news4bees's review against another edition
3.0
Probably closer to 3.5 stars.
I definitely think I enjoyed this Maids of Honor story better than the first, Maid of Secrets. A lot of this probably was the fact I understood Beatrice more than I ever understood Meg. It was easier to follow her thought process during the story and know kind of what to expect--which didn't make the story predictable or boring.
I liked the switch of narration in the second book from Meg to Beatrice and I think the author did a great job of discerning the two voices in her writing. Beatrice seems more snarky and sarcastic and those aspects of her really came across nicely. This book showed a new perspective of Beatrice and all the characters that was extremely interesting. I liked how in this story the Queen is portrayed as a sneaky villain with a personal vendetta against Beatrice, something we had not seen in Maid of Secrets.
Can't wait for the next one.
I definitely think I enjoyed this Maids of Honor story better than the first, Maid of Secrets. A lot of this probably was the fact I understood Beatrice more than I ever understood Meg. It was easier to follow her thought process during the story and know kind of what to expect--which didn't make the story predictable or boring.
I liked the switch of narration in the second book from Meg to Beatrice and I think the author did a great job of discerning the two voices in her writing. Beatrice seems more snarky and sarcastic and those aspects of her really came across nicely. This book showed a new perspective of Beatrice and all the characters that was extremely interesting. I liked how in this story the Queen is portrayed as a sneaky villain with a personal vendetta against Beatrice, something we had not seen in Maid of Secrets.
Can't wait for the next one.
edininny's review against another edition
5.0
Great YA read. I like the characters and the intrigue.
jennybeastie's review against another edition
1.0
I'm sorry, I just can't buy the premise of an evil Elizabeth I, surrounded by her crack team of spy-thief handmaidens. It doesn't work for me personally, and I don't like the main character enough to read more than the first few chapters.
My copy provided by Edelweiss.
My copy provided by Edelweiss.
aprilbooksandwine's review against another edition
4.0
If you have the end of a book series syndrome after reading the Grave Mercy books by Robin LaFevers, you should pick up the Maids Of Honor series by Jennifer McGowan to fulfill that void in your life.
Read the rest of my review here
Read the rest of my review here
bennse2's review against another edition
4.0
I hate the new covers - "look at the serious skinny pale people! SECRETS!" is what this one says - so I tried to not enjoy this book. But I failed. Looking forward to the future books, whose covers I will ignore with aplomb.
freadomlibrary's review against another edition
3.0
Actual rating 3.5 stars
This review was originally posted at https://freadomlibrary.wordpress.com/
Critically
Plot – 3 out of 5 stars
This story is full of historical court drama, mystery and espionage. The main character is the master of secrets and being able to use them to her advantage so there’s a lot of political and social action going on. However, it was a bit slow and sometimes it felt boring. It wasn’t as entertaining as the first book and that was disappointing.
Writing Style – 4 out of 5 stars
This book was really easy to read and the writing style was detailed and descriptive. It was quite simple but sometimes it felt too modern for the time period it was set in. The narrator was honestly kind of annoying. She spent a lot of time blind to things or in denial and her voice was really dry.
Characters – 3 out of 5 stars
I was a little disappointed with the characterization in this book. I was really looking forward to reading from another Maid of Honor’s point of view but I didn’t connect with her the same way. It just made the book less entertaining and lacked the charm of the first one.
Beatrice was really annoying. I don’t like saying that she was. She’s made her whole life on the fact that she can lie her ass off and lying is one of my deal breakers so I kind of knew we weren’t going to get along that well. She’s oblivious to a lot of things around here even though she’s supposed to be the most observant of them all. She’s really manipulative and has a haughty attitude so not that big of a fan.
On the other hand, I loved the side characters! I’m glad I got to have the other Maids of Honor around even though not as much as I was hoping to. And the new characters that were introduced as well as looked into more were amazing. I just felt like everyone around Beatrice outshined her and I almost wanted a different POV to be the center in this book.
Emotionally
The plot is dramatic. We follow Beatrice, the designated secret keeper and spy of the Maids of Honor as she navigates constant court drama. I really liked the first book but this sequel lacked the charm that one had. A lot of that had to do with the narrator and main characters. Beatrice is the type of girl that is used to lying and manipulating the people around her. She grew up with the expectation that she had to marry above her station to be able to save her family and to keep all the people in her home safe and healthy and fed. That caused her to learn the ins and outs of court and to be able to use all of that to her advantage. So this caused the plot to be filled with more dialogue than action which is something that I don’t tend to enjoy. It got kind of annoying because it also felt like there was no real momentum with the plot but I still liked the direction it was going since it continued from where the first book left off. There was mystery and suspense involved and that kept my attention well enough as the story went on but it really wasn’t enough to keep me hooked as completely as I wanted it to. The narration of the story just brought the whole thing down for me and it was actually really disappointing since this series felt like it was going to become a new favorite but it just didn’t quite reach the mark. I wanted more from it but I still am a fan of the plot of the series in general and I’m really looking forward to reading the final book. I hope it’s much better than this one and that I actually like that main character haha.
Beatrice rubbed me the wrong way right off the bat. She’s a liar, though I guess you can say it’s kind of her job but it’s still really bothersome for me. She’s supposed to be this super observing spy that knows everything about everyone but is actually super clueless about a lot of things that happen right in front of her eyes. And even worse, she’s clueless about herself. About who she is as a person, about the things that matter to her and about what her heart really wants. It just got frustrating after some time and it made the story so much less enjoyable than I was hoping it would be.
The side characters however are really freaking great! I loved meeting Alastair. He’s this really manly and powerful Scottish man who comes to visit the Queen of England and I loved his personality. He was the light of the story to be honest. He’s smart and funny and he’s such a stark contrast to the rest of the characters who are used to the English court. I loved how he stood out and how he didn’t compromise his values to play the games everyone else was. He deserved much better than he got in my opinion, but at least he’s happy. Besides him, I really wanted more from the side characters. I love the Maids of Honor that I met in the first book and I wanted to learn more about them as well. I loved seeing Meg and Jane. They’re my favorites of the whole group of five because they’re both kind of rough around the edges because of how they’ve grown. They’re smart and cunning and I wanted to see more of their budding relationships. However, we got to learn a lot more about Sophia who is the Maid that has the hardest road I guess. We learn a lot about her gift and see her grow through the eyes of Beatrice and I’m really excited to read the third book because she’s the narrator in that one and I hope I enjoy that one more.
Overall, I was a bit disappointed by this book. The plot didn’t have as much action as I was expecting and the narration brought down the entertainment that I wanted it to have. I didn’t really like the main character at all, she really frustrated me from beginning to end. I liked the side characters more and I kind of wish another one of the Maids would’ve narrated this part of the story.
This review was originally posted at https://freadomlibrary.wordpress.com/
Critically
Plot – 3 out of 5 stars
This story is full of historical court drama, mystery and espionage. The main character is the master of secrets and being able to use them to her advantage so there’s a lot of political and social action going on. However, it was a bit slow and sometimes it felt boring. It wasn’t as entertaining as the first book and that was disappointing.
Writing Style – 4 out of 5 stars
This book was really easy to read and the writing style was detailed and descriptive. It was quite simple but sometimes it felt too modern for the time period it was set in. The narrator was honestly kind of annoying. She spent a lot of time blind to things or in denial and her voice was really dry.
Characters – 3 out of 5 stars
I was a little disappointed with the characterization in this book. I was really looking forward to reading from another Maid of Honor’s point of view but I didn’t connect with her the same way. It just made the book less entertaining and lacked the charm of the first one.
Beatrice was really annoying. I don’t like saying that she was. She’s made her whole life on the fact that she can lie her ass off and lying is one of my deal breakers so I kind of knew we weren’t going to get along that well. She’s oblivious to a lot of things around here even though she’s supposed to be the most observant of them all. She’s really manipulative and has a haughty attitude so not that big of a fan.
On the other hand, I loved the side characters! I’m glad I got to have the other Maids of Honor around even though not as much as I was hoping to. And the new characters that were introduced as well as looked into more were amazing. I just felt like everyone around Beatrice outshined her and I almost wanted a different POV to be the center in this book.
Emotionally
Spoiler
I expected more entertainment from this sequel but it wasn’t as up to par as I was hoping for it to be and it didn’t really compare to my experience with the first book.The plot is dramatic. We follow Beatrice, the designated secret keeper and spy of the Maids of Honor as she navigates constant court drama. I really liked the first book but this sequel lacked the charm that one had. A lot of that had to do with the narrator and main characters. Beatrice is the type of girl that is used to lying and manipulating the people around her. She grew up with the expectation that she had to marry above her station to be able to save her family and to keep all the people in her home safe and healthy and fed. That caused her to learn the ins and outs of court and to be able to use all of that to her advantage. So this caused the plot to be filled with more dialogue than action which is something that I don’t tend to enjoy. It got kind of annoying because it also felt like there was no real momentum with the plot but I still liked the direction it was going since it continued from where the first book left off. There was mystery and suspense involved and that kept my attention well enough as the story went on but it really wasn’t enough to keep me hooked as completely as I wanted it to. The narration of the story just brought the whole thing down for me and it was actually really disappointing since this series felt like it was going to become a new favorite but it just didn’t quite reach the mark. I wanted more from it but I still am a fan of the plot of the series in general and I’m really looking forward to reading the final book. I hope it’s much better than this one and that I actually like that main character haha.
Beatrice rubbed me the wrong way right off the bat. She’s a liar, though I guess you can say it’s kind of her job but it’s still really bothersome for me. She’s supposed to be this super observing spy that knows everything about everyone but is actually super clueless about a lot of things that happen right in front of her eyes. And even worse, she’s clueless about herself. About who she is as a person, about the things that matter to her and about what her heart really wants. It just got frustrating after some time and it made the story so much less enjoyable than I was hoping it would be.
The side characters however are really freaking great! I loved meeting Alastair. He’s this really manly and powerful Scottish man who comes to visit the Queen of England and I loved his personality. He was the light of the story to be honest. He’s smart and funny and he’s such a stark contrast to the rest of the characters who are used to the English court. I loved how he stood out and how he didn’t compromise his values to play the games everyone else was. He deserved much better than he got in my opinion, but at least he’s happy. Besides him, I really wanted more from the side characters. I love the Maids of Honor that I met in the first book and I wanted to learn more about them as well. I loved seeing Meg and Jane. They’re my favorites of the whole group of five because they’re both kind of rough around the edges because of how they’ve grown. They’re smart and cunning and I wanted to see more of their budding relationships. However, we got to learn a lot more about Sophia who is the Maid that has the hardest road I guess. We learn a lot about her gift and see her grow through the eyes of Beatrice and I’m really excited to read the third book because she’s the narrator in that one and I hope I enjoy that one more.
Overall, I was a bit disappointed by this book. The plot didn’t have as much action as I was expecting and the narration brought down the entertainment that I wanted it to have. I didn’t really like the main character at all, she really frustrated me from beginning to end. I liked the side characters more and I kind of wish another one of the Maids would’ve narrated this part of the story.
lpcoolgirl's review against another edition
5.0
Oh, awesome book! Wish I'd read it sooner, but now I can read the next book right away, yeah!
bethb3's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. I liked it better than the first of the series and will probably read the next next one.
burningupasun's review against another edition
4.0
Like the first book, this was one of those books that had me constantly putting it down and picking it up again because it was stressing me out, but in a (mostly) good way. The entire time I was reading it I just kept thinking: "Oh GOD what is gonna happen NEXT oh gosh something is gonna go badly, something is gonna go WRONG, ahh, help". In the end it wasn't as drastic as it seemed, but still, it was tense!
I liked the switch to a different Maid's POV, and it was nice to see from the inside of Beatrice's head. She is what outsiders would probably label the "mean girl" of this group of Maids of Honor Spies, and it was good to see inside her head, to learn how complex she is and how hard she works to secure her own life. On the one hand though, I was a bit frustrated by the sort of lack of overarching plot in this book, when it came to their spy duties. It seemed much more vague and less urgent than the first book. This time it felt like more of a back drop to Beatrice's own plot, which was all wrapped up in her love life. Not that I minded it, though. The romance was that intense, soul-mate kinda love that sometimes I just REALLY like reading about, and it was fun to see it unfurl and to see Beatrice find her match.
My only other qualm was with the portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I. On the one hand I like that these books aren't afraid to portray her as selfish and cunning, not just strong and powerful. On the other hand, she came off just SO vicious in this book that at times it was a bit much. But whenever I thought about that, I figured it came down to the POV being that of Beatrice, who hates the Queen personally, but supports her at the same time (it's complicated). In a way, it was well done, getting to see the difference in the Queen due to the biased perceptions of first Meg, and now Beatrice.
All in all a solid book though!
I liked the switch to a different Maid's POV, and it was nice to see from the inside of Beatrice's head. She is what outsiders would probably label the "mean girl" of this group of Maids of Honor Spies, and it was good to see inside her head, to learn how complex she is and how hard she works to secure her own life. On the one hand though, I was a bit frustrated by the sort of lack of overarching plot in this book, when it came to their spy duties. It seemed much more vague and less urgent than the first book. This time it felt like more of a back drop to Beatrice's own plot, which was all wrapped up in her love life. Not that I minded it, though. The romance was that intense, soul-mate kinda love that sometimes I just REALLY like reading about, and it was fun to see it unfurl and to see Beatrice find her match.
My only other qualm was with the portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I. On the one hand I like that these books aren't afraid to portray her as selfish and cunning, not just strong and powerful. On the other hand, she came off just SO vicious in this book that at times it was a bit much. But whenever I thought about that, I figured it came down to the POV being that of Beatrice, who hates the Queen personally, but supports her at the same time (it's complicated). In a way, it was well done, getting to see the difference in the Queen due to the biased perceptions of first Meg, and now Beatrice.
All in all a solid book though!