Exile for Dreamers

Today's post is on Exile for Dreamers by Kathleen Baldwin. It is the second in her Stranje House series. It is 384 pages long and is published by Tor Teen. The cover has the main character with her back to the reader walking to Stranje House. The intended reader is young adult, likes historical fiction with strong romance themes, and just a little magic. There is no foul language, no sex, and only mild violence in this book. The story is told from first person close of the main character. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- It’s 1814. Napoleon has escaped his imprisonment on Elba. Europe is in shambles. Britain is at war on four fronts. And at Stranje House, a School for Unusual Girls, five young ladies are secretly being trained for a world of spies, diplomacy, and war.

Tess Aubreyson can’t run far enough or fast enough to escape the prophetic dreams that haunt her. Dreams bring nothing but death and grief, and Tess refuses to accept that she may be destined for the same madness that destroyed her mother. Until her disturbing dreams become the only means of saving Lord Ravencross, the man she loves, and her fellow students at Stranje House. Tess’s old friend, the traitorous Lady Daneska, and Ghost, the ruthless leader of the Iron Crown, have returned to England, intent on paving the way for Napoleon’s invasion. Can the young ladies of Stranje House prevail once more? Or is England destined to fall into the hands of the power-mad dictator?

Review- An excellent sequel that will leave you wanting more. I really enjoyed the first Stranje House novel but I was worried about changing main characters for the second story. I should not have been. I loved reading about Tess and Gabriel's story. They are fun characters who get in over their heads but act like it was all their own idea the whole time. With Tess' fear of passing down her visions, she believes that she cannot be with anyone. Gabriel, now that he has found someone to love, he is not going to just let her be. Add in all the drama of a French invasion, a half-mad American inventor, and all of the personalities of the other young women and you have one interesting and fun tale. Tess grows so much over the course of this book and I'm sad to see her take a background place from now on but I really had fun with her. I can't wait for the next volume in this series.

I give this novel a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this novel from my local library.