Reviews

In the Shadow of Queens: Tales from the Tudor Court by Alison Weir

novellenovels's review

emotional informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

sixseasonsandamovie's review

emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

ebol's review against another edition

informative sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Read about the 6 queens first then this book. 

holliejoy's review

informative mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.0

jmatkinson1's review

4.0

In her series on the six wives of Henry VIII, Alison Weir produced superb fictionalised biographies of the some of the most famous women in history. This is a companion volume in which stories are woven around the more familiar tales. Here lesser known women are considered and their links to the more famous are shown as integral to Tudor politics. Weir is an outstanding historian and these tales flesh out more of her knowledge of Tudor court politics.

emmaryan's review

medium-paced

4.5

lyndsreadsbooks's review against another edition

informative slow-paced

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

2.0

venkarinas's review

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.5

charlotteellis's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

fourestxx's review

3.0

In The Shadow Of Queens: Tales from the Tudor Court is a collection of short stories giving a fictional insight into the lives and experiences of key figures at the courts of the six Queens of Henry VIII.

I’m usually a huge fan of historical fiction, particularly anything involving the Tudors, but unfortunately this one just didn’t work for me.

I prefer historical stories to have a stronger basis in actual events and the historical record, but these seemed to be largely invention (i.e.: the tale of Margery Otwell) and a lot of them involved too much of a supernatural element for my liking (seeing ghosts and the power to predict deaths).

Each of the stories has a different tone and voice and some are quite good, including Princess Mary and Anne Boleyn’s grandmother; however, some (especially the two in the Anne Boleyn section) felt almost cheesy and fan fiction-like.

In The Shadow Of Queens is certainly an interesting concept, as we always seem to get the perspective of the Queens themselves and not the background characters, and Alison Weir is clearly passionate about the subject.

I’m sure many readers and fans of this genre will find it fun, insightful and immersive, but it just wasn’t to my personal taste.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.