Scan barcode
annecarts's review against another edition
3.0
An enjoyable story based on the life of Ailenor of Provence who became Queen of England in the 1200s. There is also the fictional subplot of a tailor's daughter alongside it although I was a little disappointed that this was entirely made up as she seemed an important character whilst reading. I did enjoy this and will probably read the rest in the She Wolves series as it's a period of history I know little about.
Thank you to Netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
debralewi's review
informative
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
jmatkinson1's review against another edition
4.0
At 13 Alienor travels from the romantic and cultured court of Provence to marry Henry III, King of England, a man more than twice her age. Whilst Alienor brings little dowry, her family has strategic power and influence, and Alienor realises that she has to be both a devoted wife and mother as well as politician to steer her devout and profligate husband away from conflict with his nobles.
McGrath has taken a historical figure of little note and woven a gentle romance around her life which is a pleasant yet undemanding read. There is no doubting her research is strong and the sense of time and place well developed. The parallel story of Rosalind is again steeped in romance but there is a slightly harder edge here with heresy and class being considered. The story stops well before the Barons' Uprising and this was slightly frustrating but as this is planned to be the first in a trilogy it makes sense to pick up the tale with the next Queen, the beloved Eleanor of Castile.
McGrath has taken a historical figure of little note and woven a gentle romance around her life which is a pleasant yet undemanding read. There is no doubting her research is strong and the sense of time and place well developed. The parallel story of Rosalind is again steeped in romance but there is a slightly harder edge here with heresy and class being considered. The story stops well before the Barons' Uprising and this was slightly frustrating but as this is planned to be the first in a trilogy it makes sense to pick up the tale with the next Queen, the beloved Eleanor of Castile.
weathersreadsgarbage's review
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
You know the sort of historical fiction that’s really long and you can tell the author is a historian at heart that keeps going “oh but let me tell you about this textile!” at parties while everyone else is desperately looking for an exit? This is one of those.
And don’t get me wrong I love those. I too care about the textiles. I want to dwell on the foods and beliefs and all of that because I’m insufferable. This book satisfied me in that sense but it was unfortunately very meandering. The story would often come to almost a complete stop and frankly nothing ever happened. There’s no drama in an era that was frankly rife with it. The author wants to talk about she wolves but like… that’s never really a thing that’s focused on in the books?
I also found the addition of the embroidery artist to make the story drag even more. I just didn’t care about her. Everyone was Teflon covered.
And don’t get me wrong I love those. I too care about the textiles. I want to dwell on the foods and beliefs and all of that because I’m insufferable. This book satisfied me in that sense but it was unfortunately very meandering. The story would often come to almost a complete stop and frankly nothing ever happened. There’s no drama in an era that was frankly rife with it. The author wants to talk about she wolves but like… that’s never really a thing that’s focused on in the books?
I also found the addition of the embroidery artist to make the story drag even more. I just didn’t care about her. Everyone was Teflon covered.
laileanah's review
medium-paced
3.0
This includes tons of history but is written by a historian and frankly is boring🤷🏾♀️
elles_bells_'s review
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
A book written by a historian lacking plot, characterisation, tension, purpose. Too much detail on things that did not matter and not enough detail on anything that would advance the characters or themes. I feel particularly let down as the blurb implies a level of intrigue and deception. If that was the case, then our main character's were not involved at all.
rangerkristine's review
3.0
While I largely enjoyed this novel, I rated it 3 stars because throughout the book, sentences would be missing key words (or make no sense at all) and the author would use the same word multiple times (for example "a spray of spittle sprayed my gown"). These constant errors and irksome repetitions detracted from the plot and character development. Perhaps with better editing, this could have been a 4 or 5 star read. I read the Kindle version.