A review by ictmrs
The White Queen by Philippa Gregory

4.0

So I read this series out of order and while it didn't seem to be a problem, when I got to this book, I realized that I really should have read them in order. There were things that were meant to be suspenseful that just weren't because I knew how it ended. I did like reading Lady of the Rivers first though, because it was a prequel so I had the background. This is a time period that I wasn't very familiar with, but it is fascinating to me. I have always thought of kings and queens as living the easy life. While that is partially true, during this time period, it wasn't always that easy. There were constant wars which lead to changes in power, leaving those out of power at the mercy of the new rulers and subject to possibly being charged with treason. Not as easy as I had imagined it. Elizabeth, the sometimes queen of England, has had to deal with challenges since she met and fell in love with the king. They marry in secret and the problems start. Some people try to claim that the marriage was because of witchcraft or that it didn't really happen. These are just the beginnings of the challenges of Elizabeth's reign as sometimes queen.