hannxm's reviews
44 reviews

Anne of Athelhampton and the Queen's Peals by Giles Keating

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Anne, one of four surviving daughters, is based on the real daughter of Sir Nicholas Martyn who lived in Athelhampton during the Tudor period. The Martyns first moved to Athelhampton in 1350 and their descendants were Lords of the house for 250 years. Nicholas was the last Martyn male line when he died in 1595, leaving his four daughters (and their husbands) an equal share of Athelhampton.

This second instalment in the trilogy was almost a breath of fresh air. I didn't realise how limited and cramped the first book was until I read this one, because the first book's events happen almost exclusively in Athelhampton. This book is full of action and Anne is constantly on the move, riding her horse Bayard, and the things she must do to make everything better again (the poor girl is the only thing holding everything together!) made more sense and were easier to follow. There was much more threat involved in this book, with very real risks to her life/safety as well as to other characters, and that always makes a book more exciting!

Maybe this book was a breath of fresh air simply because

Spoiler

Endy wasn't around, patiently waiting for Anne to grab his hand for the 56th time

. Bayard is just a horse, not an integral part of the story, so it's kind of acceptable that he's more a mode of transport, than an animal the author is trying to force together to be the best of friends.

I found this book simply easier to read than the first and I actually wanted to pick it up to follow the adventure and to see what was going to happen next. The characters seemed more developed; Anne seemed much more mature and more headstrong than ever. She makes bold and brash decisions and it's overall more exciting than book 1. Compared to the first book, Anne is trying her best to save/protect multiple people; her two brother in laws from execution, and herself and her sister from being implicated in plots against the Queen. It involves arson, bribery, high speed chases, being a little too close to a cliff edge and ends with a somewhat satisfying finish, where she (almost entirely) saves the day. It also contains beautiful illustrations that appeared to have improved since the first book; I can definitely see how the illustrator's drawing ability has improved as time has gone on which is nice to see.

What I appreciated most was the much longer (compared to the first book) segment at the end that goes through the main events, telling the reader which events were true and providing further information about such events and the characters. This is what I, a historical fiction fan, love!

It is a trilogy, so there will be a third book coming out at some point, which I wasn't aware of when I bought them. If I had only read the first book, I likely wouldn't have continued reading the trilogy, but this book has made me reconsider it.

Overall, an improvement on the last book, full of action and events that I found much more interesting, and full of history! I would recommend it to whoever has read the first book but was unsure of the reading the second one; I think you'll prefer this one.

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

Go to review page

challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Content Warnings