The Passion of Dolssa by Julie Berry

Amazon/Barnes & Noble

Release Date: April 12, 2016

Published by: Viking Books for Young Readers

Review by: Dani Hoots

*Was given a copy through First to Read for my honest review*

I must write this account, and when I have finished, I will burn it.

Buried deep within the archives of a convent in medieval France is an untold story of love, loss, and wonder and the two girls at the heart of it all.

Dolssa is an upper-crust city girl with a secret lover and an uncanny gift. Branded a heretic, she’s on the run from the friar who condemned her mother to death by fire, and wants Dolssa executed, too.

Botille is a matchmaker and a tavern-keeper, struggling to keep herself and her sisters on the right side of the law in their seaside town of Bajas.

When their lives collide by a dark riverside, Botille rescues a dying Dolssa and conceals her in the tavern, where an unlikely friendship blooms. Aided by her sisters and Symo, her surly but loyal neighbor, Botille nurses Dolssa back to health and hides her from her pursuers.  But all of Botille’s tricks, tales, and cleverness can’t protect them forever, and when the full wrath of the Church bears down upon Bajas, Dolssa’s passion and Botille’s good intentions could destroy the entire village.

*Description taken from Amazon*

This story is quite an interesting take on women in medieval France. I found all the characters to be very interesting, especially Dolssa with her “gift”. I was rooting for her through it all and the author definitely had a lasso on my heart.

The author did a great job finding the voice of the character. I didn’t like how it was in first person but had the view point of some other characters in third person. It was confusing, although the copy I received from the publisher through First to Read some reason didn’t have quote marks or apostrophe (not a problem readers will have if they purchase) so I found some scenes to be even more confusing as I didn’t know if they were talking or thinking. Even with that though I was able to follow along and be engaged throughout the book.

If you like historical fiction and strong women characters, check out this novel. I give it a 4/5 because there was room for improvement on how it was delivered, as I didn’t like the first person to third person view points.