This was my first dive into a historical fiction and I have to say, I AM IN LOVE. This was everything I needed, but nothing I expected.
Synopsis: Story follows Kya Clark, as she grows and fights through life alone, after being abandoned by her family. Being the wild, barefooted, "Marsh Girl" Kya is the first suspect in the murder of popular Chase Andrews.
Plot: Going into this, I had absolutely no idea what to expect and this was very unlike anything I have ever read. A great coming of age story with a sprinkle of murder mystery, done well. The beginning of the story was a little slow, up until the 30% mark, but I still couldn't put it down despite the pace. The addition of different timelines was great to create even more suspense and overall, even though I saw the twist coming, this was amazing. The court scenes were definitely my favorite part and they make me want to pick up more court trial centered books.
Characters: Owens did an incredible job with Kya as the readers struggle to trust her and question if she was guilty or not. You fall in love with her as you read her tragic story but you also don't know until the very end if she is capable of something deeper than just her simple life in the marsh. Following her trials and how she was determined to be self-sustainable was really moving and the whole narrative super thought provoking.
Pretty hesitant to pick this up at first, but after my friends recommendation I finally pulled this off the backlist and am so glad I did.
4/5 stars.
TW: physical abuse, assault/attempted rape
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