ARC

BACKLIST REVIEW: Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer by Katie Alender

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Marie Antoinette Serial Killer

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.

Union Square Excursion (part 1)

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Union Square

Today I enjoyed the beautiful NYC weather while visiting Union Square. My roommate and I got a bagel and coffee first at The Bean.

The baristas were very helpful.  I don’t like the taste of strong coffee, so I usually stick to Folgers Coffee or McDonald’s coffee. The barista recommended a café au lait with almond milk.  Once I added six Equal packets it was pretty good.

Strand Bookstore

After filling our bellies we visited Strand Bookstore.

The legendary bookstore boasts “18 miles of new, used and rare books.”  It does not disappoint.  I felt at home surrounded by all those books.  It made me happy to see so many people enjoying the books.  I did notice quite a few people get annoyed when I said “excuse me” to get by them in a narrow aisle, but I decided since they were enjoying the books so much to let it slide.

I found Christmas cards that were New York themed and a T-shirt that my brother will love. I also found a great collection of old books. They were

Inside Strand Bookstrore

leather bound with gold embossed pages.

While walking around I came across published versions of several of my Advanced Reader Copy books.  Many of my ARC copies did not have complete artwork so it was great to see the finished product.

I plan of visiting Strand quite often. If you are a bibliophile this would be a great place to visit on your next trip to The Big Apple.

Which U.S. President was born in New York City? Find out tomorrow when I tell you more about my Union Square Excursion.