Category: Historical

Maya and Natasha by Elyse Durham

Maya and Natasha by Elyse Durham

Published on by Celeste6 Comments

Today’s review is about MAYA & NATASHA by Elyse Durham. It’s a historical fiction set in early Soviet era Russia. Twin sisters Maya and Natasha both hope to graduate and become ballerinas at the Kirov Ballet. But a set of circumstances results in one sister trying to change fate, which upends both their lives.

Author: Elyse Durham
Series: None
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Mariner Books
Publish Date: February 18, 2025
Print Length: 384

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The Nightingale's Castle by Sonia Velton

ARC Review: The Nightingale’s Castle by Sonia Velton

Published on by Celeste5 Comments

Today’s review is about THE NIGHTINGALE’S CASTLE by Sonia Velton. It’s a historical fiction reimagining, with some magical realism, of the infamous 16th century Hungarian “Blood Countess.” She allegedly killed hundreds of peasant girls. This is her story, told primarily through the perspective of one such young peasant girl.

Author: Sonia Velton
Series: None
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Publish Date: July 30, 2024
Print Length: 320

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The Mirror of Simple Souls by Aline Kiner

ARC Review: The Mirror of Simple Souls by Aline Kiner

Published on by Celeste4 Comments

Today’s review is about THE MIRROR OF SIMPLE SOULS by Aline Kiner, translated from French by Susan Emanuel. It’s a historical drama set in early 14th century Paris amidst a beguinage. Likely an unfamiliar term to many today, it’s a community of women who, broadly, haven’t sworn vows or remarried. Instead, they work together as their own cloistered community. THE MIRROR OF SIMPLE SOULS features the arrival of a young teen girl. Her presence heralds an eventual dilemma of whether to silently rebel against the burgeoning religious repression of the era.

Author: Aline Kiner, Susan Emanuel (Translator)
Series: None
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Pushkin Press
Publish Date: June 25, 2024
Print Length: 320

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What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez

ARC Review: What The River Knows by Isabel Ibanez

Published on by Celeste14 Comments

Today’s review is about WHAT THE RIVER KNOWS by Isabel Ibañez. It’s the first book in a duology set in 19th century Egypt during British occupation. Inez learns of her parents’ death in Egypt and sets sail from Argentina to for answers. What she finds is more questions and a plot of deception and betrayal.

Author: Isabel Ibañez
Series: Secrets of the Nile #1
Age Category: Young Adult
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Publish Date: October 31, 2023
Print Length: 416

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The Words of Kings and Prophets by Shauna Lawless

ARC Review: The Words of Kings and Prophets by Shauna Lawless

Published on by Celeste2 Comments

THE WORDS OF KINGS AND PROPHETS is the second installment of the Gael Song series. Set shortly after the first book, the reader continues to follow Fódla and Gormflaith, both of whom are part of King Brian’s court. Infighting among immortals and Gormflaith’s self preservation threaten to upend the mortal world.

Author: Shauna Lawless
Series: Gael Song Book 2
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Head of Zeus
Publish Date: October 03, 2023
Print Length: 416

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