Hidden by Donna Jo Napoli Review
Title: Hidden
Author: Donna Jo Napoli
Age Group: Teen/Young Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction
Series: N/A, companion novel to Hush
Star Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
This book was given to me by the publisher, Simon and Schuster, through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
I read Hush a long time ago, when it first came out, about the mute Gaelic slave woman named Melkorka. (Great book, by the way--one of my favorites by Napoli!) This book, Hidden, is about her little sister, Brigid. Brigid jumps off the slave ship that has taken her and her sister far from home, and ends up being taken in by a small farm nearby. This book takes place over a period of eight years, and I liked the way that it went--it was all very quick, and I enjoyed the ending as well.
But honestly, even though I loved Brigid and her journey, I wish more of it had been about the actual pirates--that's what I was expecting to read about. But all the same, I really liked this novel: I loved the way Napoli took such pains to research the novel; I really felt like I was immersed in the culture of medieval Europe. Brigid was the shining star of this novel, a woman determined to make her own way and survive, on her own terms. This book screamed "GIRL POWER!" and I was in love with it. The pacing was breakneck--I couldn't put it down, I finished it in a matter of hours. Every character in this novel, however fleeting, really stuck with me, and this book really felt like a window back into that time--it was an enjoyable novel. The bottom line: Meticulously researched, immersive, and powerful, Hidden (and its 'prequel', Hush) was a wonderful novel! Next on deck: Dante's Kiss by S.L. Nadathur!
Author: Donna Jo Napoli
Age Group: Teen/Young Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction
Series: N/A, companion novel to Hush
Star Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
This book was given to me by the publisher, Simon and Schuster, through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
I read Hush a long time ago, when it first came out, about the mute Gaelic slave woman named Melkorka. (Great book, by the way--one of my favorites by Napoli!) This book, Hidden, is about her little sister, Brigid. Brigid jumps off the slave ship that has taken her and her sister far from home, and ends up being taken in by a small farm nearby. This book takes place over a period of eight years, and I liked the way that it went--it was all very quick, and I enjoyed the ending as well.
But honestly, even though I loved Brigid and her journey, I wish more of it had been about the actual pirates--that's what I was expecting to read about. But all the same, I really liked this novel: I loved the way Napoli took such pains to research the novel; I really felt like I was immersed in the culture of medieval Europe. Brigid was the shining star of this novel, a woman determined to make her own way and survive, on her own terms. This book screamed "GIRL POWER!" and I was in love with it. The pacing was breakneck--I couldn't put it down, I finished it in a matter of hours. Every character in this novel, however fleeting, really stuck with me, and this book really felt like a window back into that time--it was an enjoyable novel. The bottom line: Meticulously researched, immersive, and powerful, Hidden (and its 'prequel', Hush) was a wonderful novel! Next on deck: Dante's Kiss by S.L. Nadathur!
Comments
Post a Comment