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vlouisep's review
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
kenwaycat's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
nightresplendent's review against another edition
5.0
Beginning in 1603, this novel follows Frances Gorges as she tends to the dying Queen Elizabeth I, and onward through her time at the court of King James I, whose ruthless puritanism threatens anyone he suspects of witchcraft.
All I can say is I'm glad this is the first of a trilogy, I'm not ready for it to be over! This novel has it all - mystery, betrayal and suspense and it has left me craving more, now! This is the downside of reading an ARC, my wait feels so much longer!
Thank you to so much to Becca @hodderbooks for providing me with a free copy of The King's Witch and for including the lovely, handwritten note.
All I can say is I'm glad this is the first of a trilogy, I'm not ready for it to be over! This novel has it all - mystery, betrayal and suspense and it has left me craving more, now! This is the downside of reading an ARC, my wait feels so much longer!
Thank you to so much to Becca @hodderbooks for providing me with a free copy of The King's Witch and for including the lovely, handwritten note.
vnesting's review against another edition
4.0
THE KING'S WITCH by Tracy Borman is a wonderful, fast paced and engaging historical set during the reign of James I of England, when even the practice of the healing arts was considered to be witchcraft. Loved the characters so much I was so sad to finish it.
thecolorcodedlife's review against another edition
3.0
tl;dr Review:
A good historical fiction tale. Nothing particularly special or unique about it, but not terrible either.
Full Review:
My overall feeling about The King's Witch: Frances Gorges historical trilogy, Book I by Tracy Borman was that it was fine. It wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't one of my favorite historical fiction books either.
The fact that it's part of a trilogy does intrigue me because I wonder how much of this book was meant to lay the ground work for the rest of the books to come.
I was initially really excited to read it because the publisher's description really caught my attention.
Maybe I'm jaded because I read a ton of historical fiction, so I have a really high bar in terms of these types of stories. Or maybe I know too much about this particular time period in history and that also makes me expect more, but either way, I wasn't absolutely in love with this book.
I do love our protagonist and there's enough intrigue to make it not a complete waste of your time.
If you're looking for an easy historical fiction read that won't require too much brainpower or attention, then this will work great. If you're looking for a thriller or a book you just can't put down, I'd suggest you look elsewhere.
I give it 3 out of 5 thumbs up.
A good historical fiction tale. Nothing particularly special or unique about it, but not terrible either.
Full Review:
My overall feeling about The King's Witch: Frances Gorges historical trilogy, Book I by Tracy Borman was that it was fine. It wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't one of my favorite historical fiction books either.
The fact that it's part of a trilogy does intrigue me because I wonder how much of this book was meant to lay the ground work for the rest of the books to come.
I was initially really excited to read it because the publisher's description really caught my attention.
Maybe I'm jaded because I read a ton of historical fiction, so I have a really high bar in terms of these types of stories. Or maybe I know too much about this particular time period in history and that also makes me expect more, but either way, I wasn't absolutely in love with this book.
I do love our protagonist and there's enough intrigue to make it not a complete waste of your time.
If you're looking for an easy historical fiction read that won't require too much brainpower or attention, then this will work great. If you're looking for a thriller or a book you just can't put down, I'd suggest you look elsewhere.
I give it 3 out of 5 thumbs up.
catshepshut1's review
4.0
This was a well told historical fiction book. I liked the point of view, told from the point of view of Frances Gorges. Tracy Borman is a talented story teller and deftly mixes the story of James VI/I's persecution of witches and Catholics with the tension that inevitably lead to the Gunpowder Plot.
charf47's review against another edition
4.0
Tracey Borman has written a thrilling novel about the changeable and always fascinating English Court, spanning the time from the death of the comparatively tolerant Queen Elizabeth I of England, to the reign of King James of Scotland, whose surliness and public, puritanical intolerance resulted in his growing unpopularity. There are the usual fascinating, conniving characters, hoping to curry favour with the monarch. Accusations of witchcraft, secrets, rebellion and romance make this novel enthralling and hard to put down. Perhaps it is due to my poor knowledge of English history that I did not foresee this from the beginning, but I had a real "aha" moment when I realised exactly which very famous, and currently still celebrated, rebellion was being plotted. Highly recommended. Thanks to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the ARC.
geekylou's review
2.0
This was OK, it seemed to take a while to read as I found not a lot of action , or could just be the time I am reading this book is really not the best time and so my mind is often elsewhere (Covid-19). I did enjoy it but I found at times it lacked something.
bibliophilexthea's review against another edition
5.0
A new favourite of mines, i love historical fiction so much
raven_pine's review against another edition
3.0
An intriguing historical fiction looking at one of the most infamous assassination attempts ever from the perspective of a lady in the court.
I did like this as I found the setting intriguing however I also found the book to also be very drawn out and the parts which I found most enjoyable which was the healing at the beginning vanished by halfway through the book rarely to be mentioned again and this was only a reminder of what she had faced and not the healing skills themselves.
I did like this as I found the setting intriguing however I also found the book to also be very drawn out and the parts which I found most enjoyable which was the healing at the beginning vanished by halfway through the book rarely to be mentioned again and this was only a reminder of what she had faced and not the healing skills themselves.