Review – Loss of the Burying Ground by J. Anderson Coats (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Length: 232 pages
Publisher:‎ Candlewick Press
Release Date: September 3, 2024
ASIN: B0CW1BH7RC
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Gift
Rating: 4/5 stars

“When the Burying Ground goes down in neutral waters, it sends the delegations from two warring nations—and the peace treaty they were about to sign—to the bottom of the ocean. The only survivors are a pair of teen girls: Cora, daughter of a Duran newspaper man, and Vivienne, lady’s maid to an Ariminthian princess. Neither has known a time when war between their two countries did not rage, but now they must learn to trust each other if they are to find sustenance, avoid dangerous pirates, and have any hope of rescue from the remote island they washed up on. However, in the midst of a conflict steeped in fierce national identity, propaganda, disinformation, and radicalization, finding a common path forward seems nearly impossible, for both Cora and Vivienne and their respective countries. But when the teens’ politically charged rescue seems likely to extend the war, Cora and Vivienne realize they do have a shared purpose: peace. If only it isn’t too late.”

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got a copy of this in hardback as a gift.

Thoughts: I enjoyed this story quite a bit. I did not realize that this is the first book in a series, that surprised me because most of Coats books are stand alone novels. However, I always absolutely love Coats’ writing style, it is so easy to fall into, engage with, and enjoy for me. Prior to reading this book I had also read “The Wicked and the Just” (loved it) and “The Green Children of Woolpit” (liked it). I would like to read more of her books at some point.

The story alternates POV between Cora and Vivienne. Cora is the daughter of a Duran news-reporter and has undergone basic survival training but is definitely not prepared to wake up stranded on an island all alone. She despairs that the treaty to end the war between Duran and Ariminthia is lost with the wreck of the Burying Ground. Vivienne is the lady’s maid to the Ariminthian princess, when she wakes up alone she is in despair…her whole life has been dedicated to serving the princess…it is all she’s ever known. The two girls are forced to set aside their differences when pirates invade the island. They find out they could be the key to peace for both of the countries.

I liked this. I enjoyed both Cora and Vivienne as characters. Their voices are each very unique and I always knew which characters’ point of view I was reading from because of how distinct they were from each other. I liked the survival and adventure elements to this as well.

I didn’t enjoy the story quite as much once we got deeper into the politics of everything. However, this part was well done. I liked how so many elements from the girls’ past and families tie into both the events around them and the politics everyone is enmeshed in. As I said, I didn’t realize this was part of a series, so I was disappointed in the fact that there wasn’t any resolution here.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I really enjoyed this, especially the beginning of the book. I enjoyed the characters, the easy to read and engaging writing style, and how everything started to tie together. I plan on reading the next book in this series when it releases and plan on reading more books by Coats in general.