Spectacle was quite different then what I was expecting. Though I did have my issues with Spectacle, I was nonetheless blown away by Jodie's writing style and the dark themes she wrote about in her debut novel. Spectacle was a page turner with characters that were easily likable and a series of grisly murders that you couldn't help but want to know more about.

My biggest issue with this book that by the way it is described I was expecting a blood soaked murder mystery that was going to send chills down my spine. Though it do that at many points, the murders and who the murderer is seemed to be a sub plot rather then the main plot. A big part of Spectacle was Nathalie trying to piece together where she got her ability to see the murders from and uncovering secrets from her parents and aunt's past.

Spectacle had a lot of potential and at certain points it felt like it just fell short of it. Important parts of the story were brushed past and I wish Jodie had taken more time to describe the experiments that gave people their magical abilities and a deeper view into the things that led Tante down the road to an asylum. I knew enough that everything made sense, but not enough to be emotionally invested.

I really enjoyed Nathalie's growth from the start of Spectacle and to the end of it. The story takes place over a few weeks worth of time and you can gradually to see the change in how Nathalie begins to act and think towards certain things. The friendship between Nathalie and Simone warmed my heart and I found it very similar to some of my actual relationships with friends, so I was able to feel her pain when her Simone would have disagreements. I don't thing Spectacle needed a romance aspect, it worked pretty well with out it. But Jodie did tease us with Christophe and Nathalie's interactions and by the end of the novel their relationship was very up in the air.

Spectacle did end very open ended and I can see the potential for another novel about Nathalie and her adventures since not everything was clarified by the end of Spectacle. Though I didn't love Spectacle, it was an enjoyable read and I am eager to see what is in store for these characters next.

Nathalie writes columns summarizing the cause of deaths for the newest arrivals at the morgue. Nathalie has a special ability that shows her visions of how the victim died. When a killer is on the loose Nathalie uses her ability to track down the murderer. Set in 1887 Paris you go on a dangerous journey.

Nathalie was an interesting character and I enjoyed reading about her ability and all that it entails. I enjoyed seeing the sights around Paris in 1887 as Nathalie works her way around the city trying to find the killer. There are a lot of plot twists along the way with every person you meet a possible suspect.

I enjoy reading murder mysteries and the premise of this sounded interesting, unfortunately I could never fully get into this book. It was slow paced which made my interest waver as I progressed. I did enjoy trying to piece together the clues and figure out who the killer was. The final part of the book did pick up and had some surprising revelations that I didn't see coming.

I received this via Netgalley for an honest review. For the most part, this was an enjoyable read. I enjoyed the mystery and the characters.

There were a few spelling errors here and there. Some of the transitions could have been smoother. Also, there was a murder I totally saw coming.

Overall, a pretty enjoyable read.

Spectacle is at once a murder mystery and a magical adventure. The book features a multilayered lead with complex agency. Jodie successfully captured every aspect of the setting. Vivid imagery paired with intimate writing make this title a treasure.

This book was received as an ARC from Macmillan-Tor/Forge in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

Spectacle was very surprising at many chapters of the story because it was totally unexpected. Throughout reading the book, I was expecting the story to go in one direction but when identifying the woman murdered, the story just took another turn that totally changed the course of the plot. Our readers are in search of more mystery book and historical fiction and this is another that gets the best of both worlds. However, there were some parts that dragged for a long time making it very difficult to get through so some readers might be a little bored but when the secret is revealed it is definitely a surprise.

We will consider this book for our adult fiction section at our library. That is why we give this book 4 stars.