Chains (Seeds of America #1)

Chains

Stefanie Sugia

after 4 long days, i FINALLY finished reading this Chains! it was quite difficult for me to finish this, because of stacks of assignments i have to do and also because of the historical factor in this book. honestly i have to say that i'm not a big fan of historical fiction :X probably because i have very poor knowledge related with history. but aside from the historical factor in this book, the story brings me along on a very emotional adventure of a slave's life. this may not be one of my favorite books, but it has it's own message to be delivered :) so without further delay, here's the review:

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the story is set during the revolutionary war back in 1776. this is also a tale of a girl - a black girl - named Isabel. her poppa and momma died already, so she's left with her 5 year-old younger sister named Ruth. their lives changed when they were sold to the Locktons. both of them moved from Rhode Island to New York, and worked as slaves. Isabel was treated very badly by her madam, and would be beaten if she acts not according to orders.

while being a slave, Isabel met another slave named Curzon. he promised freedom for Isabel and her sister if she agreed to become a spy, because Lockton is under suspicion. at first Isabel was afraid of getting caught and didn't dare to do it. but after some time, she finally decides: she wants to get her own freedom.

but her journey towards freedom is not easy. for many times, she did risky actions that might endangered her life. there's also times when Madam Lockton found out what she's doing and punished her really badly for it. even when Madam Lockton sold her sister, Ruth, Isabel doesn't want to give up. what she did was, she kept fighting for her own freedom.

so did she get that freedom she wants? or everything she did is just a waste?

read the book to find out the full story :)

so as i've said, the story sets during the revolutionary war; which means lots of history, wars, and political conflicts related. for those who are fond of this genre might be well entertained with this book. while for me, who does not read historical fiction that much (and lack of historical knowledge) gets confused and bored sometimes. aside from the historical factor, the story itself is very exciting and keeps me wanting to read. first of all, the characters are very well-built and goes with the plot very well. the evil witch, and the character i despise the most is (of course) Madam Lockton. with me hating Madam, i can fully understand how Isabel feels and how she has to suffer everyday under her orders. this makes me feel emotionally related with the main character of the story, making the story an emotional adventure for me.

the ending of the book is very satisfying; even though a little bit of a cliff-hanger because there's a sequel to this book. i'm very happy that the author didn't let the main characters keep suffering until the end.

overall, a good book, will probably try other books by Laurie Halse Anderson (definitely not a historical fiction) :P

I liked it. Some good historical fiction for kids to read. Interesting story too.

Meredith Rose

I really enjoyed Chains. For some reason, it took me longer than normal to become invested in the characters, maybe because the author focused a lot on historical events and the setting rather than characters' inner dialogues and emotions. It wasn't a bad thing, it was just the complete opposite of the book I last read and it took me a while to readjust.

Nevertheless, by the end of the story, I cared deeply about each character. In fact, I'm so excited to see where their stories go next, I'm tempted to go buy the next two books today! That's how enthralling the end of this book is.

That being said, I enjoyed the end of this book the most. The climax was somehow both touching and eerie - a very unique and interesting combination that, as I said, leaves me wanting to read more. Also, the main character Isabel ultimately felt very real to me. Although it took me a while to get to know her, she is thoroughly developed, passionate, courageous, and also virtuous. She is an easy character to care deeply about and to truly love.

I eagerly look forward to reading the next two books in this series!

Chains (Seeds of America #1)

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