Paoletta: An Eye for an eye
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.
Oh look, another book review, because apparently I’m determined to become a full time book reviewer - who needs a day job anyway? This time it’s Paoletta: An Eye for an Eye by J.R. Powell — a revenge tale that takes a hopeful young woman and drop-kicks her straight into the abyss.
We meet Paoletta as a bright, optimistic soul, the sort who dreams of love, pastries, and a peaceful life. Then a bomb explodes through her family’s window, shattering everything — including her face, her future and any chance she had of remaining a gentle, forgiving human being. One eye gone, her innocence with it. What rises from the wreckage isn’t a delicate heroine but a woman carved from grief, fury and sheer determination. She’s vulnerable at her core, yes — traumatised, painfully human — but she’s also on a mission, and it’s best not to stand in her way unless you fancy becoming a footnote.
Enter Dr Lyle Spice, who at first appears to be the comforting older family friend — all warmth, hospitality and soothing words. But peel back his pleasant exterior and you quickly find the rot. He’s controlling, sly and manipulative in that insidious way that makes you want to throw something at him. The sort of man who’d offer you shelter, then quietly lock the windows and pocket the key. His relationship with Paoletta becomes a battle of wills: her trauma against his twisted need for control.
And then there’s Angélique Legrand — the woman who really steals the stage, often quite literally. Charismatic, theatrical and ferociously persuasive, she gathers followers with alarming ease. People adore her; they’d march into fire for her. Which is unfortunate, because beneath all that charm is a ruthless, vengeful core. She wraps her cruelty in glamour, the way others might wrap a gift, and half the city seems too dazzled to notice. Her little troupe of devoted women follow her like an audience in a perpetual standing ovation, unaware they’re part of a performance that ends in blood.
What makes the whole thing brilliant — and slightly disturbing — is how these women mirror and distort one another. Paoletta clings to what scraps of compassion she has left; Angélique shed hers long ago. Both are shaped by pain, but one fights to stay human while the other revels in having left humanity behind. It’s a duel of trauma and transformation, played out in a world where loyalty shifts like fog and morality is something people used to talk about before the barricades went up.
The book thrives on character rather than clean-cut heroes or villains. Everyone’s a little broken, a little compromised, a little too believable. And that’s exactly why it works: it’s messy, emotional, darkly compelling and filled with the sort of tension that makes you mutter, “Oh no, she’s not going to— oh, she is. She absolutely is.”
A gripping, unsettling ride, and a must for your to-read shelf
You can find your copy on the following bookstores! And I have to say it is well worth the read!
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