I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I really enjoyed this book the characters were interesting and the book was hard to put down. I highly recommend

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. Interesting story. The cover is really pretty. If you love traveling type books this is great for you. The description of the places are beautifully detailed.

What was life like in the late 1700's? What hardships did you endure on a daily basis? What if you wanted more for your family? Dogwood Crossing takes you on an amazing journey with the Rolens family to find a better life. The author takes you back in time and describes it beautifully!

A magnificent novel. Following the story of the Rolens family was an emotional and captivating experience. American Historical fiction at its best.

Many thanks to Netgalley for this terrific ARC

An engaging and melancholy read. I'm not normally a huge historical fiction fanatic, but this the story of the Rolens family had me hooked until the very last page.

I loved this story. The characters were so engaging as they travel through the wilds in search of a new home. The writing was very atmospheric and I felt transported to the frontier along with the Rolens. Historical fiction fans will absorb this!
Many thanks to Bathcat Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Dogwood Crossing by Steven Frye

Dogwood Crossing is a historical fiction adventure novel. An adventure much more extreme than most people's ideas of an adventure, these days.

Sam Rolens and his family, including his wife, his brother, and his children journey by wagon and horseback from their dirt poor tenant farm in North Carolina to the wilds west of the Mississippi River, near what is most likely present-day Louisiana. They meet up with Sam's Uncle Burl along the way and Burl helps to support the family with security and dealing with outsiders that they meet along the way.

The trails are not safe in 1798, between the wild animals and the men with criminal intent, a family has to look out for one another and keep each other safe.

It is a hard journey, they are all greatly relieved to get to their destination and begin to settle in and learn the lay of the land and also being able to purchase their own land.

This book is pretty good, I read a lot of books about the early history of the United States.

I received a complimentary copy from #netgalley @netgalley of #dogwoodcrossing and was under no obligation to post a review.

The author Steven Frye has a background well suited to the writing of his first novel. It will be welcomed by lovers of books set in the period of American western expansion. The reader will find rich and unexpected experiences, a diverse cast of characters and narrative points of view and waves of tension, foolishness and bravery.

This story will take you back in time to a period where life was about surviving and trying to make a better life for yourself and your family. If you enjoy American historical fiction you will enjoy this journey of Sam and his family as they head west. Endure in the hardship, heart break, and reward right along with them.

Such an engaging read! The setting. The history. The characters. The entire atmosphere of the story will lure you in and have you rooting for the Rolen's family on their journey westward to a new place they can call home. If you are a historical fiction fan, then you should definitely add this one to your "to read" list ASAP!

It’s an odd one out, this book. It met my expectations to a T and at the same time, it didn’t. I’m still puzzled and wondering about the hows and whys, which is not bad thing - I mean, writing a story that stays with the reader is maybe one of the greatest accomplishments for an author.

So, Steven: well done! And you picked a nice cover, too.

As usual, let's dig in and talk about DC a little bit more.

Yay!

- The main reason why I like DC is that it's well-researched. Yesss. I was expecting accuracy even before starting to read, given the author’s bio, but I still want to mention it: the grim and grit of the American frontier is right in your face from chapter one, line one. The way Sam Rolens and his family live and talk and think is true, precise to the bone. Realism, folks. Give me realism and I'll read you forever. The watered down version that I sometimes stumble into is a surefire way to make me yawn.

- (Some) descriptions. I'm not a fan of descriptions, per se, but they can be useful, especially if we're knee-deep in some historical lit. While there's no need to tell me about mascara brands or eye colors, like, ever *shivers*, I need to know about Dutch ovens and the structure of a Conestoga if I want to follow along.

- Burl. Blame my insta-weakness for BAMF characters, I like Burl a lot. Even more so since he's a side character, and it's hard to nail those down. The Rolens are portrayed in a good, interesting way - I love Lucetta's strength and more often than not I want to bang Sam's head with a saucepan: the wheel! Lucetta's pregnancy! - and they all grow throughout the story, but Uncle Burl is the glue that really keeps them together. He's badass too, as I said.

- The ending is bittersweet. While I love me a nice happy ending, there are times when it just doesn't fit the mood. I'm glad you didn't shoehorn it in, Steven. Well done.

After the yay, comes the

Nay!

- POV switch. Again, I have no idea why POV switching is all the rage among authors, because I promise you, it’s not. It’s just confusing and it gives away too much. Consider this: third. Limited. POV.

- French sentences without a translation. I think I get the reason behind this - showing Sam's confusion upon hearing people who speak a language he doesn’t understand - but I need to know what’s going on without pulling up GTranslate. Footnotes or a translation at the very end would have been useful.

- Descriptions. I’m putting them here too because they are too many. Relevant descriptions are perfect; unnecessary ones are not.

- A couple elements that challenged my disbelief suspension. For example, the Harpes torture a young man by cutting off his leg with a knife. Ignoring the ill-suited tool - a cleaver, an axe? Yep. A knife? Um - even if we're not talking femoral artery, it's rather quick a goodbye. Without a clearer timespan, I can’t buy the fact that Craig died later, after getting rescued. Plus, the Harpes subplot is never mentioned anymore?

All things considered, I'm giving DC a solid 7,5/10 (and I'm starting to hate the Goodreads star system. This would have been a 3.75 stars, but Goodreads doesn't let me do that. Bummer.)

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Dogwood Crossing did a great job of allowing me to live the history and setting. Through the thorough, yet unintrusive detail, the historical setting felt vivid and alive.
The story reminded me of the Grapes of Wrath. A family makes a hard, but necessary journey on which all their hopes rest. The detailed, but non-emotive writing also reminded me of Steinbeck's. Frye had a way of causing emotion without being overly emotional, if that makes sense.

However, the Grapes of Wrath had a sense of urgency and desperation for its characters that was sparse in Dogwood Crossing. DC didn't invest me in its characters or their fates as much as I like. The characters did little to reveal themselves. Only Sam, the main character, showed enough vulnerability for connection.

I'd recommend this to anyone who likes historical fiction, tales of early American settlers, the Grapes of Wrath, and stories that let you digest them how you do without being led one way or another.

Steven Frye immerses the reader in a primitive, harsh world of post-Revolutionary War. The war ended, Appalachian families want more-freedom, adventure, land "for the price of a survey," to build on to their clans--and blaze a trail to territory of Louisiana. This is the story of one such family, their struggles and crushing heartbreak. This is a powerful novel of the steadfast American pioneering spirit!