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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
I would rate it 3.5 stars if I could. Wonderful writing about a dramatic time in England's history. Unfortunately, the book couldn't hold my interest.
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I knew the general story of Elizabeth Woodville's life (and her children's) before I started, and as the plot of a novel I have to say it's... frustrating. There were times I felt so sure that if this was a work of fiction things would be going differently. Things that felt wrong. Incorrect. I blame the author for none of these, she followed the path history laid out for her.
Within the bounds of that path though, this was superbly done. The slow creep of Elizabeth's ambition made her not an entirely likeable narrator, but I still found myself rooting for her even as her scheming pushed her family closer and closer to the brink and finally over the edge. The decision (as in The Lady of the Rivers) to make the witchcraft she was accused of be unambiguously real added a layer of fantasy overtop the story -- as well as a heavy feeling of foreboding as she ignores her mothers' warnings about curses, and even readers who don't know the history will know long before anything goes wrong that she has made a terrible mistake.
Within the bounds of that path though, this was superbly done. The slow creep of Elizabeth's ambition made her not an entirely likeable narrator, but I still found myself rooting for her even as her scheming pushed her family closer and closer to the brink and finally over the edge. The decision (as in The Lady of the Rivers) to make the witchcraft she was accused of be unambiguously real added a layer of fantasy overtop the story -- as well as a heavy feeling of foreboding as she ignores her mothers' warnings about curses, and even readers who don't know the history will know long before anything goes wrong that she has made a terrible mistake.
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
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:
Yes
Elizabeth Woodville, the woman you are. Is she bonkers? Absolutely. But do I feel for her and understand the lengths she will go to in order to try to protect her family? Absolutely.
dark
emotional
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The foreshadowing was just ridiculous, and the Melusina bit seemed absolutely stupid. I think if the book had been about fictional characters, I wouldn't have minded the Melusina legend, but Elizabeth's mother believing that they were descended from her was kind of insane.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I enjoyed the plot and seeing how the different wars unfolded, how it went from a cousins war to a war between brothers. I liked the characters. I did and did not feel the romance between Elizabeth and Edward, in the beginning yes (all the times she was anxious and afraid for him, I felt that), but when he dies, she doesn't shed a tear, nor grief in any palpable way... I get that her focus is immediately on little prince Edward as the heir, but later when they are in sanctuary, there was plenty of time to show that she did grief for her great love, but the focus is just on her sons and Edward isn't even mentioned anymore. This from the same character who held on to her revenge driven grief for her father and brother almost the entire book.
Elizabeth Woodville took Nina Simone 'I Put a Spell on You" to a new level ðŸ˜.