Title: The Boleyn Deceit
Author: Laura Andersen
Series: 2nd (The Boleyn King)
Pages: 416
Published: November 5th 2013
by Ballantine Books
ISBN: 9780345534118
Source: Publisher via Netgalley
Description: Henry IX, known as
William, is the son of Anne Boleyn and now the leader of England, his
regency period finally at an end. His newfound power, however, comes
with the looming specter of war with the other major powers of Europe,
with strategic alliances that must be forged on both the battlefield and
in the bedroom, and with a court, severed by religion, rife with plots
to take over the throne. Will trusts only three people: his older
sister, Elizabeth; his best friend and loyal counselor, Dominic; and
Minuette, a young orphan raised as a royal ward by Anne Boleyn. But as
the pressure rises alongside the threat to his life, even they William
must begin to question-and to fear....
I Give This ...
I really enjoyed the first book in the series, but I was curious about the long term sustainability involving a character that's fictional surrounded by events and people that are very much a part of history. I think the author has done a lot of research before tackling this series to make it seem as believable as possible.
I wasn't sure what to think of William in the first book. He's a young king stepping out of regency with a powerful legacy to live up to. I think he might have been afraid to spread his wings at first, but now he's really coming into his own. I feel the author has done an excellent job of making it plausible that he's a mixture of Henry and Anne. He seems to exhibit qualities from both parents. He's fierce in his love for Minuette and will bend at nothing to get exactly what he wants. He's manipulating history into place.
I found Elizabeth to be fascinating in this series. She's pretty much in the exact same position that she was in history. She knows she has the ability of be a wonderful ruler. But, will she be given the chance? The only difference is that I feel she doesn't have to walk on eggshells as much with Willliam and she really did with Mary.
I find it fascinating that the author has managed to make events still happen in different manners. So, I have a feeling that the world is going to end up in a very similar situation when Elizabeth comes to power in this alternate version of history. So, was it always Elizabeth's fate to become Queen?
The only thing about this book that throws me off a little is the absolute familiarity between William, Elizabeth, Minuette, and Dominic. I just don't expect that. It's obviously changing now that certain situations have come up. I wonder if we will every get that tone that says "you can't speak in that familiar way become I am King"
I've loved this series so far. I'm excited to see how we get to that final point in history!
No comments:
Post a Comment
I love comments!