Sovay

An action packed book filled with scandel, mystery, and revolution.From trying to test her fiances loyalty, to sticking up people while dressed as a man, Sovay is not like any other young lady of her time. She sets out to find her father and brother and to clear the family name. Sovay meets all different types of people, goes through enough action to leave you stunned, and ends up in the most unexpected places with the most unexpected people. This will take you on a wild ride and keep you guessing until the last page.

Reader reviewed by Marla Arbach, Foreign Correspondent



England, 1794.  Spirited young Sovay decides shes tired of living as the pawn of the men in her life, so she takes control and becomes a highwayman.  Thrown into a web of international intrigue, she must keep her head if she is to save herself and the ones she loves.

If youre looking for action and adventure with a plucky, independent heroine, you might enjoy this novel, but I found Celia Rees Sovay pretty disappointing.  Character development is almost completely sacrificed in favour of narration of the main characters adventures, and the action becomes more and more ridiculous as the novel progresses (I almost stopped reading after the part about the mad scientist).  Supporting characters are hardly more than outlines, with the result that its difficult for readers to know which (if any) is a viable love interest for the heroine (this may be realistic, but its also out of place, it seems to me, in a grand historical adventure). Even the historical setting does not really ring true until the last act:  this novel gets a whole lot better once Sovay and her companions are caught up in the French Revolution.  Those scenes did feel real, and its too bad the first 300 pages werent of the same quality.

It felt to me as if this high-action, low-character-development novel was written especially to be turned into a big-budget movie starring Keira Knightley or the latest it girl.  If thats to your taste, go for it, youll probably enjoy this novel.  If not, there are many other better choices set in England at around the same time period, for example, Ann Turnbulls No Shame, No Fear and its sequel, or Katherine Sturtevants At the Sign of the Star and its sequel, all of which I have also reviewed on this site.

Reader reviewed by Insert Book Title

Its England, 1783. When the rich and beautiful Sovay isnt sitting for portraits, shes donning a mans cloak and robbing travelersin broad daylight. But in a time when political allegiances between France and England are strained, a rogue bandit is not the only thing travelers fear. Spies abound, and rumors of sedition can quickly lead to disappearances. So when Sovay lifts the wallet of one of Englands most powerful and dangerous men, its not just her own identity she must hide, but that of her father. A dazzling historical saga in which the roles of thieves and gentry, good and bad, and men and women are interchanged to riveting effect.