I tend to be quite shy when it comes to sharing my opinion about books. I know that might sound strange coming from an author, but the main reason is simple; I would never want to turn someone away from reading a book just because of my own personal preferences. However, I was sent a book from author Sarah Natale for free in exchange for an honest review, so this will be an exception.
For her debut into the publishing world, Sarah wrote a 48-page story about life during the bubonic plague called The Kiss of Death.
As the plague spreads, a young woman named Elizabeth finds herself locked up in a plague house with her family. If she wants to survive, Elizabeth must do everything she can to escape and get back to the boy she loves.
There is religion mentioned in this book, but in all honesty, it is necessary. The church played a massive part in the lives of people of those times, and it played a part in how people acted to the plague. Even if you are not religious or of a different religion, however, I think Sarah Natale was able to weave it into the story in a way that you should be able to read without feeling uncomfortable.
I rated it 4/5 stars on Goodreads, with the one star missing since I thought it could use some more emotional descriptions. It seemed like there was not enough insight into what Elizabeth was thinking, even during certain deaths. However, I should note that the emotional distance may have been intentional to soften the tense moments for certain age groups.
Despite my minor complaint, I think it is a good book. I recommend The Kiss of Death to anyone who wants to learn more about both the plague and medieval times. I particularly recommend this as a potential read to teachers or homeschooling parents. There are even brainstorming questions at the back.
Book Trailer:
All the images used in this post are public domain. Links: 1, 2
Briar Crawford 
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