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tl;dr Review:
A good historical fiction tale. Nothing particularly special or unique about it, but not terrible either.
Full Review:
The fact that it’s part of a trilogy does intrigue me because I wonder how much of this book was meant to lay the ground work for the rest of the books to come.
I was initially really excited to read it because the publisher’s description really caught my attention:
In March of 1603, as she helps to nurse the dying Queen Elizabeth of England, Frances Gorges dreams of her parents’ country estate, where she has learned to use flowers and herbs to become a much-loved healer. She is happy to stay at home when King James of Scotland succeeds to the throne. His court may be shockingly decadent, but his intolerant Puritanism sees witchcraft in many of the old customs—punishable by death.
But when her ambitious uncle forcibly brings Frances to the royal palace, she is a ready target for the twisted scheming of the Privy Seal, Lord Cecil. As a dark campaign to destroy both King and Parliament gathers pace, culminating in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, Frances is surrounded by danger, finding happiness only with the King’s precocious young daughter, and with Tom Wintour, the one courtier she feels she can trust. But is he all that he seems?
Maybe I’m jaded because I read a ton of historical fiction, so I have a really high bar in terms of these types of stories. Or maybe I know too much about this particular time period in history and that also makes me expect more, but either way, I wasn’t absolutely in love with this book.
I do love our protagonist and there’s enough intrigue to make it not a complete waste of your time.
If you’re looking for an easy historical fiction read that won’t require too much brainpower or attention, then this will work great. If you’re looking for a thriller or a book you just can’t put down, I’d suggest you look elsewhere.
I give it 3 out of 5 thumbs up.
