I quite enjoyed Spectacle last year, and found Sensational to be a good follow up. It takes place a couple years after book one ended, which I think was a brilliant choice for the sake of realism.
What I Liked:
- • Still wonderfully dark! The funny part is, it's taking place during the world's fair, which you'd expect to be an upbeat atmosphere (and it was!) all while trying to find a really messed up serial killer/beheader. Talk about a stunning dichotomy that ended up being played out exactly right!
- • Nathalie has so many wonderful, meaningful relationships. I feel like she needed these friends in her life, and I am so glad that she has found them. I won't say more because book one spoilers, but this is just so necessary for her. She also comes into this book with a beau in tow. Again, I can't say much more than that, but it's a thing. Also, she's still close to her parents, which I loved. Especially as she's a young woman who could feasibly be striking out on her own, she still realizes the importance of a good familial relationship. Love it.
- • The mystery absolutely drew me in. I mean, this was one heck of a well-plotted mystery, meticulously detailed in all its gruesomeness. The littlest details were simply fascinating and horrifying and I wanted to know everything.
- • Nathalie really grows during the book. She's had to go through so much in these past few years, and really she needs to come to terms with who she is, along with all the terrible stuff that has befallen her. Figure out what she wants, who she wants to be, etc. I love that sort of character journey!!
What I Didn't:
- • The end felt a little... anticlimactic perhaps? Hard to fully express this without spoilers, but yeah. It ended satisfactorily, in the sense that you won't be filled with any such rage, and plot is resolved and such. But I just wanted more out of it, perhaps in terms of shock factor, or level of difficulty?