So...I am still in shock.

This book was just incredible! If you're looking for...
1) A good historical fiction
2) With plenty of twists and turns
3) A plot that will constantly surprise you
4) A character (or characters) who you'll hate as much as you hate Umbridge
5) But, other awesome characters who need to be protected at all costs (*cries cause my precious Thaddeus and Lady Anne*)

...then definitely pick this up! Thank you to so much to HarperCollins Canada for sending me this review copy!

I've been meaning to pick up more historical fiction, especially since I'm no longer in university, so I can't take history courses for fun :( This book was right up my alley cause it focuses on the Black Death of 1348! I took a course called Zombie Apocalypse, and we started off the class discussing about the Black Death, how it was transmitted, and how it actually arrived on British shores. We read quite a few primary sources that showed what happened to different towns and cities, and the measures that were taken to try and stop the plague from spreading. It really opened my eyes to how lucky we are to have good health care policies and health education, which was severely lacking during the Middle Ages. What immediately drew me to this book was that it opens up with some passages from the same primary sources I read! It made me so excited to see something that I had learned in class, but now in the format of a story.

This is the first book I've read by Minette Walters, and I have to say her writing just flowed so well, making it really fast and easy to read! I tend to have issues with historical fiction, because they can be a bit dense, but this book had me flying through the pages (when I did have time to read lol blame school). There were a few parts that were confusing...mostly descriptions of things that Thaddeus was doing in the latter part of the book. But I think that was mostly cause I don't really know how peasant houses are built and how certain locks work lol...but it wasn't too distracting from the whole story.

Plot-wise, this book took me on a whirlwind! I literally went into this book expecting lots of talk of death and black pustules and people crying out in pain and naked corpses and decaying bodies, etc. etc. And while there is some of that, it's so much more complex then that.

(Also...I should add here. Trigger Warnings for rape and self-harm. There's also some gruesome details about the Black Death, that may be difficult for some people to read. They weren't too graphic, but a lot is implied).

The entire time I was reading this book, I called it the "plague book", but in reality, this book focuses so much on the human character and how people react in difficult situations. I really loved seeing the contrast between the estate of Develish and how they survived the plague compared to the other neighbouring communities in Dorsetshire.

Most of this comes down to Lady Anne, one of the main characters. Her knowledge about the spread of diseases and infections (all thanks to her education at the abbey she grew up in) really made an enormous difference when it came to saving the people of Develish from a similar fate. Her more "modern" outlook on life – especially in regards to treating peasants as equals – was definitely different and not really a norm during that time period, but I really enjoyed seeing a strong, female character standing up for what she believes in, despite being surrounded by annoying men, who think they're better just because of their sex.

Thaddeus, the other main character in this book, is a bastard son of one of the families in Develish. Not a lot is known about his past – especially since his mother refuses to say who his father is – but having been brought up and taught by Lady Anne, he's definitely different from the other men. I loved how strong and determined and intelligent Thaddeus is. His ability to see things from different points of views, and being able to come up with solutions on the spot had me internally cheering for him. He works so hard and does so much for the people of Develish, and is constantly thinking about others rather than himself. He's just a pure character, and sometimes you need characters like that. The ending had me a bit worried for him, but since there's supposed to be a second book, I hope things are resolved.

I should add that the POVs in this book were written in a very interesting way. Usually I'm used to each chapter being from a different perspective, and while this book did switch settings in between chapters, it also switched POVs within chapters. I don't think I've read a book like this before, but surprisingly it worked really well because each character had such an individual voice, it wasn't too jarring or confusing.

For example...there would be a seen where Hugh de Courtesmain (the steward of Develish) would be talking to Lady Anne, and the internal monologue would switch from him to Lady Anne. It was actually kind of interesting to see Lady Anne's perspective as Hugh lied to her (lol he does that a lot), so I actually liked this form of writing!

The only problem I had with this POV style were the boys. There's a group of boys – the sons of the leading serf men – who all go with Thaddeus on the hunt for more food. And though each character is somewhat different from the other, their voices got kind of muddled for me. Sometimes I'd get confused who was who, especially since two of the boys are twins. The main thing I got from the boys was that Ian is a good leader and does the job well, Peter can handle dogs really well, but he and the other boys are all whiny and constantly complaining and never listening to Thaddeus. They were a bit annoying to read about, cause they constantly frustrated me, but it was also more realistic seeing the conflict between Thaddeus and the boys, especially considering that these boys are teenagers and struggling with what's happening to their world because of the plague.

Before I talk about Eleanor...she's definitely a character that deserves an entire essay...I want to talk a bit about the historical accuracy. I'm not an expert on this by no means, but I really liked the bits that Minette Walters added. Especially the parts of how because of the plague, there wouldn't be enough people left to farm the lands and produce the food needed to feed the lords and ladies and other rich folk. Lady Anne's belief that after the plague, many serfs would be able to buy their freedom, especially if they were skilled in a certain craft or could read/write, is very historically accurate. The plague opened a lot of opportunities for the peasants who did survive and changed a huge part of the social structure during the Middle Ages.

Okay, onto Eleanor. I really, really, really hate her character. She's one of those characters you can't help being drawn to cause they're so horrible, but you also revel in hating her cause of that. She's petty and stupid, and while she's not completely 100% at fault for everything (we can blame her father for a lot of this), her refusal to see sense even when given proof, really made me angry. She deserves a painful death and I have no sympathy for her character. Despite what was revealed at the end, I did not feel any different towards her character. The book did leave off with an incomplete ending to her story, so I'm looking forward to seeing what's going to happen to her in the next book.

Overall, I'm rating this a 4.5/5 stars! Really, really recommend this book!