Tagged: henry viii

Blood Divide by John Sadler

Blood Divide by John Sadler(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)

Gripping, visceral, and accessible historical fiction

The Battle of Flodden in September 1513 was one of the bloodiest battles ever fought on British soil, in which James IV, King of Scots, and virtually the whole of his nobility and gentry were annihilated in an afternoon along with 15,000 soldiers. Five centuries later, the slaughter still occupies a core position in the Scottish nationalist debate and in the pantheon of heroic failures. This novel puts you in the heart of the action; you’ll feel the sweat and the fear, the curtain of red mist.

The narrative covers April through September 1513, focusing around a handful of key characters: John Heron, Bastard of Ford, swaggering, violent, and disreputable, the black sheep of a good English family; Sir Thomas Howard, leader of the English forces and skilled strategist; Alexander, 3rd Lord Hume, leader of the Scots, bold but impetuous; Isabella Hoppringle, Abbess of Coldstream, hub of a web of influential women throughout the Scottish borders, a woman of significant influence and charisma.

Laced with dark humor and fascinating period detail, Blood Divide reminder readers that political intrigue and human folly are timeless.

[Full disclosure: I received a free print copy from the publisher in conjunction with the blog tour in exchange for an honest review.]

In most of the books about Henry VIII you’ll read, the Battle of Flodden is not mentioned at all.  I know this because I’ve been reading about Henry VIII in fiction for years now and never heard about Flodden until I requested this book through the blog tour!  That’s kind of incredible seeing as it has entered the Scottish consciousness through both story and song and is held up as a sort of symbol of the Scottish struggle for independence.  It was romanticized by poets and writers for generations so the fact that I didn’t know about it is just bizarre in hindsight.

However, because I knew almost nothing about the events before, during and after the battle Blood Divide presented me with a great opportunity to learn quite a bit and John Sadler couldn’t have been better at his task.  He writes in a way that emphasizes how deep the political intrigues go without confusing the reader.  Not only that, since he switches back and forth between Scottish and English characters we get to see both sides of the story but we’re always clear which side the character is on.  One of the things that really struck me about his writing was that he uses now-obscure words that the actual people would have used at the time: threapland, heidman, bevor, etc.  In the more obscure places he puts a little annotation to define it but for the most part trusts that his readers are intelligent people that can work things out in context.  This use of language from the time makes Blood Divide feel all the more authentic when coupled with the content of the descriptions themselves.  He never strays into flowery language and because of the subject matter some of his descriptions are sparse but they allow the reader to let the atmosphere of any given scene just wash over them.  As I said, it lends a very authentic feeling to the text and it does make you feel like you’re back in the 1500s alongside the characters.

The characters are, of course, all real people that are long dead so John Sadler is speculating at their motivations in some part.  However, he does this so well that even if you know the outcome of the story you’re going to cheer for your favourite characters anyway.  My personal favourite was John Heron, Bastard of Ford.  He’s an English man living close to the border of Scotland who raids into Scottish territory to gain his wealth.  (Since he’s the second son and illegitimate to boot he’s always financially struggling.)  But when his actions and the eagerness for war that seems the hallmark of James IV’s short reign come together to create a huge conflict, John is right there to help the English.  I don’t want to give too much away but the man that almost everyone looks down their nose at will certainly play a huge role in the English victory.  It’s lucky that the warden convinced others to actually listen to the man.  Of course all of the characters were well fleshed out but I did particularly like John; I’m a sucker for the underdogs.

As I said, John Sadler’s descriptions are enough to convey the scene and atmosphere and that’s actually what makes Blood Divide quite a fast-paced novel.  There’s always a sort of dark atmosphere but quite a lot of the time there’s a sense of urgency in that darkness as King James ignores the advice of some of his council and the English forces prepare to be invaded, weakened by the fact that Henry VIII is over in France making a mess of things.  So we have a much larger untested force against a smaller but generally better trained force except of course it’s never that simple when you involve politics in things.  John Sadler is able to wade through the political mess leading up to the Battle of Flodden, giving it the proper attention it needs but never allowing it to slow down the pacing.  The pacing is pretty steady in the beginning but as the drums of war sound, it slowly ratchets up until it’s almost unbearable and you simply have to keep reading.  Even if you didn’t like any of the characters (which would be extremely unlikely) the way the story is told would be enough to make you want to read on.

Essentially, Blood Divide is everything I personally look for in historical fiction: it made me learn something new, it was factually accurate, the characters were well fleshed-out with believable motivations and the plot was well paced.  You really can’t ask for more than that.  For people who study English or Scottish history I would definitely recommend picking up Blood Divide.  But even if you’re not familiar with the history of the now United Kingdom I’d recommend this book because it tells a very compelling story about something as old as time: human folly.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

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In Defense of the Queen by Michelle Diener

In Defense of the Queen by Michelle Diener(Cover picture courtesy of Michelle Diener’s site.)

An artist never betrays her patron . . . especially one of the world’s most powerful kings.

Susanna Horenbout has learned this lesson from the cradle. But when she receives a letter from her father telling her to do just that, she faces a dilemma. Betray Henry VIII, or carry out the request of her father’s employer, Margaret of Austria, and pass secret information to Henry’s queen, Katherine of Aragon.

Caught between the machinations of her husband and her nephew, the Emperor Charles, Queen Katherine needs all the allies she can get. But what can Susanna really do to help her, and even if she does, will it be enough?

Susanna and her betrothed, Parker—one of Henry’s most trusted courtiers—balance on the knife’s edge of treason as they try to make sense of both international and domestic conspiracies. Sometimes, it’s better the enemy you know . .

[Full disclosure: I was sent a free paperback copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.]

With the serious cliffhanger at the end of the second book I knew I immediately had to start In Defense of the Queen.  I’m very invested in this series by this point so you can understand why I was a little anxious to find Susanna in a lot of trouble in this third installment.

As with the previous two books, I loved the characters.  Susanna and John’s bond is stronger than ever partly because of all of the trials they’ve gone through as a couple.  Still, I was more than little worried about the two what with all of the assassination attempts and Susanna being accused of treason.  I’ll admit that I have become quite attached to both Susanna and John.

I liked how we were in Susanna’s point of view a lot more than we were in the second book because she still is my favourite character.  She’s tested again and again but I love that no matter how hard or awful the situation is, she stays loyal to John (even when it works against her).  It’s not easy to be torn between your family’s loyalties and your loyalty to your patron and Michelle Diener played that dramatic tension perfectly.

The previous two books both had the complicated plots I’ve come to expect and love from Michelle Diener.  This one tops them.  There are twists and turns everywhere and the larger conspiracy is both well hidden and very believable.  I honestly didn’t see the end coming and for a cynical reader like myself that’s very unusual.  The ending wrapped things up nicely while at the same time leaving a little wiggle room for another sequel.  I don’t think John and Susanna’s story is over quite yet.

If you haven’t read the first two books I can’t recommend them highly enough.  Michelle Diener writes some darn good historical fiction and whether you’re looking for accuracy or a good plot you’ll be satisfied by her writing.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

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Keeper of the King’s Secrets by Michelle Diener

Keeper of the King's Secrets by Michelle Diener(Cover picture courtesy of Michelle Diener’s site.)

A priceless jewel. A royal court rife with intrigue. A secret deal, where the price of truth could come too high . . .

The personal artist to King Henry Tudor, Susanna Horenbout is sought by the queen and ladies of the court for her delicate, skilled portraits. But now someone from her past is pulling her into a duplicitous game where the consequence of failure is war. Soon, Susanna and her betrothed, the King’s most dangerous courtier, are unraveling a plot that would shatter Europe. And at the heart of it is a magnificent missing diamond. . . .

With John Parker at her side, Susanna searches for the diamond and those responsible for its theft, their every step dogged by a lethal assassin. Finding the truth means plunging into the heart of the court’s most bitter infighting, surviving the harrowing labyrinth of Fleet Prisonand then coming face-to-face with the most dangerous enemy of all.

[Full disclosure: I received a free print copy from Michelle Diener in exchange for an honest review.]

After the awesome novel that was In a Treacherous Court, I decided that I desperately needed to read the rest of Susanna Horenbout and John Parker’s story.  After all, there’s still plenty of intrigue coming up in the court of Henry VIII at this point in time.

Michelle Diener didn’t disappoint with this sequel.  Compared to her debut novel (which was good) this one is even better simply because of the quality of the writing.  She slows down a little to describe things like how Susanna illuminates manuscripts but not too much so that the plot is any slower than the first book.  The extra descriptions are relevant and on the whole just make the story better, not slower.

The characters are, as always, fantastic.  I enjoyed seeing Susanna and John working together to find the Mirror of Naples because you can really feel their love for each other.  They work well together as a team and even though they don’t always agree on things their love shines through and they’re able to reconcile.  Compared to a lot of YA I’ve been reading lately, this adult historical fiction novel was a breath of fresh air because of the stable, loving relationship Susanna and John have.

One thing I was surprised at was how fleshed out King Henry VIII was in this book.  We get to see a lot more of him this time around and you kind of see both the good and bad sides of his character.  I don’t want to give too much away, but I’m sure I’m not the only Jean fan in this book because he truly is a fascinating character.

As with the previous novel in the series Keeper of the King’s Secrets kept me guessing right up until the very end.  It was well researched and well plotted; you really couldn’t ask for more in historical fiction.  There’s also a very interesting little cliffhanger at the end that will make you very, very eager to get your hands on the next book In Defense of the Queen.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

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Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor by Kathryn Lasky

(Cover picture courtesy of Longitude.)

November 10, 1544

I have been living with this constant fear of exile now for two days.  So far I have heard nothing.  Plans seem to proceed as normal for our move to Ashridge.  This palace, too, is becoming quite filthy, what with all the banqueting and people and gambling between Michaelmas Feast and the feast of All Saints’ Day.  The roses bloom in our garden with such vigor, but the stench from the courtyard over the wall outside the kitchen is unbearable.

Kat is mumbling something about baths again.  The woman is becoming a fanatic.  I think we have had half a dozen baths since summer…

Queen Elizabeth I.  Pretty much everyone knows she was a good queen and some people know what she accomplished during her reign (like outlawing wife-beating after 10:00pm, according to one of my Bathroom Readers), but not many really know much about her childhood and teenage years.  In this installment of the Royal Diaries, Kathryn Lasky presents a Rated G version of Elizabeth’s teenage years for people ages 10-12.

This book really contains no new information for me, but readers who have yet to discover the wonders of historical fiction will love it.  Elizabeth is a good main character and a very interesting narrator as she is strong even when she is betrayed and mistreated by her own father, King Henry VIII.  We really see the woman she will become later on as she learns skills that were unusual for women of the time, like archery, falconry and languages like Greek and Latin.  And we also see how she yearns for her father’s acknowledgement of her, how she treasures every smile or every bit of encouragement he gives her.

The plot isn’t what I would normally call fast-paced, but it is interesting enough.  Young readers will sympathize with Elizabeth while learning a great deal about Tudor England.  Really, what more could you ask for in historical fiction?

I give this book 3.5/5 stars.

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Beware, Princess Elizabeth by Carolyn Meyer

(Cover picture courtesy of Historicalfictions Wiki.)

Elizabeth Tudor’s teenage years are hardly those of a fairy-tale rpincess.

Her father, Henry VIII, has beheaded her mother; her jealous half sister, Mary, has her locked away in the Tower of London; and her only love betrays her in his own quest for the throne.

Told in the voice of the young Elizabeth, this exciting novel reveals the deep-seated rivalry between a determined girl who became one of England’s most powerful monarchs and the sister who tried everything to stop her.

Queen Elizabeth I is famous for being one of England’s most powerful monarchs ever, even though she reigned in a man’s era.  But what do you really know about her, especially about her formative teen years?  Well, after reading Beware, Princess Elizabeth you’ll definitely know why Elizabeth became such a powerful, influential ruler.

Unlike her older sister Mary, Elizabeth does not really remember a time when she was the favourite at court.  She is first overshadowed by her boy-king brother upon her father’s death, then imprisoned during the tumultuous reign of her older half sister.  She spends much of her young adulthood as the forgotten, ill-favoured bastard daughter of King Henry VIII and his hated second wife Anne Boleyn.  Readers will sympathize with her as she struggles through religious reforms, a jealous half sister and broken dreams of love.

Carolyn Meyer takes readers on a wonderful journey through Tudor England, being historically accurate and entertaining at the same time.  With a relatively fast-paced plot and well developed characters, this is a fitting addition to the enormous volume of literature on Elizabeth I.  You will be able to see the woman behind the legend and that is one of the best parts of historical fiction.

I give this book 4/5 stars.

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