Waiting on Wednesday: Forgiven by Janet Fox

Forgiven by Janet Fox (Published by Speak, June 26, 2011)

Kula Baker never expected to find herself on the streets of San Francisco, alone but for a letter of introduction. Though she has come to the city to save her father from a cruel fate, Kula soon finds herself swept up in a world of art and elegance—a world she hardly dared dream of back in Montana, where she was no more than the daughter of an outlaw. And then there is the handsome David Wong, whose smiling eyes and soft-spoken manner have an uncanny way of breaking through Kula's carefully crafted reserve. Yet when disaster strikes and the wreckage threatens all she holds dear, Kula realizes that only by unlocking her heart can she begin to carve a new future for herself.


I really enjoyed Janet Fox's first novel, Faithful. Forgiven continues the story of one of the characters from the first book so I am really looking forward to reading it. And this post reminds me that I should write a review for Faithful - I got it on my own rather than being sent the book for review, but I should still write a review, since I enjoyed it!

My top 10 upcoming books in 2011

There are lots of great books I am looking forward to in the upcoming year, so I thought I'd make a list of the ten I want to read the most, to go along with my list of my ten favorite books I read in 2010. These are in no particular order, since I couldn't decide how to rank them - it was hard enough to pick just ten!


Cannons at Dawn by Kristiana Gregory

Abigail Jane Stewart returns in this brand-new sequel to THE WINTER OF RED SNOW. The Revolutionary War toils on, but the Stewart family can no longer avoid getting involved. Abby's father joins the Continental Army, while Abby, her mother, and her siblings become camp followers. They face daily hardships alongside the troops and continue to spend time helping the Washingtons. Filled with romance and adventure, Abby's frontline view of the war captures the heartache and bravery of the soldiers, as well as the steep cost of freedom.


The Eternal Sea by Angie Frazier

The sequel to Everlasting. After the thrilling journey that led Camille through the dangerous discovery of love, secrets, and a magical stone that grants immortality, Camille has everything she wants. She's escaped the men who wanted her dead, and now she is ready to build a new life with Oscar, her one true love. But things are not to be so simple. Oscar is acting strangely, and before they can even board a ship from Australia back home, to San Francisco, Camille learns that the journey is not over. If she does not follow the magic of the curse of Umandu, her life and Ocar's could be in grave danger.


In the Shadow of the Lamp by Susanne Dunlap

It's 1854 and sixteen-year-old Molly would give anything to change her circumstances as a lowly servant in a posh London house. So when she hears of an opportunity to join the nurses who will be traveling with Florence Nightingale to the Crimea, she jumps at the chance. The work is grueling, the hospital conditions deplorable, and Miss Nightingale a demanding teacher. Before long, the plight of British soldiers becomes more than just a mission of mercy as Molly finds that she's falling in love with both a dashing young doctor and a soldier who has joined the army to be near her. But with the battle raging ever nearer, can Molly keep the two men she cares for from harm? A love story to savor, and a fascinating behind-the-scenes imagining of the woman who became known as "the lady with the lamp."


Circle of Fire by Michelle Zink

With time dwindling but her will to end the Prophecy stronger than ever, Lia sets out on a journey to find the remaining keys, locate the missing pages of the Prophecy, and convince her sister Alice to help--or risk her life trying. Lia has her beloved Dimitri by her side, but Alice has James, the man who once loved her sister--and maybe still does. James doesn't know the truth about either sister, or the prophecy that divides them. And Alice intends to keep it that way. The conclusion to the Prophecy of the Sisters trilogy.


Cleopatra's Moon by Vicky Alvear Shecter

PRINCESS OF EGYPT
Cleopatra Selene is the only daughter of the brilliant Queen Cleopatra of Egypt and general Marcus Antonius of Rome. She's grown up with jewels on her arms, servants at her feet, and all the pleasures of a palace at her command. She wants only to follow in her mother's footsteps and become a great and powerful queen.
PRISONER OF ROME
Then the Roman ruler Octavianus, who has always wanted Egypt's wealth, launches a war that destroys all Selene has ever known. Taken to live in Octavianus's compound in Rome, she vows to defeat him and reclaim her kingdom at all costs. Yet even as she gathers support for her return, Selene finds herself torn between two young men and two different paths to power. Will love distract her from her goal--or help her achieve her true destiny?


Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey

Violet Willoughby doesn't believe in ghosts. But they believe in her. After spending years participating in her mother's elaborate ruse as a fraudulent medium, Violet is about as skeptical as they come in all matters supernatural. Now that she is being visited by a very persistent ghost, one who suffered a violent death, Violet can no longer ignore her unique ability. She must figure out what this ghost is trying to communicate, and quickly because the killer is still on the loose.
Afraid of ruining her chance to escape her mother's scheming through an advantageous marriage, Violet must keep her ability secret. The only person who can help her is Colin, a friend she's known since childhood, and whom she has grown to love. He understands the true Violet, but helping her on this path means they might never be together. Can Violet find a way to help this ghost without ruining her own chance at a future free of lies?


The Queen's Lady by Eve Edwards

1584 – Surrey, England When Lady Jane Rievaulx begins service to the Queen at Richmond Palace, she is thrilled at the court’s newest arrival . . . Master James Lacey. Despite her previous courtship with his older brother, James is the man she truly loves. And for his part, he cannot deny his fascination with her. However, James is setting sail on a treacherous journey to the Americas, seeking absolution for what he sees as past sins. But when Lady Jane is forced into a terrible situation by her own family, there is only one man to save her. Will Master James return to his lady ­- before it’s too late?


The Lost Crown by Sarah Miller

Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia. Like the fingers on a hand--first headstrong Olga; then Tatiana, the tallest; Maria the most hopeful for a ring; and Anastasia, the smallest. These are the daughters of Tsar Nicholas II, grand dutchesses living a life steeped in tradition and priviledge. They are each on the brink of starting their own lives, at the mercy of royal matchmakers. The summer of 1914 is that precious last wink of time when they can still be sisters together--sisters that link arms and laugh, sisters that share their dreams and worries, and flirt with the officers of their imperial yacht.
But in a gunshot the future changes — for these sisters and for Russia.
As World War I ignites across Europe, political unrest sweeps Russia. First dissent, then disorder, mutiny — and revolution. For Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia, the end of their girlhood together is colliding with the end of more than they ever imagined.
At the same time hopeful and hopeless, naive and wise, the voices of these sisters become a chorus singing the final song of Imperial Russia. Impeccably researched and utterly fascinating, this novel by acclaimed author Sarah Miller recounts the final days of Imperial Russia with lyricism, criticism and true compassion.


Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury

This is Agnes Wilkins’ debut season and already she’s attracting the attention of one of England’s most eligible and desirable men: Lord Showalter. He’s been quite forward about his intentions and Agnes finds this at once thrilling and terrifying. He is handsome and wealthy and has this quirky interest in helping England amass the world’s finest collection of Egyptian artifacts. It could be a good match—but everything Agnes knows about courtship and high society romance comes from A. Lady novels, and it seems to be a rule that men who are too good to be true are usually hiding something.
But, what Showalter is hiding is not crumbling finances or boarish behavior. He is deceiving the whole British Empire. He is spy working for Napoleon, his orders smuggled into London in Egyptian artifacts—like the one Agnes pockets while at a mummy unwrapping party at Showalter’s home. Her innocent interest in this trinket (and childish need to keep it) jump starts a chain of events that bring out dangerous characters, dangerous circumstances, and the biggest danger of all—true


Exile by Anne Osterlund

Exiled. From the weight of others' expectations, the responsibilities of being crown princess, and the pressure to marry, Aurelia is finally free to travel the kingdom and meet the people of Tyralt. If only Robert, her expedition guide, would stop pestering her about her safety and just kiss her.
But then their journey erupts in a fiery conflagration, and with both of their lives and the fate of the kingdom at stake, she and Robert must determine whether they have the strength, and the will, to complete their mission. And face the darker side of exile.

My top 10 books of 2010

I had a hard time choosing my ten favorite books this year because I read a lot of really good books! But I was finally able to make a list. These aren't in any particular order because I had a hard time choosing!

Cate of the Lost Colony by Lisa Klein

The story of a young woman who is banished from Queen Elizabeth I's court for falling in love with her favorite young nobleman and who travels to the New World as one of the settlers of Roanoke, the lost colony. I loved this book for the adventure, romance, and historical setting, as I have always been fascinated by the mystery of the Roanoke colonists. (reviewed here)


The Fences Between Us by Kirby Larson

The Dear America series is one of my favorite series ever so I was so excited when, after several years, there was finally a new book in the series this year. And I am happy to say I was not at all disappointed! The Fences Between Us is the diary of Piper, a young teenage girl who must leave her home in Seattle during World War II when her father, a pastor, follows his Japanese congregation to an internment camp. (reviewed here)


The Other Countess by Eve Edwards

A romantic, historical love story, set in Elizabethan England. Ellie, the daughter of a poor alchemist, and Will, a young earl who must marry a wealthy heiress to restore his family's fortunes, fall in love, but can they find a way to be together, before Will has to marry a young woman he doesn't love? (reviewed here)



Everlasting by Angie Frazier

In 1855, seventeen-year-old Camille sets off on her last sea voyage with her sea captain father before she must return to San Francisco to marry a man she doesn't love. But when the ship sinks in a terrible storm, Camille must travel across the Australian wilderness in search of her long-lost mother and a magical map that may hold the key to bringing her father back to life. (reviewed here)


Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken

Sydelle has always wanted to leave her small village and see the world out there. Her wish comes true when a traveling wizard, after fixing the village's drought, forces her to travel with him on a dangerous mission. During the journey she finds adventure, romance, and learns the truth about her own magical powers. (reviewed here)


Shadow by Jenny Moss

Shadow is a teenage girl with no family, who knows nothing about her past, and who has spent her life being the young queen's "shadow," charged with protecting her life. When the queen dies, Shadow must flee the castle with Sir Kenway, a handsome young knight she is attracted to, but whom she believes was in love with the queen. During their journey to save the kingdom, they find adventure, romance, and Shadow finally learns the truth about her origins. (reviewed here)

Anastasia's Secret by Susanne Dunlap

Anastasia Romanov, youngest daughter of the last tsar of Russia, had a sheltered and happy childhood, but that all changes forever as her family loses everything and are exiled to Siberia. In those dark days, Anastasia finds hope and comfort from her romance with Sasha, a young soldier she has known since childhood. (reviewed here)


The Bad Queen by Carolyn Meyer

Another excellent novel from the Young Royals series by Carolyn Meyer, this one retelling the story of Marie Antionette's life from her childhood in Austria until the tragic end during the French Revolution, told from her point of view as well as that of her daughter, Marie-Therese. (reviewed here)


The Queen's Daughter by Susan Coventry

A fictionalized biography of Princess Joan, youngest daughter of King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. From a very young age Joan must grow up fast, as she feels torn between her parents, whose marriage is troubled, and then while she is still young she is married off to an older man, the King of Sicily. (reviewed here)


The Healer's Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson

A romantic and sweet love story set in Medieval Germany, loosely based on Sleeping Beauty. Rose, a woodcutter's daughter who is the healer's apprentice, must care for Wilhelm, the future ruler of their region, when he is injured. The two fall in love, but Wilhelm is betrothed to a mysterious young noblewoman whom he has never met because she has grown up in hiding. (reviewed here)

Waiting on Wednesday: Cleopatra's Moon by Vicky Alvear Shecter

Cleopatra's Moon by Vicky Alvear Shecter (Published by Scholastic, August 1, 2011)

Selene has grown up in a palace on the Nile with her parents, Cleopatra & Mark Antony--the most brilliant, powerful rulers on earth. But the jealous Roman Emperor Octavianus wants Egypt for himself, & when war finally comes, Selene faces the loss of all she's ever loved. Forced to build a new life in Octavianus's household in Rome, she finds herself torn between two young men and two possible destinies--until she reaches out to claim her own.

This stunning novel brings to life the personalities & passions of one of the greatest dramas in history, & offers a wonderful new heroine in Selene.


This sounds like such a great topic for a YA historical. I have read several books on Cleopatra and enjoyed them, so I am looking forward to reading for the first time a novel about her daughter, who sounds like she had a very interesting life!

In My Mailbox - 12/18/10

Credit goes to The Story Siren for creating and hosting the In My Mailbox feature.

I haven't done an IMM post in a few weeks because I hadn't bought or received any books and then when I did get some new books I forgot to make a post! So this is like 2 or 3 weeks of books.

For review:

Nightspell by Leah Cypess

A stand-alone companion novel to the much-acclaimed MISTWOOD. When Darri rides into Ghostland, a country where the living walk with the dead, she has only one goal: to rescue her younger sister Callie, who was sent to Ghostland as a hostage four years ago. But Callie has changed in those four years, and now has secrets of her own. In her quest to save her sister from herself, Darri will be forced to outmaneuver a handsome ghost prince, an ancient sorcerer, and a manipulative tribal warrior (who happens to be her brother). When Darri discovers the source of the spell that has kept the dead in Ghostland chained to this earth, she faces a decision that will force her to reexamine beliefs she has never before questioned - and lead her into the heart of a conspiracy that threatens the very balance of power between the living and the dead.


Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Set on the island of Nantucket, STARCROSSED tells the tale of Helen Hamilton, a young woman whose destiny is forever altered when she meets Lucas Delos and tries to kill him in front of her entire high school. Which is terribly inconvenient, not only because Lucas is the most beautiful boy on the island, but also because Helen is so achingly shy she suffers physical pain whenever she is given too much attention.
Making matters worse, Helen is beginning to suspect she’s going crazy. Whenever she’s near Lucas or any member of his family she sees the ghostly apparitions of three women weeping bloody tears, and suffers the burden of an intense and irrational hate. She soon learns that she and Lucas are destined to play the leading roles in a Greek tragedy that the Three Fates insist on repeating over and over again throughout history. Like her namesake, Helen of Troy, she’s destined to start a war by falling in love. But even though Lucas and Helen can see their own star-crossed destiny, they’re still powerfully attracted to each other. Will they give up their personal happiness for the greater good, or risk it all to be together?


Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.
When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.
But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant Rhine is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limted time she has left.


The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell

It’s the summer of 1889, and Amelia van den Broek is new to Baltimore and eager to take in all the pleasures the city has to offer. But her gaiety is interrupted by disturbing, dreamlike visions she has only at sunset—visions that offer glimpses of the future. Soon, friends and strangers alike call on Amelia to hear her prophecies. However, a forbidden romance with Nathaniel, an artist, threatens the new life Amelia is building in Baltimore. This enigmatic young man is keeping secrets of his own—still, Amelia finds herself irrepressibly drawn to him.
When one of her darkest visions comes to pass, Amelia’s world is thrown into chaos. And those around her begin to wonder if she’s not the seer of dark portents, but the cause.


The Year We Were Famous by Carole Estby Dagg

With their farm in Mica Creek, Washington facing foreclosure, seventeen-year-old Clara Estby and her mother, Helga, need to find a way to raise a lot of money in a short time--no easy feat for two women in 1896. Helga wants to tackle the problem with her usual loud and flashy style, while Clara, the oldest of the eight Estby children, favors a less showy approach. Though very different in personality, mother and daughter share a determination to save their family's home, so they come up with a plan to walk the 4,600 miles from Mica Creek to New York City--and if they can do it in only eight months, a New York City publisher has agreed to give them $10,000. They set out with little more than ten dollars, two ponchos, and a gun. Along the way they go through sixteen pairs of shoes each, fend off snakes and highwaymen, and narrowly escape a flash flood. But they also meet the governor of every state they pass through and the wife of presidential-candidate, William Jennings Bryan, as well as shake hands with the new president himself, William McKinley. And with each new challenge they face, Clara and Helga come to rely on and respect one another for the very traits that make them so different.


Death Cloud by Andrew Lane

It is the summer of 1868, and Sherlock Holmes is fourteen. On break from boarding school, he is staying with eccentric strangers—his uncle and aunt—in their vast house in Hampshire. When two local people die from symptoms that resemble the plague, Holmes begins to investigate what really killed them, helped by his new tutor, an American named Amyus Crowe. So begins Sherlock’s true education in detection, as he discovers the dastardly crimes of a brilliantly sinister villain of exquisitely malign intent.


Bought:

A Waltz for Matilda by Jackie French

In 1894, twelve-year-old Matilda flees the city slums to find her unknown father and his farm. But drought grips the land, and the shearers are on strike. Her father has turned swaggie and he′s wanted by the troopers. In front of his terrified daughter, he makes a stand against them, defiant to the last. ′You′ll never catch me alive, said he...′
Set against a backdrop of bushfire, flood, war and jubilation, this is the story of one girl′s journey towards independence. It is also the story of others who had no vote and very little but their dreams.
Drawing on the well-known poem by A.B. Paterson and from events rooted in actual history, this is the untold story behind Australia′s early years as an emerging nation.


Wolfborn by Sue Bursztynski

Etienne, son of a lord in the kingdom of Armorique, goes to train as a knight with Geraint of Lucanne. Geraint is brave and kind, a good teacher and master - but he has a secret that he has kept from his family. He is bisclavret, a born werewolf. When Geraint is betrayed, Etienne must ally with the local wise-woman and her daughter, themselves bisclavret, to save his lord. But time is running out. If Geraint's enemies have their way, Geraint will soon be trapped in his wolf form.
And Etienne has his own secret. The decisions he makes will change his life forever . . .
Inspired by a medieval romance, this engaging novel forces us to question everything we thought we knew about werewolves.

Book review: Dear America: Like the Willow Tree by Lois Lowry

Dear America: Like the Willow Tree by Lois Lowry (Published by Scholastic, January 1, 2011)

Eleven-year-old Lydia Pierce lives a carefree life in Portland, Main, in 1918, until the terrible flu epidemic that is spreading worldwide takes the lives of her parents and baby sister. Lydia and her older brother Daniel are now orphans, and their aunt and uncle have no room for them on the crowded family farm. With no other options available, their uncle takes them to live in Sabbathday Lake with the Shakers, who care for orphaned children.

Life with the Shakers is very different from Lydia’s old life in Portland. The Shakers have many rules that must be strictly followed. Males and females must stay separate and not socialize, which means Lydia can rarely speak to her brother. In her diary Lydia describes her first few months living with the Shakers and how she eventually adjusts and finds some happiness in her new life.

I was really looking forward to this new Dear America book as the historical setting looked really interesting and unique. However, the main character, Lydia, seemed to adjust far too quickly to her new life. Her parents and little sister died, she and her brother were separated, she had to start a totally new life in a place with very different rules and a new religion, where she could not even keep the few mementos she had of her family and old life - and less than a month later, she didn’t seem too sad or concerned and her only worry was that she thought her brother might be unhappy. It seemed more than a bit unrealistic for an eleven-year-old girl to adjust so quickly to so many losses and I would have enjoyed the story more and found it more realistic if these changes in Lydia had taken place over a longer period of time. While the historical information was interesting - I hadn’t read any books before about Shaker life during this time period - ultimately, I just found the main character to be totally unrealistic. Possibly still worth a read if you are a dedicated fan of the series, for the historical details and interesting setting.

Waiting on Wednesday: Cleopatra Confesses by Carolyn Meyer

Cleopatra Confesses by Carolyn Meyer (Published by Simon & Schuster, June 7, 2011)

Some day I shall become a great ruler of Egypt, better than my sisters can dream of being, but Imust take care not to let them know this. They are jealous, but they do not fear me—not yet.


In the first century B.C., Cleopatra, the third of the pharaoh’s six children, learns that her father has chosen her to be the next queen of Egypt. But when King Ptolemy is forced into exile, Cleopatra is left to fend for herself in a palace rife with intrigue and murder. Smart, courageous, ambitious, and sensuously beautiful, she possesses the charm to cause two of history’s most famous leaders to fall in love with her. But as her cruel sisters plot to steal the throne, Cleopatra realizes there is only one person on whom she can rely—herself.


I have read Carolyn Meyer's other novels about famous historical queens and really enjoyed them, she is one of my favorite young adult historical fiction writers. This book is a bit different as it is the first one she has written that is not set in Europe, but Cleopatra had a very interesting life and I can't wait to read her version of it.

YA historical fiction challenge

Since I love young adult and middle grade historical fiction, I was super excited to see that Sab H. at YA Bliss is hosting a 2011 YA Historical Fiction Challenge. For the challenge, you can read young adult or middle grade historical fiction. My goal was level 3, which was to read at least 15 YA or MG historical fiction books, however as you can see I already passed my goal! You can read more about the challenge and sign up for it at this link.

Here are the books I finished for this challenge in 2011, along with my reviews. I guess I did really well, since I ended up reading way more than 15 books.

1. In the Shadow of the Lamp by Susanne Dunlap
2. Dear America: Cannons at Dawn by Kristiana Gregory
3. The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell
4. My Story: Factory Girl by Pamela Oldfield
5. Fallen Grace by Mary Hooper
6. Daughters of the Sea: May by Kathryn Lasky
7. Small Acts of Amazing Courage by Gloria Whelan
8. The Midnight Tunnel by Angie Frazier
9. No Moon by Irene N. Watts
10. The Queen's Lady by Eve Edwards
11. Father of Lies by Ann Turner
12. Our Australian Girl: Meet Grace by Sofie Laguna
13. Sigrun's Secret by Marie-Louise Jensen
14. Our Australian Girl: Meet Letty by Alison Lloyd
15. Our Australian Girl: Meet Poppy by Gabrielle Wang
16. Belle's Song by K.M. Grant
17. Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey
18. Titanic, Book 1: Unsinkable by Gordon Korman
19. My Royal Story: Henry VIII's Wives by Alison Prince
20. The Revenant by Sonia Gensler
21. Titanic, Book 2: Collision Course by Gordon Korman
22. Forgiven by Janet Fox
23. Fateful by Claudia Gray
24. The Princess Curse by Merrie Haskell
25. Dear America: With the Might of Angels by Andrea Davis Pinkney
26. Our Australian Girl: A Friend for Grace by Sofia Laguna
27. Our Australian Girl: Poppy at Summerhill by Gabrielle Wang
28. Meet Marie-Grace by Sarah Masters Buckey
29. Meet Cécile by Denise Lewis Patrick
30. Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber
31. Our Australian Girl: Letty and the Stranger's Lace by Alison Llyod
31. Cross My Heart by Sasha Gould
32. Our Australian Girl: Grace and Glory by Sofie Laguna
33. Our Australian Girl: Letty on the Land by Alison Lloyd
34. Titanic, Book 3: S.O.S. by Gordon Korman
35. Marie-Grace and the Orphans by Sarah Masters Buckey
36. Our Australian Girl: Poppy and the Thief by Gabrielle Wang
37. I Am Canada: Blood and Iron by Paul Yee
38. Troubles for Cécile by Denise Lewis Patrick
39.. Dear Canada: That Fatal Night by Sarah Ellis
40. Dark of the Moon by Tracey Barrett
41. I Am Canada: Deadly Voyage by Hugh Brewster
42. Our Australian Girl: A Home For Grace by Sofie Laguna
43. The Merchant's Daughter by Melanie Dickerson
44. May B. by Caroline Starr Rose
45. Dear America: Behind the Masks by Susan Patron

Waiting on Wednesday: Dear America: Cannons at Dawn by Kristiana Gregory

Dear America: Cannons at Dawn by Kristiana Gregory (Published by Scholastic, May 1, 2011)

Abigail Jane Stewart returns in this brand-new sequel to THE WINTER OF RED SNOW. The Revolutionary War toils on, but the Stewart family can no longer avoid getting involved. Abby's father joins the Continental Army, while Abby, her mother, and her sister become camp followers. They face daily hardships alongside the troops and continue to spend time helping the Washingtons. Filled with romance and adventure, Abby's frontline view of the war captures the heartache and bravery of the soldiers, as well as the steep cost of freedom.


The Winter of Red Snow was one of the first Dear America books I read years ago, and is still one of my favorites from the series. So I am really excited to read the sequel.