The two heroines we have here are flawed. Alexandrine Paradis lived in France over two centuries ago, in a time of blood and civil war. An encounter with a doomed prince of France doesn't help things either and her life quickly spirals out of control. Andi Alpers is still grieving for her younger brother, angry at her father for leaving and for her mentally distressed mother. She swears, she's on some heavy-duty anti-depressants and she's entertaining thoughts on suicide. It's safe to say that she's not the perfect protagonist most writers would have in their story. 
 But in Revolution, it works. One really sees the pain Andi goes through and when she finds Alex's diary, you not only feel Andi's helplessness in the situation, you feel connected to Alex's turmoil as well. I thought that the novel was going to be a cut-and-dry "girl finds a diary and through reading the novel, she finds answers to her own problems". It's definitely that and more. There's a twist I'm sure very few people would have seen coming and that, in itself, makes this novel so worthwhile. 
 The research is very well done here so one really does get the authentic feel of revolutionary France and modern-day Paris. One thing I had a little problem with was Alex's diary. I find it a little hard to believe that a girl, daughter of puppeteers, was educated enough to keep such a detailed diary. Most women, if not all, during that time period, could hardly read or write, let alone keep a diary. But really, close your eye to this insignificant detail, and I assure you, the novel definitely makes up for it. :) 
 Well done!