Into the treacherous Tudor court walks Hannah Green, a bookseller's daughter with a gift to read more than his banned booksEntangled in the schemes of the handsome traitor Roert Dudley, she is sent as a Holy Fool to spy on Princess Mary and finds a complex woman driven by a fatal desire to turn England back to the true faith- while her half-sister Elizabeth waits to take advantage of any mistakes she makes.
Caught in the deadly rivalry between the daughters of Henry VIII, torn between her infatuation with Dudley and duty to her family, Hannah must find a safe way through tremulous times - when he wrong religion is a death sentence, science and magic are one, and true love is a fatal weakness...
I was really immersed in the world of Hannah Green whilst reading this book by one of my absolute favourite authors. A Jew driven out of Spain with her father because of there religion, no European country is safe for her, when hatred for their religion is rife. She finds herself serving Princess Mary and Gregory's perspective on one of the most famous monarchs in British history was one of a strong, determined woman who had no one on her side.
I had never considered that Mary was anything but bloody because this is all I had ever heard, but this book delves into her past, how she was forced to admit to being a bastard, how she had to look after the child of the woman who could be seen as responsible for her own mother's death and how even this was taken away from her as she became more neglected by her father. We are with Mary through the happiness of her marriage to King Philip and the miss-carriage of not just one but two children and I really empathised with her as the tide of English favour turned from supporting her against Jane Grey, to shunning her in favour of the Protestant Princess.
On the other hand, Gregory also manages to wave in the story of Elizabeth and how close she came to death at the start of Mary's reign. The sad life of Amy Dudley also manages to make and appearance and the terror of the Battle of Calais is brought to life under Gregory's skilled hand.
Hannah is a head strong 14 year old at he start of the novel, betrothed to a Jewish man she had never met. She fell in love with Dudley at her very first sight of him and so gets dragged into the schemes of him and Dr Dee. I had so many different feelings whilst reading this book, anger at Hannah's naivety with Dudley, fear for her as she fears the death penalty for her faith like her mother, sympathy for her as she hears the truth about Tom Carpenter's time in Calais without her, happiness when she is happy. I honestly cried reading about Calais, the orphaned child, Elizabeth's fear of not being allowed to live to see the next day and Mary's heartbreak at the loss of her un-born children and the losses of her county and husband to her cunning half-sister Elizabeth, who is only trying to survive.
I really recommend this book to any Tudor fiction lovers as it is truly one of the best I have read in a while.
Please comment suggestions on how I could improve my reviews or which books I should review next xXx'Beauty Edit' coming tomorrow xXx
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