Revolution

2.5 stars

I didn't hate this book. I felt completely indifferent to it. I have saying that too because I love ms Donnelly's books. This one just did nothing for me. I didn't like the main character. Yes I realize she experienced something traumatic, but her attitude itself was infuriating. Singing over the phone to a guy you just met? Weird. Insta love? Nope... I can buy it in other novels but not this one

I did enjoy the story from the diary. And the trip through the catacombs was interesting. Honestly wish the first few hundred pages were cut in half and more time was spent in the catacombs. That was interesting. The ending was abrupt and felt like the author ran over her page allotment and had to summarize the rest of her novel.

Tldr: read any of her other books. They're great. This one is not her best work. Unless you're obsessed with music. Then this may be perfect for you.

I really liked Andi as a narrator. It's difficult to read, but depression is difficult to deal with, so I didn't have a problem with that. I didn't care for the dream sequence/hallucination/whatever toward the end; I didn't think it was really necessary for Andi's story to have this semi-mystical revelation about Malherbeau. The modern-day story was a lot more interesting to me, and I thought it lost a lot of steam when it was Andi in the 18th century, as opposed to reading/experiencing it via the diary. I'm also really tired of YA books painting medication for mental health as inherently bad - yes, it can be abused, and yes, it's not always the answer (or the entire answer). But both Andi and her mom had serious issues going on, and it bothered me to see them both apparently all better by going off their medication cold turkey.

Pretty engaging historical fiction about the French Revolution, and sparked my interest in checking out the sources listed for classical guitar music history, Louis XVII and the Paris catacombs. Characters and plot are targeted to appeal to young adults (the intended audience), but from reviews and promotions, I was expecting more of a “crossover” novel that adults would enjoy as well. So, I was disappointed that the pacing of story was so rapid and superficial – short chapters, shallow dialogue, implausible events–that just strike me as catering to attention-challenged teens looking for a quick read. I was hoping for more development of the issues the main character was tackling.

I would suggest this to teens (15-17) already interested in historical fiction, but it's not a book I would suggest to adults looking for fiction on these particular eras or topics.

More of 3.5
It was a solid read but that last third took an odd turn which pulled me right out of the story and it took determination on my part to just accept what was happening and go with the flow. Those who have read it know what I am talking about. Apart from that section of the book and a little bit in the beginning I thought it was great book. Andi and Alex aren't the most likeable characters when you meet them but they grow on you the more you get see into their heart. I loved reading about modern Paris. Revolutionary Paris was BRUTAL, Jennifer Donnelly does not shy away from the terror of that time and she did an excellent job at describing just how dire and terrible it all was. So much was happening in the book - science, music, history - It was a lesson in all those things including grief and love and hope. I would recommend it and I definitely will check out the author's other works.