The Girl in the Mask // Book Review

I recently finished reading what I think is probably my first historical fiction novel of the year! How crazy is that? Don't worry though, this book reintroduced my love for historical fiction so I'll be reading a lot more during the last couple months of the year!

The book that I read was The Girl in the Mask by Marie-Louise Jensen (one of my favourite authors!)

Just to let you know, this is a spoiler free review!

Let's go!

Title: The Girl in the Mask by Marie-Louise Jensen

Format: Paperback

Pages: 311

Published by: Oxford University Press in March 2012

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Romance

Goodreads page here.

Goodreads Synopsis:

'Set in Georgian England, fifteen-year-old Sophia is trapped by the limitations of living in a man's world. Forced by her father to give up everything she loves, Sophia is ordered to make a new life in Bath. By day, she is trapped in the social whirl of balls and masquerades. By night, she secretly swaps her ball gowns for breeches, and turns to highway robbery to get her revenge ...When one man begins to take a keen interest in her, Sophia must keep her distance, or risk unmasking her secret life.'

My Review:

The Girl in the Mask is set during the year of 1715, when the main character Sophia receives a surprise visit from her father, who has been out of the country for the past few years. This isn't a joyful reunion, they despise of each other and it's when Sophia is forced to give up her hobbies and only friend to live in Bath and become a 'lady' that she decides enough is enough. Sophia starts to make a life for herself, even though there's a huge risk that she will end up being punished or worse yet, left in the hands of her awful aunt.

I couldn't help but love the main character in this story, Sophia. She is so brave and did a wonderful job of sticking up for herself, not letting men take control. This book shows just how awful it used to be for women, they were forced into wearing uncomfortable clothing, doing boring tasks and they weren't even allowed to walk a long distance without being stared at. Sophia, however, bent these rules and decided to do what she wants to do, which involves walking across fields, sneaking out at night and wearing boy's clothes.

Another character that I loved was Sophia's good friend Jenny, she was also so brave and feisty. But she earned her money by stealing, which is something that I didn't enjoy reading about but I guess that's just what happened in those days!

“The punishment itself could never be as bad as the anticipation”  

This book is told in Sophia's perspective and you really do end up feeling sorry for her, she doesn't deserve to be cooped up all day in a stuffy room forced to sit with her aunt. I absolutely hated Sophia's father and aunt, no wonder Sophia was so unhappy. All they cared about was marrying Sophia off to a rich man to make the family name more popular.

At times, this book was a little bit slow but that doesn't last for long as it often quickly picks up the pace. I loved the last few chapters where Sophia and Mr Charleton have to race against time to do something very important. I didn't always like Mr Charleton, I found him a bit annoying to begin with but by the end of the book I ended up loving the character.

During this era, there was a big uproar about the King George I, not many people believed he had the right to become King. So, I also learnt a lot about that which I found interesting. Without it taking over the story, there's also another secret plot going on in this book involving the rebellions going across the country. This plot all comes together really well at the end, it was so exciting and fun to read. 

I really enjoyed learning more about this time period, Marie-Louise Jensen is excellent at writing historical fiction and I'm really looking forward to reading more of her books soon!

One of the best things about this genre of books is that not only are they enjoyable, but you're also learning a lot as well. And what's better than that?!

I have to say it again, I loved the ending of this book. I feel like everything finished perfectly and I'd even really enjoy reading a sequel (So yeah, if you're reading this Marie-Louise Jensen, pretty please can we have a sequel? It would make me very happy.)

I have given this book a strong four out of five stars.

You will enjoy this book if you enjoyed...

The Tethering by Megan O'Russell

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I hope you enjoyed this review!

Have you read any of Marie-Louise Jensen's books?