Scan barcode
mysteriesandhistories's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
100pagesaday's review against another edition
4.0
"Prisoner of the Queen had me gripped from the prologue. Eliza Knight has artfully told the story of ill-fated Katherine Grey, sister to the Nine-Days Queen, Jane Grey.
As a lover of all things Tudor, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There is a fresh perspective on court life and several Queens through the eyes of Katherine Grey. Katherine, who had been inundated with Court Life since she was a child, is cousin to Queen Mary and Elizabeth. Katherine Grey is seen as a threat to the Crown, but all she wants in her life is to carry on a humble existence with the man she loves, Edward Seymour. The star-crossed lover's story is presented with historical accuracy, including some of the actual letters written by Jane and Katherine Grey as well as heartbreaking emotions. For any Tudor lovers, this is a new and exciting story from the Tudor court complete with intrigue, plotting and executions.
This book was received as an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
As a lover of all things Tudor, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There is a fresh perspective on court life and several Queens through the eyes of Katherine Grey. Katherine, who had been inundated with Court Life since she was a child, is cousin to Queen Mary and Elizabeth. Katherine Grey is seen as a threat to the Crown, but all she wants in her life is to carry on a humble existence with the man she loves, Edward Seymour. The star-crossed lover's story is presented with historical accuracy, including some of the actual letters written by Jane and Katherine Grey as well as heartbreaking emotions. For any Tudor lovers, this is a new and exciting story from the Tudor court complete with intrigue, plotting and executions.
This book was received as an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
truebookaddict's review against another edition
4.0
I think what I enjoy most about the Tales from the Tudor Court series is the author's ability in taking the fringe players and showing us how essential they were to what was going on in the Tudor world. She accomplished this in My Lady Viper, with Anne Seymour, and she does it brilliantly once again with this book surrounding Katherine Grey's life.
Katherine was the younger sister to Lady Jane Grey, Queen Jane for those illustrious nine days. She was the middle daughter of Frances Grey, nee Brandon, who was the niece of Henry VIII and daughter to Mary Tudor and Charles Brandon. In this book, Katherine seemed to be a more grounded type of person, who really only wanted the simple things in life. Not the intrigue of court. Although naive at times, she is very kind to the less fortunate, which I thought commendable. But she also has an inner strength that really comes to her aid later on when she finds herself in a precarious situation.
It was difficult for me to read Queen Elizabeth I as being such a mean, spiteful...and paranoid...woman, as I have a spot in my heart for her. However, the author here makes us believe that she could have really been like that. Not by simply writing her character that way, but by portraying the reasons why might have behaved in this way. It doesn't really portray her in a favorable light, but we can accept that, given the times and what she had endured, she could have very well had reasons for her behavior. I say, "Well Done!"
In all, Prisoner of the Queen is an excellent historical novel. It is well-researched and the characters are well-written, interesting and engaging, as is the entire story. If you have not picked this series up as yet, I highly recommend that you do.
Katherine was the younger sister to Lady Jane Grey, Queen Jane for those illustrious nine days. She was the middle daughter of Frances Grey, nee Brandon, who was the niece of Henry VIII and daughter to Mary Tudor and Charles Brandon. In this book, Katherine seemed to be a more grounded type of person, who really only wanted the simple things in life. Not the intrigue of court. Although naive at times, she is very kind to the less fortunate, which I thought commendable. But she also has an inner strength that really comes to her aid later on when she finds herself in a precarious situation.
It was difficult for me to read Queen Elizabeth I as being such a mean, spiteful...and paranoid...woman, as I have a spot in my heart for her. However, the author here makes us believe that she could have really been like that. Not by simply writing her character that way, but by portraying the reasons why might have behaved in this way. It doesn't really portray her in a favorable light, but we can accept that, given the times and what she had endured, she could have very well had reasons for her behavior. I say, "Well Done!"
In all, Prisoner of the Queen is an excellent historical novel. It is well-researched and the characters are well-written, interesting and engaging, as is the entire story. If you have not picked this series up as yet, I highly recommend that you do.
em_err's review against another edition
3.0
Well, it had me on the edge of my seat for a good bit. It has almost everything a good book needs. The characters are relatable, the setting truly has a historical feel, and it has action and suspense. I loved it until it hit some moments that should be rated R and I chose not to read any more of it. Good book for sure, but it needs some work and some choice moments should've definitely been left out.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
aqualini's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Having read Alison's Weir's Innocent Traitor (which I liked) about Lady Jane Grey, I was glad to be able to read about her sister Katherine. I usually rate historical novels five stars so that more will be written, more subjects covered. However I had to knock off a star because this book quite frankly didn't deserve it.
First and foremost the historical inaccuracies:
Example - Pg 53:
"Mayhap I should write to my step-grandmother Katherine, Duchess of Suffolk. She had a way of swaying people to her cause, especially now that her two sons, the heirs to the throne, had passed away - and she was no longer considered a threat."
How were the Duchess of Suffolk's sons considered heirs to the throne? Her mother was Maria Salinas, a Spanish lady-in-waiting to Katherine of Aragon and father Baron Willoughby. Her husband was Charles Brandon, whose father was Sir William Brandon, standard bearer to Henry Tudor and his mother was an heiress, Elizabeth Bruyn. Charles Brandon's claim to fame was that he was a close friend and confidante of Henry VIII and married his sister Mary Tudor. But neither puts him in the line to the throne. S0 there is no was that their sons could be heirs to the throne.
Also Katherine keeps mentioning that her sons are both from Royal houses. While Katherine definitely is, how is Edward Seymour from a royal house? His aunt Jane Seymour married Henry VIII. Again that does not make the House of Seymour royal, and whose children could be considered heirs to the throne.
Secondly, the sentence structure at times was quite bad (there were a few instances I had to reread a sentence multiple times, still didn't get it, gave up and had to go with context) or too contemporary and jarred with the rest of the tone of the book.
Example - Page 219:
"If only courtiers, male and female, would look beneath the surface. Sad that I doubted anyone ever would."
Page 220:
"Where was Ned? He would have so enjoyed this farce. And Mrs Helen would have been having a ball without at doubt."
Mrs Helen would have been having a ball with what?
Thirdly, while I didn't mind the romance, I had issue with the sheer number of times she was electrified whenever they had the slightest bit of physical contact especially whenever she placed her hand on his arm and the various destinations in her body that that charge travelled to.
Example: "I slipped my arm through Ned's, resting my hand upon the inside of his elbow, and felt the heat of his body seep through my fingertips, up my arm, and into my chest." is just one of many such instances scattered throughout the book.
First and foremost the historical inaccuracies:
Example - Pg 53:
"Mayhap I should write to my step-grandmother Katherine, Duchess of Suffolk. She had a way of swaying people to her cause, especially now that her two sons, the heirs to the throne, had passed away - and she was no longer considered a threat."
How were the Duchess of Suffolk's sons considered heirs to the throne? Her mother was Maria Salinas, a Spanish lady-in-waiting to Katherine of Aragon and father Baron Willoughby. Her husband was Charles Brandon, whose father was Sir William Brandon, standard bearer to Henry Tudor and his mother was an heiress, Elizabeth Bruyn. Charles Brandon's claim to fame was that he was a close friend and confidante of Henry VIII and married his sister Mary Tudor. But neither puts him in the line to the throne. S0 there is no was that their sons could be heirs to the throne.
Also Katherine keeps mentioning that her sons are both from Royal houses. While Katherine definitely is, how is Edward Seymour from a royal house? His aunt Jane Seymour married Henry VIII. Again that does not make the House of Seymour royal, and whose children could be considered heirs to the throne.
Secondly, the sentence structure at times was quite bad (there were a few instances I had to reread a sentence multiple times, still didn't get it, gave up and had to go with context) or too contemporary and jarred with the rest of the tone of the book.
Example - Page 219:
"If only courtiers, male and female, would look beneath the surface. Sad that I doubted anyone ever would."
Page 220:
"Where was Ned? He would have so enjoyed this farce. And Mrs Helen would have been having a ball without at doubt."
Mrs Helen would have been having a ball with what?
Thirdly, while I didn't mind the romance, I had issue with the sheer number of times she was electrified whenever they had the slightest bit of physical contact especially whenever she placed her hand on his arm and the various destinations in her body that that charge travelled to.
Example: "I slipped my arm through Ned's, resting my hand upon the inside of his elbow, and felt the heat of his body seep through my fingertips, up my arm, and into my chest." is just one of many such instances scattered throughout the book.
colleenlovestoread's review
4.0
There are few things I like better than a well told Tudor historical! There are so many angles to take and interpretations to present that show the many players and many sides in this political viper’s nest. While Jane Grey, the 9 days queen, is a key player in many novels surrounding the Tudor court her younger sisters, Katherine and Mary Grey, are usually relegated to the sidelines. Ms. Knight’s Prisoner of the Queen places Katherine front and center, letting her tell her heavy story of great love and much loss.
I have to say that I could not help but love Katharine! Sweet, generous and often innocently naïve, Katherine wants nothing more than to devote herself to helping others less fortunate and to find a marriage match based in true love and safety, something she has rarely seen among those of her class. But being a princess of the blood means many others – including her own cruel and unloving parents – will use her as a pawn in the dangerous game of power that always looms heavy around the throne. Seeing her sister beheaded by their own cousin, Queen Mary, for doing nothing more than being the unwitting recipient of the crown placed on her head by men who wished to rule through her, Katherine learns quickly she wants nothing of it. But everyone is suspicious of her and she can’t be sure who she can trust as she carefully slides around those jealous of her beauty and kindness, no one more than her other cousin, Queen Elizabeth. But don’t let her kindness deceive you! Katherine’s spine is all steel under her elaborate finery and she will let no one – not even the Queen – keep her from having the true love she finds in Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford. She will live for her heart, regardless of the consequences. How can you not root for a woman like that?!
Elizabeth is portrayed as a nasty, vengeful young woman and, eventually, Queen. While she seeks the love of her subjects she is refused the passion and love of a man of her own, making her bitter and jealous of anyone else having it. She plays quite the loathsome villain with all her arrogant, vicious and hypocritical ways. I kept thinking a glimmer of heart would shimmer through all that cold and calculation but she proved to be too damaged and scarred to see beyond her selfishness and fear. The gilding on this glamorous court and its people is thoroughly stripped off and what is left is the defensiveness and cunning of a group of people always living on the line between greatness and destruction.
Even with this wonderful character development my favorite aspect of the novel would still be the elaborate descriptive style. The reader is so effectively saturated in period details and descriptions that they can almost hear the wind rustling the elaborately embroidered dresses and feel the abject fear flowing through Katherine’s royal blood. I felt completely transported into her world and wanted her to find the peace and happiness she so longed for – even as I knew her story couldn’t possibly end that way – as if she was a real friend of mine.
Prisoner of the Queen is top shelf historical fiction. Anyone as addicted to Tudor history as I am will love escaping into this heartbreaking yet touching look at a woman taking her own life into her hands and making her own choices despite what tragedies may come.
I have to say that I could not help but love Katharine! Sweet, generous and often innocently naïve, Katherine wants nothing more than to devote herself to helping others less fortunate and to find a marriage match based in true love and safety, something she has rarely seen among those of her class. But being a princess of the blood means many others – including her own cruel and unloving parents – will use her as a pawn in the dangerous game of power that always looms heavy around the throne. Seeing her sister beheaded by their own cousin, Queen Mary, for doing nothing more than being the unwitting recipient of the crown placed on her head by men who wished to rule through her, Katherine learns quickly she wants nothing of it. But everyone is suspicious of her and she can’t be sure who she can trust as she carefully slides around those jealous of her beauty and kindness, no one more than her other cousin, Queen Elizabeth. But don’t let her kindness deceive you! Katherine’s spine is all steel under her elaborate finery and she will let no one – not even the Queen – keep her from having the true love she finds in Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford. She will live for her heart, regardless of the consequences. How can you not root for a woman like that?!
Elizabeth is portrayed as a nasty, vengeful young woman and, eventually, Queen. While she seeks the love of her subjects she is refused the passion and love of a man of her own, making her bitter and jealous of anyone else having it. She plays quite the loathsome villain with all her arrogant, vicious and hypocritical ways. I kept thinking a glimmer of heart would shimmer through all that cold and calculation but she proved to be too damaged and scarred to see beyond her selfishness and fear. The gilding on this glamorous court and its people is thoroughly stripped off and what is left is the defensiveness and cunning of a group of people always living on the line between greatness and destruction.
Even with this wonderful character development my favorite aspect of the novel would still be the elaborate descriptive style. The reader is so effectively saturated in period details and descriptions that they can almost hear the wind rustling the elaborately embroidered dresses and feel the abject fear flowing through Katherine’s royal blood. I felt completely transported into her world and wanted her to find the peace and happiness she so longed for – even as I knew her story couldn’t possibly end that way – as if she was a real friend of mine.
Prisoner of the Queen is top shelf historical fiction. Anyone as addicted to Tudor history as I am will love escaping into this heartbreaking yet touching look at a woman taking her own life into her hands and making her own choices despite what tragedies may come.
truebookaddict's review
4.0
I think what I enjoy most about the Tales from the Tudor Court series is the author's ability in taking the fringe players and showing us how essential they were to what was going on in the Tudor world. She accomplished this in My Lady Viper, with Anne Seymour, and she does it brilliantly once again with this book surrounding Katherine Grey's life.
Katherine was the younger sister to Lady Jane Grey, Queen Jane for those illustrious nine days. She was the middle daughter of Frances Grey, nee Brandon, who was the niece of Henry VIII and daughter to Mary Tudor and Charles Brandon. In this book, Katherine seemed to be a more grounded type of person, who really only wanted the simple things in life. Not the intrigue of court. Although naive at times, she is very kind to the less fortunate, which I thought commendable. But she also has an inner strength that really comes to her aid later on when she finds herself in a precarious situation.
It was difficult for me to read Queen Elizabeth I as being such a mean, spiteful...and paranoid...woman, as I have a spot in my heart for her. However, the author here makes us believe that she could have really been like that. Not by simply writing her character that way, but by portraying the reasons why might have behaved in this way. It doesn't really portray her in a favorable light, but we can accept that, given the times and what she had endured, she could have very well had reasons for her behavior. I say, "Well Done!"
In all, Prisoner of the Queen is an excellent historical novel. It is well-researched and the characters are well-written, interesting and engaging, as is the entire story. If you have not picked this series up as yet, I highly recommend that you do.
Katherine was the younger sister to Lady Jane Grey, Queen Jane for those illustrious nine days. She was the middle daughter of Frances Grey, nee Brandon, who was the niece of Henry VIII and daughter to Mary Tudor and Charles Brandon. In this book, Katherine seemed to be a more grounded type of person, who really only wanted the simple things in life. Not the intrigue of court. Although naive at times, she is very kind to the less fortunate, which I thought commendable. But she also has an inner strength that really comes to her aid later on when she finds herself in a precarious situation.
It was difficult for me to read Queen Elizabeth I as being such a mean, spiteful...and paranoid...woman, as I have a spot in my heart for her. However, the author here makes us believe that she could have really been like that. Not by simply writing her character that way, but by portraying the reasons why might have behaved in this way. It doesn't really portray her in a favorable light, but we can accept that, given the times and what she had endured, she could have very well had reasons for her behavior. I say, "Well Done!"
In all, Prisoner of the Queen is an excellent historical novel. It is well-researched and the characters are well-written, interesting and engaging, as is the entire story. If you have not picked this series up as yet, I highly recommend that you do.
jacattack13's review against another edition
4.0
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
This was such a great read and I finished it in two days. If you LOVE Philippa Gregory like I do then this will be the book for you! Ms. Knight is a great storyteller and draws you back to the past!
This follows Lady Katherine Grey, the middle sister of the Nine-Days Queen Jane Grey. Katherine sees her family rise to power only to fall down. She is left to pick up the pieces and to make peace with the new Queen Mary and then the Queen Elizabeth. Katherine has no ambition to take control of the crown and rule especially after seeing her older sister executed for trying to do that same thing. She just wants to fall in love, marry, and raise her kids in peace but because of her blood she can't just marry anyone or without the Queens permission. But Katherine is tired of being a pawn and takes matter into her own hands which have dire consequences.
Ms. Knight is superb at making you love Katherine and hate Queen Elizabeth. I have always rooted for Elizabeth in previous books but this sheds light onto her other side. Queen Elizabeth is the villain in this story but her reasons make so much sense that it can be frustrating. I felt like I was pulled back into the past and I had watery eyes at the end not knowing how Katherine's story actually played out. I've been trying to read more about the people who surrounded the two Queens during their reign and this book was perfect. It gave me more insight into the families and showing another side to Queen Elizabeth.
This was such a great read and I finished it in two days. If you LOVE Philippa Gregory like I do then this will be the book for you! Ms. Knight is a great storyteller and draws you back to the past!
This follows Lady Katherine Grey, the middle sister of the Nine-Days Queen Jane Grey. Katherine sees her family rise to power only to fall down. She is left to pick up the pieces and to make peace with the new Queen Mary and then the Queen Elizabeth. Katherine has no ambition to take control of the crown and rule especially after seeing her older sister executed for trying to do that same thing. She just wants to fall in love, marry, and raise her kids in peace but because of her blood she can't just marry anyone or without the Queens permission. But Katherine is tired of being a pawn and takes matter into her own hands which have dire consequences.
Ms. Knight is superb at making you love Katherine and hate Queen Elizabeth. I have always rooted for Elizabeth in previous books but this sheds light onto her other side. Queen Elizabeth is the villain in this story but her reasons make so much sense that it can be frustrating. I felt like I was pulled back into the past and I had watery eyes at the end not knowing how Katherine's story actually played out. I've been trying to read more about the people who surrounded the two Queens during their reign and this book was perfect. It gave me more insight into the families and showing another side to Queen Elizabeth.
abookishaffair's review
4.0
In "Prisoner of the Queen," E. Knight is back with another tale from the Tudor Court. Think you've read everything about the Tudors? Ms. Knight shows that there is much more to love. I know that I have thought that maybe I was over reading about the Tudors before but when I read books like this one, my mind is changed very quickly. Filled with court intrigue and passion, this book will have you wanting to read more about her heroine, Katherine Grey, sister of Queen Jane Grey!
Queen Jane, also remembered as the nine day queen, is probably one of Henry VIII's queens that I know the least about and in that vein, I did not know much about Katherine Grey either before reading this book. She has an equally interesting story to her sister. Both sisters lived during an extremely volatile time during England's history where some of the luster had started coming off of the throne. It made for really good reading! Katherine is seen as a major threat to the throne and therefore her life is made miserable by the powers that be. While she has no designs on taking the throne for herself, there are other people in her family that are keen on ruling themselves, which makes Katherine suspect. I really felt for her! She wants to live her own life but is never really allowed to do that. You'll definitely feel her frustration throughout the book. Knight captures it perfectly!
The writing and the research that went into this book make it an especially good treat for historical fiction readers. Knight is both able to give us really vivid characters while not skimping on rich historical detail. Count me as one of those anxious for the next release in this series!
Queen Jane, also remembered as the nine day queen, is probably one of Henry VIII's queens that I know the least about and in that vein, I did not know much about Katherine Grey either before reading this book. She has an equally interesting story to her sister. Both sisters lived during an extremely volatile time during England's history where some of the luster had started coming off of the throne. It made for really good reading! Katherine is seen as a major threat to the throne and therefore her life is made miserable by the powers that be. While she has no designs on taking the throne for herself, there are other people in her family that are keen on ruling themselves, which makes Katherine suspect. I really felt for her! She wants to live her own life but is never really allowed to do that. You'll definitely feel her frustration throughout the book. Knight captures it perfectly!
The writing and the research that went into this book make it an especially good treat for historical fiction readers. Knight is both able to give us really vivid characters while not skimping on rich historical detail. Count me as one of those anxious for the next release in this series!