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Powder & Poison
The Eyes are the Best Part meets Bridgerton
“POWDER & POISON is like biting into a decadent slice of cake and realizing that cake is filled with blood. Every page drips with an opulence and hunger that left me guessing right up until the very end. Jackson’s debut not only gives voice to a woman whose voice was stolen from her, but also to the experiences and pain women around the world have faced since the beginning of time. Gorgeously creepy and laced with teeth.”
Teagan Olivia King, author of Spit Back the Bones and Bitterbloom
A psychological horror following the first weeks of Marie Antoinette's arrival at Versailles, where the glittering façade of royalty gives way to death and decay. Marie faces the horror of her new life, stumbling upon lifeless bodies, contorting herself to fit expectations, and facing herself and others from the blade of a knife. The story magnifies the atrocities against women throughout our history, leaning into Good For Her horror.
Marie Antoinette dreams of the decadent world that awaits her in France. Though stripped of her identity and all she knew from her life in Austria, Marie still carries the ominous warnings her missing sister left her, and an eerie voice that sings dark riddles to her from reflections.
Versailles draws her in with its glittering façade, but she immediately finds herself drowning in the suffocating rules of court, diseases running rampant in the palace, and a new husband who spends his time hunting and experimenting on corpses. Her fear of omens comes to light on her wedding night as she stumbles upon a body in the gardens, throat slit.
In a place where such things are to be covered up and swallowed down, this novel magnifies the atrocities against women throughout our repeated history of true horror, contorting to fit expectations, and facing the demons around and within us.
“POWDER & POISON is like biting into a decadent slice of cake and realizing that cake is filled with blood. Every page drips with an opulence and hunger that left me guessing right up until the very end. Jackson’s debut not only gives voice to a woman whose voice was stolen from her, but also to the experiences and pain women around the world have faced since the beginning of time. Gorgeously creepy and laced with teeth.”
Teagan Olivia King, author of Spit Back the Bones and Bitterbloom
A psychological horror following the first weeks of Marie Antoinette's arrival at Versailles, where the glittering façade of royalty gives way to death and decay. Marie faces the horror of her new life, stumbling upon lifeless bodies, contorting herself to fit expectations, and facing herself and others from the blade of a knife. The story magnifies the atrocities against women throughout our history, leaning into Good For Her horror.
Marie Antoinette dreams of the decadent world that awaits her in France. Though stripped of her identity and all she knew from her life in Austria, Marie still carries the ominous warnings her missing sister left her, and an eerie voice that sings dark riddles to her from reflections.
Versailles draws her in with its glittering façade, but she immediately finds herself drowning in the suffocating rules of court, diseases running rampant in the palace, and a new husband who spends his time hunting and experimenting on corpses. Her fear of omens comes to light on her wedding night as she stumbles upon a body in the gardens, throat slit.
In a place where such things are to be covered up and swallowed down, this novel magnifies the atrocities against women throughout our repeated history of true horror, contorting to fit expectations, and facing the demons around and within us.
323 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 16, 2025
3 people are currently reading
274 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 18, 2025
✨Powder & Poison by Julia Jackson✨
Take a journey back into the late 1700’s as we follow Marie Antoinette in her first few weeks of being in Versailles. This book is rich in tension—between the pressures of the court/society and the k!ller on the loose in the halls. Not to mention Marie’s own inner demons as well.
I loved this book. It’s a haunting historical horror that cuts you to the bone. It’s every word is laced with a poison that strikes the heart. Dripping with gore, this tale of feminine rage is perfect for fans of Victorian Psycho and The Eyes Are The Best Part.
Pick this one up if you’re looking for
🪦ghosts
🪦gore
🪦feminine rage
🪦serial k!llers
🪦twisty plot lines
Be on the look out for this one dropping October 16th, 2025.
Special thanks to @juliajacksonauthor for the gifted copy. 🥰 It was such a delight to read this.
Take a journey back into the late 1700’s as we follow Marie Antoinette in her first few weeks of being in Versailles. This book is rich in tension—between the pressures of the court/society and the k!ller on the loose in the halls. Not to mention Marie’s own inner demons as well.
I loved this book. It’s a haunting historical horror that cuts you to the bone. It’s every word is laced with a poison that strikes the heart. Dripping with gore, this tale of feminine rage is perfect for fans of Victorian Psycho and The Eyes Are The Best Part.
Pick this one up if you’re looking for
🪦ghosts
🪦gore
🪦feminine rage
🪦serial k!llers
🪦twisty plot lines
Be on the look out for this one dropping October 16th, 2025.
Special thanks to @juliajacksonauthor for the gifted copy. 🥰 It was such a delight to read this.
September 18, 2025
3.5/5 (rounded up for GoodReads)
Firstly, I would like to thank Julia for providing me an ARC copy of 'Powder & Poison'. I haven't been reading many ARCs over the last year but I was VERY keen to read this one as it falls into my ultra-specific niche of loving historical horror and even more specifically this time period. Overall, this reads very easily and it's easy to get lost in which I appreciate. It has a very dark and opulent vibe and Jackson manages to create palpable dread as you unfold the layers of the horrors happening within the Versailles Palace. I enjoyed the characters and their relationships. I think she captured the time period well, especially the lives of Woman in the palace.
Where this kind of lost me is that it reads YA. I don't know if this is the intention and there is nothing inherently wrong with YA - it's just not my personal preference in tone in my horror. I did figure out a few of the twists however, I will note that I was actually taken aback by the ending which gave this rating it's extra .5 - I do wish though that the epilogue wasn't rushed and pushed so far in the distance. I felt like I was just supposed to piece together all her character development from the moment of her grim realization to the famous losing of her head.
Overall, if you love historical horror I do recommend this book and I enjoyed my experience with it. It's most definately peaked my interest in this author. I'm quite excited for what's to come from Jackson in the future!
Firstly, I would like to thank Julia for providing me an ARC copy of 'Powder & Poison'. I haven't been reading many ARCs over the last year but I was VERY keen to read this one as it falls into my ultra-specific niche of loving historical horror and even more specifically this time period. Overall, this reads very easily and it's easy to get lost in which I appreciate. It has a very dark and opulent vibe and Jackson manages to create palpable dread as you unfold the layers of the horrors happening within the Versailles Palace. I enjoyed the characters and their relationships. I think she captured the time period well, especially the lives of Woman in the palace.
Where this kind of lost me is that it reads YA. I don't know if this is the intention and there is nothing inherently wrong with YA - it's just not my personal preference in tone in my horror. I did figure out a few of the twists however, I will note that I was actually taken aback by the ending which gave this rating it's extra .5 - I do wish though that the epilogue wasn't rushed and pushed so far in the distance. I felt like I was just supposed to piece together all her character development from the moment of her grim realization to the famous losing of her head.
Overall, if you love historical horror I do recommend this book and I enjoyed my experience with it. It's most definately peaked my interest in this author. I'm quite excited for what's to come from Jackson in the future!
Read
August 20, 2025I read this book to offer a blurb and it's wonderfully dark and propulsive.
Definitely don't sleep on this one!
Definitely don't sleep on this one!
August 15, 2025
My editorial review/blurb:
POWDER & POISON is like biting into a decadent slice of cake and realizing that cake is filled with blood. Every page drips with an opulence and hunger that left me guessing right up until the very end. Jackson’s debut not only gives voice to a woman whose voice was stolen from her, but also to the experiences and pain women around the world have faced since the beginning of time. Gorgeously creepy and laced with teeth.
~Teagan Olivia King, author of Spit Back the Bones and Bitterbloom
POWDER & POISON is like biting into a decadent slice of cake and realizing that cake is filled with blood. Every page drips with an opulence and hunger that left me guessing right up until the very end. Jackson’s debut not only gives voice to a woman whose voice was stolen from her, but also to the experiences and pain women around the world have faced since the beginning of time. Gorgeously creepy and laced with teeth.
~Teagan Olivia King, author of Spit Back the Bones and Bitterbloom
November 21, 2025
This is like the band Gojira’s now infamous 2024 Paris Olympic performance of Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça Ira!) to me: it took a few things I love and melded them together in the most delicious way! This balanced horror and historical fiction very well and played out the creative liberties it took with history in fun fluid ways. It was an awesomely creative and spooky take on Marie Antoinette. It had some gotchas for sure-some of which I suspected while others left my mouth agape like a French courtier after witnessing a woman wear or say the wrong thing. The descriptions within are much like our dear Marie and spare NO expense or detail. From the gruesome and gorey to the lavish and beautiful this left the most vivid and sumptuous imagery floating around my still attached head.
This was such a satisfying read. With its “good for her” moments, it’s spooky creative take on Marie, it’s awesome twists, and it’s satisfying conclusion I think it’s safe to say I will not be shutting up about this book anytime soon! Highly recommend this! Especially if you love Marie Antoinette and/or looking for a good historical horror read!
🩸🍊💀
Side note: I was out of additional stars/points to give but if I had any I would’ve given another after reading the acknowledgments. I for biased reasons love that the author refers to her friend and Critique Partner as her “best ghoulfriend”! 😆🙌
“You wear their mask and play their play. But underneath you slowly decay.”
This was such a satisfying read. With its “good for her” moments, it’s spooky creative take on Marie, it’s awesome twists, and it’s satisfying conclusion I think it’s safe to say I will not be shutting up about this book anytime soon! Highly recommend this! Especially if you love Marie Antoinette and/or looking for a good historical horror read!
🩸🍊💀
Side note: I was out of additional stars/points to give but if I had any I would’ve given another after reading the acknowledgments. I for biased reasons love that the author refers to her friend and Critique Partner as her “best ghoulfriend”! 😆🙌
“You wear their mask and play their play. But underneath you slowly decay.”
September 10, 2025
Powder & Poison completely swept me away from the very first page. Julia Jackson has such a gift for weaving history, atmosphere, and drama into something that feels both lush and utterly addictive. The level of detail in this book was stunning from the decadent gowns and powdered wigs to the darker undercurrents of secrets, betrayal, and whispered poisons. Every scene felt alive, like stepping into another century, yet the tension was sharp and modern in its pull.
I loved how Jackson balanced beauty and danger, showing the glittering surface of high society while slowly revealing the rot beneath. The characters were unforgettable, their voices strong, their motives layered, and their desires tangled in ways that made me gasp, grin, and shiver all at once. This book was more than just a story; it was an experience one that lingered in my mind long after I closed the last page.
Julia Jackson, thank you for this breathtaking novel. I can’t believe I waited this long to read it but it was absolutely worth every moment. This was a beautiful, haunting, and dazzling read that I will be recommending to everyone.
I loved how Jackson balanced beauty and danger, showing the glittering surface of high society while slowly revealing the rot beneath. The characters were unforgettable, their voices strong, their motives layered, and their desires tangled in ways that made me gasp, grin, and shiver all at once. This book was more than just a story; it was an experience one that lingered in my mind long after I closed the last page.
Julia Jackson, thank you for this breathtaking novel. I can’t believe I waited this long to read it but it was absolutely worth every moment. This was a beautiful, haunting, and dazzling read that I will be recommending to everyone.
September 11, 2025
A gripping debut novel, this macabre tale of Marie Antoinette's arrival at the palace of Versailles tells a tale of pure horror behind locked doors and within the royalty of France. As a teenager arranged to marry the future King Louis XVI, Marie finds herself in the middle of a bloody killing spree, as the people closest to her begin dying off in grim fashion, all the while the rest of the palace goes on as if nothing is wrong. Meanwhile, Marie’s only friends during this time are the ghosts of those who were murdered within the walls of Versailles. You want to feel for Marie as she struggles to fit in with royalty while also hoping to discover who in the palace is murdering its residents. The character of Marie Antoinette is very well written, as you see a timid child turn into a fierce warrior battling for justice for her friends who have been killed. With elements of psychological, gothic, and paranormal horror, this intense tale has all the elements of a thrilling horror tale. I must say I was not expecting the twist near the end when the truth is revealed. Well played.
November 25, 2025
As someone unabashedly obsessed with Marie Antoinette (I mean, I wrote a book about her myself), Powder and Poison was destined to be right up my alley. Julia Jackson not only stays true to the key historical details of Marie Antoinette’s early days at Versailles, but she also deftly threads those facts into a dark, twisting mystery involving a serial killer—and yes—ghosts.
I loved this horror-laced reimagining of her arrival at court, where a murderer stalks the gilded halls and bodies begin to drop around the young dauphine. The book blends slasher-style tension with sumptuous gothic atmosphere, creating a Versailles that feels both dazzling and deadly. I’m still conflicted about the final reveal (no spoilers, of course), but I will say the story goes out with an absolute bang.
If you’re into historical fiction with a supernatural edge, adore anything Marie Antoinette, or love your court intrigue served with slasher vibes, this is a must-read.
I loved this horror-laced reimagining of her arrival at court, where a murderer stalks the gilded halls and bodies begin to drop around the young dauphine. The book blends slasher-style tension with sumptuous gothic atmosphere, creating a Versailles that feels both dazzling and deadly. I’m still conflicted about the final reveal (no spoilers, of course), but I will say the story goes out with an absolute bang.
If you’re into historical fiction with a supernatural edge, adore anything Marie Antoinette, or love your court intrigue served with slasher vibes, this is a must-read.
August 18, 2025
I loved every second of this book. The story of Marie Anntoinette in itself is a huge piece of important and interesting history. This takes that story and amplifies it. The way Julia Jackson writes is perfection. The detail and the twists! The horror and history blend is rich and bloody. It was a psychological horror that still tells an important story about and for women and the pain they have endured and continue to endure.
"Let them eat cake!" - Marie Antoinette
thank you so much Julia Jackson for the e arc
All opinions are my own.
"Let them eat cake!" - Marie Antoinette
thank you so much Julia Jackson for the e arc
All opinions are my own.
November 22, 2025
This haunting historical horror follows the first weeks of Marie Antoinette’s arrival at Versailles, where the glamorous facade of royalty gives way to death and decay. Marie immediately finds herself drowning in the suffocating rules of court and society, disease outbreaks in the palace, and a husband who spends his time hunting and experimenting on corpses. Imagine ‘The Eyes Are The Best Part’ meets ‘Bridgerton’!
If you like ghost stories that are dark, contain feminine rage, and have some good twists, then add this book to your TBR.
If you like ghost stories that are dark, contain feminine rage, and have some good twists, then add this book to your TBR.
September 22, 2025
JULIA, MY FRIEND!!!
This debut was phenomenal, and I'm so proud of you. Thank you for the early review copy. I truly loved it. Now for the professional review...
Beautifully dark, dangerous and absolutely delicious. Julia truly has a wonderful way with words that'll have you begging for more. With gripping prose and twists galore, you absolutely will not want to sleep on Powder & Poison.
This debut was phenomenal, and I'm so proud of you. Thank you for the early review copy. I truly loved it. Now for the professional review...
Beautifully dark, dangerous and absolutely delicious. Julia truly has a wonderful way with words that'll have you begging for more. With gripping prose and twists galore, you absolutely will not want to sleep on Powder & Poison.
November 22, 2025
Marie Antoinette travels to France to wed Louis only to find a horror story waiting for her. Beautifully told, I was stunned by Jackson’s use of description as she take through the halls of Versailles as the blood stains the walls. Her characters are well drawn and layered creations that will keep the reader engaged from the first page. Highly recommended.
August 20, 2025
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 (5/5)
“Mold you, shape you, sculpt you out of clay. Becoming someone else until your dying day.”
Powder & Poison tells the story of Marie Antoinette’s introduction to Versailles, a court brimming with mystery, power, and murderous intent. As bodies start to fall, Marie must find the culprit all while deciphering the matters of her own heart. This romance-tinged ghost story will delight and disgust you in equal measure.
A fantastic debut! I am a proud author friend.
I was given a free e-arc in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.
“Mold you, shape you, sculpt you out of clay. Becoming someone else until your dying day.”
Powder & Poison tells the story of Marie Antoinette’s introduction to Versailles, a court brimming with mystery, power, and murderous intent. As bodies start to fall, Marie must find the culprit all while deciphering the matters of her own heart. This romance-tinged ghost story will delight and disgust you in equal measure.
A fantastic debut! I am a proud author friend.
I was given a free e-arc in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.
August 26, 2025
I'm a pretty slow reader, but this one pulled me right along.
Flowy prose, nightmarish delusions, and a whodunit plot within the walls and gardens of 1770 Versailles
Powder & Poison by Julia Jackson is a gripping thriller that felt citrusy as Etiqutte's sly smile left a bittersweet taste in your mouth.
Dark and decadent, the ghosts and intrigue that haunt Marie Antoinette's life at court, made this novel less Bridgerton and more Where the Crawdads Sing.
I really enjoyed this psychological thriller with a twist.
Check out Julia's website for more information (https://juliajacksonauthor.com), but I believe her debut novel is available for pre-order for an October 16th release.
Flowy prose, nightmarish delusions, and a whodunit plot within the walls and gardens of 1770 Versailles
Powder & Poison by Julia Jackson is a gripping thriller that felt citrusy as Etiqutte's sly smile left a bittersweet taste in your mouth.
Dark and decadent, the ghosts and intrigue that haunt Marie Antoinette's life at court, made this novel less Bridgerton and more Where the Crawdads Sing.
I really enjoyed this psychological thriller with a twist.
Check out Julia's website for more information (https://juliajacksonauthor.com), but I believe her debut novel is available for pre-order for an October 16th release.
October 17, 2025
Every once in a while, a book sticks with you long after you’re done reading. Julia Jackson’s “Powder and Poison” was a standout read for me.
This story unfolds in the glamorous but corrupt world of Versailles and presents a raw, human view of Marie Antoinette. She’s got ghosts after her, murder all around, and she’s stuck in a court that expects perfection but gives zero mercy. The air is thick with fear, secrets, and the feeling that disaster is brewing.
The way Jackson fused history, horror, and psychological drama together so smoothly is impressive. I’m not usually one for reading historical fiction… but this was a game changer. The writing is lush but never drags, the pacing kept me hooked, and there are moments that genuinely chilled me. By the time I turned the last page, I was completely floored. Powder and Poison is definitely a haunting, unforgettable gem.
If you enjoy ghosts, gory bits, and plot twists galore—all wrapped up in a gothic, tragic package—this book delivers in spades.
This story unfolds in the glamorous but corrupt world of Versailles and presents a raw, human view of Marie Antoinette. She’s got ghosts after her, murder all around, and she’s stuck in a court that expects perfection but gives zero mercy. The air is thick with fear, secrets, and the feeling that disaster is brewing.
The way Jackson fused history, horror, and psychological drama together so smoothly is impressive. I’m not usually one for reading historical fiction… but this was a game changer. The writing is lush but never drags, the pacing kept me hooked, and there are moments that genuinely chilled me. By the time I turned the last page, I was completely floored. Powder and Poison is definitely a haunting, unforgettable gem.
If you enjoy ghosts, gory bits, and plot twists galore—all wrapped up in a gothic, tragic package—this book delivers in spades.
October 16, 2025
I was extremely privileged to be able to read this book early on in its creation and firmly believe it's an incredible melding of horror and history. THE TWISTS, PEOPLE. The details are stellar, every intricate bit of Versailles realized on the page, and Marie's descent into the dangerous spaces of the palace is riveting.
Definitely add this to your preorder list!! I hear there will be some pretty amazing things in the preorder campaign!
Definitely add this to your preorder list!! I hear there will be some pretty amazing things in the preorder campaign!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews