Book DescriptionCustomers Review: There is nothing I lijemore than a good Tudor novel but this one disappointed. Just not exciting and the story dragged for me.
The Lady of the Ravens, Joanna HicksonReview from Jeannie Zelos book reviewsGenre: historicalI loved this, it was a book I savoured over several sittings, not devoured in one go. I find for me that works better with historical reads, gives me time to mull over events, to think about the characters and actions, with them being so far from how we live now.I really enjoyed the day to day bits, what they wore, what they ate, Joan chatting to her friend in the sewing trade, what each person did in the duty of the royal household. I loved it when we finally got the Raven connection, that seemed to take time and I found the story a little slow at first.Henry 7th isn’t someone I’ve read a great deal about, I know him from the periphery of stories about his son, and of course the whole York/Lancaster issues. Turbulent times to live in when one could be royal one day, deposed and in the tower the next. Of course that stood for followers too, one day landed gentry, the next everything goes to the crown and they were out, let live if lucky, tower or death if not.Hard decisions, yet as Joan sees, however one sympathised if a potential heir was living the followers would always be a danger, even if there was no intention on the potential heir’s part to rule.I enjoyed reading about his royal household, the children, though was sad at how fragile life was even for royal families. Disease and death was very prevalent then, and even royals succumbed far too often.Reading too about how children were sent away from families at such a young age, for politics, for family power, for alliances and of course for their personal futures was hard. Seemed really sad to me, that close family contact was rare in wealthy households, that parents had children they rarely saw, and who could be sent hundreds of miles away, to other countries even when still only very young. They grew up quickly then, as we see from their speech and education while still little more than toddlers.I loved reading about Sim and the Ravens, about Joan’s championing of them and the issues she faced. Its a fictional snippet of history with roots in reality, and certainly the Raven/Tower legend is still strong. I believe the Ravens actually have their own guardians officially now.Joanna is an author new to me, I’d be happy to read more from her when in the mood to get lost back in history for a few hours. She writes in a way that had me totally immersed in what was happening, feeling it was real, and that’s always the best stories for me.Stars: Five. I thought at first it was a little slow, but that’s really scene setting as I discovered when I read further, and its a book I thoroughly enjoyed.Arc via publishers and Netgalley
My favorite aspect of the Lady of the Ravens is the way that the author evokes the atmosphere of the Tower of London and the surrounding community. The book is rich with historical details about England in the early Tudor period. I have a soft spot for novels set during this time in history, and Hickson’s writing reminds me of another Philippa Gregory, who is one of my favorite authors.I enjoyed reading about the life of the protagonist, Joan Vaux. I found her easy to relate to because she also loves books and has a soft spot for animals, including the iconic ravens that live at the Tower. The fact that the author chose a relatively unknown person to be the protagonist of her novel was one of the strong points of the book. I wasn’t sure how the story would end and I felt a sense of foreboding as I watched the events unfold.The only gentle criticism I have is that the plot of the book felt a bit meandering at times. Nevertheless, I loved the ongoing plot line in which the protagonist fights to gain acceptance for her beloved ravens. If you’re a fan of Tudor historical fiction, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this book. I give it a very solid four stars and look forward to reading more from this author.Thanks so much to Anne Carter and Random Things blog tours for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. |
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