Review: The King's Daughter by Sandra Worth


Seventeen-year-old Elizabeth of York trusts that her beloved father’s dying wish has left England in the hands of a just and deserving ruler. But upon the rise of Richard of Gloucester, Elizabeth’s family experiences one devastation after another: her late father is exposed as a bigamist, she and her siblings are branded bastards, and her brothers are taken into the new king’s custody, then reportedly killed.

But one fateful night leads Elizabeth to question her prejudices. Through the eyes of Richard’s ailing queen she sees a man worthy of respect and undying adoration. His dedication to his people inspires a forbidden love and ultimately gives her the courage to accept her destiny, marry Henry Tudor, and become Queen. While her soul may secretly belong to another, her heart belongs to England…

Elizabeth of York
No good novel is without it's share of controversy and The King's Daughter doesn't disappoint. I had heard about a scene in the first few pages of the book that made some people raise their eyebrows, but my mind was still open...after all it is historical fiction and thus the author is given a bit more leeway (in my opinion).

The story starts off a little silly with the many "woe" declarations Elizabeth's mother was so fond of. However, the novel recovers. Elizabeth the Good, as she was called by her people, was a fascinating woman. Early on she realized that they only option she really had available to her was survival...to make the best out of her situation.

Raised by a horrific mother, her beloved father Edward IV dies and her brothers (and heirs to the throne) are removed from the family and placed in the Tower of London. The story of the princes in the tower has always intrigued me, but I never really thought about it from the perspective of Elizabeth - their sister. My heart ached for her, never really knowing what happened to the brothers she loved, always hanging heavy in her heart.

Another faucet of this novel that I really enjoyed was seeing little (future) King Henry VIII - boy, he was a little shit from the start huh?! Bottom line is that The King's Daughter is an entertaining read about the mother of the Tudor dynasty. I highly recommend this novel, especially to the Tudor lovers out there!Interesting note: Elizabeth of York is the only English Queen to have been a wife, daughter, sister, niece and mother to English Kings.


Here is what other book bloggers had to say:

A Reader's Respite
Booking Mama

13 comments:

  1. Great review, Amy! I think Henry VIII was always a terror. I read this book too, you can find my review here.

    I don't recall any scene making me raise my eyebrows, but then this one's a few books back now and my retention isn't all that great!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am glad you liked the book. I read it and, honestly, could not stand it. I did not do a review, however, since I do not like to give bad reviews. I just thought a lot of the storyline pretty unbelievable. You did a nice review, though.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is a great review Amy. I have it on my TBR pile but will have to start reading it soon. Sounds like a really good book.

    ReplyDelete
  4. You rock, Amy! Laughed out loud at the description of ol' Henry VIII...didn't you just want to smack the kid? I have a feeling her description wasn't too off the mark!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I want to read this one. Apparently, Worth does a great job in endearing Elizabeth to readers. I love your last observation about her being the only one with all those different affiliations with Kings. Just by your fun description of the young King makes me want to read it! Great review, so personalized and interesting. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Fantastic review! I guess Henry was always a little terror! I wish I had about 10 more hours every day just to read.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I have this one on my wish list! Now I'm interested in that first part that you mentioned ;)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks so much for the link, Amy! I liked this book too but I did think those "woes" from Elizabeth's mother were out of character for a woman who was, by most accounts, a hard hearted calculating you-know-what. And what a little snot that Henry was. Fabulous review!!

    Carey

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great review Amy. I am definitely putting this one on my wishlist.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I just finished this one and really enjoyed it -- I've enjoyed all of Ms. Worth's novels so far.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I have this one on my list to read this year. It sounds great. Your review made me want to read it more.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Great review. I got this book from Michele and I can't wait to read it!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I loved this book. It was a fabulous read!

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts with Thumbnails
 

Passages to the Past
All rights reserved © 2013

Custom Blog Design by Blogger Boutique

Blogger Boutique