Reviews

I thought it would be a bad book just by the number of reviews that I saw it wasn't all that favorable. Especially by the number of stars that it would gain. But I really enjoyed this book. When I was going in I didn't know all that much about the Queen of the Scots so I really had no idea how it would possibly turn out (my friend of course 'ruined' it for me by saying she was beheaded) but I liked that.

My only problem with the book was the sudden abruptness of how it ended. George has a dream about Mary's execution and then suddenly it's 16 years later and Beth is recalling Mary's beheading. It seemed way to rush, but I did like how Beth's story was finished up.

aliciablack's review against another edition

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informative slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

0rdinaryreader's review against another edition

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3.0

This was definitely an interesting look at the time period. It’s funny because when I started this book, Bess and Mary annoyed me, almost to the point of DNF-ing the book. By the time I finished it, yes, they still annoyed me, but I appreciated them for the strong woman they are. I appreciated for fighting for what they felt was theirs, and for staying true to who they are.

So the love-hate relationship that I had for this book when I was half way through has leaned more toward the side of Love, but Instill found it tough to get through at times. All in all, still an interesting read if you’re looking for a good book about the Queen of Scots.

nickylizzy's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional informative medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

aly_anne's review against another edition

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4.0

A delightful insight into the imprisonment of Mary, Queen of Scots, and her hosts/jailors - George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsberry, and his wife, Bess of Hardwick. Not a period spoken much about in your average history textbooks, nor people the average history students knows much, this book does a great job explaining the political and familial implications and connections of Mary's claim to the English throne. And as a bonus, both Mary and Bess are kick ass women who stand up for what they believe in and show that they don't necessarily need a man to get what they want and think they deserve (despite Mary's eventual execution).

saralynnburnett's review against another edition

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4.0

Like most her books, this is highly readable and about a period of history (Henry VIII) we all seem to enjoy!

canadiyank's review against another edition

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2.0

This is the last book in the series, which I've enjoyed overall, but this book took me nearly two months off of-and-on reading to finish. I have seen several movies and read a few books about Mary, Queen of Scots, so I was looking forward to this one, but for some reason I couldn't get in to it. Telling the story from the perspective of her captors was an interesting idea but I really didn't like the back and forth between all the first-person narrative. The ending was really disappointing, too - basically it was, "Fast forward a bunch of years, cut off her head, the end." I finished it b/c I wanted to complete the series but I wouldn't recommend it as a stand-alone book.

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