A working-class young woman would kill to become assistant to Paris's top modiste, but she must first seek vengeance against those responsible for the death of her family, in this thrilling historical horror from New York Times bestselling author Erica Ridley!
Eighteen-year-old Angélique dreams of designing opulent gowns for society’s elite, but her reality is a life spent dyeing silk in a sweatshop. That is, until tragedy strikes, leaving her orphaned and responsible for her younger sister.
Determined to elevate their station, Angélique secures a position as a junior dressmaker for Paris’s top modiste. Though she’s tormented by other seamstresses for being poor, and her meager salary barely pays rent, she refuses to give in.
When a high-stakes contest for a coveted protégée role is announced, Angélique will do whatever is necessary to win—even if it means resorting to deadly measures. What’s a little arsenic between coworkers?
As Angélique outshines—and outlives—the competition, her newfound privilege and power are weaponized against those who destroyed her family. Will she conquer the world of high fashion to claim her rightful place as Paris’s best designer, or will the cost of ambition be too high?
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Eighteen-year-old Angélique dreams of designing opulent gowns for society’s elite, but her reality is a life spent dyeing silk in a sweatshop. That is, until tragedy strikes, leaving her orphaned and responsible for her younger sister.
Determined to elevate their station, Angélique secures a position as a junior dressmaker for Paris’s top modiste. Though she’s tormented by other seamstresses for being poor, and her meager salary barely pays rent, she refuses to give in.
When a high-stakes contest for a coveted protégée role is announced, Angélique will do whatever is necessary to win—even if it means resorting to deadly measures. What’s a little arsenic between coworkers?
As Angélique outshines—and outlives—the competition, her newfound privilege and power are weaponized against those who destroyed her family. Will she conquer the world of high fashion to claim her rightful place as Paris’s best designer, or will the cost of ambition be too high?
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Praise for this book
"A bloody and brilliant takedown of the bourgeoisie, with plot twists as finely crafted as its protagonist's dresses. Revenge has never looked so chic." - Lydia Gregovic
"With an innocent heroine turned serial killer, The Protegee is a sharp, diabolically dark dip into the cutthroat world of nineteenth-century fashion, reminiscent of a film noir, that will leave you questioning the concept of morality. A categorically chilling page-turner." - Amalie Howard
"Sumptuous, with a seam of dark humor and in the spirit of Dumas, The Protegee shows what happens when poor, sweet, talented girls are twisted by grief to turn deadly, vengeful, and defiant." - Ellie Marney
"Ridley stitches together a dazzling tale of 1850s Paris, where the glamour of the fashion world collides with the sharp edge of class wars and revenge. With every page, the tension and the body count rise. Well-researched, Inventive, and gripping." - Bryce Moore
"With an innocent heroine turned serial killer, The Protegee is a sharp, diabolically dark dip into the cutthroat world of nineteenth-century fashion, reminiscent of a film noir, that will leave you questioning the concept of morality. A categorically chilling page-turner." - Amalie Howard
"Sumptuous, with a seam of dark humor and in the spirit of Dumas, The Protegee shows what happens when poor, sweet, talented girls are twisted by grief to turn deadly, vengeful, and defiant." - Ellie Marney
"Ridley stitches together a dazzling tale of 1850s Paris, where the glamour of the fashion world collides with the sharp edge of class wars and revenge. With every page, the tension and the body count rise. Well-researched, Inventive, and gripping." - Bryce Moore
Visitors also looked at these books
Used availability for Erica Ridley's The Protegee