A review by brattyjedi
The Pox Party by M.T. Anderson

3.0

The Pox Party and its sequel, [b:The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II The Kingdom on the Waves|2751662|The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II The Kingdom on the Waves|M.T. Anderson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1213111792s/2751662.jpg|2777360], are solid young adult historical reads. You have to read both books and it is probably better to think of them as one long book than as a book and a sequel. The second is the better of the two in terms of believability and interest of the plot, but the first is necessary setup. In trying to make the novels feel like a late-eighteenth-century memoir, the author occasionally uses gimmicks that are over-the-top and unnecessary, but that's a minor inconvenience. The real value in these books is the subject matter, the role of slaves in the American Revolution and the impact of the Revolution on the institution of slavery, which isn't often addressed in works aimed at young adults.

Review also posted on [b:The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II The Kingdom on the Waves|2751662|The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II The Kingdom on the Waves|M.T. Anderson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1213111792s/2751662.jpg|2777360]