I recently finished reading Sensational by Jodie Lynn Zdrock. Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy! This is the sequel to Spectacle, which came out last year (you can read my review here). This review assumes you’ve already read the first book, so if you don’t want spoilers or me to throw out confusing terms, then read the first book first.
It’s now 1889, and the World’s Fair has come to Paris. Nathalie is working at Le Petit Journal as well as the public morgue, where the police get her input as an Insightful. She has a boyfriend, Jules, who is also an insightful. As the World’s Fair gets into full swing, another round of murders begins. Nathalie wants to help put a stop to it.
What I Liked
Sensational brings you into the World’s Faire, which is pretty cool. It’s fun to be transported into a time when people weren’t necessarily familiar with many of the countries of the world, like we are today. In Nathalie’s world, the Eiffel Tower is new, and of course, there are also no phones or electrical technology.
Nathalie has great relationships with her friends and family. She lost her best friend towards the end of Spectacle, although we are two years into the future with this book, and the pain has ebbed a bit. She is faced with new pain regarding her family and friends, but Sensational isn’t a rehash of Spectacle.
The story itself has a satisfying ending.
What I Liked Less
Sensational didn’t seem to have quite the same magic that Spectacle did. There weren’t any thrilling chases through the catacombs, Nathalie’s Insightful powers were old hat, and the public morgue wasn’t a shock to me as a reader. I still liked the story, but not to the same degree that I did the first book in the duology.
Conclusion
If you’ve read Spectacle and really enjoyed it, then I do recommend you go ahead and read Sensational, especially if you’re curious about what happens to Nathalie. I liked it, even though I wasn’t as enamored with it as I was the first book. If you thought Spectacle was only so-so, then I wouldn’t move it to the top of your TBR list.
