Published September 24th 2013 by Scholastic Press

Synopsis:

Colette Iselin is excited to go to Paris on a class trip. She’ll get to soak up the beauty and culture, and maybe even learn something about her family’s French roots.
But a series of gruesome murders are taking place across the city, putting everyone on edge. And as she tours museums and palaces, Colette keeps seeing a strange vision: a pale woman in a ball gown and powdered wig, who looks suspiciously like Marie Antoinette.
Colette knows her popular, status-obsessed friends won’t believe her, so she seeks out the help of a charming French boy. Together, they uncover a shocking secret involving a dark, hidden history. When Colette realizes she herself may hold the key to the mystery, her own life is suddenly in danger . . .
Acclaimed author Katie Alender brings heart-stopping suspense to this story of revenge, betrayal, intrigue — and one killer queen.

My rating: ★

MARIE ANTOINETTE, SERIAL KILLER* was extremely disappointing. It had all this potential but fell flat very quickly. I figured out how the book would end by the second chapter.

It had what could have been a great plot but was poorly executed (pun intended). The characters were one-sided, whiny, and clichéd. The author didn’t explain certain plot point very well; such as, when Colette would speak to Veronique she couldn’t understand any french but could speak it fluently and understand it when speaking with Marie Antoinette.

I had a big question: Why did Marie Antoinette come back 200+ years after her death to get her vengeance? Why not right after her death? It didn’t seem to make sense.

Also, I didn’t like the cover art. It was just lazy. A pouty blonde in period garb is the best they could do?

The synopsis is a better read than the book.

*I read an Advanced Readers Copy that I picked up at BookExpo America.