The Wicked and the Just

I stumbled on this book when I was looking for other books like "The Dark Unwinding". Let me start off by saying they are not similar books (other than the fact that the heroines are around the same age).

Here is the Amazon synopsis: Cecily’s father has ruined her life. He’s moving them to occupied medieval Wales, where the king needs good strong Englishmen to keep down the vicious Welshmen. At least Cecily will finally be the lady of the house. Gwenhwyfar knows all about that house. Once she dreamed of being the lady there herself, until the English destroyed the lives of everyone she knows. Now she must wait hand and foot on this bratty English girl. While Cecily struggles to find her place among the snobby English landowners, Gwenhwyfar struggles just to survive. And outside the city walls, tensions are rising ever higher—until finally they must reach the breaking point.

Ok so I was excited that the main character's name was Cecily, until you start to realize she is a spoiled brat. Then I expected Gwenhwyfar to be her counter and to be the good one but again you realize she is also a brat. That said, I liked the story. I knew nothing of the history of that time period in Wales. It was really interesting.  And as always I am amazed at how unkind mankind can be to each other especially in a world where they are working for mere survival. Oh and the book is a bit challenging to read at least in the beginning because they use a lot of Welsh words and the sentence structure and even the cadence of the writing is just a little foreign.

All that said I would recommend this book if you are interested in learning about the history of the time period or just want an interesting read. I wouldn't say run out and read it because it is not going on my top 10 but I probably will still read it again someday. It just isn't a super happy read because it is more about human nature at its worst. Also it doesn't have a real solid ending (which is true to life but leaves you wanting a bit). However I feel like one character, at least, redeems herself in the end. You will have to read it to find out which one:)    

The Dark Unwinding and A Spark Unseen

Jeanette was the one who first told me about The Dark Unwinding. She said she had found a Steampunk book that she was excited to read. I read it with her because I thought it looked like a fast read and would be fun to talk about. I was going to put the Amazon synopsis on here but I think it gives too much away (especially if I included the second book's synopsis before you read the first). Basically it is a Gothic Steampunk romance and the fun is in not knowing what it is about.

I really really enjoyed it! The characters were varied and interesting. The setting was elaborate and fantastical. The story was unique and unpredictable. I would say this author has a gift for creativity. However what she does not have a gift for is dialogue. I felt like the interactions between the characters were weak and did not promote the relationships that were forming. I felt like I was rounding out relationship details as I went along in my head. If I was her editor I would have made her go back and fill in some conversations. Also it read like a movie especially at the end, lots of unnecessary destruction. Additionally she was a heroine that I did not usually relate to, which is fine, I simply was not always in her cheering section.

The second book has a story as interesting as the first but it was told in only a matter of a few days, had some gaps that could have been filled in to make it better, killed off a character I adored, and made me question how great her relationship was to the man she liked. However again I didn't see everything coming and I was interested and read quickly. And like the first book I quite often thought what she was doing was not how I would have handled the situation at all. Additionally there was more unnecessary destruction that would make for a great movie.    

So overall a fun read when you have a few spare hours and want something entertaining and not too taxing on your brain. I would love to visit any of her book settings! And wear the fancy clothes:)

I would be interested to hear what you have to say on the subject Jeanette?!

(Oh and on a side note, I thought it was interesting how Katharine counted in her mind in certain scenes. It kind of bugged me and yet it helped slow the scene into a sort of slow motion and put you in her place. I have a couple more things to say after you have read the book, I don't want to spoil it!)

Constance

We read this book for book club in the month of November because one of the ladies in our group said she loves to read it every Thanksgiving. It was not what I expected. From the cover I thought it would be more of a young Laura Ingalls Wilder tale but a reviewer on the back cover described it as a historical romance. I think it is somewhere in the middle. It covers the span of six years and is predominately not a romance. Although she does kiss more boys than I thought people of that era did;)

What I really liked about the book was how much it made me think about what it would have been like to live there (and how utterly hopeless I would have felt at times). I also learned a lot of history and I love that in a book! What I didn't always like was Constance. I felt like she teetered between being a silly girl and a strong woman. Even in the last two entries she was saying silly things and I was hoping she would grow out of it. However it wasn't bad enough to be distracting, I just couldn't always root for her.

Over all I would say for sure read this book at least once. It is an easy book and you will learn a lot. I loved her step-mom and her dad. They were both great characters for different reasons. Here are some quotes I liked from the book:

   "...there are many times when a woman needs someone to talk to....there are other times when a woman has thoughts she cannot share with anyone, and yet she must needs rid herself of them, if only to see them more clearly."  (p.16)

"Believe me, Con, my belly and my backbone have become close friends." (p. 102)

"Perhaps 'home' can be where one comes from, as well as where one lives." (p.112) So true!

The love discussion on page 164 and the WillofGod discussion on page 176 (I am too tired to type the entire paragraph of each. Sorry.)

I hope you read it and I hope you enjoy it.