Book Review: A Soldier's Secret

A Soldier's Secret

Marissa Moss

Genre: Historical Fiction

Star Rating: 3.5 (out of 5)

Pages: 400 (hardcover)

Age: 13+

Synopsis:

Historical fiction at its best, this novel by bestselling author Marissa Moss tells the story of Sarah Emma Edmonds, who masqueraded as a man named Frank Thompson during the Civil War.

Among her many adventures, she was a nurse on the battlefield and a spy for the Union Army. The novel is narrated by Sarah, offering readers an in-depth look not only at the Civil War but also at her journey to self-discovery as she grapples with living a lie and falling in love with one of her fellow soldiers.

Thoughts:

I don't normally pick up historical fiction. I'm a fantasy nut. It was merely by chance that I picked it up at the library, though I'm not entirely sure it was worth my while.

I did love the idea with taking the life of a real Civil War soldier's life and fleshing it out a bit so that we can see what she went through through her eyes. It's different reading it from a novel than from a textbook. The thought of a girl dressing up as a guy so that she can fight gave me sort of a Disney's Mulan vibe in a way.

A problem with this book was the narrating voice. It's bland and not very interesting, and I honestly didn't know if I could make it all the way through. If the writer had done a better job of engaging us and showing us instead of info-dumping, I think it would have been a much better book.

Even the battles weren't catching my attention. It was just nameless people falling left and right. No one that Sarah was close to fell to enemy fire, and she herself never suffered more than broken ribs and sprained ankles. I know the author had to stick to history and not write that certain people died if they didn't. It's hard to balance the creativity of wanting to make a story your own, and making sure that you don't stray far from actual events.

There is some foul language, which is why I advise the age limit above, and a few scenes where things are a little bit touchy.

Personally this book just didn't click with me. I was bored and not enjoying the characters even though the setting was interesting and well meant.