A joy to read--from the 18th century banter and slang, to the extremely tough choices and day to day our main characters faced. I loved Analissa's development and the way she viewed the world, allowing us a different facet of the Revolutionary War in which to gaze. I'm overall a huge fan of family dynamics--particulary brother-sister dynamics--in books and this books delivered in that regard. For a new spin on an era ripe with the the heavy hand of war... for a look into characters we don't often see in historical fiction...For a rollercoaster of events and situations all woven into a colonial/Revolutionary New England, please read Muskets and Minuets.

Thankyou to NetGalley and the author for providing this ARC!

Wow, this book was a Journey with a capital J.

Muskets and Minuets follows the story of Annalisa Howlett from 1769 onwards, as she struggles with her identity and her place in society against the backdrop of impending war. I confess I have never read a book set in this period in American history before, so this was incredibly interesting to learn about. I also really admire how much research must have gone into writing this book! You can tell that it has been very thoughtfully written, with a lot of work and care.

This was a real page turner in such an unexpected way. I usually struggle to fly through books that deal with quite heavy content but I just flew through this one. I loved Annalisa and her whole attitude, and the relationships between the main characters were so well developed over the course of the book. This was a real coming-of-age story for every single one of them and it was beautifully done.

First thing first let me say that I loves historical books, so I had to read this one.
I was expecting something more lighthearted, being the book marked as a ya, but I’d rather found it more dramatic and serious. That’s why I don’t think it suits its category 100%.
It’s still a nice read.

4/5
I loved this! It had my attention drawn from the start and kept it till the very end. The author really makes you fall in love with the characters which is a rarity in novels nowadays. The plot was great and the writing style was good too and I loved the touch of the author adding some slang from the 18th century. I may not know the most about the 18th century but from what I do know it seemed pretty historically accurate which surprised me. Overall I really did love this novel and I would definitely recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.

The historical information in this novel is commendable, particularly the commitment to 1700s sexual slang. I wasn't overly fond of the family drama/back and forth between Annalisa, Jack, and Jane. Annalisa's sexual assault at the hands of Jack's brother deserves a non-existent content warning as that was a major subplot. I feel pretty ambivalent towards this book. It isn't bad, but it didn't impress me and I have a hard time believing teens will appreciate it.

A well documented story led at full speed. We are at the heart of the American quest for independence,
The characters are vividely depicted, and the book is a real page turner. I already recommended the book and can't wait for more !
i received a copy thanks to the publisher, the author, all opinions are mine.

*I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher one exchange for an honest review.*

I shall begin by stating that this book is nothing like I thought it would be. I went into it expecting to read something kind of lighthearted about a girl who preferred guns over dances and then fell in love. While each of those elements are, in fact, part of the book, it was far more . . . dramatic and involved than I had anticipated. Do you want a rollercoaster-ride book? Read this one. You're pretty much on the precipice or the downward slope for most of it. Yes, there are a few breathers, but they are few in number and short in duration, kind of like the recovery periods when I'm doing a HIIT ride on my bike. Now that I think about it, I wonder if this book is the reason I've slept so poorly over the last week. It's been in my head, and I've obsessively worried about fictional characters and the outcome of the story. No joke.

So why only four stars? Clearly this book got under my skin, and I became quite involved with the characters. They felt real--I ached when they were hurting, and I rejoiced in their happiness. (I admit I wanted to introduce a few of them to my fists, as well.) One star has been deducted because of certain content. Initially I found it somewhat hilarious to read all of the 18th Century slang. I suppose, however, that our modern-day slang is just as ridiculous. But I also felt like certain parts of the book focused entirely too much on the dirty slang, as well as the (shall we say) examples of it being put into play. The encounters included felt far too easy, if that makes any sense. At the same time, they were awkward to read even though the character didn't seem to feel awkward with each other. Fortunately, those few sections can be easily skipped over without missing anything pertinent to the story (see Note at the bottom).

The book spans about six years--1769 to 1775. In case you're wondering about the main characters' ages throughout the book, I'll indulge you: Annalisa (13-19), Jane (15-21), Jack (17-23), Oliver (15 or 16-21 or 22), George (18-24), and Abigail (14-20). The book mostly follows Annalisa and Jack with occasional chapters from George.

With the exception of Jane and Oliver, I generally liked the main characters, particularly Annalisa and Jack . . . when they weren't being idiots. Annalisa was fierce and brave, not the typical cultured lady of the time but definitely worthy of admiration for those who are wise enough to see her good qualities. Jack was overall a good man--he was kind, generally honorable, and willing to see past Society's limitations and prejudices. I liked him even more when he stopped being blinded by beauty. Which brings me to Jane, whom I hated with ever-increasing passion throughout the entire book. I think I despised her more even than I disliked Oliver, and that's saying something. I cannot think of a moment in the book when I had a single good thought about her. Where Annalisa was a loving, devoted sister who wanted the best for her siblings even if it hurt her, Jane was a selfish, conniving beast masquerading as a cultured beauty. She was so awful that I projected my feelings towards her onto Jane in Pride and Prejudice, which I turned on last night as I tried to fall asleep. And then I think about the parents, particularly Mrs. Howlett. That woman was so blinded by and obsessed with her eldest daughters' beauty and practiced culture that she practically shunned Annalisa at times and treated her as inferior to Jane, steamrolling over her as she tried to further her and Jane's agenda. George repeatedly proved himself a loving and loyal brother, especially to Annalise, and I liked him for that. His drunkenness and loud mouth, however, turned me off from admiring him beyond that.

Aside from educating me in 18th Century dirty talk, this book brought to mind other elements from the Revolutionary War that I hadn't previously given any consideration. For example, with the Civil War, we talk a lot about how divided the country was, sometimes with family members fighting against each other. But that's not really something I had associated with the Revolutionary War, and yet it was the case. Within the Howlett and Perkins families, some members were Patriots and others were Loyalists. Obviously, that combined with other opinions and situations created what at times felt like a war within and between the families that paralleled relations between England and the colonies. Very interesting.

And, as I mention before, a complete roller coaster. I suppose that's what kept me so engaged that I was able to finish a 500-page book during my children's first full week back at school and in their normal busy schedules. While I am a bit sad to leave Jack and Annalisa behind in the pages of their book, I do hope I manage to get some actual sleep in the coming nights.

Note: Some mild swearing and a lot of dirty 18th Century slang. A few sexual scenes (you can skip chapter 41 and the first section in chapter 71). War violence.

This is a very well written and well researched historical fiction! I was sucked into the world and flew through this novel very quickly. I would recommend this book to anyone, young or old, as it is written for a wide audience. I hope this author will continue to write historical fiction!

Muskets and Minuets just wasn’t memorable. I didn’t really enjoy this mainly because of the time period it was set in. I’m not a fan of the Revolutionary era. I think this would’ve been more memorable or enjoyable if this was set in a different era.

A delightful and adventurous novel set during the Revolution! Annalisa is a young woman who dreads balls, gowns, and the idea of marriage. She prefers to follow her older brother and help with the fighting. An accident left her scared but it adds to her flare. As she meets difficult times as the war begins, she finds George and finds her heart is affected and she wonders if she can accept the idea of marriage and love after all. This is a YA novel but full of good historical fiction too, and the romance is sweet. I don't read many YA novels but this one was very good especially because of the setting.
* Posted to my blog.

As a lover of historical fiction, i really appreciate and feel empowered by the author's attempt to re-write and improve history. This book is exceptionally well-written and Annalisa is empowering in all of the best ways.

I really enjoyed this book. It is historically accurate and very interesting. I enjoyed the plot and really got into the story line. The author made me care about the main characters. They were described so well. Her descriptions of the times seemed quite accurate. I loved that she even used slang that was accurate to the times. I would recommend this book to a high school class, and would love to discuss this book with a class.

*An eARC was provided in exchange for an honest review*

3.5/5 Stars

"How quickly those memories turned from perfume to gunpowder."

This book was an absolute DELIGHT.

I'll admit, I was worried at the very beginning because the main character, Annalisa Howlett, radiated "pick-me-girl" energy and I didn't know how much of that I could take. But this book quickly exceeded my expectations and evolved into much more than the YA Historical Fiction tale I originally took it to be.

The story follows a small cast of intimately conjoined characters as they navigate love and loyalty against the backdrop of the American Revolution. Since the narrative takes place over the course of six-ish years, there's room for believable and honest character development. If you're a Revolutionary history buff, you'll notice nods to numerous notable figures of the time.

It is obvious that Fera did a great deal of research in writing this book, as the dialogue and diction are indicative of the era. Luckily, the author provides a dense glossary of terms in the back if you're unfamiliar with terms like, "sluice your gob" or "Zounds!" I, of course, did not find this until the end.

There was some light spice in this book, which I was not expecting at all (but hey I ain't complaining).

At some points during this book I had trouble keeping track of which characters were speaking or where they were during their dialogue, so that left a bit to be desired. The middle part of the book dragged tremendously, and then felt rushed to the end.

I will point out that there is description of a sexual assault, and the characters cope with those repercussions throughout the entire book. This content might be sensitive for readers.

Overall, a great read for ages 14+. Especially on 4th of July weekend. While it wasn't perfect, there were some really amazing passages that I bookmarked for later. Plus, the cover art is AMAZING. I would definitely display this book on my shelf.

*I received this book as a digital ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you to NetGalley and GenZ Publishing for the ARC.

I feel like such a curmudgeon as of late, but man, this book is just missing the mark on a lot of points. The premises itself has potential, but the execution is lacking. In addition to that, it felt like the author was trying to jam as much Britiish-sounding slang from the time period in. I don’t know the author's nationality, but the way she jams this story full of “‘tis” and “plums” and “bloody” make me think of my early high school attempts at Dr. Who fanfiction. I understand and respect that Fera is attempting to add authenticity, but for me it has the opposite effect.

The main character is basically whatever the equivalent Mary Sue would be called in the 1700s. There are ways to write a contrary woman in historical fiction, and this just missed the mark.

Overall, this came off as a wordy, overly-descriptive novel about a “not like other girls” girl during the revolutionary period. There are a few pretty obvious plot holes, and I really think this book could have done with a bit longer on the chopping block. It may be a YA book, but it explains things like a juvenile novel would.

Fera's book is set during the five years leading up to the American Independence and the American Revolutionary War. We follow three (as far as I understood it) upper-class young people: Annalisa Howlett, her older brother George Howlett and one of his relations Jack Perkins as their world slowly developes into the Revolutionary War.

I liked the fact that we followed our three main characters over the course of five years to get some context. As a Swedish person I must say that my knowledge of American history is - sadly - lacking so it was interesting to get a sort of glimpse into these five years before the Revolutionary War and it made me interested in picking up a non-fiction book about this period to fill that hole in my education and knowledge of the world!

However, the story itself wasn't that interesting to me. I found it quite hard to connect to either of the three main characters, I don't feel as if I got to know them as much as I maybe would have liked. One storyline I did enjoy was the storyline about Annalisa's enlistment in the army under a male name - that was interesting and I would have like that to be developed further than the love story we got in the end.

All in all - it's an okay read just not for me perhaps. Also, what a beautiful cover!

This was an interesting book!!
The bond between George and Annalisa is touching, the language was a bit confusing but the rest of the book was splendid!!
Thank you netgalley for a copy!

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

Oh my this book had me at the edge of my seat the whole ride! Beautifully written and amazing history.