Welcome to one of the stops on the Raincoast Books organized blog tour for Michaela MacColl‘s latest historical YA title, Secrets in the Snow: A Novel of Intrigue and Romance! Be sure to check out the other stops on the tour!
Review: Secrets in the Snow: A Novel of Intrigue and Romance by Michaela MacColl
Source: Hardcopy courtesy of Raincoast Books. Thank you!
Publication: October 4, 2016 by Chronicle Books
Book Description:
Jane Austen’s family is eager to secure her future by marrying her off. But Jane is much more interested in writing her novels, and finds every suitor lacking-until the mysterious Mr. Lefroy arrives. Could he be the one? Before Jane can find out, she must solve a murder, clear her family’s name, and face a decision that might cost her true love.
Author Michaela MacColl has a number of well-reviewed historical teen titles to her name. Her latest novel, Secrets in the Snow, centers on a dramatic time in Jane Austen’s young life. Mixing biographical facts from Austen’s life with a fictionalized story of mystery and possible romance, Secrets in the Snow offers an engaging mystery with an iconic author as its protagonist.
With a strong and terrifically sharp and droll nineteen-year-old Jane Austen as our main character, readers are taken on an eighteenth century-set adventure full of deception, some dancing, and a murder. After eavesdropping on a charged conversation between her brother and a member from the War Office accusing one of their family cousins of being a spy for France, Jane becomes entwined in a life-changing chain of events. Altering her plans and returning to her family home, Jane takes it upon herself to approach her beloved, vivacious and widowed cousin, Eliza- the family member under suspicion of being a traitor to England. Back at home, Jane also finds herself mixed up in another drama- that of the possible attractions of a young, handsome man named Tom LeFroy, who appears, at first, to be a disagreeable and slightly haughty. MacColl easily blends Austen-esque attributes of character friction, witty banter, grand dances at halls, and pointed conversations of class and money with that of an unfolding mystery. While the murder mystery and suspenseful aspects of the story are well-done (if a tad hurried toward the end), I found that one of the most thoroughly enjoyable aspects of the novel is that of Jane’s voice. MacColl interestingly writes Jane from the third-person rather than first-person narrative, and she does a fantastic job in how Jane is presented and written as a thoughtfully-defined, energetic and wholly rooted character.
Overall, I found Secrets in the Snow to be a delightful and cozy read. A lovely surprise of a historical fiction title and very smoothly written, MacColl more than capably takes on what could be a daunting prospect and creates lively, well-imagined characters and a fun story with a dash of suspense. Any readers interested in an intriguing but not overly intensive look inside the imaginings of Jane Austen’s life, or have interest in a charming mystery might do well to check Secrets in Snow. MacColl also includes a generous Author’s Note section which divulges more about Jane Austen’s life, her family, her relationship with sister Cassandra and her history with Tom LeFroy. Readers who have enjoyed work by authors such as Katherine Longshore, Jennifer McGowan, Y.S. Lee or Sharon Cameron might especially enjoy this title!
I received a copy of this title courtesy of Raincoast Books in exchange for an honest review and for the purposes of this post. All opinions and comments are my own.
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