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A review by louisekf
The Eyes of the Queen, Volume 1 by Oliver Clements
3.0
3.5 stars
This is a complex story of spying on behalf of Queen Elizabeth and on behalf of her rival, Mary (popularly known as Mary, Queen of Scots) in 1572. It is a time of intense religious feeling, and the book opens with scenes of violence as Catholics slaughter Protestants (Huguenots) in France. In England there is fear that the Spanish are making plans to crush England via the sea in order to put the Catholic Mary on the English throne.
The adventures culminate with the establishment of Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
I enjoyed the exploits of Francis Walsingham and John Dee and loved reading the vivid descriptions of London and all the other locations - how disgusting the Seine and the Thames were! The story dragged in places, however. Also, there are some scenes that involve Mary, who is under house arrest in Sheffield, that involve sex toys, self-stimulation and stimulation required from her female servants that seemed to me totally unnecessary to the story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the chance to read an advance copy of this book.
This is a complex story of spying on behalf of Queen Elizabeth and on behalf of her rival, Mary (popularly known as Mary, Queen of Scots) in 1572. It is a time of intense religious feeling, and the book opens with scenes of violence as Catholics slaughter Protestants (Huguenots) in France. In England there is fear that the Spanish are making plans to crush England via the sea in order to put the Catholic Mary on the English throne.
The adventures culminate with the establishment of Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
I enjoyed the exploits of Francis Walsingham and John Dee and loved reading the vivid descriptions of London and all the other locations - how disgusting the Seine and the Thames were! The story dragged in places, however. Also, there are some scenes that involve Mary, who is under house arrest in Sheffield, that involve sex toys, self-stimulation and stimulation required from her female servants that seemed to me totally unnecessary to the story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the chance to read an advance copy of this book.