Title: Sensational (Spectacle #2)
Author: Jodie Lynn Zdrok
Genre: YA Historical Fiction/Fantasy
Publication Date: February 11th, 2020
eARC provided by publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
“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.” (Goodreads)
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.
TheGeekishBrunette 