Deborah Challinor is a well known New Zealand author and historian. She has written both fiction and non-fiction books, notably historical fiction and history books about Vietnam soldiers and the consequences of their service in the Vietnam conflict on the health of them and their subsequent children.
I've read a number of her books and enjoyed them, and as soon as I can get my boxes out of storage and unpack my books and get them back on my shelves I will review those books too.
Currently Deborah Challinor is living in New South Wales Australia, writing a series of books based on four girls transported to Sydney Australia as convicts from London. Girl of Shadows is the second book of that series, and I have previously reviewed the first book, Behind the Sun. You can read more about Deborah Challinor and her books on her website.
The first book Behind the Sun was released in 2012, and this book was released in 2013. So I am anticipating that the third book of the series will be released in 2014.... and I can barely wait as I have enjoyed the first two immensely.
As the characters were firmly established in the first book, Behind the Sun, this book quickly gets stuck into the action. Only Friday, Sarah and Harriet are in this book, after the tragic loss of Rachel, and they are haunted by the revenge they took on behalf of poor Rachel.
Many other main and secondary characters return in this book, and some new ones are introduced. One reoccurring character is Bella Jackson, who knows of their secret revenge and is blackmailing them.
The doctor from the Isla pines for Harriet, who will not make anything of his advances because of his actions after Rachel died. Harriet has fallen on her feet though, being placed with a family who are also tailors and dressmakers. Her artistic talents are soon discovered and put to use.
Sarah has fallen on her feet working for Adam Green, the jeweller, but his wife Esther is a thorn in her side. Sarah decides to take matters into her own hands where Esther is concerned, and this has results that surprise even her.
Friday is working in a brothel that has rather high standards and she is popular. But she fights the demons of her actions with booze and bears the burden of the blackmailing. She knows someone is out to get her and her friends, but she can't quite put her finger on it.
This book engrossed me and took me on a journey to Sydney 1830. It certainly is not the Sydney I'd like to visit, but to read about what this town was like so early on in its existence and to compare it to the Sydney today is quite fascinating.
The story is still full of Challinor's descriptions of the times and places and people, but the plot moves a long at a pace to keep you engaged.
And then it is the end of the book, and you realise that the next book in the series is not yet in the shops and probably won't be for another nine or ten months, and you grieve that you are leaving these characters prematurely, before you know their fates.....
