Ivy by Julie Hearn

Ivy has never had a good life. When she was young, her father died and her mother abandoned her. Her aunt and uncle that took her in weren’t too kind either, and she was constantly mocked by her female cousins and beat by her cousin Jared. She’s humiliated and punished when sent to school, so she runs away, only to join a band of thieves who start her laudanum addiction. As she grows older though, her fiery locks catch the eye of an artist, and she becomes his model. Yet problems persist in the form of a jealous mother, a familiar band of thieves, a controlling cousin, a drug addiction, and a realization that modeling can be a painful experience.

Ivy was an enjoyable historical novel even though the story had it peculiarities. For example, Ivy had an aversion to eating meat, which is never completely explained but probably has something to do with her love for all animals. The motives of several characters were often befuddled and unclear, and Ivy was the only well-developed character, although I didn’t like how she was always at the mercy of others and rarely made decisions for herself. Despite its drawbacks, Ivy’s journey from thievery to a respectable occupation was fascinating in the context of nineteenth-century British society.

It was the historical angle and thievery that drew me in, and I’m glad I read this novel. Ivy was a sort of combination between Elizabeth Scott’s Stealing Heaven with the thievery aspect, Anna Godbersen’s The Luxe with high society and fashion, Jennifer Donnelly’s A Northern Light in respect to the role of women, and Christine Fletcher’s Ten Cents a Dance in regard to addictions, the last three also being historical novels. I do recommend this novel to fans of historical fiction, but want against some confusion that may occur while reading this novel.

Rating: 4.0

Review copy from BookDivas