A snappy, flowing, if a bit surface level historical fiction novel about the famous Joan of Arc, this book was fine as far as it went, but for me did not go far enough. I can’t quite articulate what was missing but I was expecting something more from this novel. The pacing was a little off for me as the reader spends what feels like over half the book dealing with Joan’s horrific childhood. Other events are only very briefly touched on and whole years pass in moments. Sieges and battles are the matter of a few sentences.

Joan herself is a fascinating character though. This author makes Joan perhaps more of a warrior than she was in history, but it’s so entertaining that I hardly care. The reader, like the French peasantry, cannot help but be won over by Joan and wish to see her work miracles.

Overall this book did entertain me and make me very interested in learning about the historical Joan of Arc.