4.5 stars. There were a lot of things to love about this novel and I found it very enjoyable.

There are a lot of historical fiction books out there, but there are not a lot who focus on this particular part of history. I find the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire quite an interesting subject, both in terms of the time period and the magnitude of the event. Having it presented in such a creative fiction narrative was both exciting to me and rewarding in the read.

The atmosphere in this novel is fantastic. I am a former San Francisco resident, and having the specific sections and streets of the city described were so much fun for me. I loved being able to see the city through this lens, reflecting on both the present state of those areas and the way they existed in the past. It was colorful, entertaining, and well-executed.

The characters were quite diverse and...spirited. I found their stories engaging and their interactions mostly credible and natural. Vera is appropriately written for her age, though her story was at times a little overly dramatic. The presentation of the racism present in the town was both well-done and uncomfortable to read. There were some moments that felt like the supporting characters were a bit stereotyped, but this was the exception rather than the rule and I still enjoyed the overall construction of the characters as well as their individual story arcs. Vera's journey from child to more-or-less self-sufficient young lady was full of missteps and learning moments that made sense, made the story more complex, and created a great narrative. There was one particular side plot that felt a little forced, but I cannot mention it here without spoilers. Suffice it to say that it was enough of a minor part of the plot to be mostly forgiven.

Though the story is primarily character driven, there were still interesting movements in the plot that kept things moving at a very comfortable pace and pushed the momentum of the book forward continuously. The pacing as a whole was good, though there were some moments of lull in the middle that could be problematic for some readers. For me, I was so mesmerized by the atmosphere of the novel that I still easily moved through these pieces because I wanted more.

This was a fantastic historical fiction novel that I found to be both a fun and emotional read. I have already recommended it to friends and will continue to do so. It is not a perfect novel, but it is a darn good one and one that I will likely find myself rereading in the future.

* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *