August 05, 2010

Review: The Queens Daughter by Susan Coventry





The Queen's Daughter by Susan Coventry
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (June 8, 2010)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction

This debut novel telling the story of a real medieval princess illuminates the lives of the rich and powerful and reveals the virtual imprisonment of wealthy women in an era that many romanticize. Joan was the daughter of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II of England, sister to Richard the Lionheart and wife of William the Good of Sicily.



I give this book 4 out of 5 stars; mostly, because I loved the story line and I ADORE books with strong, female characters.

I have to admit - the beginning of this book (I’d even go so far as to say the entire first half) is VERY confusing. That’s the one downside. I suppose that because the author wanted to keep names/places true to history, she left them the same in the book, but there were so many Richards, Williams, Raymonds...I got lost multiple times.

But somewhere in the middle of the book, I found myself wanting to know what happens to Joan, our main character. At almost every point in her life, she finds herself having to choose between her family and her husband. I was interested to see whether she would follow what her heart told her, or what her “duty” compelled her to do. I was very satisfied with how it ended :)

Fair Warning: This novel is historical fiction. So if you don’t like history in any way, then this book might not be a good fit for you, lol. I wanted to read The Queen’s Daughter because I personally thought the cover looked amazing! I’ve passed by it a few times in bookstores, but never got around to reading it. I’m so glad I did!





9 comments:

  1. Looks great! Had to add to my list..:)

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  2. Welcome to the blog Maria, glad to have you join us! Very nice review :)

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  3. Great review!! I know exactly what you mean about there being so many people with the same names in historical fiction, it's gotta be accurate and all :)

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  4. Historical fiction is my favorite genre and I am interested in Joanna. I added this book to my TBR. Thanks for the review.

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  5. Thanks for all the wonderful comments! After you guys read the book, let me know what you thought!

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  6. Great review -- I appreciate the 'warning' about the beginning -- I'm terrible about quitting books too early if I'm feeling persnickety and frustrated. Now I'll be sure to stick this one through!

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  7. Great review! Thanks for the word of caution. It's good to know this isn't one of those light reads but more like taking a step back into history.

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  8. Indeed the cover catches the eye:) As historical fiction is one of my favourite genres I would like to check this one as well. Thank you for reviewing it!

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