The Wicked and the Just by J. Anderson Coats
I so wanted to like this book. It's historical fiction. It takes place in the UK. Both of these are things I love in a book, but it was hard to like this book because of the characters. There are two: Cecily and Gwinnie.
Cecily moves to Caernarvon with her father, against her wishes. She'd rather move to Edgeley, but can't because it doesn't rightfully belong to her father, being the younger son. She fully intends to be the lady of the house in Caernarvon because she is of age to do so, and her mother has long since passed away. That doesn't work out for her at all. The house that they live in because her father is to become a burgess comes with two Welsh women as servants. One is her own age, and defies Cecily almost the instant they meet.
Gwinnie is the servant girl in the house that should have been her own, had the English not come and ruined things. Instead, she lives in a hovel outside the gates of the town. There's not enough to eat, her mother is on her deathbed, her father is dead by hanging, and her brother aspires to be one of the rebels.
There was potential for these two characters to be great, but they weren't. Cecily was a huge brat. If things didn't go her way, she threw a tantrum of sorts. Gwinnie was not much different. She didn't take the time to know a person. If they were English, then they were to be hated.
I felt this book had so much potential, but due to the unlikable characters, it was hard to enjoy.
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