Review of Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

Andi's little brother died last year and since then she has buried herself in her music, not caring about much else as she blames herself for his death. Trying to cope with her brother's death and trying to look after her mentally ill mother takes it's toll on Andi but she's determined to look after her. So when her father shows up out of the blue, puts her Mother in a Mental Facility and drags her kicking and screaming to France with him, she's understandably peeved. Searching through a friend's attic she discovers an old guitar and a journal, from Alex, a girl who lived through the French Revolution. Reading it, Andi discovers the story of another little boy - the Prince of France - who is locked in a Tower and will die at the age of ten unless Alex can do something about it. Drawn to Alex's story, Andi's heart slowly begins to heal.

~Add To Your Goodreads Shelf~ 

The story started a little slow and finished with a killer ending. Of all the endings I could have guessed, I wasn't expecting one quite like that. At over 400 pages long this story isn't a quick afternoon read but a really riveting story that I didn't want to put down - or finish! With two strong female lead characters with equally fascinating and mysterious stories, this book should be a hit with Young Adults. I didn't really enjoy A Gathering Light, I found it quite dull, so I wasn't sure what to expect with this one. Thankfully it's written better and with a much better storyline.

The two lead characters that I mentioned are both very different and very similar. Andi is a talented, rich Goth girl with a heavy passion for music and lost her brother a year ago. Alex however is poor but smart - she's gained a reputation and all of the newspapers are calling for 'The Green Man' - as Alex sets off Fireworks every night for her lost friend, Louis - the Prince that is locked in a tower.
After taking a little while to really get going, Andi finds herself in Paris and so do you as the life in France is richly described. I felt almost claustrophobic when Andi went down into the Catacombs. I hadn't learnt much about the French Revolution before this book, I found it to be both brutal and shocking.
This book has so many strong emotions and feelings - love, hate, passion, life, death and pain. An outstanding novel.

5/5