By Tessa Pulyer Posted on

Jiddy Vardy by Ruth Estevez #BookReview #HistoricalFiction

Thank you to The Write Reads for my spot on this blog tour.

1779

On tumultuous waters, a girl is born as pirates board the ship . . .

Jiddy Vardy is a survivor.

Rescued at birth, she grows up in Robin Hood’s Bay, a community which harbours a dangerous secret that could get you killed.

Always the outsider, with her dark skin and hair, at sixteen Jiddy is clever, brave, and headstrong, soon risking her life and freedom to play her part in the Bay’s clandestine activities.

Then, just as romance blossoms and Jiddy finally feels like she belongs, figures from the past threaten to tear her world apart, and she has to decide where her loyalties truly lie.

A thrilling tale of one girl’s search for identity and love, set against a backdrop of wild seas, smuggling, and violence.

Book Info

Ruth Estevez was born in Yorkshire. Often, the much-loved landscape is a third character in her novels. A career in theatre, TV, and a subscription library have influenced her work. Scriptwriting for Bob the Builder morphed into novel writing. Very much a Northern writer with Latin touches. Interested in social differences, the outsider, and finding our place in the world.

  • One-word review: Captivating
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  • Rating: 4 🌟s

My thoughts:

Jiddy Vardy by Ruth Estevez is a rare historical fiction novel that envelopes you in its late 1700s world and doesn’t let you go. It’s the story of Jiddy Vardy, who was hidden when pirates came on board the ship her parents were on with intent to steal it. After making everyone jump off the boat, the pirate crew discovered the baby in her hiding spot. The captain took her back to the cove village he called home and placed her with a loving couple who lived there. And that is just the beginning of her tumultuous tale.

I adored the main character, Jiddy Vardy, so much. She’s fearless, passionate, feisty, determined, and a fighter. Life in a community of pirates and smugglers is never dull, and everyone faces the danger of getting caught constantly. This constant tension and suspense keep the pace from getting slow or cumbersome.

Technically, this book is considered a young adult read because Jiddy is a teenager. Still, nothing about it feels YA, so adults will easily enjoy it as much as the YA reader. I’m unsure how accurate the historical aspects are because I’ve never researched pirates in the 1700s. Still, it is written very convincingly, so buy-in is extremely easy. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series!

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