Fire Sword & Sea by Vanessa Riley follows 17th century pirate Jacquotte Delahaye, who may or may not have been a real person or an amalgam of people (women disguised as men, operating as buccaneers during that period. The daughter of a French man and "Guinea" (Haitian) woman, Jacquotte's childhood and early young adult life… Continue reading Review: Fire Sword & Sea by Vanessa Riley
Anneke Jans in the New World by Sandra Freels follows real life 17th century woman Anneke Jans as she arrives and makes a home in the Dutch colony of New Netherland. Sandra Freels used genealogical records to follow Anneke's journey of marriages, births, deaths, and living locations as the colony progressed. Anneke's life is described… Continue reading Review: Anneke Jans in the New World by Sandra Freels
In the vein of Claire Heywood and Jennifer Saint, Hannah Lynn's Grecian women retold books re-imagine Greek mythology and legend from the perspective of the women central to, or little mentioned in, these classic tales. The Women of Artemis opens with Otrera as she and her abusive husband move to a new town. Otrera soon… Continue reading Review: The Women of Artemis by Hannah Lynn
The Vengeance by Emma Newman takes place (presumably) during the early 18th-century from the Caribbean to pre-revolution France. Newman's story begins aboard the pirate ship Vengeance with Morgane and her relation Captain Anna-Marie. The Vengeance continually pursues and sacks ships of The Four Chains Company (a fictional East India Company), the Captain seeming to have… Continue reading Review: The Vengeance by Emma Newman
Daughters of Nicnevin by Shona Kinsella reimagines the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion in Scotland through a historical fantasy lens. While it is true that many women and children of the Highlands were left to farm, subsist, and defend their homes and villages after many Jacobite soldiers were killed in battle, executed, or taken prisoner by government… Continue reading Review: Daughters of Nicnevin by Shona Kinsella
The Manningtree Witches by A.K. Blakemore follows Rebecca West during the 17th century witch hunt craze in England, spearheaded by "Witchfinder General" Matthew Hopkins (again, I couldn't help picturing Vincent Price given his film.) Similar to Margaret Meyer's The Witching Tide, the women of Manningtree are one by one accused by Hopkins and his associates… Continue reading Review: The Manningtree Witches by A.K. Blakemore
Ichabod only lingered behind, according to the custom of country lovers, to have a tête-à-tête with the heiress; fully convinced that he was now on the high road to success. What passed at this interview I will not pretend to say, for in fact I do not know. Something, however, I fear me, must have gone wrong, for he certainly sallied forth, after no very great interval, with an air quite desolate and chapfallen.
I Am Cleopatra by Natasha Solomons follows teen to young adult-aged Cleopatra contending with the threat of Rome. When the Pharaoh, Cleopatra's father, dies and Rome sets its sights on Alexandria, Cleopatra takes stock of her country's leadership and well-being. As is the historical practice of the Ptolemies, Cleopatra is married to her brother. Her… Continue reading Review: I Am Cleopatra by Natasha Solomons
Vlad: The Last Confession by C.C. Humphreys is a historical fiction account of 15th century Vlad Dracula, Prince of Wallachia--or as most know him, Vlad the Impaler. The tale is framed by confessionals told in 1481 from those closest to Vlad, his former lover, his best friend, his confessor, who witnessed his lows and highs… Continue reading Review: Vlad The Last Confession by C.C. Humphreys
Ashes and Stone by Allyson Shaw is a creative non-fiction account of women accused of witchcraft throughout Scottish history, particularly in the 16th through 18th centuries. Shaw details her personal journey traveling around Scotland to visit the forgotten, often neglected monuments to the those who lost their lives to witchcraft craze. Reading Ashes and Stone… Continue reading Review: Ashes and Stones by Allyson Shaw
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