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A review by tillymints
The King's Witch: Frances Gorges Historical Trilogy, Book I by Tracy Borman
3.0
ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
I may be being slightly harsh on this, but a very solid 3/5 stars.
Set in the very early days of King James VI/I of Scotland/England, The King's Witch follows Frances, a young noblewoman, daughter of Elizabeth I's favourite handmaiden, who knows her way around herbs. The second daughter, Frances had been attending the ailing Elizabeth on her deathbed, using her herbs to give the queen some final comfort, when she is delivered an ominous warning - her queen's successor, James, is none too fond of witches... and healing could quite easily be mistaken for being in league with the Devil. Heavily researched and well-written, Borman's first installment in the Frances Gorges Trilogy follows its titular character as she navigates a fractured court on edge, trying to keep herself from the ducking stool. Oh, and the Gunpowder Plot. Old Jamie wasn't a huge fan of papists either, and that definitely factors in here too. It's telling I'm seeing a major plot point as an afterthought, though.
Frances isn't your typical, naive, well-to-do aristocrat in this book, though there are times where you want to shake her. As with all characters in this book, she's relatable. And she really shouldn't be - I have no idea what it's like to be worried about getting burnt alive when I'm giving people the equivalent of Advil - but she is. Borman writes wonderfully, and her characterization of Queen Anne is refreshing, to say the least, and probably my favourite thing in this book. I remember reading about her as a child in school, and she was merely a footnote of simpering nature. I didn't know better at the time, but Anne is far from it. She rallied against her husband, campaigning for years for the right to raise her own son, Henry, and remained at odds with the way James governed most of her life, never cowering. Honestly, it warms my cold, cynical heart to see a queen consort being written as someone with a spine, her accomplishments and personality lorded, rather than pushed aside for main character development/some odd placed love triangle that seems to plague this genre right now.
Like I said earlier, this is very well-researched. I have been beaten over the head with Tudor/Stuart history since I was a child, and I grew a genuine interest in this time period. All the research in the world, however, won't really save you from a story that lags at times (I spent the first 30% or so of the book feeling like I hadn't made any progress at all, only to discover that it was the story that wasn't moving quickly). It does, admittedly, pick up, but then we get a bit too busy for my liking. Research won't save you from a story that meanders, either. I was drawn to this book purely because of the "witch" title. I knew James hated them, and I really, really wanted to see that explored. It takes a backseat to the Gunpowder Plot, though, which I'm aware is stated as a big chunk of this book, but Frances' main "claim to fame", if you will, is ignored for it and a romance that has a few gaps in. I may just no longer have any imagination and require spoonfeeding at this stage, though. Who knows. I felt disappointed, which is why this book dropped from 4 to 3 stars. It just feels...disjointed, in places, and like Borman somewhat forgot about the witchery for a while. Which is fine, just not what I enjoy.
The ending came on a bit too quickly for me too, but that seems to, again, be a common theme for books with a definite sequel, so I somewhat understand that. It was a little underwhelming, to say the least, but overall, not a bad read. Just not an amazing one.
If you're a fan of late Tudor/early Stuart history and court intrigue, this book is definitely for you. If you're looking for an easy, slow-starting read, also the book for you. Not sure who I'd recommend this to, and if I'll continue the trilogy, but I'll wait to see what book #2 has in store.
I may be being slightly harsh on this, but a very solid 3/5 stars.
Set in the very early days of King James VI/I of Scotland/England, The King's Witch follows Frances, a young noblewoman, daughter of Elizabeth I's favourite handmaiden, who knows her way around herbs. The second daughter, Frances had been attending the ailing Elizabeth on her deathbed, using her herbs to give the queen some final comfort, when she is delivered an ominous warning - her queen's successor, James, is none too fond of witches... and healing could quite easily be mistaken for being in league with the Devil. Heavily researched and well-written, Borman's first installment in the Frances Gorges Trilogy follows its titular character as she navigates a fractured court on edge, trying to keep herself from the ducking stool. Oh, and the Gunpowder Plot. Old Jamie wasn't a huge fan of papists either, and that definitely factors in here too. It's telling I'm seeing a major plot point as an afterthought, though.
Frances isn't your typical, naive, well-to-do aristocrat in this book, though there are times where you want to shake her. As with all characters in this book, she's relatable. And she really shouldn't be - I have no idea what it's like to be worried about getting burnt alive when I'm giving people the equivalent of Advil - but she is. Borman writes wonderfully, and her characterization of Queen Anne is refreshing, to say the least, and probably my favourite thing in this book. I remember reading about her as a child in school, and she was merely a footnote of simpering nature. I didn't know better at the time, but Anne is far from it. She rallied against her husband, campaigning for years for the right to raise her own son, Henry, and remained at odds with the way James governed most of her life, never cowering. Honestly, it warms my cold, cynical heart to see a queen consort being written as someone with a spine, her accomplishments and personality lorded, rather than pushed aside for main character development/some odd placed love triangle that seems to plague this genre right now.
Like I said earlier, this is very well-researched. I have been beaten over the head with Tudor/Stuart history since I was a child, and I grew a genuine interest in this time period. All the research in the world, however, won't really save you from a story that lags at times (I spent the first 30% or so of the book feeling like I hadn't made any progress at all, only to discover that it was the story that wasn't moving quickly). It does, admittedly, pick up, but then we get a bit too busy for my liking. Research won't save you from a story that meanders, either. I was drawn to this book purely because of the "witch" title. I knew James hated them, and I really, really wanted to see that explored. It takes a backseat to the Gunpowder Plot, though, which I'm aware is stated as a big chunk of this book, but Frances' main "claim to fame", if you will, is ignored for it and a romance that has a few gaps in. I may just no longer have any imagination and require spoonfeeding at this stage, though. Who knows. I felt disappointed, which is why this book dropped from 4 to 3 stars. It just feels...disjointed, in places, and like Borman somewhat forgot about the witchery for a while. Which is fine, just not what I enjoy.
The ending came on a bit too quickly for me too, but that seems to, again, be a common theme for books with a definite sequel, so I somewhat understand that. It was a little underwhelming, to say the least, but overall, not a bad read. Just not an amazing one.
If you're a fan of late Tudor/early Stuart history and court intrigue, this book is definitely for you. If you're looking for an easy, slow-starting read, also the book for you. Not sure who I'd recommend this to, and if I'll continue the trilogy, but I'll wait to see what book #2 has in store.