Review: Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer by Katie Alender

My biggest regret about this book is the fact that the final cover has the blood splatter removed from her face. It was just so much more sinister that way. My only other complaint would be the loopy, low-ascender cursive writing in which the murders are written. I'm not someone easily tripped up my typeface, but sometimes this got aggravating. Please note that I did read this book as an ARC-- maybe the final copy is different.

Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer is a little cheesy, a little intense, and a lot of fun. You get a little history and a little tour of France along with all the murders and mystery, which is a great perk of reading the book. Sadly, there's not much history because most of the historical facts have been altered for the purpose of the story. Still... it will give you a window into a very prominent and interesting woman in history and it just might get some readers looking up Marie Antoinette on Wikipedia.

Katie Alender has crafted a murder mystery of girl-power proportions. It's a modern girl-power story crossed with horror and history genres, with a little bit of suspense and drama. Girl-world comes across in the wealthy, privileged class of girls on their school trip to Paris who worry about social status as much they worry about looking trendy and attending the right parties (Gossip Girl, much)?

Colette's friends Blair Hannah and Pilar are shallow and silly, which immediately make Colette much more likeable as the heroine of the story. The boys are romantic and dreamy, the murders are gory and many, and the ghost of Marie Antoinette is dangerous and vengeful. The story has everything you could ever want in girl-world: love, betrayal, attraction, friendship, rule-breaking, and luxury. Oh, and the ghost of Marie Antoinette.

The book is a fairly fast read and while it is enjoyable, the lack of real horror in the mystery or murders kept it from being as powerful as it could have been. Still, Katie Alender writes a great preteen novel with enough pretty things (boys included!) and excitement to hook in the younger teens.