The Wicked and the Just by J. Anderson Coats

Plot: When Cecily's father moves them to occupied Wales because the king wants hardy Englishmen to keep down the barbarous Welshmen, she thinks her life is ruined. The only good thing is she'll be able to be the lady of the house. Gwenhwyfar used to dream about being lady of that house, but then the English came and destroyed everything she once held dear. Now she waits hand and foot on the bratty Cecily, struggling to survive, while Cecily struggles to fit in with the snobby English society.

Comments: The Wicked and the Just was a really good book. I read it all in one go because I constantly wanted to know what would happen next. All the historic aspects of the novel were woven into the plot in a way that made it interesting - though I can only assume the history is accurate. Reading about the oppressed Welsh and the dictatorial English had me on the edge of my seat, wondering just how far the English would go to prove their superiority and just how long the Welsh would take it.

Cecily proved a most intriguing character. She had grown up being taught to look down upon servants, and the entire English community in Wales encourages her to treat the Welsh as slaves. So she did. Cecily was imperious, spoiled, outspoken, and prideful, taking enjoyment in punishing and taunting the Welsh around her. However, she was only following along with what she'd been taught. She thought it was how things were supposed to be. I would have hated Cecily but for the moments when she did or thought something different from what society told her. She rebelled in her thoughts and sometimes in her surprising actions of generosity and equality. It made me hope she could grow to become a better person, and that's what made me tolerate everything else about her.

Gwenhwyfar was a spitfire, which I loved, but mostly in her thoughts. Her perspective is written differently from Cecily's. More broken and simple but just as strong. However, I felt that her character was not nearly as developed as Cecily's. Though Gwenhwyfar's story is told and she's an important part of the plot, she's mostly there to help show Cecily the Welsh's point of view. Her background is never fully explained, only hinted at, leaving me to suspect a sequel.

I loved watching Cecily and Gwenhwyfar's relationship shift and change, and watching Cecily herself grow immensely in perspective and worldliness. I could sympathize with Cecily even though she was often a spoiled brat - I was rooting for the part of her that was a righteous, good person. The story was one of oppression and unfairness, but also of progress and justice.

Rating: I rate The Wicked and the Just an eight out of ten.