Review Detail

I'm a huge sucker for anything set in Paris. A Drop Of Night is a fast-paced thrilling ride through an over two hundred year old underground Palace where things aren't what they seem to be.

Seventeen-year-old Anouk is excited to be a part of a group that has been selected to travel to France and explore the hidden underground Palais du Papillon, or Palace of the Butterfly. Four other gifted teens join her on the journey which isn't at all what she thought.

First off, I loved the suspense that begins right on the first page with Anouk. She's not exactly 'likable' and tries hard to alienate herself from not only her adoptive parents but others as well. The other teens in her group are a little bit more likable and try to engage with her. Once in France, things go horribly wrong. Anouk breaks out of her shell and learns she has to rely on others in order to survive.

Intriguing premise of teens caught underground with sinister consequences. Booby traps are everywhere ready to ensnare the teens. The adults that promised them a trip of a life time in fact have a hidden agenda which could cost them their lives.

There's twists and turns throughout this story as well as some reveals that help put together the puzzle of why the teens were selected. The novel goes back and forth in time. Sometimes I find this plot device jarring but not this time. Readers get a glimpse of Aurelie du Bessancourt and what lead up to the Palace being built back in 1789. There's also clues in these excerpts that pertain to Anouk and the others.

I did find some of the revelations at times a little too hard to believe. The Frankenstein-like immortality wasn't fully developed. I had lots of questions on how some of the things that Anouk and the others encountered could in fact really happen. Also the whole not great adoptive parent premise made me cringe a little. I would have liked to have seen some interaction between Anouk and her parents to see why she wanted so much to distance herself from them.

Overall though, I did enjoy the action, suspense, and thrill.

Suspenseful, chilling ride through an underground tunnel in France where one mistake could cost you your life.