The Witches of Vardo by Anya Bergman is based on the true story of the witch trials of Vardo in northern Norway, in the 17th century. I did not know about these particular witch trials, and the fact that this book took place in Norway drew me in further. Within the Arctic circle, Vardo is… Continue reading Review: The Witches of Vardo by Anya Bergman
Daughters of Nantucket by Julie Gerstenblatt follows three women during Nantucket's Great Fire of 1846: Eliza Macy, the once-wealthy but now financially ruined wife of an absent whaling captain. Maria Mitchell, librarian and archivist at Nantucket's Atheneum. Meg Wright, a free black woman who fights for her family's right to own a business on main… Continue reading Review: Daughters of Nantucket by Julie Gerstenblatt
Click the image to read my review of The Odyssey of Phillis Wheatley on Journal of the American Revolution.
The Shadow of Perseus follows the women of myth: Danae, Perseus's mother, Medusa the Gorgon, and Andromeda, wife of Perseus. Claire Heywood reframes this myth into a historical, realistic context in which a simple baker is the father of Perseus, not Zeus, Medusa is a real woman of a female-led tribe, and Andromeda was not… Continue reading Review: The Shadow of Perseus by Claire Heywood
I wanted to start documenting the demographics of the books I read and review, and I intend to do this going forward as well. I already knew I read mostly women writers and strive to read more work by POC, but the below chart illustrates my author demographics for 2022. I also want to note… Continue reading 2022 Year in Review
Pandora by Susan Stokes-Chapman takes place at the close of 18th century in London and follows Pandora Blake, fledgling jewelry designer and daughter of late, renowned antiquities collectors. Twelve years after their death on an archeological site, Dora lives with her uncle, the greedy Hezekiah, who has made her parents' antiquities shop into a farce.… Continue reading Review: Pandora by Susan Stokes-Chapman
I first want to mention that I picked this book to read while on vacation in Italy, just to make it more atmospheric. It's possible being in the place where the novel takes place influenced my reading of it. Mistress of Rome follows Thea, a slave of Jewish heritage, Arius, a gladiator from Britannia, and… Continue reading Review: Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn
The Princess and the Scoundrel by Beth Revis takes place right after Return of the Jedi, finding Leia and Han on Endor on the eve of their wedding. At the suggestion of Mon Mothma and the encouragement of Han, Leia decides to pry herself away from her work to go on a honeymoon aboard a… Continue reading Review: The Princess and the Scoundrel by Beth Revis
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell is a novel about William Shakespeare and his family without ever saying the name William Shakespeare. Instead, Maggie O' Farrell weaves a world of natural wonder and splendor, as well as an acknowledgment of the unseen, through the eyes of Agnes (history knows her as Anne Hathaway) and their children Susanna,… Continue reading Review: Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna is an original fantasy novel with rich world building and the classic hero's journey. Deka of Irfut is set to undergo her coming of age "ritual of purity" to tell if she bleeds pure (red blood) or if she has gold blood--the blood of women allegedly descended from demons.… Continue reading Review: The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
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