Tagged: masq1
The Skystone by Jack Whyte
(Cover picture courtesy of Jack Whyte’s website.)
Born of the chaos of the dark ages, the dream of eagles produced a king, a country and an everlasting legend—Camelot.
Publius Varrus is a veteran Roman officer and a maker of swords. In the early fifth century, amid the violent struggles between the people of Britain and the invading Saxonx, Picts and Scots, he and his former general, Caius Britannicus, forge the government and military system that will become known as the Round Table, and initiate a chain of events that will lead to the coronation of the High King we know today as Arthur.
A Dream of Eagles is yet another series that I didn’t start at the beginning. Instead, I received one of the spin-off books, Uther, for my birthday. I loved Uther, which made me track down The Skystone, the first book in the series. But in the back of my mind I was wondering if I would like Jack Whyte’s earlier writing just as much as I liked his later writing.
The answer? Absolutely! Jack Whyte’s A Dream of Eagles (or The Camulod Chronicles, depending on when it was published) is a series that documents how the Arthurian legends could have really happened. That means there’s no magic and a bit of historical speculation, but otherwise the series is accurate. Rome really did withdraw from Britain in the late 300s AD when the Motherland was being threatened (hint: it didn’t help). Before the chaos of Roman withdrawal, we meet Publius Varrus, our narrator, and his best friend, Caius Britannicus.
Publius is an amazing man, but is also a flawed character. He can be incredibly wise and Jack Whyte has given him an unique voice, but he does things that will make you want to reach in and slap him. Publius is far from perfect, but I guarantee you’ll love him anyway. Caius doesn’t feature nearly as prominently as I would have liked, but he undergoes an amazing transformation in the last hundred pages or so. And the ending was fabulous, tying together the mystery of the skystone and one of the very, very important parts of the Arthurian legends. I can’t wait to read the next book, The Singing Sword.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Eleanor: Crown Jewel of Aquitaine by Kristiana Gregory
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
June 24th
Such excitement…the horsemen announced travelers, and Count Geoffrey of Anjou arrived an hour later with some of his chevaliers. Petra and I peered from the stairs down to the great hall and saw the visitors. I decided we must put on our loveliest dresses right away. the count is taller and even more striking than Father…Geoffrey the Handsome is our name for him. When he pushed back his hood of chainmail, his hair fell to his shoulders in brown curls. the tunic over his armor was blue with a golden crest. He and Father greeted each other warmly…
The reason for Count Geoffrey’s visit? He has invited Father to go to war. He is just twenty-three years old and needs help invading Normandy.
And without thinking twice, Father said yes! I worry he has made another terrible decision….
I’ve heard quite a bit about Eleanor of Aquitaine, but never actually knew much about her life and the times she lived in. Well, finally Kristiana Gregory has remedied that in a book aimed at kids 8-13. The early years of Eleanor are not quite as exciting as her later years, as we learn in the Historical Note, but it was nice to see things from her perspective.
I personally would have liked a little more description of daily life at the castle, but I can understand why Kristiana Gregory did not include more (it would have turned into a lecture). In Eleanor: Crown Jewel of Aquitaine we don’t really see Eleanor’s love of books and literature, even though she was a huge patron of the arts later in life. Still, I loved seeing the strong relationship between her and her sister that lasted into adulthood. Sadly, the book ended just when things were getting interesting, what with her marriage to Prince Louis and all.
Eleanor: Crown Jewel of Aquitaine is well written and entertaining, but it’s certainly one of the shorter books in the Royal Diaries series. Still, overall it’s a pretty good book and it’s a great one to get kids interested in history.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
*Only available as a used book.
Catherine: The Great Journey by Kristiana Gregory
(Cover picture courtesy of Fantastic Fiction.)
4 January 1744, Zerbst
She leaned forward, taking my chin in her hand. “You must tell no one what I’m about to say—not your brother, not even Mademoiselle. Understand?”
I nodded. Was she afraid that if others knew the truth they might convince me to run away, thereby spoiling her scheme?
“If the King approves of you…then you and I shall be driven by sleigh out of Prussia, all the way to St. Petersburg, to meet with Empress Elizabeth….She has selected you, my poor ugly daughter to be Peter’s fiancée. Unless you spoil things, the two of you will marry and one day rule all of Russia.”
I know very little about Russian history, so Catherine: The Great Journey was eye-opening to say the least! Did you know Catherine the Great’s real name was Sophie and that she was named Catherine when she was in Russia because of the bad connotations her name had there? I sure didn’t. That’s why it wasn’t only Catherine’s amazing character in this novel that appealed to me, but it was also the history added in.
So far Catherine is my favourite character in the entire Royal Diaries series. Considering that by now I’ve read over half of the books in the series, that’s saying something. In the young Catherine we see the effects of her abusive mother on her worldview, but also her innate thirst for knowledge that would carry on into her later life. This is one princess who makes a point to learn the language of her country and be a good wife if only because of her ambitions to become czarina. An ambitious princess? Shocking, especially in this series aimed at young girls (8-13). But is it satisfying and does it make sense within the context of the story? Absolutely!
The rich descriptions of Russian life are insightful and interesting without Kristiana Gregory ever having to default to Professor Mode and start lecturing. This is the kind of book you is enjoyable to read as an adult, despite being aimed at a much younger audience. Not only do we get to learn about Catherine’s private struggles, but she is actually concerned and knowledgeable about the world around her, including her future country. Amazing, isn’t it?
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Kazunomiya: Prisoner of Heaven by Kathryn Lasky
(Cover picture courtesy of Lyre Center for Literature for Young Readers.)
Yayoi March 7, 1858
As the maids spread out the kimonos, we welcomed back the colors…of spring, like old friends. For only now we may begin to wear them. But during the tea party I am feeling all the while that this talk of silks and colors and painted blossoms covers up something. It is what is not being said that is perhaps the most disturbing. I feelt hat these women know something I do not….There is a shrillness to Lady Tomaki’s laughter that seems not quite natural…..And there is absolutely no talk of the prince, my future husband. It is so obvious to me that I dare not ask about him.
Maybe it was the fact that I really have no interest in Japan or Japanese history in general or maybe it was the book itself, but I did not really enjoy Kazunomiya: Prisoner of Heaven. I didn’t hate it, but it wasn’t as good as some of the other books in The Royal Diaries.
Kazunomiya was a pretty bland character who just did not appeal to me. Although it is likely how the real woman behaved, for someone born in the year of the Fire Horse and supposedly was a fighter, she was not very proactive. Instead, we only really get to see a bit of her frustration (not anger) through her writing in her diary, not her actions. It just felt like Kathryn Lasky wanted to go for the firebrand female angle in the beginning, but just sort of gave up a quarter of the way through. As a character, Kazunomiya is not very consistent.
Although I know a bit about the modernization of Japan, it would have been nice for Kathryn Lasky just to give readers a little more background. Yes, Japan and the Imperial court were both incredibly isolated from the outside world, but surely there would have been some news that reached the ears of Kazunomiya. I can definitely see where things would get confusing for someone with no background in the Japan’s rapid industrialization.
Overall: meh. None of the characters really stuck out for me and I didn’t really learn as much as I would have liked. Still, it’s a great book to get girls aged 8-13 interested in history so it’s fine by me if other people like it. I’m not the target audience anymore, after all.
I give this book 3/5 stars.
*Available as a used book only.
Elisabeth: The Princess Bride by Barry Denenberg
(Cover picture courtesy of random buzzers.)
Saturday, September 24, 1853
Finding myself the most important person in the whole household and the constant center of attention is most unnerving and disturbing. I wish it were not so, but there doesn’t seem to be anything I can do to stop it.
I can’t go out anywhere unless everyone knows where I am because there are so many great personages and foreign delegations arriving night and day to meet me….
Possi used to be so serene and calming, but now that I have so much to do, it is far from that. I hardly have any time to spend with my animals, walk in the woods, or even ride with Poppy.
I wish I could go back to the way things were….
My first thought upon finishing this book: No wonder the monarchies all around Europe fell. Such extravagance, ingrained traditions and lack of self-awareness! Such inbreeding! (Well, that was what the Hapsburgs were famous for, after all.)
If this wasn’t real historical fact, I’d be laughing at the cliché premise. I mean, really? A young princess goes with her older sister and mother to meet the Emperor of Austria with the hopes of arranging a marriage. The older sister is the one he’s supposed to marry, but the young Emperor falls in love with the younger sister and after a whirlwind courtship, the two marry soon after. Believe it or not, it’s all true and the incredibly short ‘diary’ that Barry Denenberg wrote (only 93 pages of actual fiction; the rest is historical notes) from Elisabeth’s point of view reflects the crazy pace of said courtship. Sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction.
I would have liked Elisabeth to be fleshed out a little more before meeting the Emperor, but she was a very interesting character. There are hints at the Empress’ eating disorder in her teenage years, as shown by her obsessive weight-watching and her vanity shines through as well. Despite that, she is a very interesting character that tweens and young teens will love. Of course, having her being courted by a handsome, powerful young man certainly helps the story’s appeal.
Readers will see the extravagance of the Austrian court and I personally began wondering why the Hapsburgs hadn’t fallen sooner. I mean, really, marrying first cousins? And even if the centuries of inbreeding didn’t do them in, you would think the populace would revolt at the extravagance of the monarchy. Barry Denenberg really did a great job showing the entirely different world the royals lived in at the time; it’s hard to believe it all took place in the 19th century. (Yes, my anti-monarch bias is showing, I know.) As for how historically accurate things were, I can’t really say because that’s not my area of expertise, but it seems to be very well researched.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
*Available only as a used book.