The Mark of the King

Jocelyn Green's novel tells the story of Julianne, a parisian midwife unjustly accused of the death of an aristocrat mother in her care. Sentenced to life, she is branded a murderess with the mark of the King, the fleur-de-lis, burnt into her shoulder.

Given the choice to trade her sentence for exile in the Americas, Julianne joins the throngs of convicts, starved and abused, who are being shipped to New Orleans. Here, against horrific realities, Julianne begins to forge her own life and reputation, even in the face of mounting tensions between the French and the Natchez Indians. Ultimately Julianne is a survivor, and after journeying with her through the brutality she endures, the conclusion of the novel and the love story she discovers feels just, hopeful, and a vindication of everything gone before.

There is some fascinating French and American history woven through the story. The French desperately needed to colonise the harsh frontier they had claimed as Louisiana, in honor of King Louis XIV, and particularly the failing outpost of New Orleans. They did this largely through transportation, forcing marriages between convicts with much brutality, to populate the region.This part of the story is so horrendous it's hard to comprehend it is based on historical fact. 

This novel really drew me in, often confronting and heartbreaking, I was totally caught up in Julianne's story. There is a fair amount of tension throughout and betrayal, but in the midst of all the awfulness a moving love story develops. It's enjoyable to read a strong female character, who isn't rescued by her hero, but works hard to save herself.

Available as an eBook through Libby

Posted by Jaime