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louisekf's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
This is a complex story of spying on behalf of Queen Elizabeth and on behalf of her rival, Mary (popularly known as Mary, Queen of Scots) in 1572. It is a time of intense religious feeling, and the book opens with scenes of violence as Catholics slaughter Protestants (Huguenots) in France. In England there is fear that the Spanish are making plans to crush England via the sea in order to put the Catholic Mary on the English throne.
The adventures culminate with the establishment of Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
I enjoyed the exploits of Francis Walsingham and John Dee and loved reading the vivid descriptions of London and all the other locations - how disgusting the Seine and the Thames were! The story dragged in places, however. Also, there are some scenes that involve Mary, who is under house arrest in Sheffield, that involve sex toys, self-stimulation and stimulation required from her female servants that seemed to me totally unnecessary to the story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the chance to read an advance copy of this book.
This is a complex story of spying on behalf of Queen Elizabeth and on behalf of her rival, Mary (popularly known as Mary, Queen of Scots) in 1572. It is a time of intense religious feeling, and the book opens with scenes of violence as Catholics slaughter Protestants (Huguenots) in France. In England there is fear that the Spanish are making plans to crush England via the sea in order to put the Catholic Mary on the English throne.
The adventures culminate with the establishment of Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
I enjoyed the exploits of Francis Walsingham and John Dee and loved reading the vivid descriptions of London and all the other locations - how disgusting the Seine and the Thames were! The story dragged in places, however. Also, there are some scenes that involve Mary, who is under house arrest in Sheffield, that involve sex toys, self-stimulation and stimulation required from her female servants that seemed to me totally unnecessary to the story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the chance to read an advance copy of this book.
mugs_it_is's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
vesper1931's review
1572 Spy master Walsingham is in Paris, while the massacre of St. Bartholomew is occurring. But he must retrieve an important document. Later, events result in sending Dr John Dee into France. Meanwhile Walsingham believes he must deal with the threat from Mary, Queen of the Scots.
An entertaining well-written historical thriller with some interesting characters.
A good start to a new series even though the story was written in the present tense, not something I particularly like.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
An entertaining well-written historical thriller with some interesting characters.
A good start to a new series even though the story was written in the present tense, not something I particularly like.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
msavaiano's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
traveling_in_books's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
plantladyreader's review against another edition
4.0
This was such a great read!
Historical fiction meets thriller meets the makings of the future James Bond, all had me devouring this book in a matter of days!
Dr James Dee has a surprising relationship with Queen Elizabeth, one not many people understand, including Francis Walsingham, her head of security detail. Dee is a curious man, having many skills in the sciences, astronomy, astrology and spiritualism, and it makes him invaluable to the Queen's aid. While Walsingham is defending Queen Elizabeth's life against the uprising of Catholicism and Queen Mary of the Scots trying to take over the throne, he ends up requiring the unique skills that Dee can bring to the table.
I really enjoyed this book for a number of reasons. The historical side of it was really well done - the uprising of the Catholics and their revolt against the Christian monarchy was richly detailed and very horrifying; the characters were really enjoyable, as were the different relationships between them; Queen Mary was a wonderful villain to root against the whole time, and her tricks of communicating outside her prison cells to her accomplices was very creative; and finally the ending came together in a way that was enjoyable but not too neat - we're still left with some questions, some ill-feelings and the sense that there is more to come from this story!
Overall, very well done. If you're a fan of sixteenth century historical fiction, I would definitely check this one out!
4.5
Historical fiction meets thriller meets the makings of the future James Bond, all had me devouring this book in a matter of days!
Dr James Dee has a surprising relationship with Queen Elizabeth, one not many people understand, including Francis Walsingham, her head of security detail. Dee is a curious man, having many skills in the sciences, astronomy, astrology and spiritualism, and it makes him invaluable to the Queen's aid. While Walsingham is defending Queen Elizabeth's life against the uprising of Catholicism and Queen Mary of the Scots trying to take over the throne, he ends up requiring the unique skills that Dee can bring to the table.
I really enjoyed this book for a number of reasons. The historical side of it was really well done - the uprising of the Catholics and their revolt against the Christian monarchy was richly detailed and very horrifying; the characters were really enjoyable, as were the different relationships between them; Queen Mary was a wonderful villain to root against the whole time, and her tricks of communicating outside her prison cells to her accomplices was very creative; and finally the ending came together in a way that was enjoyable but not too neat - we're still left with some questions, some ill-feelings and the sense that there is more to come from this story!
Overall, very well done. If you're a fan of sixteenth century historical fiction, I would definitely check this one out!
4.5
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