It took me a bit longer than I hoped to really get sucked into this, but I think that's my fault for waiting so long between books. Felicity appeared as a side character and friend of the main characters in both of the previous books, so we've already gotten to know her a little. But of course, since I read the previous book nearly a year ago, and the first one three years before that, she wasn't as fresh in my mind. This made me feel like there wasn't a lot of character development at the start and that we jumped a little too quickly into the action so that I had to wait a bit before I really felt connected to Felicity, but I DID finally connect to her, and I end up liking the story a lot.
Whereas I had a mild critique of the second book because there wasn't as much spying going on as the first book, this one had allll the spying. Definitely can't complain about a lack of that, or excitement. It was pretty exciting, even if I did want to smack Felicity at first for not realizing Lady Blackstone was being a weird about pushing her and Mr. Ratley so hard to form a bond too fast. Of course, I knew from the synopsis that Blackstone was a dangerous revolutionary, while Felicity didn't and couldn't know, but still. Blackstone was sending all kinds of red flags. I also, of course, was a little frustrated at Felicity's becoming engaged to Mr. Ratley, while simultaneously understanding why she felt she had to. (To give her credit, she did quickly see the folly of her hasty decision.) As any Jane Austen fan knows, Regency Era marriage was just as often about convenience and money as love, and especially since Felicity had struggled with rejection even in the background of the previous books, I understood her reasoning. It frustrated me. But I understood.
But wow, this story really took off and never slowed down! I really liked our spy, Phillip. He was gallant, brave, and perfect for Felicity. I kinda wish he'd gotten the chance to punch Ratley in the nose. :p (Though I'll note that I felt Mr. Ratley was actually pretty well balanced as a character. Despite being a potentially dangerous revolutionary, he wasn't insidious like Lady Blackstone, and it seemed he did genuinely care for Felicity's well being, even if he was, unfortunately, very shallow and selfish in his affections, and easily manipulated by Blackstone, which is why we like Phillip better.)
I was often on the edge of my seat wondering if and when Phillip and Felicity would get caught in their spying. Blackstone was nuts enough to really feel like a threat even with her smiles and supposed friendliness. Like, she would give you tea but then give you a knife in the back just as fast if she even whiffed treachery. :p
I also liked what Dickerson did with Aunt Agnes' character. She wasn't that noticeable at first, but that turned out to be a good thing with the spying. It was fun to see this bookish little woman who Felicity was afraid to inform of the real danger they were in lest Agnes faint, get all enthusiastic about spying and eavesdropping because it was just like the adventures in the books she read. XD And she got her own adorable little romance, too! ❤
Though the faith content in this series isn't as overt as in Dickerson's medieval fairytale retelling series, her main characters are still believers, and sometimes even a small moment can still be used by God. I was actually having some anxiety about some real life stuff as I was reading the last chapters of this book and there was a moment where Felicity was having anxiety about her situation, but then she realized that worrying about things she can't control, even big scary things like being trapped in a house of dangerous revolutionaries would do no good. So she decided to find peace by handing her worries over to God, who is plenty big enough to take care of it. It was such a small moment in the book, but it felt like a gentle hug from my Heavenly Father reminding me that I need to lean on Him and give Him my own anxieties. It's not the first time He's used a Melanie Dickerson book that way with me and I'm sure it won't be the last.
So, despite having a little trouble connecting at the beginning due to the fast start, I did end up enjoying this story and am giving it 4.5 stars. Someday I'd like to return to this trilogy and reread all three back to back and see if that makes the fast start of this one land better for me. I suspect it will since their stories are tied together by the friend group of Julia, Leorah, and Felicity.
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The chilling story of the abduction of two teenagers, their escape, and the dark secrets that, years later, bring them back to the scene of the crime. | Learn more
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Top reviews from other countries
Jannah Meredith
Enjoyable historical thriller
Reviewed in Australia on September 17, 2018