A young woman fighting for her faith and her freedom in a dangerous new world.
***Contains spoilers for those who have not read Book 1***
Daughter of the Shadows is the second book in the Defying the Crown series, by historical fiction author, Kerry Chaput. In Book 1, Daughter of the King, we see beautiful and rebellious Isabelle Collette struggling with poverty and persecution in pre-Revolutionary France, and in Book 2, we see her grow into a fully-fledged Daughter of the King in the new world of Canada.
Under the Daughters of the King program, established by Sun King, Louis XIV, underprivileged young women in France were offered incentives to immigrate to Canada. Here, they were given a package including land, a trousseau and money in return for marrying the local settlers and producing offspring. But Isabelle’s decision to accept the King’s offer is a difficult one, as it means compromising her faith, her true love and even her people, and she struggles to adjust to the life expected of her. Isabelle’s conflicting emotions lead her to become involved in dangerous political and personal intrigue, as she fights to help those she left behind.
Daughter of the Shadows is a fast-paced, exciting read, full of sumptuous description and high emotion. Isabelle is a thrilling protagonist, whose courage and physical daring is matched by her compassion and intellect. If you love historical fiction and stories of the heroic women omitted from the history books, you’re going to love Daughter of the Shadows by Kerry Chaput.