Year of Wonders would have been more appropriately titled Year of Horrors. I didn't find anything about this story wondrous. This is a story about how the bubonic plague practically wiped out an entire village and ruined the lives of dozens of people. As someone who isn't a fan of historical fiction, I do feel the need to give praise for the author's storytelling talent. I was entertained, I was gripped. I was never bored. I was disappointed with the characters though. They never jumped off the page, their voices never found their way into my head and because of this they weren't able to find their way into my heart either. I heard the ending was quite a shock, but I felt let down. My idea of who the characters were, or should have been was destroyed and it made the entire story seem less authentic. 
 The village of Eyam where 260 villagers lost their lives to the plague around 1665.