I loved this book so much. It was so much fun to read! The adventure kept me on the edge of my seat. The characters were fully formed and thoughtfully written. The relationships between the characters felt so real and complicated. I feel inspired to write, create art, and explore after this! What a treat!!

This was AMAZING!! I am mourning the fact that I finished this story.
Ivey's writing is incredibly beautiful from the descriptions of the wilderness to the professions of love. It's slow paced in the best way, with just the right amount of adventures perils. Do check the content warnings as there is a specific happening that may be triggering to some, but that topic was handled with love and care.

For those who read the Snow Child and didn't appreciate the sudden random romance but loved the meditations of love and wilderness, I think you would like this one much better. There is still romance, but it's written so beautifully and intertwined so seamlessly. It's written in a way that makes me want to be a better partner as well as raise my standards of how I should be loved.

I'm not totally sure what to say about this one. I absolutely loved The Snow Child, and I thought I'd love this one too, but it didn't grip me the same way. I think it's biggest strength is also its biggest weakness. It's told in letters, which make it feel so grounded in history that I nearly Googled a bunch of things after finishing, even though it's fiction. But I think this style of narration was also the reason I had a harder time connecting to the story. It all felt very distant, and it was hard to really care about the characters the same way. Although I will say that I got misty at the end, so that's something! 

I'm glad I read it in winter, as it's so fitting, and the extra illustrations and photographs really added to the magic. And it is a little magical. I thought I was reading straight historical fiction, and then things got WEIRD. So if you're looking for historical fiction that feels super true to life with a big dose of magical realism, this would be a good one!