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Faces of the Dead
When Marie-Therese, daughter of Marie Antoinette, slips into the streets of Paris at the height of the French Revolution, she finds a world much darker than what she's ever known.
When Marie-Thérèse Charlotte of France learns of the powerful rebellion sweeping her country, the sheltered princess is determined to see the revolution for herself. Switching places with a chambermaid, the princess sneaks out of the safety of the royal palace and into the heart of a city in strife.
Soon the princess is brushing shoulders with revolutionaries and activists. One boy in particular, Henri, befriends her and has her questioning the only life she's known. When the princess returns to the palace one night to find an angry mob storming its walls, she's forced into hiding in Paris. Henri brings her to the workshop of one Mademoiselle Grosholtz, whose wax figures seem to bring the famous back from the dead, and who looks at Marie-Thérèse as if she can see all of her secrets. There, the princess quickly discovers there's much more to the outside world - and to the mysterious woman's wax figures - than meets the eye.
When Marie-Thérèse Charlotte of France learns of the powerful rebellion sweeping her country, the sheltered princess is determined to see the revolution for herself. Switching places with a chambermaid, the princess sneaks out of the safety of the royal palace and into the heart of a city in strife.
Soon the princess is brushing shoulders with revolutionaries and activists. One boy in particular, Henri, befriends her and has her questioning the only life she's known. When the princess returns to the palace one night to find an angry mob storming its walls, she's forced into hiding in Paris. Henri brings her to the workshop of one Mademoiselle Grosholtz, whose wax figures seem to bring the famous back from the dead, and who looks at Marie-Thérèse as if she can see all of her secrets. There, the princess quickly discovers there's much more to the outside world - and to the mysterious woman's wax figures - than meets the eye.
256 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 26, 2014
5 people are currently reading
589 people want to read
About the author
Suzanne Weyn
206 books647 followersSuzanne Weyn grew up in Williston Park, Long Island, New York. She has three sisters and a brother. As a girl, she was very interested in theatre and in reading. Louisa May Alcott was her favorite author, but she also read every Sherlock Holmes story. Suzanne lived pretty close to the ocean and going to Jones Beach was one of her favorite activities. Even today, if she goes too long without seeing the ocean, she starts feeling restless.
Suzanne now lives in upper New York State with her husband, two teen daughters and Abby the cat. Her house is at the edge of the woods and is nearly 200 years old. She graduated from State University of New York at Binghamton and received her master's degree from Pace University. She teaches part-time at City College in New York.
Suzanne's other books for Simon Pulse include South Beach Sizzle, a romantic comedy written with Diana Gonzalez. Her novels for the Simon Pulse line "Once Upon a Time" are The Night Dance: A Retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, Water Song: A Retelling of the Frog Prince, and The Crimson Thread: A Retelling of Rumplestiltskin. She very much enjoys rethinking these classic tales from an original point of view, always looking for the real psychological underpinning of the story. Suzanne is currently doing revisions on her fourth book in the line, which will be coming in 2009.
Suzanne's other recent novels are include The Bar Code Tattoo (2004) and its sequel, The Bar Code Rebellion (2006). The Bar Code Tattoo was selected by the American Library Assoc. (ALA) as a 2005 Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers and was a 2007 Nevada Library nominee for Best Young Adult Fiction. It is currently translated into German and was nominated for the 2007 Jugenliteraturpreis for Young People's Literature.
Suzanne now lives in upper New York State with her husband, two teen daughters and Abby the cat. Her house is at the edge of the woods and is nearly 200 years old. She graduated from State University of New York at Binghamton and received her master's degree from Pace University. She teaches part-time at City College in New York.
Suzanne's other books for Simon Pulse include South Beach Sizzle, a romantic comedy written with Diana Gonzalez. Her novels for the Simon Pulse line "Once Upon a Time" are The Night Dance: A Retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, Water Song: A Retelling of the Frog Prince, and The Crimson Thread: A Retelling of Rumplestiltskin. She very much enjoys rethinking these classic tales from an original point of view, always looking for the real psychological underpinning of the story. Suzanne is currently doing revisions on her fourth book in the line, which will be coming in 2009.
Suzanne's other recent novels are include The Bar Code Tattoo (2004) and its sequel, The Bar Code Rebellion (2006). The Bar Code Tattoo was selected by the American Library Assoc. (ALA) as a 2005 Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers and was a 2007 Nevada Library nominee for Best Young Adult Fiction. It is currently translated into German and was nominated for the 2007 Jugenliteraturpreis for Young People's Literature.
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July 29, 2014
***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***
Faces of the Dead by Suzanne Weyn
Publisher: Scholastic
Publication Date: August 26, 2014
Rating: 3 stars
Source: ARC sent by the publisher
Summary (from Goodreads):
When Marie-Therese, daughter of Marie Antoinette, slips into the streets of Paris at the height of the French Revolution, she finds a world much darker than what she's ever known.
When Marie-Thérèse Charlotte of France learns of the powerful rebellion sweeping her country, the sheltered princess is determined to see the revolution for herself. Switching places with a chambermaid, the princess sneaks out of the safety of the royal palace and into the heart of a city in strife.
Soon the princess is brushing shoulders with revolutionaries and activists. One boy in particular, Henri, befriends her and has her questioning the only life she's known. When the princess returns to the palace one night to find an angry mob storming its walls, she's forced into hiding in Paris. Henri brings her to the workshop of one Mademoiselle Grosholtz, whose wax figures seem to bring the famous back from the dead, and who looks at Marie-Thérèse as if she can see all of her secrets. There, the princess quickly discovers there's much more to the outside world - and to the mysterious woman's wax figures - than meets the eye.
What I Liked:
Oh, the French Revolution. I LOVE historical fiction, and I especially love the time period of the French Revolution! There is a neat "Bad Romance" parody describing the Revolution, if you're interested. My tenth grade World History teacher always shared it with her World History classes. It's a really good one!
Marie-Thérèse is the French princess of this time. She lives in complete contentment with her father, mother, little brother, and friend Ernestine. She and Ernestine have eerily similar physical features... which always them to swap places. Ernestine becomes the princess for the day, and Marie-Thérèse runs around the palace, enjoying freedom she wouldn't as a princess. One day, Marie-Thérèse decides to leave the palace. Soon, she sees what France REALLY is - a poor country, its citizens starving, destitute, and calling for revolution. Marie-Thérèse stays with Henri, a kind boy who takes pity on her, and Madame Grosholtz, a woman who models faces and sculptures of wax - among other things. The country's situation deteriorates, and the royal family is captured. Marie-Thérèse doesn't want to flee when her family and Ernestine will be killed...
This book is super short, but A LOT of time goes by. It takes us from Marie-Thérèse's childhood all the way through the French Revolution, I believe. Because it's pretty strictly historical fiction, in which it's historically based on a time in France's history, we know what's going to happen to France, to the royal family, etc. But I enjoyed the ride.
I love the vividness of the scenes in this book. Weyn has really brought to life the realness of what was the French Revolution, the starvation, the poverty, the guillotine. The luster of the palace and Versailles and the royalty was easy to imagine. The writing style of this book is pretty awesome, and the imagery is even better. I was impressed!
Even though I'm very familiar with the French Revolution, I was still hooked on the story, and couldn't wait to see what happened next. Especially with the paranormal aspect - I kept wanting to know how that would factor into the book (see below). Knowing the outcome didn't ruin the journey for me!
There is a touch of romance - it's not very subtle, because you know it's Henri and Marie-Thérèse, as soon as Henri is introduced. But it's not insta-love, because they don't "get together" until late in the novel. Nevertheless, the romance isn't overpowering or dominant, which was nice.
Overall, I liked this book. I'm a huge fan of historical fiction, so I couldn't say no, when I saw this one.
What I Did Not Like:
This book is getting three stars (versus four or five) for several reasons. For one, I was heavily disappointed by the promised paranormal aspect of the book. Oh, it's there. We know Madame Grosholtz and Rose is up to something. But it was disappointing, once we get to know what it was. I was like, that's it? That's all? And its influence of the story... wasn't all that awesome. I was expecting so much more, in terms of the faces of the dead, the death masks, the "magic", etc. The author just didn't deliver!
That being said, I found the ending to be rushed and hasty. The ending is dependent on the paranormal aspect, as it changes things for Marie-Thérèse. I kind of rolled my eyes at the end, because OF COURSE xyz thing would happen (no spoilers here). And OF COURSE this one thing with Henri would happen too, at the very end. I spoil things, but while I was happy with the ending, I wasn't necessarily satisfied. Everything ended... too perfectly and merrily. In the actual French Revolution, that wasn't the case. But this is fiction, of course.
Would I Recommend It:
I would recommend you read this book if you already have it, or were already interested in it. If you've never heard of it, or the author, then it's totally fine to keep going on with your life and pretend you never read this review or saw this book.
Rating:
3 stars. I'm happy that I had the chances to read this book! Hopefully future novels by this author will be just as impressive, in terms of the imagery, and maybe fleshed out, in terms of the plot and things.
Faces of the Dead by Suzanne Weyn
Publisher: Scholastic
Publication Date: August 26, 2014
Rating: 3 stars
Source: ARC sent by the publisher
Summary (from Goodreads):
When Marie-Therese, daughter of Marie Antoinette, slips into the streets of Paris at the height of the French Revolution, she finds a world much darker than what she's ever known.
When Marie-Thérèse Charlotte of France learns of the powerful rebellion sweeping her country, the sheltered princess is determined to see the revolution for herself. Switching places with a chambermaid, the princess sneaks out of the safety of the royal palace and into the heart of a city in strife.
Soon the princess is brushing shoulders with revolutionaries and activists. One boy in particular, Henri, befriends her and has her questioning the only life she's known. When the princess returns to the palace one night to find an angry mob storming its walls, she's forced into hiding in Paris. Henri brings her to the workshop of one Mademoiselle Grosholtz, whose wax figures seem to bring the famous back from the dead, and who looks at Marie-Thérèse as if she can see all of her secrets. There, the princess quickly discovers there's much more to the outside world - and to the mysterious woman's wax figures - than meets the eye.
What I Liked:
Oh, the French Revolution. I LOVE historical fiction, and I especially love the time period of the French Revolution! There is a neat "Bad Romance" parody describing the Revolution, if you're interested. My tenth grade World History teacher always shared it with her World History classes. It's a really good one!
Marie-Thérèse is the French princess of this time. She lives in complete contentment with her father, mother, little brother, and friend Ernestine. She and Ernestine have eerily similar physical features... which always them to swap places. Ernestine becomes the princess for the day, and Marie-Thérèse runs around the palace, enjoying freedom she wouldn't as a princess. One day, Marie-Thérèse decides to leave the palace. Soon, she sees what France REALLY is - a poor country, its citizens starving, destitute, and calling for revolution. Marie-Thérèse stays with Henri, a kind boy who takes pity on her, and Madame Grosholtz, a woman who models faces and sculptures of wax - among other things. The country's situation deteriorates, and the royal family is captured. Marie-Thérèse doesn't want to flee when her family and Ernestine will be killed...
This book is super short, but A LOT of time goes by. It takes us from Marie-Thérèse's childhood all the way through the French Revolution, I believe. Because it's pretty strictly historical fiction, in which it's historically based on a time in France's history, we know what's going to happen to France, to the royal family, etc. But I enjoyed the ride.
I love the vividness of the scenes in this book. Weyn has really brought to life the realness of what was the French Revolution, the starvation, the poverty, the guillotine. The luster of the palace and Versailles and the royalty was easy to imagine. The writing style of this book is pretty awesome, and the imagery is even better. I was impressed!
Even though I'm very familiar with the French Revolution, I was still hooked on the story, and couldn't wait to see what happened next. Especially with the paranormal aspect - I kept wanting to know how that would factor into the book (see below). Knowing the outcome didn't ruin the journey for me!
There is a touch of romance - it's not very subtle, because you know it's Henri and Marie-Thérèse, as soon as Henri is introduced. But it's not insta-love, because they don't "get together" until late in the novel. Nevertheless, the romance isn't overpowering or dominant, which was nice.
Overall, I liked this book. I'm a huge fan of historical fiction, so I couldn't say no, when I saw this one.
What I Did Not Like:
This book is getting three stars (versus four or five) for several reasons. For one, I was heavily disappointed by the promised paranormal aspect of the book. Oh, it's there. We know Madame Grosholtz and Rose is up to something. But it was disappointing, once we get to know what it was. I was like, that's it? That's all? And its influence of the story... wasn't all that awesome. I was expecting so much more, in terms of the faces of the dead, the death masks, the "magic", etc. The author just didn't deliver!
That being said, I found the ending to be rushed and hasty. The ending is dependent on the paranormal aspect, as it changes things for Marie-Thérèse. I kind of rolled my eyes at the end, because OF COURSE xyz thing would happen (no spoilers here). And OF COURSE this one thing with Henri would happen too, at the very end. I spoil things, but while I was happy with the ending, I wasn't necessarily satisfied. Everything ended... too perfectly and merrily. In the actual French Revolution, that wasn't the case. But this is fiction, of course.
Would I Recommend It:
I would recommend you read this book if you already have it, or were already interested in it. If you've never heard of it, or the author, then it's totally fine to keep going on with your life and pretend you never read this review or saw this book.
Rating:
3 stars. I'm happy that I had the chances to read this book! Hopefully future novels by this author will be just as impressive, in terms of the imagery, and maybe fleshed out, in terms of the plot and things.
March 7, 2021
Oh, no.
Within the first few pages, it becomes clear that the novel is just barely holding onto the "historical" in the genre of "historical fiction." The author chose to age-up Marie-Thérèse Charlotte to be 16 or 17 years old in 1789, rather than the actual 11 year old child she was at the time.
I really don't understand this type of decision in historical fiction, particularly for the protagonist. The author brought up the age change in the author's notes, saying that the real Marie-Thérèse spent these teenager years languishing mostly alone in a prison cell, as if this excuses or explains the change. If you don't want to write about the actual historical figure and something resembling their experiences, why not create a fictional one? A fictional aristocratic teenager character could have served a similar narrative purpose as this suddenly teenage Marie-Thérèse.
But the lack of adherence to history goes beyond simply aging up Marie-Thérèse. The book has an almost nonsensical historical timeline. If you're remotely familiar with the French Revolution, you will likely find yourself wondering just when specific moments in the story are supposed to take place, because it's rather jumbled.
For instance:
Somehow, before the fall of the Bastille, this novel's Marie-Thérèse has already experienced an invasion of the palace of Versailles! Only that really happened in October, 1789. But don't worry, the "October Days" invasion does happen in the novel... on the same day as the fall of the Bastille, in which a mob of people who are sporting tricolour cockades (tricolour cockcades become a thing *after* July 17th, 1789) storm the palace; in the novel's version of events, the royal family makes it into carriages to escape only to be caught by the mob and forced to Paris instead.
The Paris of this novel is then quickly plunged into a stereotypical "British novel in which we are clearly meant to view the French Revolution as an affront to mankind"-style version of Paris. The novel (which time jumps an entire year after the fall of the Bastille because, why not) acts as if 1790 Paris was instead mid-Reign of Terror in a Scarlet Pimpernel novel. People cackle as heads roll, Marie-Thérèse and her fictional boyfriend are sprayed with blood from the guillotine when they stand nearby, and said fictional boyfriend just about has a heart attack every time Marie-Thérèse questions the revolution because... constitutional monarchy Paris was just rolling with heads of counter-revolutionaries, I guess.
Other events in the Revolution are just as mixed-up and nonsensical.
But setting aside the timeline, the novel's issues go beyond the glaring historical timeline problems.
The characters are largely flat, or they seem to change personalities from moment to moment as the story commands. On one page, we are meant to believe certain characters are perhaps up to something nefarious--but then pages later, they are depicted as utterly kind and sympathetic with no traces of the earlier suspicion, because now the story has shifted and it's no longer required that we don't trust them. No one comes across as particularly real, sympathetic, or even understandable due to the characterization shifting.
The basic premise--Marie-Thérèse and Ernestine swapping places, with Marie-Thérèse getting to see the 'real Paris' in the process--has the potential to be interesting, but nothing was really done with the scenario because of the constant time jumping, glossing over events, lack of characterization and timeline confusion.
The vaguely promised supernatural elements don't show up until past the halfway point, and they are never explored in any deep manner nor was there a justified reason for them. The 'payoff' to these supernatural elements was not remotely satisfying to me, largely because the supernatural element was shoehorned in midway through the book and partly because the connection between these two characters was frequently ignored until the last section of the novel.
I'm not adverse to historical fantasy. I'm not really into it, either, but it's not an immediate reading turn-off for me. But because the book had an incredibly slippery historical foundation, the fantasy and fictional elements had nothing to stand on. The fact these fictional elements were not well done makes them 'land' even less in the end.
It's almost as if the author had three stories she wanted to tell: that of a privileged Marie-Thérèse Charlotte being confronted with the realities of the life of the poor in Paris, a YA romance set in the French Revolution and a ghastly supernatural story involving decapitated heads and reanimated corpses. But rather than throw the story whole-hog into any particular element, what we ended up with is a hodge-podge story with bits and pieces from various genres but no particular foundation or successful element.
Within the first few pages, it becomes clear that the novel is just barely holding onto the "historical" in the genre of "historical fiction." The author chose to age-up Marie-Thérèse Charlotte to be 16 or 17 years old in 1789, rather than the actual 11 year old child she was at the time.
I really don't understand this type of decision in historical fiction, particularly for the protagonist. The author brought up the age change in the author's notes, saying that the real Marie-Thérèse spent these teenager years languishing mostly alone in a prison cell, as if this excuses or explains the change. If you don't want to write about the actual historical figure and something resembling their experiences, why not create a fictional one? A fictional aristocratic teenager character could have served a similar narrative purpose as this suddenly teenage Marie-Thérèse.
But the lack of adherence to history goes beyond simply aging up Marie-Thérèse. The book has an almost nonsensical historical timeline. If you're remotely familiar with the French Revolution, you will likely find yourself wondering just when specific moments in the story are supposed to take place, because it's rather jumbled.
For instance:
Somehow, before the fall of the Bastille, this novel's Marie-Thérèse has already experienced an invasion of the palace of Versailles! Only that really happened in October, 1789. But don't worry, the "October Days" invasion does happen in the novel... on the same day as the fall of the Bastille, in which a mob of people who are sporting tricolour cockades (tricolour cockcades become a thing *after* July 17th, 1789) storm the palace; in the novel's version of events, the royal family makes it into carriages to escape only to be caught by the mob and forced to Paris instead.
The Paris of this novel is then quickly plunged into a stereotypical "British novel in which we are clearly meant to view the French Revolution as an affront to mankind"-style version of Paris. The novel (which time jumps an entire year after the fall of the Bastille because, why not) acts as if 1790 Paris was instead mid-Reign of Terror in a Scarlet Pimpernel novel. People cackle as heads roll, Marie-Thérèse and her fictional boyfriend are sprayed with blood from the guillotine when they stand nearby, and said fictional boyfriend just about has a heart attack every time Marie-Thérèse questions the revolution because... constitutional monarchy Paris was just rolling with heads of counter-revolutionaries, I guess.
Other events in the Revolution are just as mixed-up and nonsensical.
But setting aside the timeline, the novel's issues go beyond the glaring historical timeline problems.
The characters are largely flat, or they seem to change personalities from moment to moment as the story commands. On one page, we are meant to believe certain characters are perhaps up to something nefarious--but then pages later, they are depicted as utterly kind and sympathetic with no traces of the earlier suspicion, because now the story has shifted and it's no longer required that we don't trust them. No one comes across as particularly real, sympathetic, or even understandable due to the characterization shifting.
The basic premise--Marie-Thérèse and Ernestine swapping places, with Marie-Thérèse getting to see the 'real Paris' in the process--has the potential to be interesting, but nothing was really done with the scenario because of the constant time jumping, glossing over events, lack of characterization and timeline confusion.
The vaguely promised supernatural elements don't show up until past the halfway point, and they are never explored in any deep manner nor was there a justified reason for them. The 'payoff' to these supernatural elements was not remotely satisfying to me, largely because the supernatural element was shoehorned in midway through the book and partly because the connection between these two characters was frequently ignored until the last section of the novel.
I'm not adverse to historical fantasy. I'm not really into it, either, but it's not an immediate reading turn-off for me. But because the book had an incredibly slippery historical foundation, the fantasy and fictional elements had nothing to stand on. The fact these fictional elements were not well done makes them 'land' even less in the end.
It's almost as if the author had three stories she wanted to tell: that of a privileged Marie-Thérèse Charlotte being confronted with the realities of the life of the poor in Paris, a YA romance set in the French Revolution and a ghastly supernatural story involving decapitated heads and reanimated corpses. But rather than throw the story whole-hog into any particular element, what we ended up with is a hodge-podge story with bits and pieces from various genres but no particular foundation or successful element.
September 20, 2014
Received a copy of this via Netgalley in exchange for a review at www.bookishserendipity.com .
I’ve always been intrigued by the French revolution, so when I had the chance to read this novel, I was thrilled! Marie- Therese is the daughter of Marie Antionette who, after her home is mobbed and the rest of her family is captured, is sent into hiding…on the streets of Paris, the very city that wants her dead. The premise was interesting but unfortunately, the execution wasn’t as great as I had hoped.
When Marie-Therese is forced to flee from her family, she runs into a boy named Henri. She immediately decides to trust him, even though he is working for the rebels that are trying to kill her family. Is anyone else seeing the problem? Instead of running FAR away in the opposite direction, she stays with him and Mademoiselle Grosholtz. I just couldn’t really relate to Marie-Therese and she made a lot of selfish, immature decisions that left me thinking…WHAT?
jessica
And…insta-love. Marie-Therese has known Henri for merely a few days, and she is already thinking about what their life together would be like. Why? I didn’t understand the attraction, and I kind of wanted to skip over the scenes with Henri.
The magical elements in this story aren’t introduced until more than halfway through the book, but I didn’t think that magic was necessary at all. This book is *technically* historical fantasy, but it would have been much better as just a historical fiction novel. If anything, it would have made the ending a lot less…creepy.
One of the things I did like, though, was the detail and world-building in this novel. Suzanne Weyn really captured the nitty-gritty (emphasis on the gritty part!) details of the French revolution. The difference between the poverty of the streets, and the luxury of Versailles was well described. The imagery was a great part of this book.
Overall, this book really wasn’t for me, but that doesn’t mean that you wouldn’t enjoy it! If you’re willing to give this a try, or if you’ve read it, do let me know your thoughts!
I’ve always been intrigued by the French revolution, so when I had the chance to read this novel, I was thrilled! Marie- Therese is the daughter of Marie Antionette who, after her home is mobbed and the rest of her family is captured, is sent into hiding…on the streets of Paris, the very city that wants her dead. The premise was interesting but unfortunately, the execution wasn’t as great as I had hoped.
When Marie-Therese is forced to flee from her family, she runs into a boy named Henri. She immediately decides to trust him, even though he is working for the rebels that are trying to kill her family. Is anyone else seeing the problem? Instead of running FAR away in the opposite direction, she stays with him and Mademoiselle Grosholtz. I just couldn’t really relate to Marie-Therese and she made a lot of selfish, immature decisions that left me thinking…WHAT?
jessica
And…insta-love. Marie-Therese has known Henri for merely a few days, and she is already thinking about what their life together would be like. Why? I didn’t understand the attraction, and I kind of wanted to skip over the scenes with Henri.
The magical elements in this story aren’t introduced until more than halfway through the book, but I didn’t think that magic was necessary at all. This book is *technically* historical fantasy, but it would have been much better as just a historical fiction novel. If anything, it would have made the ending a lot less…creepy.
One of the things I did like, though, was the detail and world-building in this novel. Suzanne Weyn really captured the nitty-gritty (emphasis on the gritty part!) details of the French revolution. The difference between the poverty of the streets, and the luxury of Versailles was well described. The imagery was a great part of this book.
Overall, this book really wasn’t for me, but that doesn’t mean that you wouldn’t enjoy it! If you’re willing to give this a try, or if you’ve read it, do let me know your thoughts!
November 24, 2024
Having recently finished the previously published The Faces of the Dead by Suzanne Weyn, I am happy to have had the chance to read the Advanced Reader’s Edition e-copy; thank you NetGalley and Scholastic.
I descend from French ancestors, but have very little knowledge of the country and its past.
This was a very basic story about the French Revolution and included some disturbing facts regarding The Reign of Terror that will stay with me. The invention of the guillotine and “off with their heads” hold a grisly new vision after reading this story.
I descend from French ancestors, but have very little knowledge of the country and its past.
This was a very basic story about the French Revolution and included some disturbing facts regarding The Reign of Terror that will stay with me. The invention of the guillotine and “off with their heads” hold a grisly new vision after reading this story.
May 17, 2022
This book was an enjoyable read for what it was. You have to give up any yearn for historical accuracy but if you can manage that it can be enjoyable. The one thing it was really lacking for me was the last of characterization. The book had wonderful characters but had I not known them from history I would barely know anything about them.
February 16, 2016
Faces Of The Dead is about a girl named Marie-Th'ere'se-Charlotte. She is a princess and has always wanted to explore the world of Paris. She switches identities with her friend so that she can explore Paris. She finally got to Paris and the streets are dark and dangerous. She overheard a person saying that they have a plan to attack the king. Marie-Th'ere'se-Charlotte has to go though some tough challenges to save her family.
I liked the book but there were some parts that did not make any sense. My favorite part about the book was when Marie-Th'ere'se-Charlotte found her mom. I recommend this book to people who like action stories. Overall Marie-Th'ere'se-Charlotte has to go though difficult choices, tears and deaths.
I liked the book but there were some parts that did not make any sense. My favorite part about the book was when Marie-Th'ere'se-Charlotte found her mom. I recommend this book to people who like action stories. Overall Marie-Th'ere'se-Charlotte has to go though difficult choices, tears and deaths.
June 20, 2016
When I picked this up at my library, I thought that it sounded interesting. I was a bit wary because of the title. (When I was reading, the title made sense and it was fine.)
The reason I give it a 1 star, is because it had voodoo, spirits, and bringing people back from the dead. As a Christian I felt like you should not read anything with voodoo and spirits. I was disappointed in the book. If it didn't have the voodoo and things, I would have given it a 4 star.
The reason I give it a 1 star, is because it had voodoo, spirits, and bringing people back from the dead. As a Christian I felt like you should not read anything with voodoo and spirits. I was disappointed in the book. If it didn't have the voodoo and things, I would have given it a 4 star.
August 8, 2014
One would think that in writing a novel--however loosely based on historical fact--a person would perform research. Even perfunctory research would be appreciated. Author's notes should address where liberties were taken with the recorded history.
Well done (sounds like a steak!) historical fiction illuminates the time period and the time period enriches the story being told. An excellent example of this is Cat Winters' upcoming The Cure for Dreaming, which I reviewed here. Another great YA HF is A Plague-Struck Year by Makiia Lucier. You shouldn't just set your story during, say, the Bolshevik Revolution unless that setting will add something to the story you have to tell.
That's my own opinion, anyway. It's not some sort of writing rule, but it's a rule I set for myself, as a reader, when I select books.
I know, too, that sometimes I'm just asking for it when I request a galley. I'm pretty sure that 95% of the time, it won't be worth my while (however, I try to read enough of something to get a feel for whether the teens my library serves would like it. If it has appeal, I'll still buy it. However, if something is just plain, flat-out poorly written or researched, I don't want to misinform my teens.
I've already admitted to having difficulty keeping certain authors straight in my mind--Scott Snyder and Scott Sigler are the two that I conflate most often (and I really shouldn't!)--but another strange mind-pairing is Diane Zahler and Suzanne Weyn. Honestly, I don't know why I get them confused. I adore Diane Zahler's princess fairy tale retellings for younger readers (they're so sweeeeeet and fluffy like marshmallows!), so when I saw an ARC available for a book by Suzanne Weyn, my brain got confused and said, "Yay, more princesses!" Oops. Well, technically there is a princess in Faces of the Dead. One Marie-Therese, daughter of Marie-Antoinette and Louis XVI. It's French Revolution time.
Then I remembered that Weyn recently released a book called Doctor Frankenstein's Daughters, which was not well-reviewed (well, actually, the reviews were hilarious. But scathing). As I clicked through into Faces of the Dead, I was ill-prepared for what awaited.
When it comes to any sort of revolution, there are obviously two or more sides to the story. Some historians will take the part of the overthrown, others the part of the revolutionaries. I feel mildly qualified to offer some comment on the choice of setting here, since I have a B.A. in French and did a lot of French history and Western Civ classes in college. A revolution isn't something that happens overnight--the whole cult-of-the-Sun-King thing with Louis XIV, not to mention his extravagant spending and building and wars, certainly created conditions that were ripe for revolt (yum!). Plus, Louis XVI had no ruling experience, and neither did Marie-Antoinette. Yep, they did idiotic things, but it's hard to be a great king/queen when your parents did little to train you. They didn't exactly have a University of Phoenix night course back then called Monarchy 101. The people had every right to be ticked off, too. No food, high taxes, aloof and silly rulers who didn't listen, a religious environment more interested in making money than helping the poor--yep, I'd be mad too.
So, here we are. Suzanne Weyn is evidently firmly in the pro-Marie-Antoinette-and-Louis-XVI camp, but her writing doesn't acknowledge that what they were doing (or not doing) was also very wrong for the people and the country. They weren't innocent victims. They made very, very poor decisions, or they neglected to make decisions entirely. I don't want this to turn into an essay on the behavior of the Bourbons during the outbreak of the Revolution, because I'm not getting any credit/money for that, and I think I've already written enough of those during my academic career.
Let's cut to a fun, totally time-appropriate quote, shall we?
" 'We are one,' I say. 'That's why we look alike. We're one soul with two bodies.' "
That's the Princess Marie-Therèse to her chambermaid, Ernestine. Evidently, they are omigoshtwinsies! and switch places a lot at court so that Ernestine can hang with the fancy peeps and Marie-Therèse can scamper around Paris. M-T (abbreviated because I am lazy. A hyphen and an accent grave is a bit much to ask of me tonight as my head pounds with histamine reactions to pollen) says dopey things like the totally deep one above, and paints herself as a sort of pre-Revolution beneficent monarch who completely loves and adores the common people of France. In the first few pages, M-T reminisces about her first memory, which is when she and the royal family (or would it be Royal Family?) meet the plebes in the courtyard at Versailles. Pretty Pretty Princess remarks, "I love the smell and sounds of the crowd. All kinds of people are here. Some are very well dressed. Others are ragged and without coats or cloaks on this frigid day. But we are all happy. Excited."
Um. First of all, I know that the Court at Versailles barely had rudimentary hygiene concepts (people routinely just peed and pooped in the corners because ... they're there), and so M-T probably didn't have a great concept of what "smelling nice" was, but I honestly think that someone brought up in a palace would definitely notice the smell of the unwashed masses, who didn't have time to clean themselves, because they had to work ridiculously hard for no money and no food. Horse poop, cow poop, human poop--they would have had it all. Also the body odor was, I'm sure, astounding. You can get a little whuff of it even today--just ride the Métro on a sweltering July day. So "I love the smell of the crowd" is really piling it on thickly.
Secondly, Weyn totally undercuts her whole mission to make M-T likeable by having her remark on the lack of clothing that most people have, but then cheerily state that they're all happy anyway just because they get to see the royal family. Gee whiz, if I were a French peasant of, oh, I don't know, 1780, I'd definitely rather have a pair of warm boots than the opportunity to see the King.
M-T, being such a wee little adorable child, begs her parents to set up a feast for the masses, but M-A and Louis XVI say there's not enough food. M-T: " 'Please, Mama,' I beg, 'these people are our subjects, aren't they? Isn't it our duty to feed them?' "
[image error]
There really are no words to express the utter inanity of this character. She natters on like this constantly, talking about how she "envies the freedom" of peasant children because they can run around and junk. Yes, and then they will die of cholera. Yay!
A few chapters of useless exposition later (mostly describing the aforementioned body-double Ernestine and their place-switching), M-T sets off to see Paris. She's dropped off by someone who's evidently like the Versailles taxi-driver at ... the Place de la Concorde.
The what? Where? I'm sorry, Place de la Concorde did not exist in 1789. Well, I mean, the place existed, but it was called Place Louis XV, and there was no fancy Egyptian obelisk there (notably because Napoléon hadn't invaded Egypt yet!). Place de la Concorde became Place de la Révolution during the (you guessed it!) Revolution/Reign of Terror, and was the main site of executions by guillotine. M-T's father was beheaded there. After various other revolutions and restorations, everyone agreed to stick with Place de la Concorde, which commemorated the peace (or "peace") brought about by the Directory in the late 1790s.
You don't have to be a French major/librarian/major nerd like me to catch that. I mean, this is one of the things that you can Google. It is on Wikipedia (which I normally don't recommend as source material, but it's actually generally quite accurate when it comes to well-known places and events).
When I read that line about getting dropped off at the Place de la Concorde, I abandoned all hope. A bit later on, she runs into a Hot Guy named Henri, who acts as her (very convenient) tour guide to Paris, and educates the Princess on Revolution and Other Important Social Stuff. There's loads of sappy dialogue like, " 'Ernestine, I can tell you've got a kind, good heart. You think the best of everyone, even the selfish royals. I'm glad you bashed into me today.' 'You are?' I ask. 'We'll be the best of friends, always.' 'I hope so, Henri.' " Whaaa ... who talks like that? Well, five year olds: "best fwends fowevah!" Evidently, Henri is the Mandatory Love Interest and Hot Guy, so they have to, you know, be friends and stuff.
I think the rest of the book deals with M-T trying to save her family and herself and I'm sure she probably escapes by switching places with her maid (the foreshadowing, it is so heavy, I'm being crushed like Giles Corey over here). Other reviewers mentioned something about magic/voodoo ... yeah.
The title refers to an artist/sculptor who makes death masks (she may also be the one involved in the alleged voodoo, but please don't quote me on that). Whoop-de-do.
This is just a whole mess of Not Good. No fact-checking, no believable characters, and plot contrivances up the yazoo. Don't insult the intelligence of your readers when you write historical fiction. Just because the word "fiction" is in there doesn't mean you can completely ignore the "historical" part.
I received an ARC of this title from Netgalley.
Well done (sounds like a steak!) historical fiction illuminates the time period and the time period enriches the story being told. An excellent example of this is Cat Winters' upcoming The Cure for Dreaming, which I reviewed here. Another great YA HF is A Plague-Struck Year by Makiia Lucier. You shouldn't just set your story during, say, the Bolshevik Revolution unless that setting will add something to the story you have to tell.
That's my own opinion, anyway. It's not some sort of writing rule, but it's a rule I set for myself, as a reader, when I select books.
I know, too, that sometimes I'm just asking for it when I request a galley. I'm pretty sure that 95% of the time, it won't be worth my while (however, I try to read enough of something to get a feel for whether the teens my library serves would like it. If it has appeal, I'll still buy it. However, if something is just plain, flat-out poorly written or researched, I don't want to misinform my teens.
I've already admitted to having difficulty keeping certain authors straight in my mind--Scott Snyder and Scott Sigler are the two that I conflate most often (and I really shouldn't!)--but another strange mind-pairing is Diane Zahler and Suzanne Weyn. Honestly, I don't know why I get them confused. I adore Diane Zahler's princess fairy tale retellings for younger readers (they're so sweeeeeet and fluffy like marshmallows!), so when I saw an ARC available for a book by Suzanne Weyn, my brain got confused and said, "Yay, more princesses!" Oops. Well, technically there is a princess in Faces of the Dead. One Marie-Therese, daughter of Marie-Antoinette and Louis XVI. It's French Revolution time.
Then I remembered that Weyn recently released a book called Doctor Frankenstein's Daughters, which was not well-reviewed (well, actually, the reviews were hilarious. But scathing). As I clicked through into Faces of the Dead, I was ill-prepared for what awaited.
When it comes to any sort of revolution, there are obviously two or more sides to the story. Some historians will take the part of the overthrown, others the part of the revolutionaries. I feel mildly qualified to offer some comment on the choice of setting here, since I have a B.A. in French and did a lot of French history and Western Civ classes in college. A revolution isn't something that happens overnight--the whole cult-of-the-Sun-King thing with Louis XIV, not to mention his extravagant spending and building and wars, certainly created conditions that were ripe for revolt (yum!). Plus, Louis XVI had no ruling experience, and neither did Marie-Antoinette. Yep, they did idiotic things, but it's hard to be a great king/queen when your parents did little to train you. They didn't exactly have a University of Phoenix night course back then called Monarchy 101. The people had every right to be ticked off, too. No food, high taxes, aloof and silly rulers who didn't listen, a religious environment more interested in making money than helping the poor--yep, I'd be mad too.
So, here we are. Suzanne Weyn is evidently firmly in the pro-Marie-Antoinette-and-Louis-XVI camp, but her writing doesn't acknowledge that what they were doing (or not doing) was also very wrong for the people and the country. They weren't innocent victims. They made very, very poor decisions, or they neglected to make decisions entirely. I don't want this to turn into an essay on the behavior of the Bourbons during the outbreak of the Revolution, because I'm not getting any credit/money for that, and I think I've already written enough of those during my academic career.
Let's cut to a fun, totally time-appropriate quote, shall we?
" 'We are one,' I say. 'That's why we look alike. We're one soul with two bodies.' "
That's the Princess Marie-Therèse to her chambermaid, Ernestine. Evidently, they are omigoshtwinsies! and switch places a lot at court so that Ernestine can hang with the fancy peeps and Marie-Therèse can scamper around Paris. M-T (abbreviated because I am lazy. A hyphen and an accent grave is a bit much to ask of me tonight as my head pounds with histamine reactions to pollen) says dopey things like the totally deep one above, and paints herself as a sort of pre-Revolution beneficent monarch who completely loves and adores the common people of France. In the first few pages, M-T reminisces about her first memory, which is when she and the royal family (or would it be Royal Family?) meet the plebes in the courtyard at Versailles. Pretty Pretty Princess remarks, "I love the smell and sounds of the crowd. All kinds of people are here. Some are very well dressed. Others are ragged and without coats or cloaks on this frigid day. But we are all happy. Excited."
Um. First of all, I know that the Court at Versailles barely had rudimentary hygiene concepts (people routinely just peed and pooped in the corners because ... they're there), and so M-T probably didn't have a great concept of what "smelling nice" was, but I honestly think that someone brought up in a palace would definitely notice the smell of the unwashed masses, who didn't have time to clean themselves, because they had to work ridiculously hard for no money and no food. Horse poop, cow poop, human poop--they would have had it all. Also the body odor was, I'm sure, astounding. You can get a little whuff of it even today--just ride the Métro on a sweltering July day. So "I love the smell of the crowd" is really piling it on thickly.
Secondly, Weyn totally undercuts her whole mission to make M-T likeable by having her remark on the lack of clothing that most people have, but then cheerily state that they're all happy anyway just because they get to see the royal family. Gee whiz, if I were a French peasant of, oh, I don't know, 1780, I'd definitely rather have a pair of warm boots than the opportunity to see the King.
M-T, being such a wee little adorable child, begs her parents to set up a feast for the masses, but M-A and Louis XVI say there's not enough food. M-T: " 'Please, Mama,' I beg, 'these people are our subjects, aren't they? Isn't it our duty to feed them?' "
[image error]
There really are no words to express the utter inanity of this character. She natters on like this constantly, talking about how she "envies the freedom" of peasant children because they can run around and junk. Yes, and then they will die of cholera. Yay!
A few chapters of useless exposition later (mostly describing the aforementioned body-double Ernestine and their place-switching), M-T sets off to see Paris. She's dropped off by someone who's evidently like the Versailles taxi-driver at ... the Place de la Concorde.
The what? Where? I'm sorry, Place de la Concorde did not exist in 1789. Well, I mean, the place existed, but it was called Place Louis XV, and there was no fancy Egyptian obelisk there (notably because Napoléon hadn't invaded Egypt yet!). Place de la Concorde became Place de la Révolution during the (you guessed it!) Revolution/Reign of Terror, and was the main site of executions by guillotine. M-T's father was beheaded there. After various other revolutions and restorations, everyone agreed to stick with Place de la Concorde, which commemorated the peace (or "peace") brought about by the Directory in the late 1790s.
You don't have to be a French major/librarian/major nerd like me to catch that. I mean, this is one of the things that you can Google. It is on Wikipedia (which I normally don't recommend as source material, but it's actually generally quite accurate when it comes to well-known places and events).
When I read that line about getting dropped off at the Place de la Concorde, I abandoned all hope. A bit later on, she runs into a Hot Guy named Henri, who acts as her (very convenient) tour guide to Paris, and educates the Princess on Revolution and Other Important Social Stuff. There's loads of sappy dialogue like, " 'Ernestine, I can tell you've got a kind, good heart. You think the best of everyone, even the selfish royals. I'm glad you bashed into me today.' 'You are?' I ask. 'We'll be the best of friends, always.' 'I hope so, Henri.' " Whaaa ... who talks like that? Well, five year olds: "best fwends fowevah!" Evidently, Henri is the Mandatory Love Interest and Hot Guy, so they have to, you know, be friends and stuff.
I think the rest of the book deals with M-T trying to save her family and herself and I'm sure she probably escapes by switching places with her maid (the foreshadowing, it is so heavy, I'm being crushed like Giles Corey over here). Other reviewers mentioned something about magic/voodoo ... yeah.
The title refers to an artist/sculptor who makes death masks (she may also be the one involved in the alleged voodoo, but please don't quote me on that). Whoop-de-do.
This is just a whole mess of Not Good. No fact-checking, no believable characters, and plot contrivances up the yazoo. Don't insult the intelligence of your readers when you write historical fiction. Just because the word "fiction" is in there doesn't mean you can completely ignore the "historical" part.
I received an ARC of this title from Netgalley.
July 7, 2018
The story had an interesting idea and I enjoyed it. The concept involved some really cool creativity and some historically accurate elements. However, I found the relationship between Henri and Marie-Thérése-Charlotte a little strained and I needed more to believe their love for each other. I also thought the story could have been good, if not better, without the magical aspects because I didn't feel like it really had a place in the story, although it did help make the happy ending. The ending held somewhat rushed and if it had been extended just a little more, it could have been better. I didn't like that the author felt the need to wrap it all up in a bow. The end doesn't always have to be all happy. It could have been a bittersweet ending with just her reunion with Henri, instead of the magic bringing back her mother.
In the end, it was a good story and it is worth the read, despite its few issues.
In the end, it was a good story and it is worth the read, despite its few issues.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 10, 2018
I thought it was a very interesting book. The genre is historical fiction. The story takes place in France during the French Revolution. The main character of the story is Marie Therese, daughter of Marie Antoinette and King Louis the sixteenth. Marie Therese goes out into the streets of Paris only to discover what is really going on in the real world. Her people are starting a revolution against her family and they want to murder the entire royal family. She switches places with her best friend Ernestine who looks exactly like her. She meets a boy named Henri who lives on the streets and falls in love with him. Her family leaves her behind when they are forced to leave the Palace of Versailles. She experiences many horrifying things such as watching peoples heads be chopped of with the guillotine. With the help of Henri, she is able to overcome any obstacle that stands in her way.
September 30, 2019
This is a fictionalized story with some historical elements (author’s notes at end of book) about a journey of a princess who switches places with a servant during the French Revolution. There are some gruesome descriptions involving the guillotine and some depictions of young love. For older middle school age kids; as always I recommend a parent reading the book too, if possible, so open discussion can take place about the story. This was a donation to my LFL.
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December 12, 2019At a young age the princess is living a good life, she finds her significant other and a girl who’s her “ twin “ but she’s never met her before. She gets to know the girl named Essence, and Henri her boyfriend get more serious. He meets her parents and they like him. Later on the palace she lives in is not safe. There is bad people out to get her father and she has to leave to be safe. I would recommend this book for someone who likes interesting plot twist.
July 6, 2021
While the premise of the story was good, the entire book moved too quickly, covering too much time and too many events with too little storytelling. It was jarring to realize abruptly that certain characters were meant to be in love, or sad, or remembering something, or fill in the blank, because it seemed like a lot of the story happened in the author's head, forcing the reader to fill gaps and assume things that were otherwise not well foreshadowed or developed.
May 18, 2017
I learned about the French Revolution briefly in school and loved being able to see it from a different point of view. I was a little surprised from their being voodoo involved in the story but it was a great ending to it all the same. It was also fun to see all these real characters in history come together.
July 11, 2017
Fun, quick, easy read. I haven't read much of the French Revolution so I don't know much of the stories. This had a few surprise guests for me. I would highly recommend it for some French historical exposure
July 24, 2017
Very entertaining book that was very educational at the same time! I'm a history buff and I learned quite a bit about this revolution that I didn't know.
June 17, 2020
A happier ending for the French royal family than history offers.
June 24, 2020
It's a good read! The love part is unrealistic but nice for the younger targeted audience
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2017
This book was great , if you wants to get the chills and suspense then i recommend this book
August 31, 2014
An interesting YA read about a princess in hiding during the French Revolution, Faces of the Dead was a good book that I quite enjoyed. There were a few issues but, overall, I thought it was a lovely book.
First, let me start with what I liked about the book.
For the most part, Marie-Thérèse was a good character. I really liked how the conflict in her was portrayed. Though she loved and was loyal to her family, she understood why the starving, poverty-stricken people of France were angry. That dynamic made her an interesting character.
Henri was a sweetie. There wasn't much depth to him, but he was likable and always there for Marie-Thérèse, so I was rather fond of him.
The romance was sweet, though light. It wasn't the main point of the plot, but it definitely played a role.
The history was mostly accurate. The description of the Terror was properly bloody and tense. The portrayal of the built up rage of the French people at the nobles and royals who so carelessly spent money while the commoners were starving was believable.
Now to what I didn't like.
First, I found it odd how easily Marie-Thérèse grew accustomed to life as a poor woman. It didn't seem realistic, considering she had spent most of her life in such a lavish setting. Princesses were extremely sheltered and it didn't seem believable that she just accepted and adapted to another lifestyle so easily.
Also, though most of the historical details were on point, some small ones were not. I know that time was somewhat compressed in order to keep the story flowing and I didn't mind that. But, there were just some details that didn't quite fit. The one that got me the most was how much the characters talked about Ancient Egypt. Europeans didn't really get into studying Ancient Egypt until Napoleon invaded Egypt and brought along scholars, artists, and historians, who returned with their finds and began the modern study of Egypt. That didn't happen until years after the events of this book. Napoleon was in the story, but it was before he had come to power, so it wasn't quite accurate.
And, I know that this was meant to be in the perspective of a royal to show the "other side of the story" but it seemed like the callousness of the nobility and royalty was downplayed. The Revolution didn't just happen. It was built off of years of pent up anger over the fact that the upper class didn't seem to care that the poor were dying of disease and starvation. I only got one instance of that. The rest of it made it seem like the upper class was just victimized.
Last, there was a paranormal aspect in this book and I didn't really like it. For one, it felt unnecessary. There was enough going on with just the historical aspect. It didn't need a paranormal aspect. It was even worse, because the paranormal were just shoved in and didn't affect the story overall. It was just tagged in at the end to create a semi happy ending and I think it would have been better to just leave it out.
Overall, though, I liked the book. There were issues with it, but I enjoyed the story as a whole. The problems that I had with it might just be because I'm a history nerd and I tend to pick at any inconsistencies. I still thought the book was good and the ending was a satisfying conclusion that tied up all the loose ends.
Faces of the Dead was a good YA read that I quite enjoyed. Though I had some issues with it, I did like it as a whole and found it to be an overall nice read. YA lovers, if you want something that will take you into the middle of history, then you might want to check this book out.
*I received a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
First, let me start with what I liked about the book.
For the most part, Marie-Thérèse was a good character. I really liked how the conflict in her was portrayed. Though she loved and was loyal to her family, she understood why the starving, poverty-stricken people of France were angry. That dynamic made her an interesting character.
Henri was a sweetie. There wasn't much depth to him, but he was likable and always there for Marie-Thérèse, so I was rather fond of him.
The romance was sweet, though light. It wasn't the main point of the plot, but it definitely played a role.
The history was mostly accurate. The description of the Terror was properly bloody and tense. The portrayal of the built up rage of the French people at the nobles and royals who so carelessly spent money while the commoners were starving was believable.
Now to what I didn't like.
First, I found it odd how easily Marie-Thérèse grew accustomed to life as a poor woman. It didn't seem realistic, considering she had spent most of her life in such a lavish setting. Princesses were extremely sheltered and it didn't seem believable that she just accepted and adapted to another lifestyle so easily.
Also, though most of the historical details were on point, some small ones were not. I know that time was somewhat compressed in order to keep the story flowing and I didn't mind that. But, there were just some details that didn't quite fit. The one that got me the most was how much the characters talked about Ancient Egypt. Europeans didn't really get into studying Ancient Egypt until Napoleon invaded Egypt and brought along scholars, artists, and historians, who returned with their finds and began the modern study of Egypt. That didn't happen until years after the events of this book. Napoleon was in the story, but it was before he had come to power, so it wasn't quite accurate.
And, I know that this was meant to be in the perspective of a royal to show the "other side of the story" but it seemed like the callousness of the nobility and royalty was downplayed. The Revolution didn't just happen. It was built off of years of pent up anger over the fact that the upper class didn't seem to care that the poor were dying of disease and starvation. I only got one instance of that. The rest of it made it seem like the upper class was just victimized.
Last, there was a paranormal aspect in this book and I didn't really like it. For one, it felt unnecessary. There was enough going on with just the historical aspect. It didn't need a paranormal aspect. It was even worse, because the paranormal were just shoved in and didn't affect the story overall. It was just tagged in at the end to create a semi happy ending and I think it would have been better to just leave it out.
Overall, though, I liked the book. There were issues with it, but I enjoyed the story as a whole. The problems that I had with it might just be because I'm a history nerd and I tend to pick at any inconsistencies. I still thought the book was good and the ending was a satisfying conclusion that tied up all the loose ends.
Faces of the Dead was a good YA read that I quite enjoyed. Though I had some issues with it, I did like it as a whole and found it to be an overall nice read. YA lovers, if you want something that will take you into the middle of history, then you might want to check this book out.
*I received a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
May 12, 2016
I really enjoyed reading this book. I Suzanne Weyn's books because they are entertaining quick and easy reads.
This book takes place during the French Revolution and it centers on Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette's daughter Marie- Therese. The basic plot of the story is about Marie Therese exploring Paris and taking on a new identity as a peasant during the Revolution. Marie Therese has a friend who became the king and queen's adopted daughter and she looks very similar to Marie Therese. Her friend is Ernestine. Ernestine grew up alongside Marie Therese and she was educated along with her. However Ernestine has something that Marie Therese doesn't have: Freedom. Ernestine can leave the palace and go to Paris on errands and she is able to go around the palace whenever and wherever she pleases.
However Ernestine envies Marie Therese because she wants to be a princess too. So, through their childhood and into their teens they switch places. Of course the king and queen can tell them apart but no one else really can unless they stand next to each other. By switching, Marie Therese can have freedom and visit Paris and Ernestine can be a princess.
This book deals with the theory that is out there that during the Revolution Marie Therese and Ernestine switched places and the real Ernestine took the princess' place when the royal family fled Versailles and it was Ernestine incarcerated in prison. In this theory the real Marie Therese hid among the people as a peasant and escaped the revolution. I thought Suzanne Weyn did a great job of portraying this theory in her book.
The book also includes a woman who makes life-like wax statues and that is where Marie Therese works while her family is in prison. In Paris she also meets her love interest Henri. The romance is cute but it's very pg-13. To add to it, there it a bit of paranormal elements thrown into the story which I thought was done nicely, even if it did come out of nowhere.
I really liked Marie Therese. She wasn't a spoiled brat and she was very kind to people. I understood her struggles during the book. She loved her family dearly but she also believed in the revolutions themes of freedom, prosperity and equality. Of course she didn't want her family to die but she did understand the principals the people of France were fighting for because she experienced hunger and poverty while in the streets of Paris. I can't imagine how difficult it was for her to hear that her parents were being executed and she could't do anything to stop it. Marie Therese, in the book anyway, was a very strong character to have gone through all she did and not only survive but not go crazy as well.
I do want to mention something about Ernestine's character. She was an extremely loyal friend and she loved Marie Therese very much. She is also extremely brave. She stood in for Marie Therese knowing she may possibly die. She refused to allow Marie Therese to go with her family when they were fleeing, insisting that she take her place and save her. I admire her bravery vey much.
All in all this was a good quick read and I'll definitely will be checking out more of Suzanne Weyn's books.
This review is also posted on The Book Owl Extraordinaire
This book takes place during the French Revolution and it centers on Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette's daughter Marie- Therese. The basic plot of the story is about Marie Therese exploring Paris and taking on a new identity as a peasant during the Revolution. Marie Therese has a friend who became the king and queen's adopted daughter and she looks very similar to Marie Therese. Her friend is Ernestine. Ernestine grew up alongside Marie Therese and she was educated along with her. However Ernestine has something that Marie Therese doesn't have: Freedom. Ernestine can leave the palace and go to Paris on errands and she is able to go around the palace whenever and wherever she pleases.
However Ernestine envies Marie Therese because she wants to be a princess too. So, through their childhood and into their teens they switch places. Of course the king and queen can tell them apart but no one else really can unless they stand next to each other. By switching, Marie Therese can have freedom and visit Paris and Ernestine can be a princess.
This book deals with the theory that is out there that during the Revolution Marie Therese and Ernestine switched places and the real Ernestine took the princess' place when the royal family fled Versailles and it was Ernestine incarcerated in prison. In this theory the real Marie Therese hid among the people as a peasant and escaped the revolution. I thought Suzanne Weyn did a great job of portraying this theory in her book.
The book also includes a woman who makes life-like wax statues and that is where Marie Therese works while her family is in prison. In Paris she also meets her love interest Henri. The romance is cute but it's very pg-13. To add to it, there it a bit of paranormal elements thrown into the story which I thought was done nicely, even if it did come out of nowhere.
I really liked Marie Therese. She wasn't a spoiled brat and she was very kind to people. I understood her struggles during the book. She loved her family dearly but she also believed in the revolutions themes of freedom, prosperity and equality. Of course she didn't want her family to die but she did understand the principals the people of France were fighting for because she experienced hunger and poverty while in the streets of Paris. I can't imagine how difficult it was for her to hear that her parents were being executed and she could't do anything to stop it. Marie Therese, in the book anyway, was a very strong character to have gone through all she did and not only survive but not go crazy as well.
I do want to mention something about Ernestine's character. She was an extremely loyal friend and she loved Marie Therese very much. She is also extremely brave. She stood in for Marie Therese knowing she may possibly die. She refused to allow Marie Therese to go with her family when they were fleeing, insisting that she take her place and save her. I admire her bravery vey much.
All in all this was a good quick read and I'll definitely will be checking out more of Suzanne Weyn's books.
This review is also posted on The Book Owl Extraordinaire
October 16, 2014
Marie-Thérèse-Charlotte is the daughter of Marie-Antoinette and King Louis the Sixteenth of France and lives in Versailles. Even though there is relative calm in her family circle, France itself is upset with the royal family. The people are starving and believe that the royal family doesn’t care for those that pay the taxes. Marie-Thérèse wants to go out into the city and see what being outside the palace is like. But she can’t do that on her own. Luckily she looks almost like a twin to Ernestine, a servant girl who lives at the palace. Marie-Thérèse and Ernestine switch outfits and Ernestine pretends to be the princess while Marie goes out to the city to see life for herself. Only the city is not what she expects it to be. People are not just angry, they want to do harm to Marie-Thérèse’s family and any other royals who stand in their way. If it wasn’t for the fact that Marie-Thérèse was dressed like a servant and that she met a nice boy named Henri she would have been in real trouble. Soon Marie-Thérèse and Henri are exploring all over Paris while Ernestine is playing the role of princess more and more. Understandably Marie-Thérèse and Henri soon fall in love while Ernestine falls for Marie-Thérèse’s betrothed. Then the French Revolution comes to a roar and Marie-Thérèse’s family order her and Ernestine to trade places to keep at least one member of the royal family safe.
This book is basically 200 or so pages of drama with a French revolution background. Readers can guess from the first moment that Marie-Thérèse and Ernestine trade places (and thanks to who Marie-Thérèse is and when she lived) just where Marie-Thérèse would be when watching her family meets the guillotine. Of course her family is not what everyone says they are. Of course the revolution is one horrid bit after another. But the black magic? Really? Marie-Thérèse and her re-incarnated mother get to live happily ever after at the end (with loving Henri nearby of course)? And Ernestine escapes the horrid prisons and gets to marry her true love Marie-Thérèse’s fiancé? Those readers who thrive on drama with a historical setting will enjoy this book. But it was not written well enough to really tempt me.
This book is basically 200 or so pages of drama with a French revolution background. Readers can guess from the first moment that Marie-Thérèse and Ernestine trade places (and thanks to who Marie-Thérèse is and when she lived) just where Marie-Thérèse would be when watching her family meets the guillotine. Of course her family is not what everyone says they are. Of course the revolution is one horrid bit after another. But the black magic? Really? Marie-Thérèse and her re-incarnated mother get to live happily ever after at the end (with loving Henri nearby of course)? And Ernestine escapes the horrid prisons and gets to marry her true love Marie-Thérèse’s fiancé? Those readers who thrive on drama with a historical setting will enjoy this book. But it was not written well enough to really tempt me.
September 9, 2014
Sometimes a girl just wants to read about the lush world of an Old-World monarchy, even as it breaks down during a revolution. This book did a wonderful job of capturing the feeling of the end of the French monarchy at the hands of revolutionaries. The details were delightful and really rounded out a full picture of the time, from describing the luxury of the palace to the squalor of the streets. I think that has to be the book's greatest strength; the ability to transport the reader back to the end of the 18th century. Unfortunately, the plot fell extremely short of the lovely world it was supposed to fill with action. I already knew the basics of how it was going to end from my brushes with European history, so I wasn't really on the edge of my seat. The most disappointing part of the novel was the how the supernatural element was handled. There's a way to delicately add a bit of the strange and paranormal, and then there's just severely underwhelming writing. I expected so much more and just ended up disappointed with the result. I wanted some excitement, or for there to be some actual influence on the plot from it. There would be almost no difference in the book if it had been straight up historical fiction, and it probably would have been better.
Marie-Therese was a decent character, but not entirely believable in my mind. Her reactions are too calm and collected for someone brought up to be a well-mannered princess. I can't imagine that someone in her position would take a fall with such grace and ease. The rest of the royal family served their purpose to give Marie-Therese motivation to do various risky things that somehow worked out fairly well for her. Henri was a fairly standard love interest. A poor boy who could show her how the rest of the French lived and offer her a new perspective on the world, all with sweetness and kindness. There was nothing wrong with him, but he lacked a spark to bring him off the page. Most of the characters fell a bit flat, unfortunately.
Overall, I'd say this is one to skip. Lovers of paranormal stories won't find enough to interest them and it strays a bit too far from traditional historical fiction to appeal to fans of that genre. This is a case where less probably would have been more.
ebook from Netgalley
Marie-Therese was a decent character, but not entirely believable in my mind. Her reactions are too calm and collected for someone brought up to be a well-mannered princess. I can't imagine that someone in her position would take a fall with such grace and ease. The rest of the royal family served their purpose to give Marie-Therese motivation to do various risky things that somehow worked out fairly well for her. Henri was a fairly standard love interest. A poor boy who could show her how the rest of the French lived and offer her a new perspective on the world, all with sweetness and kindness. There was nothing wrong with him, but he lacked a spark to bring him off the page. Most of the characters fell a bit flat, unfortunately.
Overall, I'd say this is one to skip. Lovers of paranormal stories won't find enough to interest them and it strays a bit too far from traditional historical fiction to appeal to fans of that genre. This is a case where less probably would have been more.
ebook from Netgalley
August 20, 2014
Faces of the Dead was absolutely brilliant. Part of me was screaming out of joy just due to the time period it takes place in, I am really big on history and I love to read about the French Revolution. It was such a volatile time, but I feel like there is so much that can be learned from it. And just the ideas people had, and ways people use to act back then is really interesting.
With that said, I feel like Suzanne did an incredible job researching the era and really making the people she is trying to portray in this work of fiction, come alive again. I loved that she mentioned in the notes at the end, that she didn’t want this book to feel like a textbook. And I think that can be difficult sometimes when you are trying to stay as true to the actual events as possible. She definitely handled everything well, there are some noticeable changes, which she also notes at the end, but other than that, if you are familiar with the revolution, even just basic knowledge, I think that you will really enjoy Suzanne’s take on it.
It’s hard for me to deny that I was instantly drawn to this book. There is nothing that would have kept me from reading it. I will admit that I was ready to be extremely critical of certain things, as when it comes to historical fiction, I really do like to see some of the information in the books backed up by actual facts. But as I mentioned above, it really seems like Suzanne really went and did a massive amount of research to be able to delicately balance the line between fact and fiction and really create an incredibly enjoyable young adult book that follows the struggles that Marie Therese went through during the revolution.
If you enjoy historical fiction, this is definitely a book you will want to pick up. It was written very well, and as I mentioned several times, you can definitely see the amount of care that Suzanne put into researching the revolution, and you can see how hard she worked to put in a great balance of fact/fiction to create such a wonderful story. I highly recommend that you try to read this book, whenever you get the opportunity too.
With that said, I feel like Suzanne did an incredible job researching the era and really making the people she is trying to portray in this work of fiction, come alive again. I loved that she mentioned in the notes at the end, that she didn’t want this book to feel like a textbook. And I think that can be difficult sometimes when you are trying to stay as true to the actual events as possible. She definitely handled everything well, there are some noticeable changes, which she also notes at the end, but other than that, if you are familiar with the revolution, even just basic knowledge, I think that you will really enjoy Suzanne’s take on it.
It’s hard for me to deny that I was instantly drawn to this book. There is nothing that would have kept me from reading it. I will admit that I was ready to be extremely critical of certain things, as when it comes to historical fiction, I really do like to see some of the information in the books backed up by actual facts. But as I mentioned above, it really seems like Suzanne really went and did a massive amount of research to be able to delicately balance the line between fact and fiction and really create an incredibly enjoyable young adult book that follows the struggles that Marie Therese went through during the revolution.
If you enjoy historical fiction, this is definitely a book you will want to pick up. It was written very well, and as I mentioned several times, you can definitely see the amount of care that Suzanne put into researching the revolution, and you can see how hard she worked to put in a great balance of fact/fiction to create such a wonderful story. I highly recommend that you try to read this book, whenever you get the opportunity too.
April 27, 2015
While the French Revolution is brewing outside her castle walls, 17-year-old Marie-Therese-Charlotte longs to experience life beyond her sheltered existence regimented by her mother, Queen Marie Antoinette, and her father, King Louis the 16th.
So one day she trades places with her look-alike chamber maid, Ernestine, and truly sees for the first time how difficult life is for those in her country. One of those struggling is teen Henri, who takes her under his wing, and shows her around Paris.
As Marie-Therese’s visits to the streets of Paris increase, so do the tensions between the revolutionaries and the aristocrats. One evening upon her return to the castle, Marie-Therese finds a threatening mob and her family encourages her to return to Henri and continue hiding out until things are calm again for the royal family; they think she’ll be safer hidden away while Ernestine assumes her position inside the castle.
Henri takes her to the workshop of Mademoiselle Grosholtz, who is known for her wax figures of famous people. Soon Henri and Marie-Therese are working alongside Mademoiselle Grosholtz as she collects the heads of those recently executed by guillotine and is forced to make wax molds of their heads to go on display as a warning to others.
Marie-Therese is torn between the growing love she feels for Henri, along with increased sympathy for those struggling to eat, against the love she feels toward her family, even though she is learning her parents have not always made the best choices for all the citizens of France. With no easy choices, time is running out for the peasant-disguised princess to make the ultimate decision for her future.
Unfortunately, a weird plotline caused me to lose interest in the story, but teens might enjoy the unexpected twist and the inside of look of life inside the French Revolution.
So one day she trades places with her look-alike chamber maid, Ernestine, and truly sees for the first time how difficult life is for those in her country. One of those struggling is teen Henri, who takes her under his wing, and shows her around Paris.
As Marie-Therese’s visits to the streets of Paris increase, so do the tensions between the revolutionaries and the aristocrats. One evening upon her return to the castle, Marie-Therese finds a threatening mob and her family encourages her to return to Henri and continue hiding out until things are calm again for the royal family; they think she’ll be safer hidden away while Ernestine assumes her position inside the castle.
Henri takes her to the workshop of Mademoiselle Grosholtz, who is known for her wax figures of famous people. Soon Henri and Marie-Therese are working alongside Mademoiselle Grosholtz as she collects the heads of those recently executed by guillotine and is forced to make wax molds of their heads to go on display as a warning to others.
Marie-Therese is torn between the growing love she feels for Henri, along with increased sympathy for those struggling to eat, against the love she feels toward her family, even though she is learning her parents have not always made the best choices for all the citizens of France. With no easy choices, time is running out for the peasant-disguised princess to make the ultimate decision for her future.
Unfortunately, a weird plotline caused me to lose interest in the story, but teens might enjoy the unexpected twist and the inside of look of life inside the French Revolution.
October 7, 2014
Marie-Therese Charlotte is the Child of France despite never setting foot outside the palace. As the daughter of Louis the XVI and Marie Antoinette, Marie-Therese lives a life of luxury and isolation save for her dear friend Ernestine.
When the two girls realize they are strikingly similar in appearance, Marie-Therese hatches a plan to see the real Paris once and for all. But what Marie-Therese sees outside the palace is a shock. People are hungry and angry at the royal family. There is talk of revolution everywhere. After befriending a boy she meets in Paris, Marie-Therese is no longer sure who is right or even what to believe.
But as revolution rages and the Terror cuts a bloody path through Paris, Marie-Therese will be forced into hiding while Ernestine holds the princess' place as a captive. Taking refuge with Henri at a well-known wax exhibit, Marie-Therese will learn that she is not the only one in Paris with a secret. Even the wax figures themeselves may be hiding something in Faces of the Dead (2014) by Suzanne Weyn.
Weyn delivers a powerhouse novel with high appeal and lots of action in a slim and easy to read volume. Although Marie-Therese often comes across as immature and naive, it generally makes sense in the context of the story and her origins.
A supernatural twist with wax figures and historical characters add a fun layer to this story as Weyn draws out real details to fantastical conclusions. Although the romantic element here is not always the most convincing, Faces of the Dead remains a solid story that serves as a fine introduction to both voodoo and the French Revolution.
An author's note at the end of the story separates fact from fiction and highlights the real figures from history who feature in the story for further reading options.
*A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for review*
When the two girls realize they are strikingly similar in appearance, Marie-Therese hatches a plan to see the real Paris once and for all. But what Marie-Therese sees outside the palace is a shock. People are hungry and angry at the royal family. There is talk of revolution everywhere. After befriending a boy she meets in Paris, Marie-Therese is no longer sure who is right or even what to believe.
But as revolution rages and the Terror cuts a bloody path through Paris, Marie-Therese will be forced into hiding while Ernestine holds the princess' place as a captive. Taking refuge with Henri at a well-known wax exhibit, Marie-Therese will learn that she is not the only one in Paris with a secret. Even the wax figures themeselves may be hiding something in Faces of the Dead (2014) by Suzanne Weyn.
Weyn delivers a powerhouse novel with high appeal and lots of action in a slim and easy to read volume. Although Marie-Therese often comes across as immature and naive, it generally makes sense in the context of the story and her origins.
A supernatural twist with wax figures and historical characters add a fun layer to this story as Weyn draws out real details to fantastical conclusions. Although the romantic element here is not always the most convincing, Faces of the Dead remains a solid story that serves as a fine introduction to both voodoo and the French Revolution.
An author's note at the end of the story separates fact from fiction and highlights the real figures from history who feature in the story for further reading options.
*A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for review*
September 28, 2014
How cool would it be to have a friend who looks so much like you she could be your twin? In Suzanne Weyn's Faces of the Dead, Marie-Therese has that opportunity. She is the princess of France, the daughter of Marie Antoinette, and her chambermaid, Ernestine looks so much like Marie-Therese that many who work in the palace confuse them constantly.
Marie-Therese uses the physical similarities between the two to take advantage of the freedom of running around the streets of Paris while Ernestine steps in as princess and is given the chance to be royal, one that servants never even dreamed of. While roaming around Paris at the beginning of the French Revolution, Marie-Therese runs into Henri, a teenage boy who becomes Marie-Therese's closest companion.
Ernestine warns Marie-Therese that she doesn't want to see the real Paris and what's happening in the streets at the beginning of the revolution, and it doesn't take long for Marie-Therese to realize what it's like for those less fortunate. When Marie-Therese's family is threatened, she must decide what to do and whom to trust, all the while, Henri is changing the way Marie-Therese thinks about politics and her own beliefs.
I was really excited about this book because of the promised paranormal aspect, especially as we near October. However, the supernatural aspects never really came to fruition and neither did the hinted romance between Marie-Therese and Henri.
I don't gravitate toward historical fiction, but I thought the twist of introducing paranormal activity would be interesting and new. Without the full aspects of what a typical YA book contains, this book falls short in the end of what I expected.
Interesting paranormal concept that never really happens and leaves the reader wondering what could have been.
Check out my blog at reviewscomingatya.blogspot.com.
Marie-Therese uses the physical similarities between the two to take advantage of the freedom of running around the streets of Paris while Ernestine steps in as princess and is given the chance to be royal, one that servants never even dreamed of. While roaming around Paris at the beginning of the French Revolution, Marie-Therese runs into Henri, a teenage boy who becomes Marie-Therese's closest companion.
Ernestine warns Marie-Therese that she doesn't want to see the real Paris and what's happening in the streets at the beginning of the revolution, and it doesn't take long for Marie-Therese to realize what it's like for those less fortunate. When Marie-Therese's family is threatened, she must decide what to do and whom to trust, all the while, Henri is changing the way Marie-Therese thinks about politics and her own beliefs.
I was really excited about this book because of the promised paranormal aspect, especially as we near October. However, the supernatural aspects never really came to fruition and neither did the hinted romance between Marie-Therese and Henri.
I don't gravitate toward historical fiction, but I thought the twist of introducing paranormal activity would be interesting and new. Without the full aspects of what a typical YA book contains, this book falls short in the end of what I expected.
Interesting paranormal concept that never really happens and leaves the reader wondering what could have been.
Check out my blog at reviewscomingatya.blogspot.com.
October 9, 2014
“Faces of the Dead” by Suzanne Weyn is a historical fiction that takes place during the French Revolution. The main character is princess Marie-Therese-Charlotte and some other characters include her look alike chambermaid, Ernestine, and Henri; a boy who lives in poverty on the streets of Paris. The novel is in the princess’s point of view and it’s written in almost a diary format. As Marie-Therese grows older, she and her chambermaid/playmate, Ernestine, realize that they are almost identical and begin to swap places with each other. When Marie-Therese hears talk of a revolution she trades places with Ernestine once again to see the streets of Paris for herself; not realizing that they are crowded with poverty and people who want her and her family dead. She meets a boy her age named Henri and tells him that her name is Ernestine. They quickly become friends. As trouble rises with the rebels, the princess is forced to live on the streets under a false name while her friend acts as the princess of France. She lives with Henri as the revolution becomes more serious and dangerous to her and her family.
This book was a great way to look into the past through the undercover princess. It took a few chapters for the book to get interesting though and some parts were confusing to read. This book is not apart of a series, but if it was I would definitely be curious about what happens in the sequel. Almost all the characters named in the book (excluding Henri) were actual people. Most of the events were real too, which made the book seem more interesting after I learned that. I would recommend the book to a classmate or friends. Only if they were interested in the genre and subject though. Overall, it was a good book.
This book was a great way to look into the past through the undercover princess. It took a few chapters for the book to get interesting though and some parts were confusing to read. This book is not apart of a series, but if it was I would definitely be curious about what happens in the sequel. Almost all the characters named in the book (excluding Henri) were actual people. Most of the events were real too, which made the book seem more interesting after I learned that. I would recommend the book to a classmate or friends. Only if they were interested in the genre and subject though. Overall, it was a good book.
March 18, 2015
**Contains spoilers***
Faces of the Dead by Suzanne Weyn is a historical fantasy novel for teens set during the French Reign of Terror. Marie-Therese-Charlotte, the eldest child of Marie Antoinette and Louis the XVI, longs to see ‘the real France’ and convinces her best friend Ernestine, the daughter of a chambermaid, to switch places with her so that she may go into Paris and see the wonder and squalor herself. Marie-Therese befriends a young man named Henri who calls himself a ‘citizen’ and supporter of the revolution. When things get ugly for the royal family, the king and queen ask Ernestine to remain in disguise with them as the princess and send Marie-Therese into hiding at the wax exhibit run by the Mademoiselle Grosholtz, the future Madame Tussaud. During her time there, Marie-Therese assists in gathering the decapitated heads of famous royalists so that Grosholtz can create their death masks for the revolutionists. While a story about a naïve princess getting a reality check might have been a decent story, this one dives into the realm of complete malarkey. Marie-Therese and Henri discover that Mademoiselle Grosholtz and her compatriot Rose are attempting to bring the guillotined back from the dead. It should also be mentioned that Rose is a voodoo priestess from Martinique who eventually becomes Josephine, Empress of France. Even more bogus is the moment when the reader discovers that Mademoiselle and Rose have actually succeeded in providing a body for the spirit of Marie Antoinette and that Marie-Therese lives happily ever after with her and her beau Henri on a farm in Charenton. Yes, you read that right.
Faces of the Dead by Suzanne Weyn is a historical fantasy novel for teens set during the French Reign of Terror. Marie-Therese-Charlotte, the eldest child of Marie Antoinette and Louis the XVI, longs to see ‘the real France’ and convinces her best friend Ernestine, the daughter of a chambermaid, to switch places with her so that she may go into Paris and see the wonder and squalor herself. Marie-Therese befriends a young man named Henri who calls himself a ‘citizen’ and supporter of the revolution. When things get ugly for the royal family, the king and queen ask Ernestine to remain in disguise with them as the princess and send Marie-Therese into hiding at the wax exhibit run by the Mademoiselle Grosholtz, the future Madame Tussaud. During her time there, Marie-Therese assists in gathering the decapitated heads of famous royalists so that Grosholtz can create their death masks for the revolutionists. While a story about a naïve princess getting a reality check might have been a decent story, this one dives into the realm of complete malarkey. Marie-Therese and Henri discover that Mademoiselle Grosholtz and her compatriot Rose are attempting to bring the guillotined back from the dead. It should also be mentioned that Rose is a voodoo priestess from Martinique who eventually becomes Josephine, Empress of France. Even more bogus is the moment when the reader discovers that Mademoiselle and Rose have actually succeeded in providing a body for the spirit of Marie Antoinette and that Marie-Therese lives happily ever after with her and her beau Henri on a farm in Charenton. Yes, you read that right.
October 23, 2014
I just finished reading faces of the dead by Suzanne Weyn. It is a historical fiction book that takes place during the French Revolution. This book shows how the main character, Marie-Therese, has to grow up fast because of the French rebellion. Marie-Therese is a princess who has never been out of the Palace but has always been curious about the village. This book tells about her experience when her parents force her to go live in the village. Other characters in the book are Henri, Rose and Mademoiselle Grosholtz who helped provide her with a place to stay and a job. Marie-Therese struggles against supporting her parents or the revolution.
I found the beginning of the book to be boring. The book gets better when Henri starts showing Marie-Therese around the town and she begins to see that the revolution is starting. What was interesting about the book was Rose’s and Mademoiselle Grosholtz practice of voodoo. Two things that surprised me about the book was that Henri knew Marie-Therese was a princess and the cruelty of the villagers. I would not read another historical fiction book because I had to get all the way to the middle of the book before it got interesting. Also, the language in the book made it hard to follow. It was hard to understand why the parents did what they did so I couldn’t relate to it.
I found the beginning of the book to be boring. The book gets better when Henri starts showing Marie-Therese around the town and she begins to see that the revolution is starting. What was interesting about the book was Rose’s and Mademoiselle Grosholtz practice of voodoo. Two things that surprised me about the book was that Henri knew Marie-Therese was a princess and the cruelty of the villagers. I would not read another historical fiction book because I had to get all the way to the middle of the book before it got interesting. Also, the language in the book made it hard to follow. It was hard to understand why the parents did what they did so I couldn’t relate to it.
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