Set during the French Revolution, this novel about a teen aristocrat who must question the justice of her own wealth while facing the cataclysmic d...
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Nov 06, 2011
Mara
rated it: 
The first thing that I must assure Readers is that Eugenie is not nearly as annoying as the synopsis makes her out to be. Eugenie certainly isn't my favorite heroine. I would not call her resourceful, practical, or even especially clever. But she really doesn't complain often, she tries to have original and successful ideas, she grows to understand that the political upheavel in France is important and that she cannot ignore it, and she is not scornful of the lower class. She's just young and ha
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Jan 24, 2011
Nicole
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In the novel, The Pale Assasin, by Patricia Elliot, the main character,Eugenie (an aristocrat living in Paris more interested in clothes and romance) is forced to flee and abandon her lifestyle when the French revolution breaks out. Unsure, and somewhat uninterested in what is going on around her, Eugenie's mind wonders to other things such as the latest fashion in clothes, romance and the handsome Guy Deschamps – a friend of Armand, her older brother who looks out for her. Unknown to Eugen
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Jul 20, 2010
Christi
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Summary: Eugenie de Boncoeur is a spoiled aristocratic girl growing up at the time of the French Revolution. She is oblivious to the danger she and her brother are in until it becomes necessary for them to flee France. She is also oblivious to the fact that she has been betrothed to Le Fantome who is much older than herself. Having lost their parents and their guardian who cared for them little, they are soon left on their own to figure out how to escape Paris’s angry mobs. Armand is involve
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Mar 25, 2010
Sarai
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Oct 27, 2011
Megan
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The Pale Assassin by Patricia Elliott was a decent novel. I would rate it as three and a half stars out of five. I would recommend this book to someone who enjoys history, romance, suspense, and adventure. I also think a young lady would enjoy this book more than a young man because of the female perspective and not to mention the romance.
I started reading this book before the summer started and just couldn't seem to get into it. The pace was slow to start off with and was s More...
I started reading this book before the summer started and just couldn't seem to get into it. The pace was slow to start off with and was s More...
Jan 15, 2012
Janelle
rated it:
The Pale Assassin was an enjoyable read. The plot isn't overly complicated, with Eugenie, the main character,trying to grow up and find love in the midst of the French Revolution. Its a simple premise that has been used frequently in the past but it is carried along at a good pace here, with enough characters and plot changes to keep the pages turning.
Eugenie, wasn't as annoying as she could have been, so thanks to Patricia Elliot for holding back there. But there was still somethin More...
Eugenie, wasn't as annoying as she could have been, so thanks to Patricia Elliot for holding back there. But there was still somethin More...
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Nov 07, 2011
Erica
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Interesting historical fiction novel set during the tumultuous French Revolution. I liked the basic plot: priviledged, spoiled girl comes of age during the early part of the revolution and must ultimately fight for her very life. What I didn't like was the girl. It was hard to love her because she was so used to getting her way before the revolution. During the revolution, she continues to think about dresses, hats, balls, and suitors even when she is facing danger. However, I believe that t
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Feb 01, 2012
Lisa (Badass Bookie)
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The Short Story? – A YA historical fiction that follows the dangers of the life of a young aristocrat during the French Revolution. Filled with knowledge, danger, secrets and hidden agendas. The Pale Assassin is a thrilling work of fiction that is both beautifully written and wonderfully plotted! Great characterization, this is not one to be missed!
The Long Story? – I’ve always been a sucker for historical fiction but I admit when I picked The Pimpernelles I didn’t have any knowledge a More...
The Long Story? – I’ve always been a sucker for historical fiction but I admit when I picked The Pimpernelles I didn’t have any knowledge a More...
May 09, 2011
Rheannon
rated it: 
So, i thought this book was okay. I felt like it had a really good story, but could have been written a lot better. I also didn't like how there was no ending. I thought it was the (badly written) end of the chapter. The plot that was followed throughout the book had just been forgotten at the end. It's good that there are more books though.
The rest of the review has spoilers:
I was also really mad that throughout the whole book Eugiene and Julien hate each other and t More...
The rest of the review has spoilers:
I was also really mad that throughout the whole book Eugiene and Julien hate each other and t More...
Oct 14, 2009
Eleni ( La Femme Readers )
rated it:
The Pale Assassin is an interesting historical YA book. The book opened up by introducing our assassin, Le Fantome. He was a gambler and had lost his fortune to Eugenie's father. Le Fantome made it his business to cast revenge on Eugenie's family and cause great distress in her life without her knowing it. The concept sounds pretty good right? However, once the French Revolution started taking place I seemed to have lost sight on the assassin and quickly learned about Eugenie's personality. Euge
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Dec 19, 2011
Ashlee
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When I picked this book up, I had no idea it was a series. But it makes sense now that I've finished, and the end also doesn't piss me off as much. So that's good.
I really liked this book. I won't go so far as to say I enjoyed it, but that's only because this takes place during the French Revolution and it was pretty horrific. Every time I read a book set during this time, I find myself cringing and just wishing that things would turn out better. I know the royal family was exec More...
I really liked this book. I won't go so far as to say I enjoyed it, but that's only because this takes place during the French Revolution and it was pretty horrific. Every time I read a book set during this time, I find myself cringing and just wishing that things would turn out better. I know the royal family was exec More...
Feb 12, 2012
Dan
rated it:
When I originally saw this book at a Scholastic Book sale I was intrigued with the idea of a 14 year old going from being the daughter of an aristocrat to being an assassin during the French Revolution. My idea was not even close to being correct. The main character in the story is Eugenie de Boncoeur, a 14 year old girl whose parents are both deceased. As a result she is watched over and cared for by her guardian, a man who owed a favor to Eugenie's father and who promised her father that he
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Jun 29, 2010
Taylor S
rated it:
This is the story of Eugenie de Boncoeur, a spoiled young aristocrat living in Paris during the time of the French Revolution. To add to the fact that Eugenie and her brother Armand are being hunted by nobility hating revolutionaries, there is also an assassin with a decades long grunge against their family.
I picked this up expecting an intriguing historical piece, but there was absolutely no excitement until the characters left Paris. There was no speed to the story and the only thing th More...
I picked this up expecting an intriguing historical piece, but there was absolutely no excitement until the characters left Paris. There was no speed to the story and the only thing th More...
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Jan 22, 2011
Kristy
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This is one of those books that was decent, but I just wasn't dying to get back home to read it. There was maybe 300 pages, but it felt like it took me forever to read. The story itself was interesting enough, but it was very drawn out. I would have rather it had been more direct and to the point. I wanted a little bit more love and romance between Eugenie and Julian... it felt like that practically hated one another and in an instant they were in love... and then the book ended. What?!?! Most
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Jul 27, 2010
Amber
rated it:
This book is the first in what seems to be a three book series. I picked this book because I thought it would be a nice change to read about the French Revolution. This novel is highly fictionalized. Only a few characters who are briefly mentioned from time to time are historical figures. I had no problem with that - I did not expect this to lead to the answers of how particular, real people felt and acted during this time of turmoil. It provides entertainment value set against a historical back
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Mar 17, 2010
Jennifer
rated it:
The plot and pacing of this historical novel of the French Revolution were good. It definitely kept me turning pages.
However, the characters were odd, and not in a good way. I wanted to push Armand into the Seine for being an idiot. I wanted to shake Eugenie for not getting her act together. And the predictability of her "love" interests isn't worth discussing.
The one character that I did like - Hortense - well, you know what happens to the good ones.
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However, the characters were odd, and not in a good way. I wanted to push Armand into the Seine for being an idiot. I wanted to shake Eugenie for not getting her act together. And the predictability of her "love" interests isn't worth discussing.
The one character that I did like - Hortense - well, you know what happens to the good ones.
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May 22, 2010
Tripleguess
rated it:
It's hard to be fair when reviewing this book. I saw it go through my library and snatched it up at first chance because the cover image and inside front blurb (which was brilliant, btw) made it sound like such an exciting, darkly romantic story.
Well, it's not, and that's where it loses a star; I wouldn't have been so deflated at finding it the usual three-star YA drivel if I hadn't been (vainly) hoping for five stars. Stilted characters Photoshopped onto a French Revolution plot do no More...
Well, it's not, and that's where it loses a star; I wouldn't have been so deflated at finding it the usual three-star YA drivel if I hadn't been (vainly) hoping for five stars. Stilted characters Photoshopped onto a French Revolution plot do no More...
Oct 22, 2011
Bekah
rated it:
ok this is more like a 3.5.
This book is intriguing just by looking at the front cover. i picked it up because its time period is in the french revolution, which is dramatic and violent (fun, right??) :) it was a fun read, but kind of difficult. she writes very long, complicated sentences, mixing french in with it.
one frustrating thing is that the plot never came to a close. i felt like there were a lot of threads left hanging. it was still interesting, but i kept th More...
This book is intriguing just by looking at the front cover. i picked it up because its time period is in the french revolution, which is dramatic and violent (fun, right??) :) it was a fun read, but kind of difficult. she writes very long, complicated sentences, mixing french in with it.
one frustrating thing is that the plot never came to a close. i felt like there were a lot of threads left hanging. it was still interesting, but i kept th More...
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Sep 06, 2009
Sarah
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I wanted to enjoy this book, I really did! Historical fiction, strong female characters, coming of age...
However, I thought it fell short. Elliot puts too much emphasis on the historical aspects of the French Revolution, makes Eugene an annoying little girl, and romantic aspect of the story is completely predictable.
The first chapter, "The Beginning" is wonderful. After that, I kept picking it up and tried to read more, trying to be interested...I was just More...
However, I thought it fell short. Elliot puts too much emphasis on the historical aspects of the French Revolution, makes Eugene an annoying little girl, and romantic aspect of the story is completely predictable.
The first chapter, "The Beginning" is wonderful. After that, I kept picking it up and tried to read more, trying to be interested...I was just More...
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Oct 19, 2011
Lyndsey
rated it:
The description describes the main character as follows:
"Eugénie dusts off her lightly used brains and rises to the challenge of survival"
THIS IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT! There really are no brains to dust off!!
Eugénie has absolutely no character, background, emotion, or anything! If she had fallen off a cliff and died (which would have been the most exciting thing that happened in the book) my response would have been "ok" if she got married and lived happily e More...
"Eugénie dusts off her lightly used brains and rises to the challenge of survival"
THIS IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT! There really are no brains to dust off!!
Eugénie has absolutely no character, background, emotion, or anything! If she had fallen off a cliff and died (which would have been the most exciting thing that happened in the book) my response would have been "ok" if she got married and lived happily e More...
Jan 13, 2011
Erin
rated it:
Maybe this really deserves 2.5 stars. It was a little hard to get into at first. Also there was a major discrepancy. In the first chapter the wife was alive the day the father was killed (I even went back to reread it just to be sure, so unless I totally misunderstood something...). But during a flashback, she had died in childbirth before he was murdered. Also, I felt like it needed one more chapter to be complete, or possibly some details needed to be changed so that chapter wasn't even ne
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Mar 08, 2010
Amanda
rated it:
I totally enjoyed reading this book. I read it practically one day. I started it on Friday and finished it on Saturday. I just found it in the young adult section in the new books, looking for something fun and easy to read. It was great. I really kept my interest and I can't wait for the next one. I had no idea it was a series or whatever, so I was surprised at the end to be left hanging a little. It brought me back to a lot of other books I've read, such as Tale of Two Cities, Les Miserables,
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Oct 27, 2011
Fire-bird369
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jan 29, 2010
Debbie
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Nice job of pulling you into the time period from the main character's (Eugenie's) perspective A little saccharine but she was a believable, self-centered adolescent being forced to pay attention to the world and certainly showing a fair amount of chutzpah despite her upbringing. Yes a bit predictable, but for a YA novel that could be read by middle schoolers, it is a good choice for romance without too much detail. It also reminded me of how anyone in a civil war situation now could probabl
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Oct 27, 2011
Amy
rated it: 
This book is historical fiction, based on the events of the French Revolution. Eugenie and her brother Armand are aristocrats and are trying to survive the mayhem. There is a villain of course, and some love interests. From the cover I thought it might be a junior harlequin romance and parts read like that although showing one's ankles doesn't seem that risky to us. It was not the best written book but the plot did take a lot of twists and turns and that part kept me interested. Some of it was j
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May 08, 2011
Jasmine
rated it:
I read this sometime in 2010 I think while at Calkins. This is definitely an awesome book on the time period of the French Revolution. I feel as though the author has really portrayed this time very well. While I was reading I actually didn't like Guy though Eugenie did. I actually liked Julien more and, in the end my favoritism prevailed when we find that Guy is actually a bad person a spy who really wants the kind to be beheaded and isn't on the side of Julien who has to help Eugenie escape th
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Apr 15, 2010
Donna
rated it:
I will not be kind so stop reading if you don't want to hear it.
So the book is about the French Revolution. There was very little dialog an uninteresting, underdevloped characters. The main character was not even likable. She was just a self-indulgent, spoiled little girl who could have been a side kick. The story had an element of substance that I could have seen developed with a different writer. It got interesting around page 210 and then fell flat with an unfinished ending. More...
So the book is about the French Revolution. There was very little dialog an uninteresting, underdevloped characters. The main character was not even likable. She was just a self-indulgent, spoiled little girl who could have been a side kick. The story had an element of substance that I could have seen developed with a different writer. It got interesting around page 210 and then fell flat with an unfinished ending. More...
Mar 29, 2011
Yearning To Read
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www.yearningtoread.wordpress.com
Eugenie and her brother Armand are orphans in Paris, cared for by a guardian who is nothing like a father. Their lives are safe – until the Revolution breaks out in full swing. Aristocrats are killed every day in the streets. Eugenie has done nothing to instigate such hatred, and continues to live life glamorously. But when she and her brother are put in danger, she must reassess her way of life in order to protect herself and get out of France as fa More...
Eugenie and her brother Armand are orphans in Paris, cared for by a guardian who is nothing like a father. Their lives are safe – until the Revolution breaks out in full swing. Aristocrats are killed every day in the streets. Eugenie has done nothing to instigate such hatred, and continues to live life glamorously. But when she and her brother are put in danger, she must reassess her way of life in order to protect herself and get out of France as fa More...
Jul 23, 2011
Peggy
rated it:
This book really delivered as a great historical fiction novel. The setting is the French Revolution with a lot of good information about Marie Antoinette, the destruction of civil war in any country, and the battle of aristocrat vs. commoner, but kids will never realize it has educational value with the framework of spies, secret agents, romance, and murder. Eugenie is a spoiled aristocrat who overnight becomes one of the hunted. Her struggles to get to safety create an outstanding tale of s
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Mar 13, 2010
Phoebe
rated it:
A vendetta hangs like a black cloud over a brother and a sister, young aristocrats in revolutionary Paris. Unwitting victims of La Fantome, a seriously creepy man who loathed their father, Eugenie and Armand have a struggle ahead of them. Elliott includes so much painstaking detail that the plot sometimes bogs down. Maybe a bit more editing would have improved this novel, and there was a certain degree of predictability. Overall though, I found it a compelling story with obviously more to co
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