A review by cathyofcary
The Blue by Nancy Bilyeau

2.0

I like historical fiction so much that I will put up with all sorts of problematic plotting, weak characters, anachronisms, etc. But I just can't on this one. The concept (espionage in the porcelain industry as it was emerging in 18th century Europe) is great. But the execution could come straight out of a paint-by-numbers historical fiction kit. We have our feisty heroine, an exile and religious minority. She loses her appetite over something a minimum of once a chapter. We've got our evil, manipulative guy that everyone can see right through (except for our heroine). We have the cute quasi-hero who needs to save the day because our heroine has zero common sense. There are also multiple ridiculous plot twists and the dumbest ending ever.