The Spymaster's Daughter by Jeane Westin

Elizabethan Age, the time where everything was a hassle, and everything was a battle. A Protestant female with power was not the theme of the story, however Walsingham--her right hand for politics and security--was the angle trying to be worked in this story. Instead, I found it quite dry. Moments of complete theme desertion and in any matter of context or idea just plain boring. There were these few glimpses of interest at the end of dark tunnels, you caught those out whenever you could. But, as I said earlier, they were only glimpses, a few seconds. Those few seconds held cultural insight, age relevance, and the drama our modern day minds require to be able to sift through any type of book. Whether those glimpses are worth reading the book is up to you.
However, if you are knew to historical fiction and are still trying to warm-up then this would be the book for you. It is mostly a romantic story about two people between classes, these types of books are great if you are trying to warm your interest.
My last however is, if you have a high tolerance and practiced pallet for historical fiction you'll see the dry areas painfully clear.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

   Do you know mystery, and thrill? Colorless joy and outstanding mysteries? I'm betting you don't. We live in an era where everything has been discovered, we know everything, even if we can't solve anything. This era has twists around every corner, whether you're in the circus or not. The outside world is not as you see it, those close friends aren't what you think. Those friends are conspirators to a plan, a plan involving the world we know. A plan that pushes people together in ways no one can comprehend, with forces no one can move, and people no one can lose. A circus is the only thing we can comprehend. We still have those, there not as elaborate, or interesting, or bigger then we can manage. There exactly as we see it. The night circus is not. It is a circus, in the actual definition of the word. Traveling company of acrobats, trained animals, and clowns that give performances, typically in large tents, in a series of different places. Acrobats, well the Night Circus does have a very social acrobat Tsukiko, she was part of the circus forever and always. Bending in shapes that no one would believe without seeing it for themselves, mixing the patterns of words etched on her skin to form new spells and binding charms. Since Tsukiko is more then she lets on, and if I tell you it will ruin the surprise, so I'm going to stick with the word special when referring to her. She plays a key role in this book, even if you don't see of hear form her for a few chapters. However, Celia Bowen is the main character, she lived a life that no one's ever heard of. It's like Cinderella, with a finishing twist to the happily ever after. The evil parent, her father, made her work for her room. Made her work for his entertainment. And made her be put in a position that no one should ever have to be in. Marco Alisdair had a similar experiment. Sadly he never knew he biological parents, just a man, a man with a name. A name that wasn't his, but a name that was used by him. The name was Alexander, he wore a grey suit. He was more mysterious then prosperous, Celia's performing con father, you never knew where he would be. You never knew how he'd know you or see you. You just knew him. A figment of your imagination, a curl that blows past your face, he plays God. He knew when Marco wanted him, he knew when something was sent to him, and he knew when prosperous turned into a figment. A figment of nothingness. He became what he always wanted to be God, with no power of control. Just something people think they saw, something people thinks talks, and something people think has power. Can we be sure he's not, no, but we can be sure that he became Alexander x10. Celia becomes an illusionist at the Night Circus as requested by her father, Marco becomes Chandresh's assistant as requested by Alexander. Chandresh is who thought of the circus, created the circus, and built the main elements of it. But, Celia builds and controls a majority of the workings, Marco adds and places the power of the circus in a special container. The fire. We all know how powerful fire is, it feeds and feeds of everything around it and grows and grows to everything. Fire is the light of the Night Circus, and the Night Circus is the fire or the world.

Girls to the Front by Sara Marcus

      Imagine this, 1989 USA, you're a woman without a say. Which route would you take, the rebel one or the political one to get your way? If politics weren't making any progress, and the rebel road seemed like a more populated path to travel down, then which one would you take? If your saying political one, then you are kidding yourself. I know thats a lie, and so do you, even if you won't admit it. So, the riveting tales of some extraordinary girls might make you go a little easier on your self. One that I personally find the most astonishing is the one of Kathleen Hanna, she was 19 years old when she boarded her bus to take her into the stomach of the beast. She met her idle and was pushed into whole other business from writing to singing, all in one semester of her provisional Olympia College. The first band she was a part of was called Amy Carter, after the 39'th president's daughter, trying to make a statement huh? However that band was not enough for her, so when the officials (*cough *cough, Campus Police) removed some contemporary photography she did on her views of the modern girl, she opened a little art gallery. The area was now called Reko Muse, an Olympian East Side Garage had just been converted into a garage, just like that, sadly the art industry wasn't moving as well as the music one was during the time. So, from this garage art gallery, it became a music and art gallery. A cheap place for people to pay to see music, and then car-ooze the walls at the art being displayed at the time. And things picked up, probably more then they expected, the area became a real nightlife spot, booking some real famous acts like Nirvana. Following Kathleen's few bands, friends, relationships, organizations, and career really puts the fight of girl power in perspective. It also portrays the rapidly moving feeling of genius between girls that spread from area to area, dust to dawn, and state to state, right down into rebels to politics. You follow Sara Marcus's words depicting The True Story of the Riot GRRRL Revolution. After you read this book, and hear some of the awful things many women had gone through, and what they did to become loud enough for the other sex to hear them, I think you might finally admit that you weren't the law abiding citizen in the other life, but the non-color wearing, pirate swearing mouth of a women the rest of us were. 

The Wild Rose by Jennifer Donnelly

London, 1914, women's rights, exploration, and World War I all circulate through the craving pages of The Wild Rose by Jennifer Donnelly. This book follows more closely to the intermingling lives of Willa Alden and Seamus Finnegan. In the early books of this trilogy  we followed more closely with Seamus's family, like his older sisters mad drive to vengeance and immense happiness, along with his older brothers way to sanity in a legal lifestyle. The Finnegan family has been through terrible tragedies in their youth of parental and sibling death, then fleeing their homeland for safety. But, that's not where their trouble ends, as Seamus grows up and becomes a renown explorer so does his childhood friend Willa Alden. She becomes a famous mountain climber always wanting to be the first to the top, but Seamus never imagined he would be up there with her. Or that the climb would not just be some physical feat but an emotional tug between them as well. But, because of their accomplishment on that mountain they lost what they had just gained, each other. Through this part of their lives they try to stay distant, never forgiving, in love or incidents. But through their many pains and history they help change the world while they themselves do as well. Growing together with their new families, and new misgivings.

Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer

Everyone's had that one character, right? Where your not just hearing thoughts and talks, but being talked too as well. What happens when its reversed, and the characters want to know your life. Or want to become a part of your life, out of their flesh holding chains which are pages. Well that's the life of Prince Oliver, who has played his role in the book millions and millions of times for any one person who opens his story. He never thought he would have the chance of anything different, let alone escaping. Until the day the book makes a mistake, and one dedicated reader discovers it. However, this one dedicated reader isn't a three-year old who loves the fairytale, but she's a high school junior named Delilah. She doesn't fit in at her school of rich spoiled brats, since she spends her days watching her mother slave over job after job for them to have a good life. So, she spends most of her time in books escaping the morality of reality, but when she found this book she became hooked. And when the book found Delilah, Prince Oliver became hooked as well. Prince Oliver was written as a character who has been protected by his mother all of his life because of his father's young death by evil hands, so he became a smart coward. But, that's not who the real Oliver is, so to speak, he is not scared or in love with his princess. Plus, he is most definitely not contempt with his life in this book, and with Delilah's help, they might actually make a jail brake. Even if Delilah wasn't so forthcoming to a talking illustration, she handles the situation well, and it takes both of their universes' to come up with ideas. Idea after idea, and back to the drawing board they work, and before realizing how perfect their world is becoming with the other one part of each others worlds, they get drawn closer and closer into the fairytale of their own.