A review by writteninmagic
The Girl in His Shadow by Audrey Blake

informative inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes

4.0

This was an interesting read with a lot of research done by the authors on medical practices of the time. I enjoyed reading about Nora's journey from being saved by Dr. Croft to her learning and becoming a skilled surgeon in her own right. She faces obstacles as a female studying medicine, such as hiding her skills, helping Dr. Croft with surgeries in secret, not being taken seriously, and her inability to become a licensed practitioner.

As I got to know more of the characters (Nora, Dr. Croft, Daniel, and Mrs. Phipps), I grew to really like them. They were all different from each other and the interactions between them made the characters feel real.

The only inconsistent part of the writing was, after Daniel had left for Richmond for a while, Nora refers to Daniel by his first name (even though up to that point in the story she'd only refer to him as Dr. Gibson) and it flips back to addressing him as Dr. Gibson. A few chapters later it states she started referring to him as Daniel because of Dr. Croft and Harry.

Overall, the story was well-written and well-researched. The characters were varied and made the story more interesting.
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