Spoilt young aristocrat Eugenie de Boncoeur, finds her life changes completely as The French Revolution sweeps the old order away. Eugenie's brother Armand, is involved in intrigue and they must soon flee for their lives. But it seems that Eugenie's future has already been decided and someone else, even more terrifying than the revolutionary guards - the pale assassin- is hard on their heels.

This is an involving and well researched novel that should appeal to young teenage readers. Eugenie is hard to like at first, shallow and annoying, but her spirit wins the reader over and by the end of the story you are rooting for her, hoping she will realise that the handsome man she falls for is not what he seems. There is a lot of very convincing period detail, and real characters and events from the time form the backdrop for the story. Although this is the first in a trilogy, the story is self contained and ends satisfyingly, but with enough hooks to make the reader want the second and third parts of the story as soon as possible! I couldn't read this without thinking of Sally Gardner's The Red Necklace and The Silver Blade, but maybe readers keen on the setting and the time will enjoy both books. The cover is, I think, superb, and will perhaps draw slightly older readers.

2009-06-20