Title: Stone FieldAuthor: Christy Lenzi
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult Fiction
Publication Date: March 29, 2016
Rating:
In a small town on the brink of the Civil War, Catrina finds a man making strange patterns in her family’s sorghum crop. He’s mad with fever, naked, and strikingly beautiful. He has no memory of who he is or what he’s done before Catrina found him in Stone Field. But that doesn’t bother Catrina because she doesn’t like thinking about the things she’s done before either.
Catrina and Stonefield fall passionately, dangerously, in love. All they want is to live with each other, in harmony with the land and away from Cat’s protective brother, the new fanatical preacher, and the neighbors who are scandalized by their relationship. But Stonefield can’t escape the truth about who he is, and the conflict tearing apart the country demands that everyone take a side before the bloodbath reaches their doorstep.
Inspired by Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights.
❃ I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. ❃
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Review: Stone Field by Christy Lenzi
Stone Field by Christy Lenzi is so different from anything I’ve ever read! This Wuthering Heights retelling features a brave main character who goes against society. Even though I found the pacing of the book to be a bit off, the incredible writing overpowered that fact.
❀ Daring and Clever Main Character
I absolutely adored the main character in Stone Field, Cat. She is daring and clever, two traits I like to see in a main character. Cat rebels against society and stereotypes by wearing pants, which is frowned upon in the society of the book. I was really glad to see an enjoyable character in the b0ok since the books I have been reading lately have really been lacking in that area.
❀ Pacing is Lacking
While I did find this book to be enjoyable, the pacing in Stone Field was somewhat lacking. From the very beginning, the romance is developed. The characters fall immediately in love, which bothered me a little. The book was a mix of super fast-paced scenes, and other scenes that dragged on a bit. I was fine with the occasional slow scene, but if you aren’t a fan of instalove, this book may not be for you.
❀ A Well-Written Novel
That being said, Stone Field is an extremely well-written novel. The characters and the scene are very developed, which I appreciated. Also, there are some pretty deep themes, like racism and war. Themes of racism in YA books is becoming a lot less common, so this really interested me. It is refreshing to read a more serious book every once in a while.
❀ Perfect for Historical fans
Stone Field by Christy Lenzi is a historical novel with a brave main character who defies the rules of society. Though I found the pacing to be a bit off, the beautiful writing in the book made up for it. Fans of the historical genre will certainly appreciate this book!
Book Quotes: Stone Field by Christy Lenzi
“I don’t give a damn about being proper. It’s just a mess of rules that people make up so they can have a say in other people’s business.”
About Christy Lenzi
Christy enjoys re-imagining well-known tales in unusual ways. She lives in California's Central Valley.
About The Candid Cover
Olivia ❀ Canadian YA book blogger, Starbucks lover, & professional bibliophile.
I’m fascinated! And the cover is gorgeous. Thanks for the review!
This sounds like a well-written, interesting book. I’m not one for retellings, but I did just finish A Wicked Thing, which I really enjoyed, so I think it just depends. In my book, the MC tries to challenge the happily ever after trope, which was great. So for the MC in this book also challenging the rules, it sounds like something I might enjoy. Sad the pacing was off though. Lovely review!
I haven’t tried A Wicked Thing. I will definitely need to check it out! 🙂
I am not exactly thrilled to hear about the insta-love romance, or the slow pacing in parts, but the book sounds so good that I am just going to ignore the not so great in favor of the awesome!
I hope that you enjoy it. Those things can definitely be real turn-offs for me, too. I guess I just felt committed to finishing this one and the storyline was interesting. I hope that you enjoy it! 🙂
This sounds so interesting but I am a bit concerned about the pacing of the story especially the almost insta-love which is something I hate in books. I am still interested and will keep an eye out for when it’s released.
This sounds awesome! I love Wuthering Heights, so I’m excited to see the similarities with this book. Also, forbidden romance (or at least, I think it’s forbidden) is my favorite type-of-romance, so I’ll look forward to read this 🙂 Lovely review!
It sounds like this book might be the right fit for you! I hope that you enjoy it! 🙂
Happy to hear you enjoyed this book! This book sounds like such an amazing read and I would pick up this book just off of the cover alone!
That cover is gorgeous, isn’t it? <3
I am torn on whether to get this book or not. I have heard that pacing was a problem for a lot of people. I am glad to hear you enjoyed it! Great review!
I’m always scared to read new takes on classic novels.