My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I enjoy reading a Cat Winters book. So far, I've read In the Shadow of Black Birds, The Cure for Dreaming, The Steep & Thorny Way, and loved all of them. She's a great storyteller who drags you into interesting stories featuring various historical characters and settings.
When Ivy Rowan wakes up after a really bad bout of the flu, she decides to leave the farm she's been hiding in. She can't put up with her father's violent ways anymore, and is determined to start her own life.
But Buchanan has become a dangerous place. People are getting sick, prejudices are running rampant, jazz music is putting a spell on people, and she's getting involved with the enemy. If only the ghosts would leave her alone...
Just like the books I mentioned above, this one hooked me in very quickly. Ivy's voice was strong, yet tentative, even juvenile at times. She might be in her twenties, but she's lived a sheltered life at the farm away from other people her age. While this didn't benefit her socially, it did equip her with abilities other women don't have. Like driving. And determination.
As Ivy spreads her wings in the unstable world of an ongoing war, she also finds herself caught in the middle of an awful flu pandemic. She helps by driving an ambulance at night trying to help patients. While her days are filled with Daniel. A man she feels sympathy for and others shun because he's German. Falling in love with him seems impossible, but I enjoyed watching their connection flourish.
Also, the characters in this book are so compelling. I especially like Ivy, of course. But Daniel was another favourite. As well as May. I especially liked her tragic story.
This is a dark, yet hopeful book that deals with an awful time in history. So many of the health concerns echo what we are going through right now. It's sad, but humans just don't bloody learn from history, do they? Because here we are, living through another pandemic. 😒
Anyway, I loved this haunting story of love lost and found. About finding a place in the world during so much sadness and pain. It's full of tension, and danger seems to shadow everything Ivy goes through. There are also plenty of secrets, awful behaviour by so-called patriots, and a wonderful introduction to the stirrings of the jazz age.
Many times, while reading this book I felt like I was in the middle of a feverish dream. There's an air of the unknown that hangs over the narrative. It's something that kept me stuck to the pages.
Oh! And there's an absolutely amazing and shocking reveal that totally took me off guard. OMG. Mind blown.
This is another awesome book!
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