Historical Fiction Archives

Now I Rise by Kiersten White

Posted on May 13, 2018May 13, 2018 by Michelle Huss

(4 / 5)

The Conqueror’s Saga #2
If And I Darken was Lada’s book, then Now I Rise is Radu’s. While both siblings have their fair share of trials and tribulations in this book, it really was Radu’s journey that shined through for me. While behind enemy lines, his abilities of political maneuvering and manipulation are put to the test. Through this he sees the ugly side of war and has to make some difficult moral decisions, from which he will never quite be the same. He is still the devoted Radu, but it is no longer pure…it’s been tainted by the things he’s seen and the things he’s done. I can’t wait to see how these changes will affect the next book.

Lada doesn’t make the same strides as Radu, but by the end of the novel she is definitely embracing her vicious side. While I didn’t love Lada’s journey in this one quite as much as in And I Darken, it definitely sets things up for what is likely to be a brutal and bloody finale in Bright We Burn.

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

Posted on January 20, 2018 by Michelle Huss

(3 / 5)

Stalking Jack the Ripper #1
There was a lot that I liked about Stalking Jack the Ripper, but the execution just didn’t quite live up to my expectations. Audrey is a forensic scientist, in a time when forensic science is still in its infancy and often scorned by polite society. To top that, Audrey is an intelligent woman in a man’s world, and working with dead bodies is thought to be grotesque and highly improper for any woman, not to mention one of status. But Audrey can’t help her curiously, and I admire her ability to scorn the attitudes of others and forge her own way. I also loved the idea of setting such a story around the real and horrifying events of the Whitechapel Murders. Who isn’t fascinated by the mystery of Jack the Ripper, one of the world’s first serial killers?

Unfortunately, I found the pacing and structure of the novel very off-putting. The mystery seemed to come together in stretches and leaps, instead of in a fluid and natural way. I found our heroine jumping to conclusions, without really feeling that she had the evidence to support them. She also seemed to flip flop in her conviction and feelings frequently, which I found annoying. This is most noted in her interactions with her father, where she would switch between meek and defiant, seemingly, at the drop of a hat. The banter between Audrey and Thomas also seemed a bit forced and unnatural, especially at the beginning, but it seemed to find its stride as the novel progressed.

As a debut novel, I can excuse some of the issues with pacing as the novelist trying to find her voice. While I wish the story felt a little more polished before going to print, I have hope that Maniscalco will develop her style a bit better as time goes on.

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

Posted on January 3, 2018January 20, 2018 by Michelle Huss

(4.5 / 5)

Guide Series #1
What a delightful novel this turned out to be! Having caught some preview chapters prior to the book’s release, I knew that The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue would be a fun and flirty romp through 18th century Europe. What I didn’t expect, was the deep and meaningful issues that it would address: the stigma and persecution of homosexuals, the strong prejudice against black and biracial individuals, and the restricted roles of women in society.

Monty is a young lord, set to inherit a dukedom, with a proclivity for members of both sexes, in a time when sodomy was not only considered sinful, but was illegal and could land you arrested or worse. Percy is the biracial son of a gentleman, raised in polite society but never fully accepted by it. And Felicity is a bright young woman in a man’s world, interested in medicine in a time where a woman’s role was limited to embroidery, entertaining, and childbearing. All three feel a need to quietly rebel (or in the case of Monty, loudly and overtly rebel) against the lot given to them. And through it all they are thrust into an high-stakes adventure through regency Europe.

This is a story about not fitting the mold, and finding your place in the world. It’s about challenging expectations and dealing with the fallout. And it’s about being who you are, despite what the world may think of you. I truly adored this book, and I recommend it for anyone who appreciates the challenges that come with being different.

And I Darken by Kiersten White

Posted on September 8, 2017May 13, 2018 by Michelle Huss

(4.5 / 5)

The Conqueror’s Saga #1

“And so she cut out her heart and offered it as a sacrifice.”

And I Darken was not what I expected; though I think I liked it all the more. I don’t think I have ever read such a thoroughly character driven story as this. Lada, Radu, and Mehmed are so wonderfully complex, I don’t really know how to begin to describe them. Lada is fierce and driven, with a constant need to prove herself equal to or better than the men around her. She is constantly torn between her heart and her passion (and you think that those two would align more). Radu is thoughtful and calculating, but with a fierce devotion to the ones he loves, that leads to heartbreaking choices when he is torn between the two. And Mehmed, trying constantly to reconcile the person he is with the Sultan he is meant to be. And the relationships between these three characters form a deliciously complex web that drew me in from the very beginning, and I did not know how to look away.

We spent a lot more time on the character’s childhood than I had expected, but if we hadn’t I don’t think we would have understood them quite as well. By the end I understood exactly why the character’s made the decisions that they did, even when those decisions tore them up inside. I was never surprised by what the character’s chose, just by the situations that they were placed in. And that has to be some of the best character development I have ever seen.

I loved the setting of the Ottoman Empire, so unusual and different for the YA genre. There were some wonderfully profound discussions of religion and how it can make a person feel (both negatively and positively). Reading this has made me want to learn more about the historical figures that inspired this story, and give me insight into the dark history coming for our characters. I have a feeling that this series is just going to get better and I can’t wait to read more!