Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Obtained from: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours
Read: April 14, 2014
May, 1536. The Queen is dead. Long live the Queen. When Anne Boleyn falls to the executioner's axe on a cold spring morning, yet another Anne vows she will survive in the snakepit court of Henry VIII. But at what cost? Lady Anne Seymour knows her family hangs by a thread. If her sister-in-law Jane Seymour cannot give the King a son, she will be executed or set aside, and her family with her. Anne throws herself into the deadly and intoxicating intrigue of the Tudor court, determined at any price to see the new queen's marriage a success and the Seymour family elevated to supreme power. But Anne's machinations will earn her a reputation as a viper, and she must decide if her family's rise is worth the loss of her own soul...
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Tudor fiction. The phrase alone makes me cringe. Wolf Hall, The Other Boleyn Girl, The Autobiography of Henry VIII, The Sixth Wife, Secrets of the Tudor Court, Queen's Gambit… there are enough titles on the market that I could go on all day.
With so many options, it’s hard to imagine an author bringing something new to the table. Are there really angles that haven’t been tried, schemes that haven’t been woven, or characters who haven’t been featured? I know it sounds improbable, but such a distinction does not make something in and of itself impossible which leads me to E. Knight’s My Lady Viper.
Overflowing with intrigue, conspiracy, and romance, this book had me hooked from the first chapter and that isn’t easy for a skeptic such as myself to admit. Henry’s court comes vibrantly to life under Knight’s pen, drawing the audience into a refreshing original web a danger and deceit.
Anne Seymour’s divided loyalties and multiple alliances really appealed to me. The complexity of her situation built tension I’m entirely unused to seeing in this subgenre and conveyed a tangibly authentic degree of turmoil within the narrative.
The nontraditional love triangle was equally alluring. Anne’s emotional connections to Edward and Anthony are not clear cut or easy define and though they are remarkably different, both are passionate affairs that leave the reader genuinely absorbed in Anne’s romantic liaisons.
A brilliant illustration of a capricious monarch and the nest of serpents that surrounded him, My Lady Viper is an absolute must. Intricately detailed, cleverly constructed and utterly irresistible.
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The people mirrored the moods of the king. If he was in mourning—they mourned. If he was angry—they rallied for justice on his part. If he was filled with merriment—they laughed and danced. We were all little puppets, and the world, the king’s stage. We cheered today, but what would we do tomorrow? Or even tonight?
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Check out all the stops on E. Knight's My Lady Viper virtual book tour schedule!
Monday, May 5
Review at Flashlight Commentary
Spotlight at The Tower of Babel
Spotlight & Giveaway at Passages to the Past
Review at Flashlight Commentary
Spotlight at The Tower of Babel
Spotlight & Giveaway at Passages to the Past
Friday, May 23
Review at WTF Are You Reading?
Review at The Musings of ALMYBNENR
Giveaway at So Many Precious Books, So Little Time
Review at WTF Are You Reading?
Review at The Musings of ALMYBNENR
Giveaway at So Many Precious Books, So Little Time
1 comment:
Thank you so much for the amazing review!!! I am so thrilled you enjoyed the book :-)
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