Spectacle is set in Paris, France in the 1880's or thereabouts. We follow a young girl named Nathalie, who is the current morgue journalist. The morgue displays all deceased individuals partly for identity purposes, and partly for side-show attraction. While there, Nathalie touches the viewing pane and has a terrible vision of one young woman being murdered. Horribly shaking, Nathalie soon discovers that this is not a descent into madness. Instead it is magic, one which she strives to figure out how she possessed. While searching for answers, Nathalie also searches for a killer whom seems to know quite a bit about her, too.
I did enjoy the overall plot of this story. I mainly enjoyed the author's writing. Zdrok uses such eloquent phrases that make Paris come alive. It's clear that the city is living in fear, and anticipation. It makes the reader feel like they can be immersed in the late 1800's, early 1900's when the times were a bit more gruesome. I really believe one of the reasons I could not enjoy this novel was because it felt too real. I normally love books like this, but the reading of the dead bodies on display, and how the citizens practically ate up the drama turned my stomach. That's not something the writer can prevent, nor should she. It's a personal preference of this reviewer. If Zdrok had left that out, then it would have left a significant gap in the novel.
The biggest issue I had with the novel was the main character Nathalie. She was incredibly whiny. I expected her to feel fear, apprehension, denial, and a host of other emotions. However, she was just couldn't seem to make up her mind about what she wanted to do. One minute, she wants to use this power, and the next she doesn't, because she is afraid. Unfortunately because of her, I had to stop. Nathalie just is not a strong female character to me, and I wish she had made a decision and followed it. I feel that would have made the story stronger, but also would have finessed the ending a little better. Without spoilers, I have to say the ending disappointed me. We are left with a slight cliff hanger, but not an overly tempting one if you are like me and don't like Nathalie.
The smaller issue I had wasn't an issue but it was distracting. The love interest. It felt so insignificant to the story and had no bearing on the outcomes. If it had affected the ending, then I would have understood it but it was just there. Why? Maybe Zdrok will give more explanation in the second book....
Overall I rated this novel 3 out of 5 stars. As I said, Zdrok's writing is eloquent and exact. I remember Paris from my own experiences. Granted there is a different between 1880 and 2006, but I remember the smells and the weather, and Zdrok does a beautiful job of bringing it to the reader. As of right now I think I will read the second book, which is set to be published February 2020, if for no other reason than to see the character development of Nathalie.
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