 The year is 1775. On the surface, Proctor Brown appears to be an ordinary young man working the family farm in New England. He is a minuteman, a member of the local militia, determined to defend the rights of the colonies. Yet Proctor is so much more. Magic is in his blood, a dark secret passed down from generation to generation. But Proctor’s mother has taught him to hide his talents, lest he be labeled a witch and find himself dangling at the end of a rope. A chance encounter with an arrogant British officer bearing magic of his own catapults Proctor out of his comfortable existence and into the adventure of a lifetime, as resistance sparks rebellion and rebellion becomes revolution. Now, even as he fights alongside his fellow patriots from Lexington to Bunker Hill, Proctor finds himself enmeshed in a war of a different sort–a secret war of magic against magic, witch against witch, with the stakes not only the independence of a young nation but the future of humanity itself. |
I read this during the COYER Red, White and Blue Read-a-thon, it seemed like the perfect choice, being set in the beginning of the Revolutionary War, and having a blue cover. I am intrigued by the combination of fantasy and historical fiction, since I already like both. I really wanted to love this, but I just didn't. I liked it, hence my 3/5 rating on Goodreads, but I just couldn't bond with the characters. The storyline was fine, the action was good, and the historical aspects were interesting and felt true, so the author's research background on the subject comes through. I did start to warm up to Proctor by the end, I'm a sucker for a character facing unbeatable odds, but not enough to continue with the series.
COYER Scavenger Hunt #1 - First in a series
I'll admit this cover catches my eye, but I don't read a lot of historical books so I don't know if I would enjoy this even though it does have the magical element. If I ever see it at my library, I might give it a go, but it doesn't look like one I will buy.
ReplyDeleteThat would definitely be my recommendation. I didn't have trouble with the historical part, the author was actually a professional researcher on the time period I believe, and I do like historical and that time period, I just didn't mesh with the characters. Maybe they were a little flat? Good at historical world building but not as much as fleshing out characters?
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