Despite those slight criticisms, this is really easy to recommend - the last few years have seen a huge amount of excellent historical fiction for teens and children and this ranks highly amongst them. Jensen is an author who I've always meant to read but never quite got round to before this book - I'll definitely be seeking out some of her earlier works!
As I said, it's been a fantastic few years for historical fiction! My very favourites have been [[Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein]] and the Kat Stephenson trilogy, starting with [[A Most Unladylike Improper Magick by Stephanie Burgis]]. Maddie and Verity from the former, and Kat herself from the latter, are excellent heroines and if you like Isabelle I think you'd really enjoy reading about them as well.
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