5.0

Good god, this was a perfectly gut-wrenching read. I just wrote out a bunch of nonsensical, glowing paragraphs and then deleted them because; nonsensical. But this is one of those novels that is a fucking experience. So much emotional verisimilitude, three-dimensional characters, extensive research, social justice-conscious but steering clear of condescendingly saccharine stereotypes. I'm from Virginia and the gorgeous, gorgeous scenery and setting depictions struck me as deeply true. This is the kind of work I'm always hoping for in historical fiction and so rarely get.

(Aaargh I still need to write my reviews of this author's [b:The She-King: The Complete Saga|21480168|The She-King The Complete Saga|L.M. Ironside|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1395080697s/21480168.jpg|40802899])