Release Date: June 23, 2020; Delacorte Press
Young Adult, Historical Fiction
About the book:
A reimagining of the story behind Agent 355--a New York society girl and spy for George Washington during the Revolutionary War--perfect for fans of Tatiana de Rosnay's Sarah's Key and the novels of Julie Berry.
Rebellious Frannie Tasker knows little about the war between England and its thirteen colonies in 1776, until a shipwreck off her home in Grand Bahama Island presents an unthinkable opportunity. The body of a young woman floating in the sea gives Frannie the chance to escape her brutal stepfather--and she takes it.
Assuming the identity of the drowned Emmeline Coates, Frannie is rescued by a British merchant ship and sails with the crew to New York. For the next three years, Frannie lives a lie as Miss Coates, swept up in a courtship by a dashing British lieutenant. But after witnessing the darker side of the war, she realizes that her position gives her power. Soon she finds herself eavesdropping on British officers, risking everything to pass information on to George Washington's Culper spy ring as agent 355. Frannie believes in the fight for American liberty--but what will it cost her? Inspired by the true "355" and rich in historical detail and intrigue, this is the story of an unlikely New York society girl turned an even unlikelier spy.
"I sank into a deep curtsy.
Then I rose, a lady."
I have to be honest, YA historical fiction is not the kind of genre I often find myself reading. I'm pretty sure I could count on one hand the number of books I've read that fall into this category.
But when I had the chance to read Rebel Spy I just knew I had to give this book a shot. The cover looks AMAZING (I cannot stop staring!) and the premise really intrigued me. I know next to nothing about Agent 355. So I figured why not rectify that and dive into this one?
Rebel Spy started a bit too slow for me. It started to pick up pace around the 20-30 percent mark. It was a good call on my part not DNF-ing this. And although it's a bit disappointing that there wasn't much spying that went on (as the title had me believe), I really enjoyed seeing Frannie's character evolve. Veronica Rossi wrote a very character driven story. Frannie grew into the person she is through questioning her beliefs and discovering for herself what it truly means to fight for what you believe is just and true. I wasn't such a huge fan of Frannie in the beginning but over time she became someone I admired for her strength and resilience. I also really love her knowledge on wreck diving and the sea and her love for it. But the romance, honestly, I feel like I could have gone without.
Overall, this is a very interesting and enjoyable read. Would definitely endeavor to read more historical fiction from now on!
I received an e-arc to read and review.
“Loyalty isn’t fealty. Nor is it duty. It can’t be demanded or coerced into being. It must be given freely, like love, and one feels it here.” He brought a hand to his heart.
“In the seventh fathom the sea’s no longer wanting to spit you out. It wraps you up like a blanket, and you can relax and float now ’ cause it’s got you. It’s holding you and you can just stay there, nothing pulling at you. Nothing pushing. Your heart beats real slow and you feel so calm, like you’re drifting in a wakeful sleep. Now you can do your best daydreaming ’cause it feels a little like you already are."
'I’ve lived for something more, and it’s you, and it’s love, and liberty, and friendship, and hope, all the other mores that can ever be.'
VERONICA ROSSI is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the UNDER THE NEVER SKY series. She was born in Rio de Janeiro, grew up in California, and graduated from UCLA. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and two sons, one of whom just surpassed her in height.
Find her online at veronicarossi.com or on Twitter at @rossibooks.
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