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adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I've not read anything quite like this before--I guess the Hilary Mantel comparison is most apt? The pacing lags in the middle of the book, and the bawdy talk gets boring after a while, but Simnel's development and the hilarious-yet-dark dialogue make this a compelling read.
I've not read anything quite like this before--I guess the Hilary Mantel comparison is most apt? The pacing lags in the middle of the book, and the bawdy talk gets boring after a while, but Simnel's development and the hilarious-yet-dark dialogue make this a compelling read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder
Moderate: Death, Rape
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence
Minor: Grief, War
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A funny and lighthearted fictional account of the life of Lambert Simnel. As there is not that much on his early life, it’s hard to write a factual biography so a fictional account is a lot of fun!! Lambert becomes an endearing character who you root for on his journey of discovering his own identity and his place in Tudor England.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual content, Violence, Excrement, Murder, Abandonment
Minor: Death
adventurous
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, Murder, War
Minor: Animal death, Confinement, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Grief
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Classism
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
ok peak??? 4.25??? i feel like this would be not good to anyone who doesnt know stuff about the war of the roses and tudor history but like i do so i was interested!!!!! middle third of this thing was boring and i didnt like reading the sex scenes in old english especially cuz this was about a real guy, so kinda felt like fan fiction but thats okay,,,
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content
Minor: Rape
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley, Jo Harkin, Knopf, and Penguin Random House for an advanced copy of this novel!
The Pretender is the first historical fiction that I’ve read in recent years, and I’m a little heartbroken seeing it come to an end. The story revolves around a boy, Lampert Simnel, who is plucked from his life as a peasant and raised to become an Earl, and a successor to the British throne.
Although the first half felt a little slow, I was really locked in to the second half — seeing John’s character development, losing his innocence and naivety, and finally his quest for revenge. His fleeting romance with Joan surprised me, but I found myself looking forward to their interactions together and eventually root for them. Seeing John finally have to face his grief and loss was an emotional experience and very well-written. I also found his relationship with faith and God interesting, as he was raised a devout Christian but slowly begins to question his faith, and he even turn his back on it at some points.
I’m not very familiar with the history of the British Royal family, so I didn’t quite understand many discussions of the figureheads and rules of successions.
Overall, I did find The Pretender an engaging read and am sad to see it end.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Grief, Murder, War
Minor: Sexual content