The Bad Queen: Rules and Instructions for Marie-Antoinette by Carolyn Meyer is the sixth book of the Young Royals series. This historical fiction novel discusses the life of the Austrian princess Marie-Antoinette regarding her affiliation with France. I would give this novel 3.5/5 stars due to how entertaining it was; I didn’t give it any more stars because despite the story being overall delightful, I wasn’t particularly enthralled by it. Meyer’s writing style was enjoyable, yet it ceased to impress me. I wasn’t attached to any of the characters, although none of them were badly written. Seeing Marie-Antoinette struggle over her romance was interesting. Meyer’s devotion to her research is quite awesome as well. Alana, grade 11, of the Yorba Linda Teen Book Bloggers

Very detailed, especially for a historical fiction, so I'm interested in how much content is based on fact and how much had to be imagined. I think Meyer wrote this novel in such a way that you could analyze Marie-Antoinette's flaws that led to her demise, viewing her from how she is generally seen today, while also relating to and sympathizing with her. This book made all too real the dangers of living a life where "ignorance is bliss." Another theme is how poor, seemingly innocent decisions can become so much larger than bargained for.

Really enjoyed this read, not usually a fan of history but this perspective made me rethink that. The book is narrated by Marie - Antoinette and is very entertaining. Looking forward to more books like this.

Marie Antoinette
Before French Revolution