charlottereadshistory's reviews
353 reviews

A History of Britain in Ten Enemies by Terry Deary

adventurous funny informative fast-paced

4.0

A History of Britain in Ten Enemies is an enjoyable romp across history through the lens of the countries Britain (usually England) has had the most issues with. 

Deary whizzes through the geopolitical history of British conflicts and the idea of ‘Britishness’ from the Stoneage to the present day. As you can imagine, this is no in-depth study, but Deary does present some interesting and less well-known tidbits amongst the generally better known facts, and I thought it was a really interesting thematic take. 

He does this with more than a hint of the humour and grossness of his bestselling series for kids ‘Horrible Histories’ - not missing opportunities to poke fun where it can be found. I particularly enjoyed him describing the Battle of Watling Street as the ‘end of the woad’ for Boudicca - groan! 

A common thread throughout the book was how ridiculous and devastating political posturing and conflict can be. A rousing epilogue rails against misty-eyed patriotism and British nationalism, and the idea that Britain is somehow superior to other peoples and nations. 

I thought the use of the quote by US astronaut Frank Borman was particularly poignant: “Maybe this really is one world and why the hell can’t we live together like decent people?” 

Thank you to @bantambooks and Terry Deary for an advanced proof. A History of Britain in Ten Enemies is out on the 10th October!

The Ballad of Smallhope and Pennyroyal by Jodi Taylor

adventurous emotional funny 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

5.0

I’m a massive fan of the Chronicles of St Mary’s series so was really excited to read Taylor’s newest instalment. The series usually focuses on a bunch of historians whose job is to travel back in time to review famous events to see what really happened - but more often than not end up protecting the timeline (in a very chaotic way) from villainous attempts to change history. 

This story is a prequel/origin story of two fantastic side characters from the series - Smallhope and Pennyroyal, bounty hunters who recover anyone who’s somewhere (or perhaps more accurately some-when) they shouldn’t be. 

The focus is on Lady Smallhope’s origin story and how she went from second-born country gentlewoman to enigmatic and extremely competent ‘recovery agent’, as well as exploring her partnership with butler and assassin Pennyroyal. 

Taylor’s writing style is so engaging - she can flip from hilarious to high action to scathing social commentary or a poignant moment so easily. Her characterisation is always superb too - Smallhope and Pennyroyal are flawed and complicated but eminently loveable. 

Talking of complicated - how Taylor keeps track of all the series’ characters and their thoughts and feelings over time - when the timeline literally flexes all over the place - is a feat in itself. There are Easter eggs galore in all of her books, references to other characters as well as insight into other scenes or mysteries from the series. 

This book in particular is slightly ‘history light’ in terms of content - Smallhope and Pennyroyal aren’t historians themselves so there’s no big trip to specific famous events in time like other books in the series- but my love for the characters and their universe in general kept me going. I’d urge other history nerds like myself to check out the series if you haven’t already, as there are so many books you can get your teeth into and they’re all a joy to read. 

Thanks so much to @joditaylorbooks and @headlinebooks for an advanced copy of the book - The Ballad of Smallhope and Pennyroyal is out now!

The Lady Thief of Belgravia by Allison Grey

adventurous emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The Lost Queen by Carol McGrath

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

The King's Messenger by Susanna Kearsley

adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Susanna Kearsley’s The Kings Messenger is a historical fiction with a hint of fantasy set in the turbulent reign of James I. The death of his eldest son Henry plunges the nation into mourning, but the rumours around suspicious circumstances of his demise are rife. 

The story follows two main protagonists who live on the same street as both families are in the king’s service - Andrew Logan is a King’s Messenger and Phoebe Westaway’s father is a court scribe. Both are sent north to apprehend Sir David Murray, the Prince’s closest confidant and potential suspect - but everyone quickly realises the truth may not be so simple. 

The historical setting and the world building were immersive and detailed - there were so many little details about the environment, clothes and the political and culture structures of the time. I liked that the main characters were tangential to court life rather than being immersed in it which is more usual in historical fiction. 

There was also an element of fantasy to the story which is typical of Kearsely’s books, but it wasn’t fantastical and didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story - Andrew Logan’s family is from the Highlands and has the gift of the Sight and could see flashes of the future. It added depth to the exploration of Andrew’s thoughts and feelings about those around him, and how he sometimes struggled to handle the responsibility of such knowledge. 

I also really enjoyed the themes of found family and the characterisation of all of the main protagonists. No one was perfect and everyone had their own struggles to navigate as well as dealing with the significant issues at hand! 

Thank you to the publishers Simon and Schuster and the author for a #gifted advanced copy of the book in return for an honest review. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent

The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel

adventurous emotional funny sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Le Fay by Sophie Keetch

adventurous challenging emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Le Fay is the second instalment of Sophie Keetch’s trilogy that unravels the life and myth of Morgan from Arthurian legend. 

I’m a big fan of retellings of myths and legends from the women’s point of view, seeking to breathe life into characters that have often been maligned or less explored in favour of male heroes. I have especially enjoyed stories that centre ‘difficult’ women - Hera by Jennifer Saint springs to mind as a recent example - and Le Fay is no exception. 

Keetch has fantastic skill at creating a depth of character in Morgan that vividly paints her as complex, flawed, principled and passionate. Morgan is no 2D villain - she is misunderstood and betrayed, protective of those she loves and unapologetically powerful.

This part of the trilogy also explores Morgan’s increasingly complicated and difficult relationship with her brother Arthur as she tries to navigate the political machinations of those surrounding him like his queen Guinevere and - of course - Merlin. 

Morgan makes excellent decisions and terrible ones too, and grows into her power and anger in ways that will make you in turn thrilled or despairing, but Keetch’s skill with characterisation means there is no choice but to take your heart with Morgan each step towards her destiny. 

I can’t wait to find out how the story develops in what will surely be a stunning end to this series. 

Thank you to @oneworldpublications and @sophiekeetchauthor for an advanced copy of this book for review. Le Fay is out on the 18 July! 

The Ghost Ship by Kate Mosse

adventurous dark emotional inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

The Ghost Ship tells the story of Louise and Gilles, two lost & restless souls thrown together by tragedy and fate who find solace on the ocean. 

This is the third book in the Joubert family series - it absolutely works as a standalone but I’d urge everyone to read the Burning Chambers and City of Tears too as they are fascinating stories that follow Minou and Piet as they try to navigate the tumultuous religious civil wars between Catholics and Huguenots in France in the 16th Century  - which led them (like many families) to flee as refugees to the Dutch Republic. 

The story picks up with Louise, Minou and Piet’s granddaughter. Tragedy from her childhood continues to haunt Louise both psychologically and physically, whilst Gilles’ complicated relationship with his abusive and manipulative mother alongside his secret identity weigh heavily on his soul. 

I have always loved Mosse’s unrivalled ability to create such believable characters and relationships that are deep, complicated and often flawed - that reflection of the human condition is key to the huge investment I often feel for her protagonists and peripheral characters - and it’s no different for me in The Ghost Ship. 

Somewhat heavy themes of grief, guilt, loss, enslaved peoples and empire, gender identity and sexuality were so sensitively handled and explored by Mosse, who also didn’t shy away from exploring contemporary attitudes at the time whilst still centring acceptance and kindness within the characters that mattered most. 

I thoroughly enjoyed Louise and Gilles on their quest to find their purposes in life and  peace from their pasts - with a huge amount of action and adventure along the way. 

The Ghost Ship by @katemossewriter is out in paperback now - thanks to @panmacmillan and @randomthingstours for a #gifted advanced copy in return for a review. 

A Daughter of Fair Verona by Christina Dodd

adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

A Daughter of Fair Verona is a historical murder mystery set in an alternative universe where Romeo and Juliet survived and had lots of children - the oldest of whom, Rosalind - is sick of love and poetry and determined never to marry.  

Rosalind or ‘Rosie’ is smart, capable and cynical - very much a character with modern sensibilities. I think the plot threw me early on, when Romeo and Juliet betrothed Rosie to Duke Stephano, someone who is decidedly unpleasant and is rumoured to have killed his other wives. I struggled to understand why loving and protective parents would do that and didn’t find the character’s reasoning made a lot of sense. 

Luckily for Rosie, Duke Stephano is found murdered in the garden during their engagement ball - less luckily, Rosie is the one who discovers him, alone and in the darkness, and is quickly made a suspect. The only person who knows she didn’t do it is Prince Escalus, who was also in the garden. 

The following murder mystery was entertaining, with lots of twists and turns. I thought Rosie’s tutelage in herbs for healing and poisons by Friar Laurence was a nice touch and added some intrigue and depth to the story. 

The last few chapters were definitely page turners as the story raced to its conclusion and the mystery was solved, with lots of tension and peril along the way. 

I’ve read a fair bit of fiction set in medieval or Renaissance Italy recently - this was definitely more lighthearted and fun, so if you’re after a cute holiday mystery with a bit of murder and revenge this could be for you. 

Thanks to the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. 

Shadowstitch by Cari Thomas

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

4.0

This book is the second in a series, and  dives in where Threadneedle ends - Anna has survived an attempt to suppress her magic but is still haunted by her Aunt’s death and is living under the shadow of the curse that has followed their family for generations. As if that wasn’t enough to be dealing with, bouts of magical hysteria are ripping through London and even Anna’s school, and a shadowy organisation determined to uncover and stamp out witchcraft is gaining credibility and power. 

Anna and her sister Effie’s exploration of the curse takes them back to the witch trials of the 17th Century which was interesting, and I really liked how those echoes ominously point to the current situation the girls and their coven are facing - their curse fates history to repeat for the sisters but it looks like a broader, more terrifying history is also set to repeat itself in the growing power of the Hunters. 

I felt the world building was fantastic, as it was in the first book. There are strong fantasy elements set in current-day London, and I was easily swept along with descriptions of the different types of magic there were and how it all worked. 

I also thought the characterisation was excellent. Effie, Anna’s sister is a particularly complex character. We delve into her motivations and her fears sat behind her bravado more in this book, but her manipulations, lies and tendency to smash into action despite the consequences are so frustrating! I’m really interested to see how the sibling relationship evolves in the last book as it’s still so fraught - which is part of their curse. 

My only slight criticism is the pacing - I felt this story did linger for potentially too long while Anna and her coven worked out that the bouts of hysteria ripping through London were magic, were related and then what felt like a significant amount of time was spent deciding what they’d do about them. As soon as this decision was made, the pace ramped right back up to a huge cliffhanger ending! 

Although not strictly that historical (which is my usual thing) this was a brilliant book that centres found families, forbidden love and dark witchcraft. If you haven’t checked out the series yet I’d heartily recommend it! 

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest review.