Lost Souls of Leningrad by Suzanne Parry follows professional violinist Sofya ("Sofi") and her teenaged granddaughter Yelena ("Lena") as they navigate the events leading up to, during, and after the brutal and infamous 1941 Siege of Leningrad . Having rekindled her old love with Admiral Vasili, Sofi gains valuable insider information that war is coming.… Continue reading Review: Lost Souls of Leningrad by Suzanne Parry
I somehow only recently discovered A Mercy by Toni Morrison, but the 17th century Americas POVs and exploration therein immediately drew me because I feel like many historical fiction narratives of enslaved people are set in the 19th century. A Mercy follows a small cast of characters, namely Florens, a young enslaved girl who is… Continue reading Review: A Mercy by Toni Morrison
TW: This book has depictions of physical and sexual abuse Hearty of Cruelty by Maybelle Wallis follows 20-year-old Jane Verity, reduced to a Birmingham workhouse in 1840 after a scandalous affair with an actor, Edmond. While Edmond has gone off to seek his fame and fortune in the theatre world, Jane has been cast out… Continue reading Review: Heart of Cruelty by Maybelle Wallis
Someday I'll Find You by C.C. Humphreys is partially based on the author's parents' experiences in WWII: Billy Coke, an RCAF pilot, meets Ilse Magnusson, a Norwegian SOE agent, in London during an air raid in 1940. Both musicians, Billy and Ilse form an instant bond and enjoy a whirlwind romance of three days in… Continue reading Review: Someday I’ll Find You by C.C. Humphreys
Daughter of Sekhmet by Abigail Keyes takes place in ancient Egypt during the reign of Ramesses the Great. I couldn't help but be reminded of Assassin's Creed Origins in exploring this rich world we don't often see save in documentaries. I appreciate the originality of setting a story in a time period and location readers… Continue reading Review: Daughter of Sekhmet by Abigail Keyes
How many historical novels about women being accused of, and/or actually being witches can I read? Well, the number is infinite, as this subject with forever interest met with its intersection of social history, feminism, gender politics, othering, etc. That said, The Witching Hour by Margaret Meyer has been on my TBR for a while.… Continue reading Review: The Witching Tide by Margaret Meyer
The Lost Journals of Sacajewea by Debra Magpie Earling is not your typically structured historical novel, but rather a mix of narrative poetry and prose. Sacajewea is introduced to the reader as the pre-teen and we follow her until about the age of seventeen. While most only know about Sacajewea through the context of the… Continue reading Review: The Lost Journals of Sacajewea by Debra Magpie Earling
Eleanore of Avignon by Elizabeth DeLozier follows Eleanore Blanchet at the start of the Black Death in 1347 France. Elea is a healer skilled in herblore and midwifery, as taught to her by her late mother. When she unsuspectingly meets Guigo, the Pope's physician foraging for berries to make a tonic, a new life opens… Continue reading Review: Eleanore of Avignon by Elizabeth DeLozier
In 1348 Italy, at the height of the Black Death, Ginevra is summoned out of exile to Florence to aid the city in ridding the pestilence. The local clergy believes the plague is caused by the disappearing holy relics from the city and turn to Ginevra who had previously been marked as having knowledge of… Continue reading Review: The Stone Witch of Florence by Anna Rasche
In Silence, author Julia Park Tracey imagines the life of her 1720s ancestor in the Massachusetts Puritan community. Tracey was at first intrigued by her ancestors' name, Silence, and reflected on what kind of a life of a woman named Silence in the early 18th century might have. As an aside, many people (particularly women)… Continue reading Review: Silence by Julia Park Tracey
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