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The Queen’s Rival
The Queen’s Rival
Anne O'Brien | 2020 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Plantagenets and Tudors are my first love in historical fiction, and I seem to be reading more Anne O’Brien books lately. I like how she tells a story from the woman’s perspective. This is a side of the story that we rarely hear from in the real history books - men wrote them, and many women weren’t encouraged to read and write (I’m very sure some did, by the way!).

I liked the way this was set out: from the letters between characters, to the fictional England’s Chronicle (which had some great sarcastic comments).

Cecile Neville, Duchess of York, was Edward IV and Richard III’s mother. She lived through some pretty turbulent times, and must have feared for her own and the lives of her children on several occasions. But she always remained true to her husband and their belief that they were the true rulers of the realm. What a time to have lived!

The emotions were so well conveyed, the historical information so well explained, and it never felt like a history lesson. Just a really great read!
  
Daughter of the Mists
Daughter of the Mists
Elena Collins | 2023 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Daughter of the Mists is an enjoyable historical fiction novel with a slip in time. In the modern day, Hanna has returned home from China to live on a farm in Norfolk, and Brea is an Iceni girl enslaved by the Romans.

I’ve read and really enjoyed a couple of Barbara Erskine novels, and Daughter of the Mists is very much in that style.

Hanna has dreamt of a girl, a slave, since she was a teenager, and when she returns to Norfolk these dreams become much more vivid. I really enjoyed how the narrative seemed to slip naturally from one time to the other. I wasn’t left wondering what was going on, or where I was in time. I found the Roman/ Iceni timeline fascinating, and there were some uncomfortable descriptions of what life was like under the Roman rule. It was also good to see that the Iceni’s had a much more liberated view of the role of women than the Romans did!

This is an ideal book for those who enjoy historical fiction, romance and a bit of time slippage!
  
SD
Seventh Day (A.D. Chronicles, #7)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The latest entry in their Biblical historical fiction series returns us to the last year of Jesus' life as everyone seems to be plotting against him. But when Lazarus gets caught up in the plot, what will happen? I enjoyed this book much better then the last one, but it's constant switching from first to third person wasn't handled well.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/04/book-review-seventh-day-by-bodie-and.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.