Tour! A Review of Plantation Nation by Mercedes King

Plantation Nation by Mercedes King
Genre: Young Adult (Historical Fiction)
Date Published: May 27, 2014
Publisher: Astraea Press

Emma Cartwright survives a traumatic event on her family's rice plantation and soon decides she must take a personal stand in the fight against slavery. Leaving her home and all she's ever known, she heads to Washington, D.C. and joins the Union Army--disguised as a young man. Despite the challenges and hardships, she serves as a soldier, nurse, and even spy. But what becomes even more dangerous for Emma is falling in love for the first time.

Plantation Nation by Mercedes King was a very emotional read for me. I love historical fiction, but I usually stear clear of what I think will be sad historical fiction. With this story taking place during the Civil War, I knew there would be a lot of sadness going around, but something made we want to read it anyway. I'm really glad I did. Yes it was sad. Yes I cried. But I also smiled and felt hope for the characters. The story was put together so well, I felt like I was seeing things through the eyes of the characters while I read. The characters were completely fleshed out. I felt what they felt. Needless to say, this book made me very emotional at times. This author did her homework too. I'll be honest, I haven't researched much about the details of the Civil War, but I'm married to a history teacher. So, I kept asking him questions. Did they really do that? Did that really happen? etc etc. His answer was mostly yes. So, I learned a lot while I read too, and it caused me to look things up on my own to learn even more. I love when a book sparks my thirst for knowledge.

Plantation Nation by Mercedes King was kindly provided to me by Reading Addiction Book Tours for review. The opinions are my own.

Emma could no longer raise her head or open her eyes. She tasted her own blood and withered under the sun’s brilliance. Her back and legs throbbed from the lashes with the leather belt. The scent of honeysuckle drifted to her nostrils, but Emma quivered with agony and trepidation. She fought the oblivion that threatened to engulf herfearing it was death.
Her heart searched for a prayer or a plea but nothing came. She wanted to cry out for her father, forgetting he was long dead.
Someone snatched a fistful of Emma’s hair and held up her head.
“Look!” Quinn said through gritted teeth. “Look at what you’ve done.” He touched his mouth to her ear. “Ain’t like he didn’t deserve it, though. Worthless wretch.”
Emma tried again to focus on the scene. At first, through the narrow slits of her swollen eyes, all she saw was a row of brown feet, naked and caked with mud past the ankles, a sure sign that rice planting was underway. She couldn’t find or concentrate on their faces now, but she knew that among the clan of thirteen laborers, Basil’s mother and brother were there watching. Fear reverberated from the mass. Children cried and stirred, but no one moved or averted their eyes. George had insisted.

Mercedes King is an Ohio native and founding member of Sisters in Crime Columbus, Ohio (affectionately dubbed SiCCO). With a degree in Criminology from Capital University and a passion for writing, she crafted O! Jackie, a novel focusing on the private life of Jackie Kennedy. She has also written The Kennedy Chronicles, a series of short stories featuring JFK and Jackie before they were married and before 'Camelot'. Mercedes writes in a variety of genres, including historical and mystery / suspense. In fact, she's working on creating a new genre, 'modern historical'.
Her newest release, Plantation Nation, follows the journey of Emma Cartwright, a 16 year old Southern girl who disguises herself as a young man and joins the Union Army.

To learn more about Mercedes King and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter.

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