I can't say that I have ever read anything in this era in this place. All new to me, but new is good.

It's about a young girl who grows up to a young woman among the Zulus. Elizabeth has no love for the British (and it's totally understandable) and she gets a new home and family threw a horrible accident. But for her it's all the better. A new way of life, and a new look at life. She was strong, she felt real, because even if she is strong she is also afraid.

All good things must come to an end and the British Empire was not exactly known to be nice all the time. War is on the horizon and in comes our hero of the book. And it felt totally refreshing for him to actually notice that she is a woman! Yes I know the rest did not but like it was said, sometimes you do not see the obvious. Especially not if it's sun burnt and has learnt not to walk like your petticoat will show by accident. So yes they did not see, but Jack takes a closer look at does notice. And in comes a bit of tension as they get to know each other, and to want each other. Jack was real too, he was tired of war, and things just did not make sense anymore. Of course, he was nice too, always a plus.

It was interesting to read about, as I have not read anything about this war before, or anything set near it. I also liked to see her free spirit, to see if they ever would let go and just fall in love, and to see how it all would play out in the end.

Conclusion:
An interesting book, historical fiction with a romantic side to it. ( )

it grew on me!

It took a while for me to get into Daughter of the Sky. Mainly I think I balked at the shipwrecked child off the coast of South Africa theme (shades of Tarzan). I freely admit that I was sceptical at first.
The thrust of the story is really the Anglo-Zulu war of 1878.
The vehicles for the unfolding of that event are Elizabeth Jones, the rescued child now 20, Lindani her rescuer and Zulu brother, and the English officer Captain Jack Burdell.
Basically, Elizabeth (Little Bird), a shipwrecked child grows up within another culture (Zulu) and does what she can to fight on their side against the oppressive imperialists (The British). Diener says that the ship wrecked child occurrence was based upon a factual case that happened further to the south of where the events of the novel take place. The description of Elizabeth's rescue is actually quite taking.
Diener's credentials as an historian and having grown up in this area of South Africa gives credence to her well crafted weaving of the events of the times throughout the story.
In fact her ending Author's note is fascinating to read in relation to the War and the 24th Battalion. Her Bibliography is impressive.
Captain Jack Burdell is an intriguing character. He is not happy about what his life has become and he reflects that, 'All he had left was the oath he had sworn to fight and obey orders.'
A journal, really a lengthy personal letter to Jack from his father, telling of his father's military career in India fighting the Sikh War is a revelation to Jack. It closely follows Jack's thoughts about imperialistic wars and the arrogance of the English as he's seen it in South Africa. His father writes about in the Sikh War, the British being fooled by superior cunning and tactics. Those events parallel what is happening here in South Africa. The 24th Battalion took part in both events. This is an amazing piece of historical synchronicity.
The love story of Jack and Elizabeth is poignant . The relationship between Elizabeth and her Zulu brother is wonderful.
Despite my early misgivings, I was fascinated by this story and its historical blending.

A NetGalley ARC ( )

I was a bit apprehensive when I got this book: with a white heroine proudly emblazoned on the cover and a premise set during the 19th century Anglo-Zulu War in South Africa, I was afraid it would be White Man's Burden meets The Power of One. (And I say this as someone who loves The Power of One, but let's be real, it's problematic.) Instead, this is a lovely historical romance with a bold heroine living in two worlds, belonging to neither, and a fascinating armchair escape to an era and locale rarely seen in historical fiction.

Set in 1878 in the eastern coastal region of what is now South Africa, the story follows Elizabeth Jones, a white Englishwoman who was washed up on the coast at fourteen when her ship wrecked. Taken in by the local Zulu tribe, she is raised alongside them, her rescuer Lindani virtually a brother to her. Now twenty, Elizabeth and her Zulu family watch in horror as the British army masses against them, clearly bent on war. At the behest of the Zulu king, Elizabeth crops her hair short and dons stolen British uniforms to infiltrate the army and report back to the Zulu what the British plan.

Through a tiny bit of helpful coincidence (which I forgive, because otherwise, things would have progressed way too slowly), Elizabeth ends up masquerading as a batman (a personal servant) to Captain Jack Burdell. Jack is a seasoned soldier and a gentleman farmer, recently disillusioned with army life, a sentiment that grows when he reads his father's journals and finds his father felt the same way.

Fairly quickly, Jack sees through Elizabeth's disguise, but buys her cover story, and the two fight off their sexual interest. Elizabeth, who witnessed the British Army at their worst as a child, finds herself softening toward the soldiers around her, less convinced she wants to be party to anyone's annihilation, Zulu or British. As the story marches (literally) toward battle, Elizabeth has to learn who to trust and what world she wants to live in -- and of course, what the cost of that choice will be.

While the romance is straight-forward, I so loved Diener's acknowledgment of the hypocrisy of the mores and values held by Victorian British. In one scene, when Jack learns Elizabeth dressed in traditional Zulu fashion -- that is, topless -- all her life, he is aghast. For a moment, his sexual desire for her dissipates as he makes the erroneous leap that she was ravaged by the Zulu. Her semi-nudity, he's convinced, was sexually explicit -- whereas the reality, as Elizabeth points out, is that no Zulu stared at her breasts the way Jack stared at them. The repressed Victorians are the savage ones here.

Diener's premise, while seemingly far-fetched, is based on some historical tidbits, including the real-life survival story of a ship-wrecked child adopted by locals as well as the fact that after the battle of Isandlwana, survivors were questioned as to whether they had seen a woman on the battlefield. (As Diener writes, why would anyone ask that question?, and I agree!) Every chapter opens with a historical quote from the Zulu or British from this time, prescient and heartbreaking, and there's a glossary of Zulu phrases as well as an extensive bibliography.

I raced through this book in a day, following the Boston Marathon bombings and it was just the read I needed. Easily losing myself in the story, it had a romance I was rooting for and a larger historical arc that was tense and fascinating. (Being unfamiliar with the Battle of Isandlwana, I raced to the end to see how it resolved.) Fans of unique historical settings will enjoy this, as well as anyone who hankers for a historical romance that is spicy, a little complicated, and very bittersweet. ( )

I must admit that my interest in reading this book was piqued due to my complete ignorance as to its subject matter. As I've mentioned ad nauseum I do like to learn as I read. You could put my knowledge of the history of any of the countries in Africa on the head of a pin.

Daughter of the Sky starts off with a page turning shipwreck where the heroine, Elizabeth is the only survivor. She is saved and taken in by the Zulus - the people of the sky. She was being returned to England after her parents had been killed in a riot in China. Killed by English soldiers so Elizabeth has no love for her home country. She learns to lover her Zulu family and when her life is threatened by English colonialism she agrees to become a spy to help her new people.

She disguises herself as a soldier and infiltrates the British army camp. While there she comes to like the men with whom she works and one officer discovers her deception. She becomes conflicted as she doesn't want anyone to get hurt - the men she has come to know or the Zulu family she loves. But war is inevitable and there are internal issues on both sides.

I read this in one sitting, staying up late into the night to finish. It was a fascinating story woven by a writer who knows her history and knows how to bring that history to life. The characters were well developed and they were not simply good or bad. There was depth to them - with the exception of Elizabeth's adoptive brother's uncle. He was a bit one note but he was necessary for plot development. I loved the romance, I learned some history and I now want to know more. If you ask me there is not much more you can ask from a book. ( )

Daughter of the Sky is about a young girl who survives a shipwreck after being rescued by the Zulu tribe. She lives with them for 6 years and and when the British arrive with an ultimatum for the chief to disband his army and surrender to British authority of which the chief refuses and war ensues,she volunteers to be a spy for her tribe.

So Elizabeth dresses like a boy to infiltrate the British camp so she can find out anything she can to help her adopted family. Her good intentions are found out though when Jack Burdell sees through her disguise. She is able to share with her tribe what she has learned even after she becomes romantically involved with Jack. This book is very character driven combining real people with imagined to create a very accurate telling of how the British clearly took over this part of the world for their own purposes.

I had not read anything regarding this era in history or much about Africa. It is definitely easy to see that this is a topic near and dear to the author's heart. An extensive amount of research must have gone into the writing of this story. The attention to detail made this book easy for me to read,even though I am not a big fan of war stories. I think I will have to find more by this author to read!!

I received a copy of this book for review and was not monetarily compensated for my review. ( )