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4.27 AVERAGE
4.27 AVERAGE
I was sad to end this series as I felt so connected to the characters. I loved experiencing the journey with Isabel and Curzon. The author put so much work into researching this era and the culture. Her details wove together an epic story I’ll never forget. I’m reading every single book written by Laurie Halse Anderson. This woman can write!
Took me about a decade to finish, but still so much love for this series.
AHHHHH! I have been waiting for this third book *forever.*
Ashes was worth the wait (I didn't really have a choice after all). Anderson kept true to her thorough research about the role of African Americans in the American Revolution and it is a sobering role they played in the freedom of this nation from Britain. Sobering because they fought for a freedom they were told they would receive and once the war was over and won they were forced back into slavery for another 100 or so years. My anger towards our nation threatens to move from simmering to boiling. But back to the book.
Curzon and Isabel are on the move. At the end of Forge Isabel pleaded with him to help her find Ruth, her sister. Reluctantly Curzon agreed. He would rather join up with the Patriots and fight against the British. Their travels lead them straight to Yorktown in the months leading up to the famous battle of. All Isabel can see are the burning things in life, the ashes they become. Her friendship with Curzon, her relationship with Ruth, the battle between two countries who care not for people of her skin color. It's a lot to absorb in the few years she has walked the earth. As the battle of Yorktown draws closer Isabel is forced to choose a side, finally seeing that she cannot stay neutral. So she chooses a side and sees it through to the end. And in the end she finds some redemption in ashes, it's not all loss she supposes.
And so ends Anderson's Seeds of America trilogy. This story was a perfect final book although because it is such a well-written story I do not want it to end! I want to know more about Isabel and Curzon and life post-Revolutionary war. But Anderson leaves it to our imaginations, which is most likely for the best. This is honestly one of the best books, series, I have ever had the privilege to read. And it will not be my first read of the series, this is a series to repeat again and again.
Ashes was worth the wait (I didn't really have a choice after all). Anderson kept true to her thorough research about the role of African Americans in the American Revolution and it is a sobering role they played in the freedom of this nation from Britain. Sobering because they fought for a freedom they were told they would receive and once the war was over and won they were forced back into slavery for another 100 or so years. My anger towards our nation threatens to move from simmering to boiling. But back to the book.
Curzon and Isabel are on the move. At the end of Forge Isabel pleaded with him to help her find Ruth, her sister. Reluctantly Curzon agreed. He would rather join up with the Patriots and fight against the British. Their travels lead them straight to Yorktown in the months leading up to the famous battle of. All Isabel can see are the burning things in life, the ashes they become. Her friendship with Curzon, her relationship with Ruth, the battle between two countries who care not for people of her skin color. It's a lot to absorb in the few years she has walked the earth. As the battle of Yorktown draws closer Isabel is forced to choose a side, finally seeing that she cannot stay neutral. So she chooses a side and sees it through to the end. And in the end she finds some redemption in ashes, it's not all loss she supposes.
And so ends Anderson's Seeds of America trilogy. This story was a perfect final book although because it is such a well-written story I do not want it to end! I want to know more about Isabel and Curzon and life post-Revolutionary war. But Anderson leaves it to our imaginations, which is most likely for the best. This is honestly one of the best books, series, I have ever had the privilege to read. And it will not be my first read of the series, this is a series to repeat again and again.
Overall super proud of how mature this book is.
I didn't know that this was a middle grade book, and the way it handles its subject matter is delicate and the book's setting is submersive. I really liked the characters, specifically of Isabela and Curzon and the relationship between them. I hadn't read the previous books in the series and I like that I could feel the history between the characters without needing too much background information.
Isabela specifically was someone I really liked for her grit, determination, and common sense. Some may find her "uptight" or so on and so forth, BUT let's not forget she is trying to survive the REVOLUTIONARY WAR. I just found that the stakes were really high and that that shouldn't be forgotten.
About Ruth as a character, tbh I was really annoyed by her until she
I didn't know that this was a middle grade book, and the way it handles its subject matter is delicate and the book's setting is submersive. I really liked the characters, specifically of Isabela and Curzon and the relationship between them. I hadn't read the previous books in the series and I like that I could feel the history between the characters without needing too much background information.
Isabela specifically was someone I really liked for her grit, determination, and common sense. Some may find her "uptight" or so on and so forth, BUT let's not forget she is trying to survive the REVOLUTIONARY WAR. I just found that the stakes were really high and that that shouldn't be forgotten.
About Ruth as a character, tbh I was really annoyed by her until she
Spoiler
turned around and loved her sister again. It was really annoying that she was going to compromise their safety on several occasions. I understand she's 12, but reading about slightly petulant children always annoys me, especially when she was totally ungrateful to Isabela for a good portion of the book.
A great end to the Seeds of America trilogy!
Having found her sister at last, Isabel is faced with the daunting task of trying to get Ruth to trust and like her again as they travel through the dangerous south in 1781. Their path takes them to Yorktown on the eve of battle. Now Isabel must choose at last where her loyalties lie.
Having found her sister at last, Isabel is faced with the daunting task of trying to get Ruth to trust and like her again as they travel through the dangerous south in 1781. Their path takes them to Yorktown on the eve of battle. Now Isabel must choose at last where her loyalties lie.
I was hoping for Isabel and Curzon to finally find some peace. This book takes us through the finding of Ruth, which turns out to be a beginning and not an end, and the Battle of Yorktown. The way the author balances looking to the future in hope with the constantly-emphasized reality that freedom is taken, not given -- it's really amazing. The story ends on a hopeful note, which is all I needed.
Laurie Halse Anderson's conclusion to the Seeds of America trilogy ends with a bang (in both a literal and figurative sense). She chronicles Isabel and Curzon's journey to find Isabel's sister Ruth, after Ruth was sent further south by their cruel owner Madam Lockton. We pick up the story in 1781, with Isabel and Curzon in South Carolina, close to where Ruth might be. When they do find her, they must flee quickly to avoid the evil overseer at the plantation Ruth has been living on, taking a childhood friend of Ruth's with them. The journey is hard: the group must watch out for difficult terrain, alligators, and soldiers from both sides. After suffering some setbacks, they finally find themselves at Williamsburg, where the Continental Army has taken up residence and the British are not far away in Yorktown. Isabel, Curzon, Ruth, and Aberdeen live by their wits, courage, and hard work. Will they be able to persevere through this latest challenge?
Halse Anderson manages to bring history alive through her storytelling. While her stories are character focused, they are shaped in part by the larger historical events that are taking place around them. This was an wonderful conclusion to an outstanding trilogy.
Halse Anderson manages to bring history alive through her storytelling. While her stories are character focused, they are shaped in part by the larger historical events that are taking place around them. This was an wonderful conclusion to an outstanding trilogy.
This was a really fascinating book about the Revolutionary War. I enjoyed Isabel’s perspective, and thought Ruth is a great character. This book could get a little dull at times, but for the most part, I was hooked, and enjoyed a dose of history with a good book
Goodness, I loved this book. It was the perfect ending to the trilogy and I am sad to say goodbye to these characters!