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herbalmoon's review against another edition
1.0
If you were considering this book in hopes that things got better since the first, you'll be sorry.
The doom and gloom is even more pervasive than before (if that's even possible) and things often come up that are ultimately left unresolved or end up making no sense. I'd been considering giving this book up for a while, but the following scene (wildly paraphrased, mind you) finally forced me to give up.
=====
Sir Walter Raleigh: Princess Elizabeth, I would love to have you visit again in the future, before you leave the country to get married. Would you mind leaving your servant behind (*points to the protagonist*) to help me prepare a surprise that's sure to bring you back?
Elizabeth Stuart: Absolutely!
(*goodbye stuff; Princess Elizabeth, her elder brother and their entourage leave Frances alone with Sir Walter*)
Walter: (*says stuff that indicates he's on the side of the Catholics and how he wants to help Frances steer the princess toward a Catholic husband*)
---She's such a fluffhead, it wouldn't be too hard to change her mind from Protestantism.
Lady Frances Tyringham: Her Highness has more of a brain than you think, but whatever.
Walter: (*leans in and whispers hotly in Frances's ear*) By the way, once you're sworn to Satan, you're always sworn. In fact, you're the devil's slave!
=====
And then, rather than explaining what the hell he meant, the story flashes to Frances discovering that her husband is having an affair.
What the actual fuck?!
Are we supposed to think that Walter believes that because Frances was brought up on charges of being a witch, that she is a witch, despite being exonerated? If that's the case, why is he even working with her?
The doom and gloom is even more pervasive than before (if that's even possible) and things often come up that are ultimately left unresolved or end up making no sense. I'd been considering giving this book up for a while, but the following scene (wildly paraphrased, mind you) finally forced me to give up.
=====
Sir Walter Raleigh: Princess Elizabeth, I would love to have you visit again in the future, before you leave the country to get married. Would you mind leaving your servant behind (*points to the protagonist*) to help me prepare a surprise that's sure to bring you back?
Elizabeth Stuart: Absolutely!
(*goodbye stuff; Princess Elizabeth, her elder brother and their entourage leave Frances alone with Sir Walter*)
Walter: (*says stuff that indicates he's on the side of the Catholics and how he wants to help Frances steer the princess toward a Catholic husband*)
---She's such a fluffhead, it wouldn't be too hard to change her mind from Protestantism.
Lady Frances Tyringham: Her Highness has more of a brain than you think, but whatever.
Walter: (*leans in and whispers hotly in Frances's ear*) By the way, once you're sworn to Satan, you're always sworn. In fact, you're the devil's slave!
=====
And then, rather than explaining what the hell he meant, the story flashes to Frances discovering that her husband is having an affair.
What the actual fuck?!
Are we supposed to think that Walter believes that because Frances was brought up on charges of being a witch, that she is a witch, despite being exonerated? If that's the case, why is he even working with her?
joycerl's review against another edition
5.0
Absolute delight of a book.Easy to lose a few hours!
Set in King James court after the time of the GunPowder Treason this book follows the life of Frances.She is a healer but can’t practise openly for fear of being labeled a witch.Her life at court with her husband and son and trying to balance the different people who try to influence her forms the basis of this book.Very intricate plots woven together to form a richly hued tapestry of a story.
#thedevilsslave#netgalley
Set in King James court after the time of the GunPowder Treason this book follows the life of Frances.She is a healer but can’t practise openly for fear of being labeled a witch.Her life at court with her husband and son and trying to balance the different people who try to influence her forms the basis of this book.Very intricate plots woven together to form a richly hued tapestry of a story.
#thedevilsslave#netgalley
duchessofreadin's review against another edition
3.0
Francis is back in the second book of this series by Tracy Borman. She must once again navigate the dangerous court and do her best to stay above suspicion. Pregnant, unmarried and alone, she is in a very vulnerable position.
I am going to admit that I had more trouble enjoying this one than I did the first. This one seemed stretched and without the same enthusiasm as the first.
While this was not a terrible book by any means, it lacked the pizazz of the first.
I am going to admit that I had more trouble enjoying this one than I did the first. This one seemed stretched and without the same enthusiasm as the first.
While this was not a terrible book by any means, it lacked the pizazz of the first.
librarianmel's review against another edition
2.0
I enjoyed the first book in this series, but the parts that annoyed me were amplified in book 2. I had checked book 3 from the library and returned it unopened. There is an awful lot of shocked Pikachu face from Frances and that gets really old, really quickly.
booktiamo's review against another edition
4.0
An amazing sequel to The King's Witch. In the court of James the First. Frances has lost the father of her child, Thomas Wintour. She is given the chance to marry Thomas Tyringham )who was a real person and Master of Hound to James I) to regain her place at court. We are navigating the court of James I and Frances must do all she can to survive and give up her role in Thomas Wintours cause or face death. This is a spellbinding book, full of all the real life intrigues of court, interspersed with a fictional story.
Great worldbuliding, character development and the story was fast paced and full of twists and excitement!
I can not wait for the next one!
Great worldbuliding, character development and the story was fast paced and full of twists and excitement!
I can not wait for the next one!
bamamelereads's review against another edition
4.0
First, thanks to Grove Atlantic for the ARC. This was just as entertaining as the first book, The King’s Witch. But I was much more irritated by Frances’ actions this time around. One would have thought her appetite for scheming would have died with Tom, but apparently not. Worth a read, but new readers would definitely be lost if they hadn’t read the first book.
krismcd59's review against another edition
3.0
My review of this book appears in Historical Novels Review issue 89 (August 2019):
In 17th-century England, misogyny, lust, and religious bigotry drive most of King James I/VI’s decisions, according to Tracy Borman, who continues the Frances Gorges trilogy five years after The King’s Witch. Frances has survived the wholesale slaughter of the Gunpowder Treason conspirators, including her lover, Thomas Wintour, and finds herself pregnant and unprotected.
Borman, a well-regarded historian, has published numerous non-fiction works about the Tudor and Stuart courts. Her encyclopedic knowledge is on display in this trilogy, her first foray into fiction, and sometimes the reader gets the feeling that she’s simply moving from one documented incident to the next, with Frances’ reactions as filler in between. However, the narrative picks up speed as Frances struggles to protect her son and husband while various ambitious conspirators try to make use of her privileged position as the confidante of the Princess Elizabeth. This puts Frances into the thick of several dramatic events, including the secret marriage and attempted escape of James’s rival claimant to the throne, Arbella Stuart; the marriage negotiations for the Princess; and the tragic early death of Henry, Prince of Wales. In each, Frances, a talented healer, finds herself repeatedly suspected of witchcraft and treason. On the personal front, she begins to fall in love with Thomas Tyringham, the man who has given her a marriage of convenience, but must decide whether to trust him with her rapidly-expanding web of potentially fatal secrets.
Unfortunately, the incident-packed narrative leaves little room for character development (aside from Frances), and the Stuart men in particular come off as cartoonishly villainous. Similarly, Queen Anne and the Princess offer a level of protection to the continually beset Frances that strains credibility. Still, Borman keeps the story moving, managing to create a plausible love story for Frances and her husband in the midst of the rapid moral and familial disintegration of the Stuart Court.
In 17th-century England, misogyny, lust, and religious bigotry drive most of King James I/VI’s decisions, according to Tracy Borman, who continues the Frances Gorges trilogy five years after The King’s Witch. Frances has survived the wholesale slaughter of the Gunpowder Treason conspirators, including her lover, Thomas Wintour, and finds herself pregnant and unprotected.
Borman, a well-regarded historian, has published numerous non-fiction works about the Tudor and Stuart courts. Her encyclopedic knowledge is on display in this trilogy, her first foray into fiction, and sometimes the reader gets the feeling that she’s simply moving from one documented incident to the next, with Frances’ reactions as filler in between. However, the narrative picks up speed as Frances struggles to protect her son and husband while various ambitious conspirators try to make use of her privileged position as the confidante of the Princess Elizabeth. This puts Frances into the thick of several dramatic events, including the secret marriage and attempted escape of James’s rival claimant to the throne, Arbella Stuart; the marriage negotiations for the Princess; and the tragic early death of Henry, Prince of Wales. In each, Frances, a talented healer, finds herself repeatedly suspected of witchcraft and treason. On the personal front, she begins to fall in love with Thomas Tyringham, the man who has given her a marriage of convenience, but must decide whether to trust him with her rapidly-expanding web of potentially fatal secrets.
Unfortunately, the incident-packed narrative leaves little room for character development (aside from Frances), and the Stuart men in particular come off as cartoonishly villainous. Similarly, Queen Anne and the Princess offer a level of protection to the continually beset Frances that strains credibility. Still, Borman keeps the story moving, managing to create a plausible love story for Frances and her husband in the midst of the rapid moral and familial disintegration of the Stuart Court.
paperbird_06's review
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
evandegrift1's review against another edition
5.0
The first 100 pages move rather slowly. It’s a lot of catching up to where everyone is now and what is going on. But after that it really picked up and I couldn’t put it down! I did get a bit frustrated with the main character at times. She seemed to keep digging herself a deeper hole. But I could understand her reasoning for her actions.
I do not know a whole lot about the Stuart period of England’s history. There are countless moves out there about the Tudors. Quite a few about the Plantagenets. But not many about the Stuart’s. This series does an amazing job of covering all of the historical facts, while drawing you in with a fictional story. I found myself cheering on the relationship between Frances and Sir Thomas, while also intrigued by the issue of the marriage of Princess Elizabeth. It was definitely a 5 star read for me and I am looking forward to the 3rd book in this trilogy.
I do not know a whole lot about the Stuart period of England’s history. There are countless moves out there about the Tudors. Quite a few about the Plantagenets. But not many about the Stuart’s. This series does an amazing job of covering all of the historical facts, while drawing you in with a fictional story. I found myself cheering on the relationship between Frances and Sir Thomas, while also intrigued by the issue of the marriage of Princess Elizabeth. It was definitely a 5 star read for me and I am looking forward to the 3rd book in this trilogy.