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A review by lilyevangeline
Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee
3.0
I'll be honest. I picked up this book because it's so rare to find a YA fiction book that is a) historical and b) not pitched a romance. I decided that I could do with an uplifting tale of friendship and unlikely racial reconciliation in 1800s America. And that is, for the most part, what I found.
Of course, a romance managed to commandeer most of the plot at places, but I didn't mind so much, really. There was good humor, fast-paced writing that didn't drag behind. I did like this book, and I even stayed up late finishing it. It was sweet and fun.
However, I found myself constantly annoyed at the main character for her inability to move beyond literally ever female stereotype ever. Like, she just sucks at pretending to be a boy and just acts like a girl. I wanted a little bit of badass, and was disappointed when it didn't show up. I docked points for unoriginality in the classic motif of "hurt-tough-scarred-dude-is-only-saved-by-the-gentle-care-of-an-equally-hurting-girl." But I do have to give her props for writing a book where a girl fulfills every female stereotype and is okay with it (a rare thing in YA fiction sometimes). Also, it was great to read a book about historical life as a minority--I was quite educated by the end!
In summary, I enjoyed it, even if I'm not going to read it again or recommend it to others.
Of course, a romance managed to commandeer most of the plot at places, but I didn't mind so much, really. There was good humor, fast-paced writing that didn't drag behind. I did like this book, and I even stayed up late finishing it. It was sweet and fun.
However, I found myself constantly annoyed at the main character for her inability to move beyond literally ever female stereotype ever. Like, she just sucks at pretending to be a boy and just acts like a girl. I wanted a little bit of badass, and was disappointed when it didn't show up. I docked points for unoriginality in the classic motif of "hurt-tough-scarred-dude-is-only-saved-by-the-gentle-care-of-an-equally-hurting-girl." But I do have to give her props for writing a book where a girl fulfills every female stereotype and is okay with it (a rare thing in YA fiction sometimes). Also, it was great to read a book about historical life as a minority--I was quite educated by the end!
In summary, I enjoyed it, even if I'm not going to read it again or recommend it to others.