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yourbookishbff's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
UPDATED to include a link to a really important critical review that examines how the colonialism critique in Duke of Shadows still plays into Orientalist and racist stereotypes. I have also removed my star rating for this one.
https://sociallyscientificromance.blogspot.com/2016/10/crityourfaves-post-colonialism-and.html?m=1
I would recommend this primarily for lovers of historical fiction. While a romance (HEA!), this is a heavy historical that explores a volatile and violent uprising in India in the mid-19th century. Know before starting that it graphically depicts war, PTSD, racism and violence of all kinds.
Duran, who studied for a PhD in cultural anthropology, examines the seismic Indian Rebellion of 1857 through our MMC, Julian Sinclair, soon-to-be Duke of Auburn. Born in India, but heir to an English Dukedom, his relationship to both his Indian and English heritage is complex and fraught with personal and political tension. He is often seen as inherently disloyal to both sides, and for the reader, he is our window into the overwhelming violence of British colonial rule in India and the days leading up to the rebellion.
It's shortly before this fracture that he first meets our FMC, Emma Martin, who arrived miraculously alive in India after her parents and every single shipmate drowned at sea (welcome to the prologue, readers). Emma's character, for lovers of Babel, reminded me of an *early* Letty (thankfully, with actual, substantial personal growth and a developing awareness of the inherent and explicit violence of British imperialism). Emma can be challenging for the reader and for Julian at the start, as she struggles to understand the complexities of the political turmoil she's landed in.
This is an agonizing second-chance romance that bridges a significant time jump (four years) and doesn't shy away from the resulting personal and communal trauma of war. I loved it, but it HURT.
https://sociallyscientificromance.blogspot.com/2016/10/crityourfaves-post-colonialism-and.html?m=1
I would recommend this primarily for lovers of historical fiction. While a romance (HEA!), this is a heavy historical that explores a volatile and violent uprising in India in the mid-19th century. Know before starting that it graphically depicts war, PTSD, racism and violence of all kinds.
Duran, who studied for a PhD in cultural anthropology, examines the seismic Indian Rebellion of 1857 through our MMC, Julian Sinclair, soon-to-be Duke of Auburn. Born in India, but heir to an English Dukedom, his relationship to both his Indian and English heritage is complex and fraught with personal and political tension. He is often seen as inherently disloyal to both sides, and for the reader, he is our window into the overwhelming violence of British colonial rule in India and the days leading up to the rebellion.
It's shortly before this fracture that he first meets our FMC, Emma Martin, who arrived miraculously alive in India after her parents and every single shipmate drowned at sea (welcome to the prologue, readers). Emma's character, for lovers of Babel, reminded me of an *early* Letty (thankfully, with actual, substantial personal growth and a developing awareness of the inherent and explicit violence of British imperialism). Emma can be challenging for the reader and for Julian at the start, as she struggles to understand the complexities of the political turmoil she's landed in.
This is an agonizing second-chance romance that bridges a significant time jump (four years) and doesn't shy away from the resulting personal and communal trauma of war. I loved it, but it HURT.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Colonisation, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, Racism, Cursing, Racial slurs, Death, Sexual harassment, and War
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Child death, and Drug use
Minor: Suicide
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