Streets of Shadow by Rebecca Bischoff – Review by Tara Johnson Barnes

Streets of Shadow by Rebecca Bischoff
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Streets of Shadow is set in Scotland in the year 1665. The story centers around fifteen-year-old Kenna who is struggling to come to terms with the sudden, and unexplained sickness that has confined her sister to bed. When her sister dies, Kenna discovers that she was murdered by someone close to her. Suspecting she knows who the murderer is young Kenna turns to the one person with whom feels close to and can trust. She is whisked away to safety from her grandfather’s estate but instead finds something far more sinister and dangerous.

Suddenly, Kenna is on the run and finds herself kidnapped and taken to the city of Edinburgh. Her kidnapper locks her inside the gates of Stewart’s Close. Kenna is frightened at being thrown into the poorest part of the city with no way out. Even more frightening is that the local lawman raises a white flag and spreads the rumor that Kenna has come from a home that has been stricken with the plague. As she struggles to find someone to help her she is shunned and refused help because the townspeople are frightened of dying from the disease she carries. With no food, money, friends, or shelter young Kenna must fight to survive the harsh streets and the scorn of the locals. Will she be strong enough to survive and bring justice to her sister?

I was hooked on this book from the first pages and became totally immersed in the storyline and setting. The scenes were so vividly described that it felt as though I was transported back to Stewart’s Close in 1665. I was there with Kenna as she walked the dirty streets, hid in dark alleys, and traversed through underground passages. The characters were well developed and as the story progressed we see Kenna grow and mature as a person. She started out naïve to the harshness of the world and how so many people fought to survive and feed their families. She grew up with wealth, privilege and the luxuries of having servants and an abundance of food. Stewart’s Close was a whole different world for her and Kenna had to learn to fight and fend for herself in order to survive. Kenna ultimately finds out that she is even stronger than she realized as she fights for survival in a cruel world. This book was superbly written, and I am anxious to read more books by this author.

I loved the author’s notes at the end about where she found her inspiration for this story and the characters. I loved learning that it was based on a real place and that little Annie was based on a real little girl. Kudos to the author for bringing this little girl the happy ending she deserved. Bless your heart.

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