12/14/2015
Bachmann (The Peculiar) moves from middle-grade to YA with an uneven horror/suspense novel. Anouk, 17 and angry, jumps at the chance to join what might be the archeological expedition of the century: the exploration of a hitherto unknown underground palace in France. She and four other teens have been chosen for the expedition by the mysterious Sapani family, which owns the rights to the palace. Running parallel to this narrative is the story of Aurélie, daughter of the nobleman who created the palace as a refuge from the French Revolution. For Aurélie, the palace was a place of terror, and those terrors prove every bit as real for Anouk, more than two centuries later. Bachmann’s writing is as polished as in his earlier books—the violence is fittingly gruesome, the decadent and mazelike palace is gorgeously described, and Anouk has an engagingly snarky narrative voice. But the story itself can lose its way amid a lot of frantic running around pursued by half-seen monsters, all building to a fairly pulpy big reveal. Ages 13–up. Agent: Sara Megibow, KT Literary. (Mar.)
A genre-bending thriller from internationally bestselling author Stefan Bachmann perfect for fans of The Maze Runner and Joss Whedon's The Cabin in the Woods. “A fast-paced thrill ride . . . Chilling . . . The suspense begins from the first page. I Know What You Did Last Summer meets Frankenstein.”-YA Books Central
Seventeen-year-old Anouk has finally caught the break she's been looking for-she's been chosen to participate in an exclusive program that includes an all-expenses-paid trip to France and a chance to explore the hidden underground Palais du Papillon, or Palace of the Butterfly. Along with four other gifted teenagers, Anouk will be one of the first people to set foot in the palace in more than two hundred years. But the expedition is not all it seems. The students' supposed benefactors are trying to kill them. And so is the palace itself, which is filled with deadly traps and invisible monsters. Can Anouk and the others figure out how to work together and escape? Bachmann's masterful scene-building alternates between Anouk's flight through the palace and the struggles of Aurélie, who escaped the French Revolution by fleeing into the Palais du Papillon in 1789. “Certain to please those who demand constant action blended with their historical fiction.”-Booklist
A genre-bending thriller from internationally bestselling author Stefan Bachmann perfect for fans of The Maze Runner and Joss Whedon's The Cabin in the Woods. “A fast-paced thrill ride . . . Chilling . . . The suspense begins from the first page. I Know What You Did Last Summer meets Frankenstein.”-YA Books Central
Seventeen-year-old Anouk has finally caught the break she's been looking for-she's been chosen to participate in an exclusive program that includes an all-expenses-paid trip to France and a chance to explore the hidden underground Palais du Papillon, or Palace of the Butterfly. Along with four other gifted teenagers, Anouk will be one of the first people to set foot in the palace in more than two hundred years. But the expedition is not all it seems. The students' supposed benefactors are trying to kill them. And so is the palace itself, which is filled with deadly traps and invisible monsters. Can Anouk and the others figure out how to work together and escape? Bachmann's masterful scene-building alternates between Anouk's flight through the palace and the struggles of Aurélie, who escaped the French Revolution by fleeing into the Palais du Papillon in 1789. “Certain to please those who demand constant action blended with their historical fiction.”-Booklist
Editorial Reviews
Product Details
BN ID: | 2940160582962 |
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Publisher: | HarperCollins |
Publication date: | 06/25/2024 |
Edition description: | Unabridged |
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