Book Review: Queen of Swords by Sara Donati

Queen of Swords, the 5th installment in Donati’s “Into the Wilderness” Series, continues the cliffhanger from the 4th. It stays focused on Hannah, Luke and Jennet and their struggle to first regain Luke and Jennet’s baby and then to get out of New Orleans during the middle of the Battle for New Orleans in 1814.

I enjoyed this book. In fact, I’ve enjoyed all of the books in the series. Revisiting the characters is like going to a family reunion, only one in which I control the time (that I read!), if not the events. I did miss Elizabeth and wanted more of her story—especially since she has the baby “predicted” in book 4. However, I do understand Donati’s need to focus on these three characters as they grow up and develop into adults. I enjoyed getting to know them better, especially the friendship that develops between Jennet and Hannah.

My two concerns with the book are definitely making me think through some pre-conceived notions I have had. First, I would think that after Hannah’s ordeal that she would have to experience more turmoil to recover, the same with Jennet who is kidnapped for a year. However, other than a few minor outbursts of emotion, they seem to be getting along fine and adjusting to the life and what it has thrown at them. I have to think through whether I find this good or not.

The second issue I have is the portrayal of southern slave owners, especially in apparent disregard for the fact that slavery was a national issue up to the early 1800s. With the exception of the Livingstons, all of the slave owners are horrible, horrible people. What makes the owning of slaves such a difficult issue is that combined with the owning of humans for labor and the moral issues that go along with that, the owners were also humans who could be compassionate, loving and nice. They were not all depraved all of the time. The complexity of this human-ness is one of the things I find missing in Queen of Swords, and something that Donati usually does very well. I can’t remember a “stock” character in any of her other books (and I’ve read them all now except for Homestead which is in my library to be read soon), but her slave owners felt very much to me like Simon Legree from Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin. (And please note that I’m not saying there weren’t horrible people like that in the South, because we wouldn’t have the stories we have if there weren’t, but they weren’t all gambling drunks who rape, beat and otherwise mutilate their slaves.)

I did enjoy this book and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys Donati’s or Lippi’s work, or a good historical romance that isn't afraid to challenge your suppositions and make you think about the issues of the day while weaving a good story on top of it. She is a very good writer who manages to get the details right. You love her characters and want to get to know them better. When I’m reading one of her books, I think about it when I'm not reading, which really encourages me to get back to it, and I’m always rewarded when I do!