Books by Jennifer A. Nielsen

A couple weeks ago I read this book by Jennifer A. Nielsen for the first time. The book was Words on Fire, a historical fiction novel set in the country of Lithuania, where all the traditions and history of their country is banned. The book is about the people’s resistance to their Russian dictators… through books. This quote (one of my favorites from the book!) explains how books helped them defy the Russians.

"This is a book of ideas. Someone thought the idea and put it into words on paper. That became a seed, and every time someone reads those words, the seed is planted in their mind, too, and it grows and spreads, and soon that tiny seed of an idea becomes belief, and belief becomes a plan, and those plans begin to change the world. Control the books and you will control the people."
-Words on Fire, by Jennifer A. Nielsen p. 108

Oh my goodness, isn’t that such a powerful quote? Books have a lot more power than people care to admit, because they are the seeds of an idea. The idea can be good or bad, but either way it is the freedom to think and learn, which is incredibly valuable.

Words on Fire wasn’t the first book I read by Nielsen, but reading it is the reason I decided to write this post today. Her books have been some of my favorites ever since I first started reading them two years ago (wow, has it really been that long?). I am a big fan of both her fantasy writing and her historical fiction, and would suggest both to you if that’s the sort of story you enjoy. 🙂

Her Writing

Jennifer A. Nielsen is an author with the unique ability to craft strong, creative stories of all kinds. I have enjoyed every book I’ve read by her so far, and even though the writing quality is not the best you’ll find, it is still very good and you can tell she takes writing seriously. More often than not I find myself so intrigued by the wonderful storytelling that I let my opinions on the writing itself slide.

Her books are generally geared at middle grade, though sometimes I’ve come across a scene or historical event in her books that may be a little much for a sensitive reader. On the other hand, though, that is a good thing, especially in historical fiction. She doesn’t shy away from frightening or upsetting topics, and as a result is able to tell a brilliant story.

Something unique about Nielsen is that she writes both fantasy and historical fiction. It is rare to find an author who can pull off two genres, especially with those two being so different from each other as these are. Since I read one of her historical fiction novels first, I was a little hesitant to read her fantasy books, fearing they would be flat and boring.

But that was not the case at all! Her themes and characters were just as strong and memorable in fantasy as they had been in her historical fiction books. In fact, she seems to gravitate toward themes of courage, loyalty, and the difference between right and wrong, which she illustrates so beautifully in all her works.

Her Books

Words on Fire is a historical fiction novel set in Lithuania. It follows the life of a girl named Audra as she discovers the secrets of her parents that will force her to decide between what she loves in order to save what matters. The stakes are high, but the story is deep and carefully woven with purpose and courage.

The first I ever read by Nielsen was A Night Divided, set after WWII in Berlin, Germany. This book opened my eyes in many ways to that time in history. Though there is rarely a WWII novel that fails to give me a new perspective, this one was especially powerful in giving a visual story of how confusing this time period was. Many of the books by Nielsen that I have read amazingly portray the struggle between right and wrong, and in the case of this book that is even more true. The story will leave you thinking over its consequences for days.

Next I went straight into Resistance. Sadly, I did not find it quite as great as I had A Night Divided, but it still had strong, moving characters like all of her writing. This book is set in WWII as well, but this time focused on the Jewish resistance. It’s a story of courage and bravery, honor and fear.

The fantasy books I have read by her is the Ascendance Trilogy (the first book is The False Prince). Oddly enough, there are actually five books in the series. I own the first three and read through them very quickly, greatly enjoying the wit and sarcasm of the main character. Although some people have told me they found the plot to grow old and repetitive by the second and third books in the series, I did not find that to be the case at all. Perhaps I was willing to sacrifice the plot for the cleverness of the characters, but I think it’s more likely that I was just enjoying the story. The themes of courage, loyalty, and right from wrong are brilliant and effective.

Final Thoughts

If you enjoy historical fiction that is appropriate for young ages but doesn’t become watered down and boring, or if you like exciting fantasy with deeper themes, this is the exact author you need to be looking into. I highly suggest books by Jennifer A. Nielsen to everyone, and you will certainly not regret getting to know some of her characters.

Have you read any of her books before? If so, which ones? I’d love to hear from you in the comments. 🙂