Tagged: historical fiction
An Earthly Knight by Janet McNaughton
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
The year is 1162. Sixteen-year-old Lady Jeanette Avenel has always enjoyed her freedom as second daughter of a minor Norman nobleman in Teviotdale, Scotland. But after her sister, Isabel, disgraces the family, Jenny is suddenly thrust into the role of eldest daughter. Now Jenny has been chosen as a potential bride to the heir of the king of Scotland. While learning the customs of the royal court, Jenny is drawn to a mysterious young man rumoured to have been kidnapped by fairies, not knowing his past holds a secret that threatens everyone close to him—including Jenny.
An Earthly Knight is one of those books that stays with you, even years later. I decided to re-read it a few weeks ago and it was just as good as I remember.
Based off the ballads Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight and Tam Lin, it is both a mixture of historical fiction and fantasy. Since I have never read either of these ballads, I will not comment on how close An Earthly Knight sticks to them because I have no idea. However, I do recognize many fairy tale elements, like evil fairies and false love, so readers who love fairy tales will also enjoy this book.
Lady Jeanette, usually called Jenny, is the wonderful main character of this novel. She is three dimensional, strong for a woman of her time and does not fall instantly in love with Tam Lin. Her sister Isabel is actually my favourite character because although she is only a secondary character, Janet McNaughton did not neglect her character development. Or the character development of any other secondary characters, for that matter.
An Earthly Knight may be a bit slow-paced for some readers because of the descriptive writing style, but I still enjoyed it. Janet McNaughton draws her readers into a world where history and myth collide, where love and loyalty are put to the test and traditions are challenged. If you like fairy tale re-tellings, fantasy, and/or historical fiction, this is the book for you. As long as you don’t mind a little cliché, that is.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
I Need Your Help
Okay, so my little sister’s birthday is coming up and I have absolutely no idea what to get her.
Here in my household, books are usually pretty common. Usually I’ll pick her up one of the books I read and liked but is still age appropriate for her. She is only twelve and a half after all. Unfortunately, she’s already read all of the age-appropriate books I own! That’s where you come in.
I desperately need some book recommendations! She’s pretty mature for a twelve-year-old, having read The Hunger Games trilogy, the Darkest Powers trilogy as well as some of Pauline Gedge‘s novels. She loves fantasy and historical fiction, especially when there’s royalty involved, although she’ll read anything she can get her hands on.
However, please tell me of any mature content in your recommendation, which includes language, violence and sexuality. If you can, please tell me the extent of the mature content as well (explicit, brief, mild, etc).
So, do you know any good books for her? Please tell me in the comments below!
Wideacre by Philippa Gregory
Today is Wednesday, so that means I’m posting over at We Heart Reading once again. This time, it’s about a truly wretched book by one of my favourite historical fiction authors. In truth, I wish I had never picked it up because it has tainted my view of Philippa Gregory’s other works. Anyway, if you’re going to read anything by Philippa Gregory, do not read Wideacre. Pick up The White Queen or even The Constant Princess first or you’ll be sorry. For my full rant, click here.
Doomed Queen Anne by Carolyn Meyer
(Cover picture courtesy of Fictional Appearances By…)
Anne Boleyn was born without great beauty, wealth, or title, but she’s blossomed into a captivating young woman—and she knows it. Determined to rise to the top, she uses her wiles to win the heart of England’s most powerful man, King Henry VIII. Not satisfied with the King’s heart, however, she persuades Henry to defy everyone—including his own wife—to make her his new queen.
This engrossing novel tells Anne’s fascinating story in her own voice—from her life as an awkward girl to the dramatic moments leading up to her beheading.
I’ve always liked the story of Anne Boleyn, the woman whose ambition propelled her up to the greatest heights. Unfortunately, the higher you rise, the farther you have to fall. And, oh, did Anne Boleyn fall to the lowest of the low.
Doomed Queen Anne is the story of her rise and fall, told in journal form on the eve of her execution as she recounts the events that lead up to it. It begins at her unhappy childhood and comes around full circle, which always adds a tinge of sadness to the narrative. Carolyn Meyer is a masterful writer of historical fiction and sticks to the facts while telling this excellent story. She shows that the women history has assigned bad reputations to weren’t really all that bad and were perfectly human, meaning they had flaws just like us.
I believe the best example of this is when she writes about Anne’s childhood as the ill-favoured daughter, overshadowed by her beautiful, dazzling older sister, Mary. She was told she was ugly, but learned how to hide her flaws while emphasizing her better traits. This well developed backstory is what makes her a memorable character that most readers will be able to sympathize with.
The plot of Doomed Queen Anne is reasonably well paced and the entire novel is historically accurate, as far as I can tell. Carolyn Meyer is a very gifted writer and uses her talent to draw readers in to the backstabbing court of the Tudors and move the plot along to its inevitable, tragic conclusion. I would recommend this book for people 12+ because there are brief scenes of sexuality, but nothing more than what you would encounter at most movies aimed at tweens.
I give this book 4.5/5 stars.
A Spy in the House (The Agency # 1) by Y.S. Lee
[Guest post by ForTheLoveOfBooks. –CS]
From Goodreads
Rescued from the gallows in 1850s London, young orphan (and thief) Mary Quinn is surprised to be offered a singular education, instruction on fine manners- and an unusual vocation. Miss. Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls is a cover for an all-female investigative unit called The Agency, and at seventeen Mary is about to put her training to the test. Assuming the guise of a lady’s companion, she must infiltrate a rich man’s home in hope of tracing his missing cargo ships. But the household is filled with dangerous deceptions, and there’s no one to trust- or is there?
Packed with action and suspense, banter and romance, and evoking the gritty backstreets of Victorian London, this breezy mystery debuts a young detective who lives by her wits while uncovering secrets including those of her own past.
I first came across A Spy In The House after watching Priscilla’s Review for the book and I thought it would be a great read. I’m happy to say that it didn’t disappoint me at all! I don’t think my reviews would be complete without dedicating some attention to the cover of course. I like the cover of this book, especially Mary’s gaze towards the side. There’s something mysterious about it and it suits the plot. Also the house pictured on the cover reminds me of “The Noble House of Black” from the Harry Potter & The Order Of The Phoenix movie. The verdict is: I approve of the cover and now it’s time to move onto more fascinating aspects of the book!
As goodreads has explained, the story follows the life of Mary Quinn from being an orphaned thief to novice detective as she has started to work on her first case. The story centers mainly in London, while places like Brighton and India are mentioned briefly. The importance of these locations become evident as the story progresses.
The plot is enjoyable and fast paced. By fast paced I mean, the story begins in 1853 and by pg.11 we have already time traveled to 1858 where Mary is seventeen years old and is working as an instructor for Miss.Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls, only to be introduced later to The Agency; an elite female detective organization headed by Anne Treleaven and Felicity Frame. These two women are also Mary’s mentors, especially Anne. Still focusing on the pace of the book, I think what I found strange, yet good was the pace moved steadily as the story progressed. I didn’t feel as if any of the chapters acted as fillers for the entire story. All aspects were relevant, even in a minor way. However my only disappointment was that the fast pace let the story down a bit. The aspect here I’m referring to is the training Mary undergoes prior to setting off on her assignment. I would have liked to know more about her training and the interactions between Mary and the instructors. To see the protagonist pushed to her limits would have been an element worth exploring. The plot twists were surprising and enjoyable. Mary’s heritage was one that came as a surprise and I would like to see how that story arc is developed in the next book. Continue reading