Zoe Sivak

I really, really wanted to like this book. Its a fun premise (a bisexual biracial woman flees a revolution in Haiti only to find herself in the middle of the French Revolution) that I haven't really seen before. Unfortunately, the main character just didn't really click for me, and since the entire book is told from her POV that made this one more of a slog than it needed to be. My main complaint seemed to be that we as readers are told multiple times that Sylvie wants "safety" and that her search for it is her primary motivator. She develops an obsession with Robespierre based on her belief that he will keep her 'safe.' And yet, every time she is given the option, she chooses the exact opposite of safety. She turns down an opportunity to leave France entirely with her wealthy aunt. She seduces Robespierre's lover even though discovery of that affair would have ruined them both. When he is at his most unstable she breaks their engagement. While these could have been explained away (and actually could have made her a more nuanced character) they really weren't in the text. The reader is led to think "well maybe she was conflicted about this" rather than really understanding Sylvie's motivation behind her choices.… (more)

As the daughter of a rich white planter and a slave, Sylvie has trouble with her identify and where she belongs. When Sylvie and her family are forced to leave during the Saint-Domingue uprising, she finds herself in France. There, she meets Robespierre and his paramour, Cornelie Duplay.

I hate to say this, but this book felt like a cheap harlequin romance novel. I found Sylvie a bit of a snob and hard to like. Most of the secondary characters felt stereotypical. I found it really hard to get into the story. Overall, not a book I would recommend or reread.… (more)

Opening in the Caribbean, this novel traces the tumultuous history of slavery, rebellion, and revolution in the late 18th century. Sylvie, the biracial daughter of a white planter and a slave, is freed at birth and expects to live a life of luxury and privilege, albeit separate from her white siblings. A slave revolt, however, changes the course of her life. Fleeing violence in her island homeland, Sylvie and her brother find themselves in revolutionary Paris and embroiled in the politics of their neighbor Maximillian Robespierre. This novel does what good historical fiction does so well: place fictional characters in very real events and offer the perspective of someone who witnessed history. This book was compelling and I appreciated the character development throughout. An excellent read that connects the history of the Haitian and French Revolution to today's politics.… (more)