Sunday, December 9, 2007

General Winston's Daughter (Book #122)

General Winston's Daughter (Sharon Shinn, 2007) is YA fantasy that reads more like historical fiction. There's no magic or supernatural beings, and the heroine's homeland is obviously based on 19th-century England, right down to the names of characters.

Lady Averie Winston is a spirited and somewhat flighty 18-year-old who goes out to visit her father and fiance at their colonial posting, only to discover some uncomfortable truths about herself, her loved ones, and her nation. The moral is straightforward and obvious. (Colonialism is BAD? You don't say!) However, Averie and most of her countrymen are well-meaning people, and the people they conquer aren't saints, which keeps the story from becoming cloying, IMHO. I do wish that Averie hadn't always been a spirited rebel, however--I think a story like hers would've been more interesting if she'd started out as a conventional aristocratic girl.

That said, it's a good read. I almost always like fantasies that feel like historical fiction--best of both worlds!

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