3.73 AVERAGE


Started out well enough, but the weird pacing threw it off. Half the book is dedicated to a few scant (and less significant) months while the other half is spent speeding through the next 20 or so years, barely skimming some major events.

Still, Katherine is an interesting character and I do appreciate her relationship with Author being fleshed out within the story.
adventurous emotional tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

In one word: Good. This book really made me admire the Infanta of Spain. Life was hard, and she went through many trials, but she did not let them defeat her.

Es el primer libro que leo de esta autora y el primer libro que leo sobre la vida de los Tudor. Debo admitir que ignoraba por completo la historia de estos personajes, de hecho me apena decir que ni siquiera sabía quienes eran.
Quede sorprendida con la vida de Catalina, hasta me puse a investigar en internet porque me parecía algo irreal a la vez que increíble todo lo que vivió y tuvo que pasar para poder ser por fin la princesa de Gales.
El personaje que más me gustó fue Arthur, tuve una primera impresión no muy buena de él, rápidamente lo catalogué de insípido, una persona sin chiste, sin embargo después de casarse con Catalina e irse con ella a este lugar que no recuerdo su nombre (sorry) se deja ver un poco más de su personalidad y se muestra más agradable y con más personalidad, porque honestamente, el chico parecía no tener iniciativa propia cuando estaba con el padre, así que ya solito podía desenvolverse mejor.
En general me gustó leer y conocer un poquito más de cómo era el mundo en ese entonces.
Peeeero, así como hubo cosas que me gustaron también hubo varias que no, una de ellas es que me parecía odiosoooo que por cada capítulo Catalina dijera unas 10 veces que era la princesa de Gales y la futura reina de Inglaterra porque así lo quería dios y su madre, me quedo súper claro las 20 veces que lo dijiste en los primeros 2 capítulos chica, gracias, no tenias que repetirlo un chingo de veces durante todo el libro.
adventurous hopeful inspiring mysterious slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I’m reading these books in chronological order, and it has been a while since Philippa has liked her main character. She likes Catherine of Aragon. Either that, or CoA is just that much more interesting, historically. This book flew by, even though I knew her ultimate fate. It was still a suspenseful read.

I normally love her books but this one just ended so suddenly. They really missed out on telling more of her life.

Hello there, historical liberties! I'm all for the fiction in historical fiction, but this was a little more than I could believe. I won't argue if Katherine's and Arthur's marriage was consummated, but I highly doubt that Katherine ever truly loved the sickly boy in the 4 months before he died. "Oh, Arthur, my one true love! All I do I do for you!" (I'm paraphrasing, but this was basically the book). It's not believable. Sorry, I don't buy it.

I also hated how towards the end, Gregory just starts time jumping, skipping important events. I know Tudor history, but someone less familiar with the time period would have been very confused with the way the book ended, going from victory in battle before the birth of Princess Mary to the Annulment Proceedings between Henry and Katherine.

What I hated most was that this book put Katherine in the wrong. Henry technically had the right to ask for his divorce. I've always believed that Katherine was the true queen and totally got screwed over, but I felt less compassion for Katherine while reading this novel.