A Drop of Night

December 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.

January 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-Seventeen-year-old Anouk has been chosen for an amazing opportunity: along with four other teens, she has received an all-expenses-paid trip to France, where she will be one of the first people in over 200 years to enter the Palais du Papillon-the Palace of the Butterfly-which was built underground. But soon after arriving in France, Anouk becomes suspicious. Something is very wrong, both with the people who chose her and with the palace itself. Woven throughout Anouk's story is the tale of another teen. Aurelie du Bessancourt, eldest daughter of the Marquis du Bessancourt, who lives under the reign of Louis XVI. When the townspeople march on Versailles and the royal family flees to Paris, Aurelie and her siblings are taken to live in the palace her father built below their chateau. But upon arrival, Aurelie is confused. If the palace is for safety, why is she being separated from her sisters? Why is she confined to one apartment? And why won't her father visit? Smooth writing, an engaging plot, and only wisps of romance place this work's focus squarely on two headstrong and rebellious girls. Aurelie's account offers readers just enough information to build suspense throughout Anouk's tale, and with so many oddities, teens will have a hard time recognizing the true villain of the story. VERDICT For readers who like strong characters in a unique setting and prefer their horror with a streak of science fiction.-Maggie Mason Smith, Clemson University R. M. Cooper Library, South Carolina

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2016
Seventeen-year-old Anouk accepts an invitation to assist with an academic exploration of a 200-year old underground palace but instead finds herself trapped in an extensive and elaborate set of deadly underground rooms. Anouk's contemporary story intertwines with frequent flashbacks to the aristocratic family that built the underground palace at the time of the French Revolution. In that timeline, Aurelie and her sisters reluctantly descend to the recently completed palace when a mob of revolutionaries attacks their home in 1789. Now, Anouk and four other teens realize early that they've been recruited to a fraudulent project and that their captors intend to kill them. They race through the palace, each room adorned in almost carnival-like pre-Revolutionary decor and most equipped with devious devices meant to murder them. One room shoots razors, another metal globes, and another contains blue containers that spew deadly gas. But why were they targeted for this particularly baroque murder? Bachmann keeps the pages turning with this thriller that, for most of the book, appears to have no explanation. Although he develops Anouk quite well as a lonely character who has been estranged from her wealthy family, her friends remain one-dimensional. The peculiar circumstances add to the strange atmosphere and also to the suspense, lending the book an appealing, unworldly quality. When the explanation finally arrives, it fits quite well with the odd atmosphere. Bizarre and hugely suspenseful. (Horror. 12-18)

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July 1, 2016
Five mismatched teens are chosen for a mysterious summer program exploring an underground French palace; upon arrival, they are trapped and hunted. Their story alternates with that of wealthy sisters who disappeared there centuries ago. Character development is forced, but the high-concept cat-and-mouse games are inventive and gripping, and the twisted quest for immortality as plot engine will please classic-horror fans.

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)