Emerald

Review Time! By the time you read this, I’ll be stressing my heart out trying to write an analytical essay on a poem. I’m in the midst of exam block so you won’t hear from me until Friday when the whole shebang is over! Emerald by Karen Wallace is a historical YA, I really don’t know much about it but thanks to Simon and Schuster for the review copy!

(Goodreads) Emerald St. John is in trouble. She has been condemned to marry a man she hates. Her enemies are conspiring to have her pet bear Molly torn apart in the baiting pits, and the man she loves is far away on the high seas. And she has stumbled into a web of spies with a plot to poison Queen Elizabeth I. To save herself and the kingdom, she must beat the spies at their own game - which means transforming herself from a country girl into a Court lady. Can she do it in time? Set against a detailed and vivid recreation of a great Elizabethan manor house, EMERALD will bring to life a world where the most sophisticated rules of etiquette went hand in with brutality and superstition.

The Short Story? – One of those undiscovered treasures, just waiting to be read and enjoyed! Filled with evil noblemen, dirty little secrets and a scandalous plot to kill the queen, Emerald is fast-paced and adventurous. A strong heroine, a love story and a plot to be foiled, Emerald is a spectacular historical YA that’s bound to be a crowd pleaser!

The Long Story? – I haven’t read a historical YA in ages and I forgot how much I enjoyed them! I really enjoyed reading Emerald. It’s authentic, it’s adventurous and it’s got a love story, everything to make me a happy chappy. It’s a complicated plot where everything has secret meaning and everyone has secrets. Everything seems to be tangled together, nothing is as it’s supposed be but in the end everything is revealed and I think that was quite interesting. Very unpredictable which I liked. It’s a short novel so it’s quite a fast-read. I love Wallace’s prose, she writes good book, keen to read other pieces of her work. It’s comfortable, easy to understand so it’s suitable for readers of all ages. If you like historical YA, you’ll like this one! (Stunning cover too!)

Emerald is actually the name of the protagonist. I really liked her, Wallace has betrayed her as a little bit of a tomboy. She’s quite a country girl yet she has to turn into a lady so that she can catch the Queen’s eye. She has a rough background but fantastic personality. She’s compassionate, she’s brave, she’s level-headed, very well developed. Our handsome Viscount Sam is the love interest, he’s got an out-going personality so I approve :) Instant Love. Only found in YA and Historical Romance, if you want instant love you have to read Emerald. It’s quite an abrupt romance, they met once and then they fiancées but dating was different back then and Sam is yummy so who wouldn’t want to instant love?

One of my favourite historical YA fictions I have read up to date. Emerald is an engrossing novel about a heroine who plans to uncover the truth and save the queen, a romance that will make you swoon and plot filled with adventure and drama. Beautifully written, Wallace has written a novel for all to enjoy!

Rating – 5/5

Badass Bookie xx