Shadows of the White City is an exciting read! It is set at the Chicago's World Fair in 1893. The characters are literally brought to life in this book! Rose, a young woman who is desperately searching for her family; Sylvie, a mother wanting to hang on to her adopted daughter and Kristof, the hero who is in love with Sylvie and battling his own demons. The rest of the characters truly make this story special! So does the aspect of hope and love that is interwoven throughout the book. The descriptions of the World's Fair literally bring the fair to life! My compliments to Jocelyn Green for another job well done!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author/publisher and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own. ( )

I enjoyed this novel, not at much as the first book in the series though. It has a lot of details and descriptions of the World’s Fair and it took a while for me to get involved in the actual story with the characters. But when I did, it was very good. I loved the characters and watching them grow and change. I loved that the bookstore from the first book is there, and violinists, symphonies, gardens, pastries...something for everyone! It turned out to be a very good mystery that kept me guessing and surprised to the very end. I did enjoy this book and I’m looking forward to reading the third book, Drawn by the Current (which won the 2022 Christy Award for best Historical Novel).

This is a Christian fiction novel but can be read by anyone. It’s not preachy but does show Christian’s growing in their faith and having struggles also. This book is clean, no sex, no bad language. It does touch on death, adoption, birth mothers, deception, romance, gambling, drug use. But all done with excellent care.

Some favorite quotes:
“I grew up trying to be good enough and find it’s a hard habit to break.” “But good enough for whom? For yourself? For others?”
“That is the question, isn’t it? God says that as His child, I am good enough for Him—not because of what I’ve done, but because of what Christ has done on my behalf. For some reason, I often forget

“Just because you can’t control everything doesn’t mean it isn’t being handled. Trust the One who is far better at orchestrating every detail than we could ever be. ( )

In Shadows of the White City, Jocelyn Green weaves a story of a young woman’s disappearance (Rose) and the desperation of her adoptive mother (Sylvie) with the 1893 World’s Fair. This novel contains deep strands about parent-child relationships and mental health issues (specifically PTSD), both of which the author deftly treats with consideration and hope. Although this novel stands as the second installment in The Windy City Saga and can be read as a standalone, I recommend reading Veiled in Smoke first because some of Sylvie’s issues derived from Chicago’s Great Fire in that novel.

Meeting and experiencing Sylvie’s story in the first novel prepped me for Shadows of the White City. I immediately connected with Sylvie due to my own struggles with PTSD, but some readers may find her less captivating as she is flawed and a bit overbearing when it comes to her daughter. In truth, I disliked several characters in the book, including Rose. Kristof, on the other hand, offered Sylvie a respectful, gentle love that endeared him to me and made me hope that their slow burn romance would blossom.

In summary, Shadows of the White City by Jocelyn Green is a deep, thoughtful novel that I enjoyed returning to nightly. This historical fiction novel offered nuggets of truth to meditate on as it explored relevant issues in a vibrant World’s Fair setting. I look forward to the next novel in this series. Five stars.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the author or publisher. All opinions in this review are my own. ( )

I couldn’t wait until Shadows of the White City became available—and then when it did come, I forced myself to wait a bit longer while I finished up some other review books (#ReaderProblems). When I finally did get to it, though, I was slightly disappointed—though it is an excellent book, it didn’t quite reach the mark the first book in the series did for me.

There was much to love here, though. The character’s personalities were beautifully fleshed out, and though there are several different points of view, I was never confused as to whose head I was in. I love how their love for books or music influenced the way they viewed the rest of the world and the people in it. Then there’s the fair, and all the fascinating little tidbits you learn about that along the way—never too much at once, just a bit dropped in here, and a bit there. I had the same experience with this as I did with one of Green’s other books—when the fair was mentioned in a different story, I instantly had the connection of “Oh yes, I know that place—I’ve been there!” because of this book. And the mystery, and the cultural struggles showed here—so beautiful and spot-on!

But as I said, I was a little disappointed with the read. It may be that the pacing wasn’t quite as fast as I had anticipated, or that the danger wasn’t quite as intense…I don’t know. All I do know is that I ended up setting the book down more than I wanted to, because it didn’t grip me quite as much as I expected it to.

In all, though, this was a great read. I’d love to have a copy on my shelf one day, and I can’t wait to see what treasures Green prepares for us next!

I was given a review copy of this book, and this is my honest opinion of it. ( )

An Overall Enjoyable Read

Jocelyn Green’s "Shadows of the White City," book two in the “Windy City Saga,” is a historical Christian novel set in Chicago, in 1893, during the excitement of the World’s Fair. Sylvie Townsend is a generous and loving woman who has run the family bookstore and taken care of her ailing father for years. When a Polish immigrant approaches her with his young daughter, Rozalia “Rose” Dabrowski, she agrees to raise the girl as her own.

As years pass, Sylvie and Rose have become like family to one another. Rose has grown up to become a beautiful young woman and Sylvie, like any mother, is protective of her adopted daughter. When Rose suddenly vanishes at the 1893 World’s Fair, Sylvie sets out to find her and enlists the help of Kristof Bartok, a tenant who lives in her building. Amidst the harrowing search, Sylvie cannot deny her growing attraction to the handsome Kristof.

This was my first time reading a novel by Ms Green and it was quite a ride. The beginning was slow but once Sylvie’s search for Rose started, I was hooked. This thread of mystery throughout the story was consistent and it kept things interesting. The overall tone was mysterious, ominous, and ultimately hopeful. The plot was well-developed but it was also pretty predictable. Nevertheless, it had me guessing all along.

The narrative and flow were strong. There was a good balance between showing versus telling. The dialogue and prose complemented each other to create a fairly cohesive reading experience. However, there were points where awkward word usage took me out of the story.

The characterization was good. Sylvie was human, believable, and easy to relate to. She was such a strong protagonist even though I found her frustrating at certain points. Rose, who was written well for the most part, came across as flat and unbelievable at times. She was the character I had the hardest time connecting with. Since there were a lot of characters, I had a difficult time keeping tracking of everyone.

This book was rife with rich, beautiful descriptions that I found compelling. Ms Green brought the 1893 World’s Fair to life and depicted such a fascinating setting for the story to take place. I think my favourite aspect of this book was the author’s passion for this time period and setting. Her interest in the World’s Fair really shined through the story and it made me enthusiastic to read it.

Ms Green included a wonderful Author’s Note that shed light on the history behind the World’s Fair, elaborating on historical figures and locales. She included a map of the 1893 World’s Fair and reader discussion questions, which was a great touch. While this book had some issues, I liked the story overall.

I graciously received this complimentary copy of "Shadows of the White City" by Bethany House Publishers and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All ideas and thoughts expressed herein are my own. I received no remuneration for this review. ( )