Sarah Ravellen's Reviews > Blue Hawk

I felt genuine sadness when I came to the end of the book because I’d bonded with the characters and didn’t want to leave them. It’s the sign of a good book.
I felt engaged with the main character of Joan, through following her passion and determination to defy convention by learning cloth-dyeing. I felt for her as she negotiated the highs and lows of life and faced the challenges of being a woman in 17th century England. The book includes strong themes of female friendship and explores complex personal relationships made harder by poverty and societal expectations of a woman’s place.
This debut novel was crafted with the flair and accomplishment of a mature writer. What struck me were the rich descriptions of weaving and the cloth-dyeing process. I was impressed by the author’s thorough research into all aspects of the clothing industry which she expertly wove into the story. I loved Joan’s close affinity with nature as she gathered plant and insect material to get exactly the right colours for her cloth. I did occasionally think the sentences were too long in places which at times forced me to stop and reread them, but it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book overall.
I love discovering a new author to get excited about and I’m going to immediately read Witches Sail in Eggshells.
Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced review copy of this book.