In the Throes of the French Revolution - Editorial Review for "Paoletta, an Eye for an Eye"

Book Blurb:

"A haunting tale of vengeance, survival and revolution - Powell's heroine grips you by the throat and never lets go" Chris Riches, Daily Express"

Vivid, visceral, unforgettable. Powell's masterful storytelling plunges us into the heart of revolutionary Paris" Will Barker, The Sun

Exiled to a Caribbean island, Paoletta Cadoville and her family cling to the hope of one day returning to their Parisian home. But in a single, devastating moment, that dream is shattered. Alone and horrifically scarred, Paoletta embarks on a perilous quest to uncover the truth behind her family’s tragic fate, only to become entangled in a web of political intrigue, secret societies, and dangerous alliances.

In a Paris overshadowed by the guillotine, Paoletta must decide how much of her humanity she’s willing to sacrifice in pursuit of vengeance. Will she achieve justice for her family or lose herself to the darkness that threatens to consume her?

Paoletta – An Eye for an Eye is a gripping historical thriller set during the French Revolution and a stark reminder that in times of upheaval, innocence is the first to fall, and revenge demands a price paid in blood.

Book Buy Link: https://geni.us/xe1Ud

Editorial Review:

Title: Paoletta

Author: J.R. Powell

Rating: 4.0 Stars

"Paoletta" by J.R. Powell is a historical thriller, a real gritty and dark story set during the French Revolution. It’s not a light read but one packed with revenge, secrets, and a main character who goes through hell and comes out the other side changed forever. The story starts in the Caribbean and moves to Paris, mixing personal tragedy with the big political chaos of the time.

Paoletta Cadoville is a young woman from a wealthy Swiss family living in exile on a French Caribbean island. Her life is elegant but she’s bored, flirting with a navy lieutenant and dreaming of home. Then, in one night, everything is destroyed when a bomb explodes during dinner, killing her parents and brother. Paoletta survives, but she’s horribly disfigured, losing an eye and half her face. Waking up to this nightmare, she finds herself in the care of her slippery uncle, Stefano, who seems more interested in drinking and women than in finding out what happened. Paoletta soon discovers that her family’s death was no accident and her father was involved in some dangerous secret business with a shadowy group called the Confrérie de Gruyères. Determined to find the truth, she stows away on a ship to France, a journey that leads her into the bloody heart of revolutionary Paris where she must assume a new identity and infiltrate a radical political group to uncover the conspiracy that destroyed her family.

Here’s a bit from early on, when Paoletta is still on the island, noticing her uncle’s behaviour. The writing is very descriptive, it makes you feel the heat and the tension.

"The crack beneath the door to Uncle Stefano’s study flickered with an amber glow. Yet, before I could grasp the handle, a young ebony girl emerged, dishevelled and barefoot, shooting me a sheepish smile before darting away. Somewhat bewildered by this encounter, I went inside to find Uncle Stefano lounging in a chair, clad in only breeches and a loose-fitting shirt."

The style here is straightforward but vivid giving you a clear picture of the scene while setting up Uncle Stefano’s character perfectly- charming but unreliable, with a dark side. The grammar is solid, no fancy tricks, just effective storytelling.

Later, after the explosion, the writing gets more raw. This is when Paoletta first sees what’s left of her face.

"My cheek stung and prickled as I unpicked the final layer, plucking it from my fleshy threads. At last, I was done. A monstrosity, more grotesque than my darkest dreams could conjure, stared back at me from the window’s glass. My once silky, white skin had seared to the bone, nothing more than a hunk of blackened beef and frazzled fat."

This is a brutal scene. The sentences are short and punchy, mirroring her horror, the language is visceral, using words like ‘monstrosity’ and ‘blackened beef’ to make you feel her disgust and despair and the structure is simple but powerful. This is a passage that shows that there would be no need for complex sentences when the image is this strong.

Once in Paris, the tone shifts again. Paoletta, now disguised as ‘Gabriella’, has to navigate a new kind of danger. This is from her audition with the radical Mariannes.

“Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains...” I began... The stocky figure in front raised her hand, and I stopped... “I like the Latin touch. Fiery, wouldn’t you say?”

The dialogue here is sharp and tense and you can feel Paoletta’s fear and her forced confidence. The mix of her internal panic with the external pressure of the audition is smooth. The style here is more dialogue-driven, showing how she has to lie to survive.

The grammar and structure in "Paoletta" by J.R. Powell are generally strong throughout. It’s not perfectly polished prose, but it feels authentic to the character's voice, especially as Paoletta’s world falls apart. The story is compelling, a real page-turner driven by a fierce and wounded heroine and the historical setting feels real, not just a backdrop but an active and dangerous force. Some parts, especially in the middle on the ship, drag a tiny bit, but the momentum picks up again when the protagonist reaches Paris. The biggest strength is that she is not a typical heroine; she’s angry, scarred, and single-minded, which makes her journey toward vengeance feel dangerous and unpredictable.

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