Book Log: The Red Queen's Daughter
I wanted to remind you all about my Bones of Faerie giveaway! You still have a few days left to enter, and you can gain extra entries by linking to the giveaway post and posting book reviews. I'll announce the winner this Sunday, so get your entries in while you can!
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The Red Queen's Daughter by Jacqueline Kolosov
Mary Seymour, daughter of Katherine Parr, the sixth wife of Henry VIII, is determined never to be bound by love and marriage. With the example of her mother-a woman who was queen, who then was brought low when she fell in love with Thomas Seymour, who was executed a traitor-Mary is determined to keep herself free of love’s dangerous influences.
So when her new guardian, the mysterious Lady Strange, tells Mary of her destiny-to serve as a white magician in Queen Elizabeth’s court-Mary is determined that it is the right course for her. But although she spends her formative years training in the art of magic with Lady Strange, nothing could prepare her for the intrigues and dangers of Elizabeth’s court-or for the temptations of the heart. Despite Mary’s ideals and her vow to serve and protect Elizabeth, she can’t deny the way she feels around one Edmund Seymour. Edmund is Mary’s cousin, but he is also her opposite-he is a black magician who stands to use magic for his own gain and against the Queen. It will take all of Mary’s determination to find her way through the intrigues of court and the temptations of the heart.
The writing in this book is just lovely. Mary’s an engaging protagonist-one who so clearly belongs and lives in this tumultuous Elizabethan time period, but who has slightly modern feminist ideals. But unlike some feminist novels that take place during this time period, they feel rooted in reality and history.
I love the historical detail, the way Elizabeth’s court really comes alive around Mary. Reading this book felt like stowing away in a time machine-I felt completely immersed in the past.
I was so immersed in the details of Elizabeth’s court and Mary’s training as a white magician that I barely realized that it takes nearly three quarters of the book for the plot to get moving, and once it does, it barely feels complete. I am wondering if there is going to be a sequel, and that’s why things are left so up in the air. Almost nothing is concluded with any amount of satisfaction. And Mary, despite all her protestations against love, seems to topple to it without any resistance or reason at all.
Despite these flaws, the writing is so good that I really did enjoy reading it. It’s only when I think about it objectively that I realize that the conclusion didn’t really conclude, the enemies set up in the book still feel like a threat, and the budding romance that seemed on the verge of coming to a head still feels-unfinished.
I really hope that there’s more in store for us from Jacqueline Kolosov and Mary Seymour. I want to know what happens next.
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The Red Queen's Daughter by Jacqueline Kolosov
Mary Seymour, daughter of Katherine Parr, the sixth wife of Henry VIII, is determined never to be bound by love and marriage. With the example of her mother-a woman who was queen, who then was brought low when she fell in love with Thomas Seymour, who was executed a traitor-Mary is determined to keep herself free of love’s dangerous influences.
So when her new guardian, the mysterious Lady Strange, tells Mary of her destiny-to serve as a white magician in Queen Elizabeth’s court-Mary is determined that it is the right course for her. But although she spends her formative years training in the art of magic with Lady Strange, nothing could prepare her for the intrigues and dangers of Elizabeth’s court-or for the temptations of the heart. Despite Mary’s ideals and her vow to serve and protect Elizabeth, she can’t deny the way she feels around one Edmund Seymour. Edmund is Mary’s cousin, but he is also her opposite-he is a black magician who stands to use magic for his own gain and against the Queen. It will take all of Mary’s determination to find her way through the intrigues of court and the temptations of the heart.
The writing in this book is just lovely. Mary’s an engaging protagonist-one who so clearly belongs and lives in this tumultuous Elizabethan time period, but who has slightly modern feminist ideals. But unlike some feminist novels that take place during this time period, they feel rooted in reality and history.
I love the historical detail, the way Elizabeth’s court really comes alive around Mary. Reading this book felt like stowing away in a time machine-I felt completely immersed in the past.
I was so immersed in the details of Elizabeth’s court and Mary’s training as a white magician that I barely realized that it takes nearly three quarters of the book for the plot to get moving, and once it does, it barely feels complete. I am wondering if there is going to be a sequel, and that’s why things are left so up in the air. Almost nothing is concluded with any amount of satisfaction. And Mary, despite all her protestations against love, seems to topple to it without any resistance or reason at all.
Despite these flaws, the writing is so good that I really did enjoy reading it. It’s only when I think about it objectively that I realize that the conclusion didn’t really conclude, the enemies set up in the book still feel like a threat, and the budding romance that seemed on the verge of coming to a head still feels-unfinished.
I really hope that there’s more in store for us from Jacqueline Kolosov and Mary Seymour. I want to know what happens next.