Reviews with content warning for Murder - The Dark Queens: The Bloody Rivalry That Forged the Medieval World

I loved every page of this book and have already recommended it to all my friends. In case anybody doubts whether it's boring or slow-paced at some points, it isn't. It's incredibly compelling and I certainly wasn't expecting to enjoy this book so much.

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awebofstories's review

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adventurous dark informative medium-paced

5.0

I spent most of my college career reading history books. While I enjoyed earning my degree, I have only rarely read a history book since graduation. As this book came to me described as "a history book that reads like a novel," I knew I had to try it.

I had never heard of Brunhild and Fredegund, even though my degree is in Medieval History (to be fair, "medieval history" is considered by many to start in 800, and these two queens lived during the 6th century). It took Eleanor of Aquitaine to interest me in the medieval world, but she doesn't hold a candle to these two queens.

I learned so much from this book. I ended up taking pages of notes and then regaling my husband with random facts about the Merovingians, which I'm sure he appreciates to no end. But, I'm left wondering why there has never been a movie--or, probably better yet, a prestige TV drama--of these two women. I recently described Brunhild and Fredegund as House of Cards and Game of Thrones, respectively. Who wouldn't want to watch that?

This is not a "history textbook" but rather a work of narrative nonfiction, which is what makes it so accessible to readers. One thing I noticed in so many history books is that historians sometimes get so deep into the weeds that they start to see the people they are studying as chess pieces rather than humans. Puhak not only doesn't fall into that trap but sassily points it out when she finds examples in her research.

While I would recommend this book to anyone, I have this caveat. When writing history or historical narrative nonfiction, the author cannot control the plot's events. This book can be incredibly brutal. Puhak does an admirable job of writing the harder parts with accuracy and compassion, but that doesn't change the fact that this tale has its share of the hard stuff. A reader would need to accept things for what they are: recounting events that happened and that the author has a responsibility, rather than a choice, to depict them.

I have not stopped thinking about this book since I finished it, and I eagerly await someone to bring Brunhild and Fredegund--and this book--to the screen.

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alisonvh's review

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adventurous challenging dark informative medium-paced

5.0

This book is so good and I learned so much! Everyone should read it.

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