Review: Daring Passage
Book Two of the Spirited Away Saga takes us into the teeth of the storm, where Freddy, Colin, Birdie and the children flee from Barbados in their quest to find a place to call home. Sailing to America brings its own terrors complete with colonial politics, religious persecution, and the ever-present fear of having someone discover that they're runaway slaves. Even in the New World, freedom is not truly free and a slip of the tongue could destroy everything.
Maggie Plummer continues an excellent story in Daring Passage. Freddy and Birdie are still the strong and sweet women we met in Book One, and we are lucky to learn more about Colin, with the story being told both by Colin and Freddy in alternating chapters. The author really makes the past come alive as we meet corrupt customs officials, Quaker Friends, and the every day colonials.
While I loved that the author was able to show us that the colonials weren't either good or bad, we were limited to seeing well-off officials and plantation owners. While I would have loved more interaction with the every day people of that era, the story revolves around their journey through the wilds to find Birdie's people, with the hardships carefully written so they are not overlooked nor made to be overbearing.
I highly recommend reading this book, especially if you are interested in the early colonial days and interactions with the native people. This is not a stand-alone story, however, and you will want to read the first book - Spirited Away - in order to get the most out of this tale. I'm happy to say that this second book is as strong and well-written as the first, and I look forward to reading other stories by this author.
Thank you to the author for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
-------------------
If you enjoyed my review, please help me share it by marking it as being helpful on Amazon. I have included the link to the Amazon review in the Source section at the bottom of this review.
5
