise of "Spectacle" was really interesting, but the novel failed to impress me.

There was no real character development, the plot relied heavily on coincidences, and the attempt at romance also fell flat for me.

A murder mystery set in Paris, in 1887?! I was so thrilled about this, more when I saw that Nathalie had visions! I loved how the mystery and the supernatural were mixed, it made everything realistic and plausible. All the emotions, the responsibilities that Nathalie experienced in that whole summer, presented with the historic view of a sixteen year old girl, were very interesting and are the reason I devoured this book.

A brilliant mystery in a truly wonderful setting. I really enjoyed this engaging story and would recommend it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ I though the story really was enjoyable, but it was difficult to maintain that joy when the plot continually shifted in unclear directions I might pick this back up again eventually because IT WAS ENJOYABLE, but this wasn’t the new favorite I thought it was going to be. dnf @ 39%

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and Avon for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.

A murder mystery set in Paris in 1887 is dashed with a bit of a magical, scientific world. If you enjoy slow-paced, character study murder mysteries, this is for you!

Spectacle's synopsis is an intriguing concept. Paired with the setting in Paris, I was eager to enter this story. I was hoping it would remind me of Stalking Jack the Ripper or Jackaby, but alas - it did not. While Stalking Jack the Ripper had a budding romance that kept readers attention, Spectacle did not, which was a bit disappointing for me.

Though, it did include one of my favorite aspects of Jackaby, in that the author includes a paranormal-esque tie in to the story for our main character. The paranormal aspect did not overshadow the story, but instead was in balance with the rest. I do feel like the author could have dipped a bit more into the lore and background on this, perhaps creating an 'underworld', but it did not.

One of the downfalls of the story, for me, is that it was very slow. It definitely is a character study, in that you are within Nathalie's thoughts - a lot. I don't mind some thought-speak, but the plot seemed to suffer for it, without much action happening. For me, there was not enough investigating. Instead, it just seemed like Nathalie was on the outside of the mystery just viewing things if they passed by.

I did listen to the audio book for this, which I enjoyed! The narrator was wonderful at French accents, bringing life to Nathalie as a character. I would suggest that if you do not prefer slow-paced books, the audio book would be the way to go. It's an easy listen for if you have to do something like laundry at the same time.

Overall, this book was a 2.5 for me. I didn't hate it, but it was so slow it was hard to enjoy it.

This ya murder mystery had the perfect amount of supernatural and fright. Taking place in Paris in 1877 was perfection! I couldn't have asked for a more rich and intriguing background that sucks you right into the story. Nathalie is a smart and determined character, but not afraid to admit when she's in over her head, which made reading her horror story even more appealing. I will definitely be picking up the sequel.

Spectacle is really an interesting book and concept. Set in 1887 in Paris, France, Nathalie Baudin is a young girl who is given an unheard of position for women at that time: writer for the daily morgue report in prestigious newspaper, Le Petit Journal. Not only that, but she is the very first woman to ever write for the newspaper. But, in doing so, she has to make certain accommodations which I'll leave up to readers to discover.

Viewing bodies was popular at the time and because of Nathalie's job, she goes to view a body and either hallucinates or she has a vision/gift and sees the murder take place of the female victim. There continues to be a number of female victims murdered and eventually Nathalie fears her own demise.

I thought there was good suspense and mystery, and Nathalie has an aunt Brigitte who adds to the mystery and suspense. Her character is important in moving forward the plot. She is in an asylum for the insane, so that brings into question whether or not Nathalie might herself be insane.

All in all I thought this was very well-written, there was a lot of suspense and the mystery kept me wondering. I recommend this book, especially if you like historical fiction and late 1800's settings in Europe.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for a free e-ARC of the book in exchange for an honest opinion. Personally, I am excited to read book 2!

#Spectacle #NetGalley

Spectacle is a historical mystery set in France's nineteenth century. In Paris, some young women are murdered by a mysterious man and Natalie tries to discover who did it as well as part of her.
First, I liked the plot and the mystery around it. Moreover, the ending was what was needed and perfect for me.
Secondly, the characters were good but they were lacking a little bit of real French personality.
Last but not least, I loved all of the references to French culture and history ( as a French, they were perfect!).
Overall, I liked this book and for me, a sequel isn't required.

Jodie Lynn Zdrok creates an interesting POV of a young woman navigating Paris during a Jack The Ripper-esque series of murders. The Time period was charming, the setting was thrilling and made me nostalgic for my own time spent in Paris, and the plot had me at the edge of my seat. The magic world-building could have used a bit more meat to it, but was overall enough to become immersed in Nata’s situation.

That all being said, the story ended quite oddly. The last couple of chapters didn’t seem to fit the hidden gem I thought I had found in Zdrok, and what could have easily have been a fantastic stand alone was quite awkwardly posing for a sequel. The ending was a bit anti-climactic in the way that there was no connection between Nata and the killer, their identity was seemingly random. A random killer with no surprise twist could have been forgiven, but Nata didn’t even have a ‘final showdown’ so to speak with the Dark Artist or his ‘accomplices.’ What felt like a strong debut novel seemingly collapsed before the finish line.

This was a gorgeous book! I've got to say, I wan't expecting this much. The writing was very atmospheric and really put you in France at that time. The plot was well executed and the characters were well developed. I think that in places the dialogue was a little lacking but overall I'm really glad I read this! I'll definitely pick up the sequel.

A dark and haunting YA historical fantasy. Nathalie was a very interesting lead character, I liked that the author choose to put a female in an otherwise male dominated role. It was such a detailed piece of writing which helped keep readers drawn in.



I just reviewed Spectacle by Jodie Lynn Zdrok. #Spectacle #NetGalley

God I love this book. And Jodie! The setting was amazing (god I wish I could go there) and I loved the mysterious elements and intrigue. I can’t wait for the next one!