Release Date: July 2011
Book Synopsis:
Bound by blood, torn by devotion...
In the wake of King Henry VIII's death, England's throne is left in a precarious state-as is the peculiar relationship between his two daughters. Mary, the elder, once treasured, had been declared a bastard in favor of her flame-haired half-sister, Elizabeth, born of the doomed Anne Boleyn. Yet the bond between the sisters was palpable from the start. Now reinstated, Mary eventually assumes her place as queen. But as Mary's religious zeal evolves into a reign of terror, young Elizabeth gains the people's favor. Gripped by a tormenting paranoia, Mary is soon convinced that her beloved Elizabeth is in fact her worst enemy. And the virginal Elizabeth, whose true love is her country, must defy her tyrannical sister to make way for a new era...
A brilliant portrait of the rule of "Bloody Mary" and her intricate relationship with Elizabeth I, the adored "Virgin Queen," here is a riveting tale of one family's sordid and extraordinary chapter in the pages of history.
My Review: The Tudor Throne is told in both Elizabeth’s and Mary’s point of views with interchanging chapters. The story begins on King Henry VIII’s death bed when Mary is back in favor with her father and Elizabeth is the charming flame-haired girl who is the spitting image of Henry. The story progresses as both Mary and Elizabeth travel through life and we see their once loving relationship turn cold as ice. Once Mary ascends the throne of England, she immediately imprisons her sister out of fear of Elizabeth conspiring to overthrow her.
When Elizabeth is a young girl, we witness her being taken advantage of by the Lord Admiral Thomas Seymour, who was husband to Henry VIII’s last wife and Elizabeth’s stepmother, Catherine Parr. This was probably the most difficult part of the book to get through because Thomas Seymour was a full fledged pervert! Not only did he go after Elizabeth but he went after Mary before he even considered Elizabeth.
It is obvious that Brandy Purdy did her research for this Tudor novel. I love how she interchanged both Mary’s and Elizabeth’s point of view because I enjoyed knowing what they were thinking during their times of strife and glory. This story was beautifully told and it wasn’t like all the other Tudor novels out there. It had its own unique qualities, which makes it stand out above all the rest. I highly recommend The Tudor Throne to all Tudor historical fiction lovers out there.
I received a copy of this book from the Author Brandy Purdy in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was in no way compensated for posting my review.
Thank you Taylor I am so glad you enjoyed the book. My cat Tabby is currently hosting a giveaway on my blog for a signed copy of either the American edition The Tudor Throne or the British edition Mary & Elizabeth--winner's choice. Anyone interested can find out how to enter by visiting http://brandypurdy.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteThis sounds potentially very good! I love a good Tudor historical, but get very grumpy about ones that glaze over the actual history. I'm curious about the changing voices too - these sisters both had so much personality and so many reasons to be rivals. Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteI read many things about the Tudors, but I never read a book with Mary's and Elizabeth's point of view. It must be really interesting to see how their relationship falls apart.
ReplyDeleteOk I am having it in my collection and will definitely going to read it. You have reviewed it pretty well. Thanks for sharing review with us
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