A review by lory_enterenchanted
Spindle and Dagger by J. Anderson Coats

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
Reviews and more on my blog: Entering the Enchanted Castle

A rare YA historical novel with a female protagonist that doesn't try to anachronistically empower her beyond the bounds of plausibility. That makes for a rather grim read here, because Elen lives in a very violent time and place (medieval Wales) and she's been through serious trauma. She is conflicted about what she had to do to survive, and yet she still can dare to care deeply for others and to value and fight for her own freedom. Elen stands for all women throughout history who have had to struggle against dehumanizing, disempowering forces; Coats does an admirable job of making her both realistically medieval and relevant to our current concerns. The story behind Elen's deceptively simple narration is thus quite morally complex and requires a mature reader to really comprehend it. Reminded me of Franny Billingsley.