Book Review: ‘Faces of the Dead’ by Suzanne Weyn

As a typical teenager, I hate something that rhymes with mystery. If you guessed the word “history,” you guessed correctly. That being said, aside from graded assignments and APUSH, I still find the events from the past interesting. One of them is the French Revolution. Surprisingly, I haven’t heard of many young adult novels covering this dark period in France’s history. That’s why I pounced on Faces of the Dead.

Faces of the Dead focuses on Marie Antoinette’s daughter, Marie-Thérèse, rather than on Marie Antoinette herself. Curious and determined, the princess will do whatever it takes to see beyond the palace, even if it means switching places with a maid. Not only does Marie-Thérèse end up witnessing a rebellion, but she also meets a boy named Henri. Then one night everything changes. When the rebellion reaches the palace itself, Marie-Thérèse flees into Paris. Henri then brings her to the workshop of Mademoiselle Grosholtz, whose wax figures are more than what they seem. It seems Marie-Thérèse is on her own if she wants to figure out the real world and the secrets of a seemingly unreal one.

Marie-Thérèse may be a beautiful name, but it describes a rather annoying protagonist. Although I understand why she is materialistic, whiny, and spoiled at times, I just can’t deal with her attitude. I don’t know exactly what about her irks me, but I do know it’s painful for me to read her narration. That being said, Marie-Thérèse is pretty clever at times, so I guess that makes up for the headache I receive just thinking about her.

I didn’t feel a strong connection to any of the characters. The book mainly focuses on Marie-Thérèse. Even Henri and Mademoiselle Grosholtz, who should be major characters, don’t seem to impact Marie-Thérèse much. As for Marie Antoinette, the scenes involving her are spectacular. She’s wise, caring, and queenly. Honestly, why can’t Marie Antoinette by my mom too? (Sorry, mom!).

I never expected the plot. When it comes to historical novels, I tend to think they don’t involve anything supernatural. I was wrong. The paranormal aspect of Faces of the Dead is subtle, but it’s still there. What I love about the plot is that it’s not random. There is no thunder or unicorns.

Read Faces of the Dead when you’re in the mood for something that’s cute, light, and somewhat educational! (Gotta make use of that history class!).

Rating: 6 out of 10

Publisher: Scholastic (August 26, 2014)

Source: Netgalley

ISBN #: 9780545425315

Length: 208 pages (Hardcover)

Valerie Zhang

Valerie is sixteen. She attends a boarding school near Boston, where she writes, reads, and attempts to be a studious student. She's too lazy to write the rest of this bio, so follow her on Twitter @torquoiseworld because shameless self-promotion is alive and thriving!