Thank you so much to Tor Teen and Net Galley for letting me read a copy of Sensational Early! I loved Spectacle when I read it last year, so I was super excited to read Sensational, and it didn’t disappoint!

Sensational 4/5 Stars

Summary from Goodreads: The 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris is full of innovations, cultural displays, and inventions. Millions of visitors attend over the course of several months...so no one would notice if a few were missing, right? Maybe—but someone is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the guillotine with a display of their own: beheaded victims in some of the Exposition's most popular exhibits.

Nathalie Baudin’s ability to see murder scenes should help, but she's suffering the effects of her magic more than ever before. Fortunately she has other Insightfuls to team up with—if they can be trusted. 

I love that Sensational takes place during the 1889 Paris World’s Fair- I think that’s a super cool setting and I don’t feel like we see very many books set around then. I loved Nathalie and Simone as usual. I thought the addition of a new love interest for Nathalie in Jules was an interesting addition, but it definitely moved the story along in unexpected and thrilling ways. The mystery seemed to take a little more of a backseat to interpersonal relationships in this book, which I didn’t mind, but I could see some people getting annoyed with. I loved the magic of Paris and how much it comes out in every page of Sensational- I think one thing that Jodie Lynn Zdrok does better than any other author right now is really transports you as the reader into the magic of Paris.

Sensational comes out on February 11th and I highly suggest checking it out then!

I received this book from NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge in exchange for an honest review.

Nathalie’s story continues in Sensational, the follow up to one of my favorite books of 2019, Spectacle. It’s been two years since the events of Spectacle and the Dark Artist killings. During this time, Nathalie has continued writing the morgue column at Le Petit Journal as well as doing consulting work with Christophe and the Parisian police on murder cases. Nathalie is one of two regular Insightful consultants. The other is Jules, who has the gift of hearing people’s thoughts if he touches their head and has become Nathalie’s beau and a part of the little friend group. (If you’re wondering, yes there is a bit of a love triangle/love V, but I feel like it was done really well.) we also get to see more of Simone and Louis, whom I love dearly.

The mystery begins when Nathalie, Simone, and Louis attend the Exposition Universelle and are among to first to discover a severed head in one of the exhibits. As more bodiless heads and headless bodies are found, our protagonist and her friends are swept into another murder mystery. What I love about the mysteries in these books are that they are engaging and give just enough clues for you to figure it out as Nathalie and crew do.

This duology, and specifically this second book, are an exploration of the relationships we have in life with others and with ourselves. We explore grief, friendship, family ties, inner purpose, love, loss, hope, and so much more.

What I especially enjoy about Nathalie is that she is a quiet character. She faces a lot of internal turmoil, but she hardly discusses it with others or acts out because of it. I can relate to that so much as someone who feels a lot, but doesn’t always express it. It’s when things come to a supreme head where we see all the pent up emotion come tumbling out, and I feel like that is realistic to many people’s experiences. She also doesn’t let her internal struggles get too in the way of what needs to be done, i.e. solving these murders.

There’s friendship! There’s love life drama! There’s betrayal! If you haven’t started this series yet, read Spectacle and then pick up Sensational. I highly recommend!!

TW/CW: talk of suicide, Murder, death of a family member, mortal peril (if I remember anymore I’ll add them here)

Jodi Lynn Zdrok writes a compelling end to the Spectacle/Sensational duology. Nathalie and her friends are charming as they use their powers to find the World Fair's killer. Zdrok does an excellent job of tying up loose threads as she weaves her compelling new story. I flew through the pages and would definitely read anything this author writes.

Paris! June, 1889! The same year as The Gilded Wolves! The year of the Exposition Universelle! It’s almost time for the 100th anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille! The Eiffel Tower makes it’s grand debut! Vincent Van Gogh paints The Starry Night! The Wall Street Journal is established! Seattle, in spite of the incessant rain, somehow manages to catch fire! Bustles are slowly on their way out, but weighty ornaments added to dresses is super in! Ribbons! Flounces! Lace! Bows! All that, plus corsets laced far tighter than they should be and no air conditioning! Sounds great!

Anyway: it’s been two years since the events of Spectacle, and our heroine Nathalie is now 18. Things are going pretty great: she no longer has to hide her identity writing her morgue column for Le Petit Journal, she has a steady boyfriend in her fellow insightful, Jules, and she’s even found a workaround for the memory loss caused by her visions: she keeps extremely detailed journals, keeping a record of everything she does in case she forgets later. With the support of her family and friends, Nathalie might just be able to pull of this whole “insightful who witnesses the deaths of murder victims from the perspective of the killer for some reason then reports those visions to the police but suffers memory loss as a side-effect” gig work.

Just so long as she ignores all the lingering looks she gives to her friend, the morgue’s police liaison Christophe. And her lingering guilt over the death of her friend Agnès at the hands of the Dark Artist serial killer. And her institutionalized aunt’s deteriorating mental health.

But besides all of that, Nathalie’s life is going pretty well. She’s 18 at the height of Belle Époque, routinely attending the Exposition Universelle with her boyfriend and her best friends. Life is good!

Until Nathalie and her friends stumble upon a severed head among the sculptures of the Galerie Rapp. Then, to make things worse, a spectator jostles the pillar on which the head is sitting, knocking it over. The head falls and, without thinking, Nathalie puts out her hands to catch it.

Anyway, this causes Nathalie to have a vision, and, faster than you can say “cocaine wine,” the whole of Paris is gripped by the both the spectacle (first book title drop!) of the Exposition, and the rampage of a new serial killer who dumps his victims on Exposition grounds. The killer is soon dubbed Le Rasoir by the press, as they behead their victims with a guillotine.

So far as sequels go, Sensational gives us more of Nathalie’s story without being bogged down with exposition and questions. We get to jump into the action right away, but there are plenty of callbacks in case you may have forgotten a detail or two from Sensational. My favorite part, of both Spectacle and Sensational is all the detail we get about what life is like in 19th century Paris. Paris is a fascinating place in general, but Paris during the late 1880s, early 1890s? During the era of the Third French Republic, Belle Époque and the birth of Cabaret? If time machines were a thing, I would definitely go and party in late 19th century Paris - hang around Montmantre, get wasted at Le Chat Noir…

The whole time I was reading Sensational, I was laboring under the delusion that this series would be a trilogy - I kept looking everywhere for the setup for book three, and finished the book fully believing that there would be another book. Then I learned that this series was to be a duology. Not a trilogy. And that Sensational was to be the end of the story. Honestly? I was disappointed. I kind of wish I had looked that up going in, rather than blithely assuming that all YA serieses end up trilogies (or quartets. Or just, you know, never end at all).

So while this book does give our characters a nice ending, there are still so many unanswered questions that could very well be answered by a third book. We never did find out what exactly caused Nathalie two-days worth of memory loss that made up the cliffhanger at the end of the first book. Like, what about all the other people who were affected by Dr. Henard’s magical mystery blood transfusions? How many people out there who, like Nathalie, inherited powers from their parents who took part in the experiment? Acgh, there’s just so much out there that can’t be covered in two books! Bah. That and I just need more YA mysteries set in late 19th century Paris. More, I says!

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This second book in the series is so good! I knew it was part of a series but this one stands alone just fine!
There are some nicely creepy moments and I really liked Nathalie.

Sensational is the sequel to Spectacle, and follows Nathalie as she continues to solve murders with her unique ability. I want to start off by saying that I loved Spectacle and felt that it was a stand-alone that didn’t quite need a sequel. That being said, Sensational is more of the same as what happened in Spectacle with less of the mystery.

Part of my love for Spectacle was that the reader was following Nathalie on her journey not knowing how she was able to see visions of the murders from the killer’s perspective. Having the second book where Nathalie is doing the same thing she was doing in Spectacle, but the reader knows more, diminished the overall feel of the story. I wish that this book had focused on another character’s perspective rather than sticking with Nathalie again. There also wasn’t enough of a recap of what occurred in the first book for anyone who picked up Sensational without reading Spectacle. Having read Spectacle a year ago, I had trouble remembering information that seemed relevant to this story. The recap left gaps that I had to try and fill-in as the book went on.

Overall, this book felt unnecessary for me.

I really loved Natalie as a character. She was brave and knew what her want. Friendship in this book was really good too. Other than that i wish we could learn more about their ability. Like author said this was a really lovely goodbye to Natalie's story. I really enjoyed it. 3.5/5

So I personally was meh with Spectacle, I found the book to drag in some areas, but still enjoyed the plot. Now this book I enjoyed a whole lot more. Almost like the voice of the character wasn’t so naive. I love a good leading lady and this didn’t disappoint. Having a strong women doing what men can do is always my forte. I also love a good mystery tastefully done.
I can’t wait to see what else Jodie writes!

I really enjoyed Zdrok's debut, Spectacle, and Sensational didn't disappoint. If anything, I think this one might have topped the first because I just loved the setting so much!

The first book in this series, Spectacle, was one of my favorite reads last year that I found on NetGalley, so I was extra excited to read the sequel. The author chose to have a 2 year gap in the book between the events of the last book and where this book picks up. This leaves relationships formed without our actually seeing it happen. While the mystery is still intriguing to me, the scene where the killer is revealed and is dealt with happens so quickly, it doesn't justify the long build up. Similarly, the relationship between the main character and her crush from the first book never fully develops, and there is another time jump in which their relationship is resolved, but we as the readers do not get to see it play out. Overall, I really did like this duology, but felt that the ending for both the mystery and romance fell flat.

I put this off for a long time because I didn't want this duology to end. I enjoyed getting to know the characters in the first book and it's always sad to have to say goodbye. I went into this with high expectations and in some ways it lived up to that and in other ways it didn't.

One of the reasons I love this author is because of the settings she gives us. I have enjoyed each one and this Paris/Exposition setting was no different. Who doesn't love murder and the Eiffel tower?

Another thing I loved about this book was how the murderer weaved a play as to tell the story of the deaths. It was pretty interesting and I was always looking forward to the next note that would be left behind.

I also really enjoy how the author brings historical fiction and fantasy together. They meld so nicely. I usually have a harder time with historical fiction but fantasy always has a way to my heart. She never disappoints!

One complaint I had was the relationship Nathalie found herself in. It didn't feel authentic enough and since it wasn't really a huge part of the plot I felt that it was a bit unnecessary since she seemed to be pining over another character from book one.

The beginning was also a bit slow at times and even the murdering didn't grasp my attention as much as book one. It was still an interesting plot but I just needed a bit more.

Overall, I'm impartial to this one. There were some great aspects and ones that I didn't like as much. I'm glad that I got to return and read about Nathalie and her friends once again.

I liked the first book of this series, but much like with Spectacle, I thought the plot dragged a little bit, which distracted me from the action of the story and the character development. I like Nathalie as a character, and I really liked reading about her interactions with her family. However, I found this book to be kind of mediocre. While I don't have anything very bad to say about it, I also don't have anything very good to say about it.

I love these books because, clearly, the setting is my favorite place on earth. I will try anything that is set in Paris, no matter what it is! Okay, maybe that's an exaggeration but I really enjoy Parisian stories.

This is the second in a duology--which, in my opinion we don't get enough of!--that continues with Nathalie's story. I found the similarities with Stalking Jack the Ripper and I think that's why I connected with this series so much. This book was definitely much more intriguing than the first as Nathalie explores what her gift really means and what it would mean to her to lose it forever.

I thought the additional of other Insightfuls was really cool and her aunt's story felt like it was more delved into, which I greatly appreciated. It added a depth to the story that made me more interested in finding out the whole truth. I thought the murder side of it was uniquely done (that's a compliment) and I continue to think that the newspaper reporter involvement was unique as well.

Jodi's writing is truly engrossing and you feel like you are right there with Nathalie. That may be a good or a bad thing if you're a little queasy but it's a unique thing to be able to do. I read this in one sitting and I couldn't stop reading because I needed to know what happened. The ending was bittersweet and I'm still not sure how I feel about it but I think it left me satisfied and not wishing there was another book or with unanswered questions.

I tried to get into this book but I just couldn't. after reading the first book and being disappointed I hoped maybe the sequel would be better but unfortunately it was not.

This was an excellent sequel to Spectacle!
In progressive-era Paris, we again meet Nathalie, whose story of navigating Insightfulness and an overarching murder are deftly told. There’re essentially dual, parallel narratives: find the guillotine murderer, and garner strength from meaningful relationships (aunt, lovers, friends) to truly find and understand oneself [Nathalie]. While the two could be considered diametrically opposed, they don’t feel contrived or if they are vying for book real estate. For Nathalie to aid in the investigation, she must understand her Insightful properties and hone the skills. This can only come through her relations with other Insightfuls and support from the community she has created. It all feels very human and highlights the range of what humanity can offer.
It’s a cleverly crafted murder mystery with just the right amount of world and relationship building. It was easy to suture myself into the narrative because the people felt real, the setting felt real, the emotions of the characters felt real. You’ll end up rooting for or relating to – feeling some sort of tangible emotion for the characters. This book ticks all the boxes for a compelling read. If you haven’t started this series, do so. If you have, make sure to pick up a copy of this book!
Thanks to Macmillan-Tor/Forge via NetGalley for the early read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge -Tor Teen for letting me read and review this book. I enjoyed it and could follow along easily with the same characters and such from having read the first book, Spectacle, which if you haven't read that one - you should go get it and read it now to get ready for this one!
This was another engrossing, fun and delightful read by Jodi Lynn Zdrok - I enjoyed the first book and this one was awesome too.
In this sequel to Spectacle, Nathalie is still using her powers as an Insightful to help out at the morgue with murder investigations while also trying to figure things out in regards to her Aunt and her Aunt's powers in relation to her powers. She is, in general, trying to investigate and understand what it means to be an Insightful and to be herself and what she wants out of life as well.
In this story, there's another crazy murderer who this time is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Guillotine and writing a play to go with their murders and victims while beheading them and leaving them around in the Exposition Universelle in Paris to be found. Nathalie tries to help find this murderer using her powers while helping out at the morgue with the cases, but this time around it seems to catch her and others off guard as well as myself as the reader. I had no clue who the murderer was until the end and I was also a bit more invested in the other parts of the story like the events with Nathalie's Aunt and her coming to terms with her grief over her friend, Agnes.
Another major part of the story that I was invested in was that in this book, Nathalie has a beau, Jules, and what happens with him and their relationship as well as what happens with Christophe, which if you've read the first book, you'll know more about the relationship issues, etc. between Christophe and Nathalie. I finally got the ending I was hoping for with her and her romantic relationships with this book.
Once I got to the end and everything was resolving itself and I realized this was the end, I was a bit upset because I have enjoyed reading about Nathalie, Christophe, Simone, Louis, Jules, all the characters and about Insightfuls and their powers. I wish there was going to be more stories with these great characters and would love to know more about them and their futures as well as more info on Insightfuls and their powers.
If you've read Spectacle, then you need to read this sequel, if you haven't read Spectacle, go read it so you are ready for this Sensational book when it comes out!

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 3.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

Man did I get sucked right back into this world. This one grabbed me much harder and faster than Spectacle did. Lots of wonderful twists and turns and I loved getting to know Nathalie better was a joy. Love the vivid descriptions of these historical events. So much fun and wonderful reading.

Sensational is an edge of your seat murder mystery. It kept me guessing about who the killer was. I enjoyed reading about Paris and all the places the characters visit. Very well written with strong characters.

Thank you Netgalley for sending me this arc. I will be reviewing this book in the near future with an honest rating and review.