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
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
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
The House of Two Sisters by Rachel Louise Driscoll (titled Nephthys in the UK) follows Clementine "Clemmie", daughter of a famed Victorian Egyptologist and "mummy unwrapper." Clemmie ventures alone to Cairo to return one of her father's (pilfered) artifacts that Clemmie believes has cursed her family. (Read into that the colonialism and superstition as you… Continue reading Review: The House of Two Sisters by Rachel Louise Driscoll
The Huntress by Kate Quinn opens in 1950 Boston where Jordan McBride must contend with her mysterious new step-mother, Anna. Jordan's love of and talent for photography expose a darker side of Anna, causing Jordan to try to dig deeper into Anna's cloaked past. Meanwhile in Vienna, English journalist Ian Graham and his associate Tony… Continue reading Review: The Huntress by Kate Quinn
In The Art of a Lie by Laura Shepherd-Robinson, author of Square of Sevens, richly-paints another 18th century story a reader can easily immerse oneself in. Newly widowed Hannah Cole owns a confectionery shop in London, this fact being somewhat scandalous both on account of a woman being the sole owner of a business and… Continue reading Review: The Art of a Lie by Laura Shepherd-Robinson
For as much as I enjoy Jurassic Park (the movie,) I've actually never read any Michael Crichton but have always intended to. I randomly stumbled across Dragon Teeth, released posthumously, which centers around the "bone wars" of early paleontology in the 1870s American West. Dragon Teeth follows 18-year-old William Johnson of Philadelphia, a Yale student… Continue reading Review: Dragon Teeth by Michael Crichton
Inanna by Emily H. Wilson is a historical fantasy retelling of the Epic of Gilgamesh and the mythology of the ancient Sumerian Gods. To be honest, I have not read the Epic of Gilgamesh and only knew a little bit about ancient Sumer and its gods when I went into this book. That said, perhaps… Continue reading Review: Inanna by Emily H. Wilson
Night Watch by Jayne Anne Phillips follows a family though the American Civil War from its start to tenuous post-war reconstruction. The novel begins in 1874 West Virginia with young ConaLee and her mute mother Eliza being taken to the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum by a man known only as "Papa," but who is not, in… Continue reading Review: Night Watch by Jayne Anne Phillips
The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave is a 17th century tale concerning the Vardo, Norway witch trials. If you think this sounds familiar, that's because The Witches of Vardo by Anna Bergman features the same subject matter. While there are some shared character names and similar beautiful writing styles, the stories themselves are quiet different.… Continue reading Review: The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
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