I didn't remember much but, as soon as I flipped through the copy, it came back. I'll leave the stars because it's incredibly informative about Vicksburg and the outsider view is a nice take. But I didn't particularly want to know anything more about any of the characters. They seemed rather flat against the tragic backdrop of the Civil War. ( )

Although the setup for the story was a bit clunky and I was not totally convinced all the history was completely correct, once the story got going it was very interesting. I knew some of the story of the siege of Vicksburg but the reality of it was portrayed very effectively. I had a bit of trouble with the Southern Belle character and her over the top accent, she seemed utterly ahistorical, but overall a well-done YA novel.

This book was a little sad for me in the beginning. Rosemary's mother died and left her and her brother, Dereck, orphans. So they leave England and set off to America. Once in America, things start off well but do get pretty ugly. I was a bit shocked at what happened at the end but overall, the book kept my attention.