In the Unlikely Event
6.0
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In 1987, Miri Ammerman returns to her hometown of Elizabeth, New Jersey, to attend a commemoration...
Fiction historical fiction
The Sliver Shadow (True Colors #11)
8.0
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Fiction Based on Strange, But True, History True, riveting stories of American criminal activity...
Adult Fiction Crime True Crime History
Big Breasts and Wide Hips
6.0
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In a country where men dominate, this epic novel is first and foremost about women. As the title...
Historical fiction China Fiction Asia
This Brutal House
6.0
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On the steps of New York City Hall, five ageing Mothers sit in silent protest. They are the...
Literary fiction Historical fiction
How Beautiful We Were
10.0
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Set in the fictional African village of Kosawa, How Beautiful We Were tells the story of a people...
Africa Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Cameroon
Shrines of Gaiety
10.0
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1926, and in a country still recovering from the Great War, London has become the focus for a...
Historical fiction Literary fiction London
River Sing Me Home
9.0
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We whisper the names of the ones we love like the words of a song. That was the taste of freedom to...
Historical fiction Literary fiction Family Colonialism Slavery Caribbean
Sensitivemuse (246 KP) rated Dreamland Burning in Books
Dec 22, 2018
The switch between Rowan and William is seamless and flows throughout the novel. Rowan attempts to figure out the mystery behind the skeleton while William’s story not only gives you the background information but also gives you the sense and the climate on how it was for African Americans back in those times. The historical aspects of the book is well written and gives you a good general idea.
At first, William doesn’t seem that all a likable character. As the plot progresses though, you change your mind as his behavior and outlook changes to something much more favorable. Rowan’s side of the story is interesting too. She’s been pretty much sheltered in a good, privileged life who is also suddenly awakened by recent events affecting herself and others around her. She’s a well written character as well, but I’d have to say I prefer reading William’s side of the story more as I found Rowan’s point of view dragged in a few areas of the story.
The plot overall is well done and interesting. The mystery and historical elements of the story also keeps the plot engaging and it’s a good educational read. Definitely something to read more into and a good subject to write about.
The Godmother's Secret
Book
What if you knew what happened to the Princes in the Tower. Would you tell? Or would you forever...
Biographical Historical Fiction Historical Mystery
Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated The Witchfinder's Sister in Books
Mar 15, 2018
<i>The Witchfinder’s Sister</i> is based on true life witch hunter Matthew Hopkins that grew to fame during the English Civil War around East Anglia, hunting and killing “witches”. This book isn’t non-fiction, it’s fiction based around non-fiction! I love these sorts of books that create their own stories from something that was very much real. Not only does it make for good reading, they also bring in some true history facts, so you’re being educated on the subject as you read.
High praise goes to Underdown for this novel. I feel like historical fiction can be hard genre to get right, and considering this is a <i>debut</i> novel, I’m amazed at how well put together and beautiful this has turned out to be! I love reading historical fiction, every once in awhile, and this is the sort of book that keeps my love for the genre burning.
The writing in this novel was haunting and beautiful. Nine times out of ten, it was exactly as you would have imagined the 17th Century to be, but I felt there were a few slips that made the book feel modern. For example, would a lady in 1645 say the phrase <i><b>“shitting herself”</b></i>? Correct me if I’m wrong, but that feels like a reasonably modern phrase to me.
I loved our main character, Alice. Me and my mum were talking about historical fiction novels and how we find it hard to understand why women make the decisions they make in these books, because we’re so used to having some equality and independence. But I noted that in this book, even though Alice is inferior to her brother and his counterparts, she is still a risk taker; going against her brother's wishes & sneaking around. I liked that she was strong and a little rebellious, it was so much easier to connect with her because of this.
On the other hand. I <i>hated</i> Matthew. He was a despicable character. I can rarely hate a character in a book, even if I’m supposed to. I tend to find the good in them at some point, or have some sort of sympathy for them, but I absolutely despised Matthew. Well done to Underdown for creating such a hate-inducing character. It’s quite a hard feat, but she managed it perfectly. The same goes for Mary Phillips.
The tension was built so well in this novel, you could feel the mystery growing and growing with every page and I loved it! Though the story moved reasonably slowly, the book was still absolutely riveting and I found it extremely hard to put down when I knew it was time to get some rest.
I am so, so excited to read more from Underdown. This was an amazingly well put together and researched.
<i>Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Books UK for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.</i>