I keep thinking historical fiction is magical and getting disappointed when it isn’t. Spoiler alert! There’s nothing mystical in this book.
That being said… The writing is really strong, and I enjoyed learning about the world and the historical setting. As it progressed I began to feel like the plot was meandering a bit, and I didn’t really feel like it was going anywhere. The one raid is very odd and wasn’t that satisfying. The end, where spoiler-free let’s just say MADNESS HAPPENS, was dumb. So dumb.
But the writing was lovely and I was engaged all the way through, so it still gets a solid three stars.
