Weekend Recommendations #8

This is a weekly feature, where I get to go all fannish about two randomly-picked favvies (which may not actually be favorites, but got a rating of 3 or higher) that I would recommend to friends! So, here are this week's two picks:

Title: The Academie
Author: Susanne Dunlap
Genre: historical fiction/romance
Part of a Series: No
Rating: 3 out of 5
Who'll Like It: Girl-read, fourteen-and-up, great for fans of historical fiction set in boarding schools.

Why I Like It:

I happen to be a fan of boarding school stories, especially historical ones. The Academie has a wealthy of different characters, many of whom I started out hating, but then grew to like as the story progressed and they grew with it. The present tense narration isn't my favorite, but it isn't horrible, and I love how each chapter switches perspectives between the four main girls.

Title: Babylonne

Author: Catherine Jinks

Genre: historical fiction

Part of a Series: Yes, but it's also a stand-alone

Rating: 4 out of 5

Who'll Like It: Girls and guys alike, fourteen-and-up, great for fans of historical fiction, the Crusades, and Catherine Jinks' Pagan Chronicles.

Why I Like It:

Babylonne is a spunky, no-nonsense protagonist who has quite a sharp wit without having The Attitude. She's constantly getting into trouble, but it's not her fault - trouble just seems to find her. I am a huge fan of the Pagan Chronicles, so it was awesome to read a story about Pagan's daughter (Babylonne), who has definitely inherited her father's disposition. And amazingly, it works for her. She's also a character with deep emotional trauma, but she doesn't dissolve into a puddle every time someone looks at her wrong. She grows a lot in the story, and it's a journey that as the Reader took quite an emotional toll on me - but in the best way possible.