Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. The feminine rage in this book was TOP TIER. The environment and timing of the 1850's were both no friend of women, and our MC is a badass. I can't wait for this one to go on my physical shelf!! A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads for release.

Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advance copy for my review feature in Summer Thriller Reads TBR Roundup Tour.

Oh. my. goodness! This was a delectable morsel for YA Thriller fans! I devoured this to bring you the best quotes and convince you to pick up a thriller this summer. Ready to fan-girl some accomplices? Let travel to Paris, France 1850.

Angelique has secured a coveted position working for a prominent modiste in Paris. Her mother and sister are not so lucky and stuck working to the bone at a sweatshop. When they both die in a tragic accident at the factory, Angelique is left to support herself and her younger sister. But she also wants revenge on the owner of the factory and the wealthy industrialists families who spend their money at the modiste. Not to mention to spoiled girls she works with. As workers at the modiste mysteriously get taken down one by one, Angelique and her textile and sewing skills move their way to the top. But is there a limit to Angelique’s revenge?

This was a engrossing gothic you can’t help but be sucked into that examines the lengths we will go to for the ones we love.

Dark, twisted, and with some serious Sweeney Todd vibes. The Protegee is a gritty industrial revolution historical horror with a main character getting violent revenge on the rich and powerful. I loved Angélique's slow decent into murder (I can't call it madness since her reasons seem very justified), from an accidental passion killing to more and more intended consequences, until she is on the verge of losing sight of what really matters most. Domingo makes for a sweet and uncomplicated love interest.

I really enjoyed Erica Ridley's foray into thrillers as this book brought all of her wonderful historical accuracy into a new genre. Even more so than the Wyld Winchesters, which take a twist on history to the comedic, this darker take really drives home the stark realities of the time, and highlights the consequences of income inequality today.

ARC provided by Toppling Stacks Tours and Get Underlined. All thoughts are my own.

There’s something deeply compelling about a story that plunges headfirst into the soot and silk of historical class divides, and The Protégée does just that. Erica Ridley delivers a gritty, immersive tale of revenge and ambition set against a Paris pulsing with opulence and desperation.

From the beginning, it’s clear that Ridley’s command of the time period is confident and detailed. The social commentary, particularly around labor exploitation and class inequity, never feels shoehorned in. Instead, it bleeds naturally through the setting and Angélique’s journey. The early pacing is a bit slow, but once the competition to become the modiste’s assistant takes center stage, the plot tightens and the tension rises.

Angélique herself is a fascinating figure, coming off icy and driven, but layered with moments of tenderness when it comes to her sister. That dynamic was one of the most compelling parts of the novel for me. It provided a striking contrast to the choices Angélique makes as she ascends the ranks, leaving a trail of poisoned threads behind her. She’s not always likable, and I never felt fully connected to her emotionally, but she is undoubtedly magnetic in the way only truly morally grey protagonists can be.

Despite the horror label, this reads far more like a revenge thriller than traditional horror. There are flashes of the macabre but the tone leans more toward psychological tension than outright fear. Still, the darkness is effective and sharp, especially as Angélique starts to realize just how thin the line between survival and ambition can be.

The romance subplot didn’t quite land for me. Domingo is a kind and steady presence, and while I appreciated what he represented, their relationship lacked the spark to make it memorable. Fortunately, that thread is minor enough not to detract too much from the central plot.

What did work, and work well, was the final act. A twist I didn’t see coming landed with satisfying weight, and the resolution was both brutal and fitting. I closed the book with a strange mix of discomfort and admiration, which is exactly what I hope for in a story like this.

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The way I could have read this book in one sitting if I didn’t have other life obligations. I was so hooked on this story. The only one hung I could even think to compare this story to is like Sweeney Todd but if Sweeney was Giulia Tofana!
The lengths that this FMC goes to, to ensure her and her sister’s success and getting revenge on the rich is insane! I also loved how there was a happily ever after for the characters!

Darkly decadent and relentlessly thrilling, The Protégée by Erica Ridley weaves historical horror, fashion, and revenge into a chilling Belle Époque Paris. Angélique’s fierce ambition drives her from sweatshop drudge to elite dressmaker, poisoning rivals and stitching justice with every twist. The atmosphere is lush, the villains satisfying, and the secret romance tender amid blood and stilettos. This stylish, cunning novel cuts deep—and refuses to let go. 🧵💀 Unforgettable craftsmanship. Wow!!

I come to this book as a lover of Erica Ridley's romance novels, and as someone who mistakenly thought this was an adult book. Despite being young adult, Ridley is not afraid to push the envelope a bit. Angelique, our main character, is a bit morally reprehensible and a pretty messy character. After dealing with the death of her father, she is, unfortunately, present at the gruesome deaths of her mother and one of her sisters in the fabric factory she previously worked for before obtaining her new job as a seamstress in a fashionable modiste's shop where she is bullied by her coworkers and superior, the protegee. Left to care for her 12 year old sister Elodie, Angelique becomes a bit obsessed with her job and getting revenge on the family that owns the fabric factory that killed her parents and other sister. Getting the current protegee out of the way is easy, the hard part is now winning the design contest set by the modiste to decide the successor to the coveted position. As the bullying ramps up and the stressors pile on to Angelique, cracks start to form and fracture her relationship to her sister and her, quite attractive, friend Domingo, and maybe also her mind.
I had such a blast reading this book. Angelique is a mess but I really love her arc throughout this book. There are some rather gruesome incidents throughout the book, and I found it a very successful YA horror/thriller story. If you're looking for drama, pick this one up!

Oh I really loved this foray into YA by Erica. Huge fan of this author - great read. Loved the horror - done so so well. Great historical aspect - rich with imagery, brutality of the times, rife with misogyny and cruelty to the poor.
A lovely exploration of what women do for their loved ones. Brutal. Real. Honest.
Angélique has lost all of her family but her younger sister. Determined for her sister to never know the suffering of factory work, Angélique does the hard stuff - including removing competition to become the next Protégée.
Rage. Complex. Angry woman - oh yes!

This is an exciting read that builds in intensity as you follow Angélique through the ruthless competition and the hidden darkness of the times.

A poor working seamstress vows to get revenge against the employers who killed her parents... and to do so she'll kill her way to the top. Angélique is an eighteen year old girl who works as a dressmaker dreaming of the day she can be promoted and given enough money to feed and care for her family. Her mother and sister still work at the dangerous sweatshop that ends up killing them because of their employers lack of care and protection. Angélique is determined to get revenge, with her only remaining family member being her younger sister, it is up to Angélique to secure her promotion... and kill the competition while working to orchestrate her revenge against the people who killed her family. Can she get everything she wants before she is caught or will she end up failing to ever beat the people who torment her. This was such a fun revenge story and I love the twist and turns. I appreciate and adore a fun protagonist who will do whatever it takes to get her revenge. I am a huge fan of female rage stories and this was a fun one to read! I would absolutely recommend this for fans of female rage stories!!

Release Date: June 10, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Children's | Delacorte Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Erica Ridley did an amazing job of bringing 19th-century Paris to life. Although I knew she would, since I've been reading her historical romances for years. After the deaths of her parents and older sister, Angelique is doing everything she can to take care of her little sister. She is a talented seamstress and fashion designer. She wants nothing more than to be her boss's new protégée, and maybe in the process use her new position to take her revenge on the people who have treated her and her family horribly.

This takes her down a wicked path of revenge, taking out her competition in becoming the next protegee one by one. Then, moving on to the high society ladies and gentlemen who caused the death of the rest of her family.
I would say this is more revenge thriller than a horror, which I think is what it's tagged as on Goodreads.
I loved the relationship between Angelique and her sister, along with her budding romance with Domingo. Angelique is smart, protective, and fierce in her determination to get revenge. I loved the setting and the plot, but while I fully understood why she was doing what she did, I had a hard time connecting with her fully as a main character. I'm not totally sure why, but it made it hard for me to be fully immersed in the story.

I love the way Erica Ridley tells a story and I can't wait to see what shes going to come out with next.

The Protégée is Erica Ridley’s first historical horror, and I was excited to try something new from her, as I’d enjoyed quite a few of her historical romances. However, while the historical elements were well-done, I found myself very underwhelmed otherwise.
Ridley is very knowledgeable about 19th century history, and while this is set in France and a bit later than most of her prior books, she still clearly knows her stuff. She captures post-Revolutionary/Industrial Revolution France in all its gritty glory, exploring the struggles of the working class now reckoning with wealthy industrialists lording over them in the place of aristocrats. The parallels between then and today really highlight that social change is not linear, and toppling one Big Bad often just paves the way for another. I also really liked the way Ridley attempted to create a more diverse society, building on the historical records of Black people who existed at the time to build a fiction of racial unity. It’s not dissimilar to Bridgerton in its idealism, but I appreciate the acknowledgment that history was more diverse than people think.
And plot-wise, there were some pretty intense moments. The revenge plot is compelling, and the stakes of the contest at the center of the book present a fair bit of intrigue.
But something about the characters felt rather lacking for me. While I understood Angelique in theory, I found myself much less engaged with her as a character, for reasons I still don’t fully grasp. The stakes of her situation were decently conveyed in theory, but lacked real gravitas to be fully emotionally invested.
While I was underwhelmed by this book, it’s clearly a “me” problem. Between struggling a bit to maintain my investment to begin with, plus purposely staggering my reading to be able to count it for The Amazing Readathon in June, there was a lot going on. So, while I’m not the ideal reader for this book, other reviewers seem to be enjoying it, and I’d recommend checking out their reviews when making a decision about whether you want to read this or not.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy

The Protégée by Erica Ridley is a first person-POV ahistorical YA horror set in France after a version of the Revolution that led to racial equality. Angélique and her sister Elodie have lost both their parents and their sister. With nobody but each other and a young man named Domingo who is sweet on Angélique, the two don’t have a ton of options. So when the chance for Angélique to become the protégée of a respected owner of a modiste, she will literally kill for it.

Angélique and Elodie are half-Black half-white which puts them at the bottom rung in this post-Revolution society with those who have two white or two Black parents being above them. Domingo is from Spain and is also close to the bottom due to being an immigrant. I thought this was a really interesting way to worldbuilding because it does help to highlight that biracial people are constantly dealing with being on the outside because they don’t fit neatly into a box while immigrants are always viewed as outsiders. Angélique never resents her parents for having her or being biracial and instead her ire at how she is treated is directed at the people who treat her poorly and the elite in society.

A major theme here is ‘eat the rich through what they love’ as Angélique is dying fabric a gorgeous green that is dyed with arsenic, making it poisonous, and then charging a very high price to the higher-ranking members of society, taking as much of their money as she can while slowly killing them. Angélique’s original goal is to slowly kill the people who own the dye factory that killed her family members but when she sees a chance to take even more people down, she takes it. I don’t think she’s the sort of character who would go to this sort of extreme without being pushed to the brink and the threat of losing her and her sister’s home and the grief caused by her mother’s death was that breaking point. Once she’s committed to her plan, she’s going to follow through.

Domingo and Angélique have a bit of a complicated romance. Domingo is obviously in love with her while she holds her feelings back in part because she doesn’t know how serious he is but she’s also unsure of herself. Domingo respects her boundaries and understands when she needs space, but he’s also not afraid to protect himself. His love for Elodie also helps sell Angélique on them having a future if she can fulfill her plans and not go to prison for them.

Content warning for discrimination

I would recommend this to fans of YA horror with ahistorical settings and readers looking for books centering morally complex biracial leads

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Children's for the ARC of this novel!
Erica Ridley knocked it out of the park again! This book follows Angélique who was a lot of fun and morally gray and I really enjoyed her!
The plot was fun and I was shocked the entire time!
4/5

I loved the historical horror element to this book, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed from this type of book. The overall feel worked and was engaged with the revenge element to this storyline. I was engaged with the concept and how it was used in the time-period. The characters were everything that I wanted and enjoyed about the time-period. Erica Ridley wrote this well and left me wanting to read more.

Loved reading the engaging and amazing story. Angelique. wants revenge against the family where her mother and sister died, a better way of life for her and her younger sister, chosen as the seamstress's protégée, and will do anything and everything to get what she wants. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and a must read riveting story by the awesome author, Erica Ridley.

The Protégée follows Angelique, a young woman working as a seamstress and dreaming of becoming a protegee for Paris’s top modiste and help design beautiful gowns. When her parents and younger sister are killed working in sweatshop, Angelique is hellbent on getting revenge on the factory’s greedy, heartless employer. Which may be easier than she thought when the modiste proposes a contest to win the coveted assistant position. Angelique would do anything to win so she can get revenge and help her little sister—including disposing of the competition.

This was a wild book. I absolutely loved the premise and setting. It felt so full of life and the descriptions were so vivid. The plot was so engaging from the beginning and has so many twists that keep you on your toes. My jaw dropped a few times I was so surprised at the lengths Angelique would go to. The ending was so good and the epilogue was also jaw-dropping.

Angelique was a fascinating main character. I love reading about women with questionable morals and had such a fun time in her head. The slippery slope she goes on with her actions was so gripping to read about. This really reminded me why I love characters like Angelique—they’re just so dark and morally gray and are as scary as they are determined. Her relationship with her sister was sweet and her romance with Domingo was so cute. There was such a good balance of dark, intense moments with lovely ones.

Overall, if you like morally gray main characters with questionable actions, I’d definitely recommend going and checking this one out!

Thank you to Penguin Teen CA and Netgalley for the arc.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Children's for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Erica Ridley’s “The Protégée” is a gripping historical thriller set in 19th-century Paris, combining ambition and revenge, all within the dark underbelly of the fashion industry and the class system during this time. With rich historical detail and a morally complex protagonist, this book offers a chilling yet engaging look at what one woman is willing to do to claim her place in a world that has cast her aside.

The story follows eighteen-year-old Angélique, a working-class girl with dreams of designing lavish gowns for Parisian elites. However, after her family is tragically killed in a factory fire, her ambitions shift—she still craves success, but now, she also seeks vengeance. Taking a position as a junior seamstress under Paris’s most renowned modiste, Angélique faces class discrimination, cutthroat competition, and the grueling realities of survival. But she refuses to be held back, and when a contest is announced for the coveted assistant position, she’s willing to do whatever it takes to win. Even if that means using arsenic-laced fabric to poison those who stand in her way.

Angélique is a fascinating protagonist—morally gray, fiercely determined, and at times, frighteningly single-minded. Her obsession with revenge consumes her, costing her relationships with her sister and her devoted love interest, Domingo, a kindhearted immigrant shoemaker. The romance is present but takes a backseat to Angélique’s burning desire for retribution. Watching her navigate the high-stakes world of Parisian fashion while methodically enacting her revenge is both thrilling and unsettling.

Ridley’s writing is fast-paced and immersive, with vivid descriptions that bring 1800s Paris to life. French phrases are woven into the prose, adding authenticity, though at times without explanation. The book also offers sharp commentary on wealth disparity, exploitation, and privilege—issues that feel just as relevant today as they did then. While the book has been labeled as horror, it leans more toward thriller, with its suspenseful atmosphere and tense, psychological stakes.

The story builds toward a satisfying conclusion, with an unexpected final twist that redefines the true meaning of *protégée*. While some aspects of the plot can feel repetitive, particularly in Angélique’s internal monologue, the book remains engaging throughout. The ending provides a sense of closure, showing Angélique’s gradual shift in priorities once her revenge is complete.

Overall, “The Protégée” is a dark, compelling read, perfect for fans of historical thrillers with a touch of gothic intrigue. It’s Cruella meets The Count of Monte Cristo. Those who enjoy ruthless, ambitious heroines and revenge-driven narratives will find much to love in Ridley’s YA debut.

Erica Ridley is one of my favorite authors and I am a YA librarian so I was super excited to read her YA debut. While I see this book was tagged as horror, I would personally view it as more thriller than horror. There’s some great visceral descriptions, but it really felt more thrilling than scary I would say. I found the plot interesting and I enjoyed that it is very easy to connect some of these evil people with the evil we see in the world today.

Overall I’d say I enjoyed it, and will recommend it to the teens in my library I think would like it.