When I saw this book announced, I jumped on the chance at reading Virginia. Ever since I read Rebecca last year, I loved Shannon McNear’s clear gospel message in this vibrant historical fiction series.

While Rebecca does not spoil books 1 and 2 in the series, if you want to read Virginia, you might want to read Elinor and Mary first. (But it’s not required to understand Virginia; I still haven’t read the first two books.)

Ratings for Virginia

Story: 5/5

Worldview: 5/5

From page one, we are introduced to a new kind of culture. The native Kurawoten people have united with the English and come to Christ in such a way that melds the tradition of both cultures while also focusing on Jesus. I loved this perspective, seeing how certain rituals were maintained but redeemed to honor and glorify Christ. Virginia and her two friends go through a horrifying ordeal, but Jesus is in the midst of it. Even while in an impossible situation, Virginia is given favor. As someone who is bilingual, I loved seeing the language barrier in the mix of English, Spanish, and Kuratowen. It made me laugh a few times. 🙂

The themes explored in this novel were wonderful. Virginia grappled with her faith and trusting God in a place where she can’t see Him. She had to deal with a difficult situation but still honored Christ and refused to take the easy route of silence. I loved seeing one character come to Christ and realize fully what it means to find undeserved redemption through Jesus. The characters also discuss why idolatry is wrong (specifically in reference to Catholicism). There are moments, however, where it felt like it was pages and pages of bible verses without much explanation or integration into the story. I did love that the author was very clear in sharing the gospel, but it did make the last quarter of the novel a little slow.

Spoilers

While the romance was sweet, there was a lot of emphasis on physical attraction. There was more than one time where they made reference to wanting to be together but resisted because they wanted to get married first. I haven’t read the first two books, so I can’t speak to those, but Rebecca places much less emphasis on the romance. Also, one character is killed about halfway through the book as a sacrifice to pagan gods. It is not shown graphically or described, and it is painted in a bad light.

Overall Thoughts

It has really been a joy reading this series and learning more about this time period. I loved the strong message of salvation in both books. If you’re interested in checking out other historical fiction novels, I highly recommend Amazing Grace (based on real life), or Waves of Redemption (completely fictional).