This novel of Mary, Queen of Scots overflows with romance, elegance, power, treachery and court intrigue on the grand stage of Europe in a time when nations teetered on the edge of war and the Christian world was split between Catholics and Protestants.Born with a future claim to the English throne, Mary is crowned Queen of Scotland six days after her birth. From her childhood in the French court of Henry II, through her return to her Scottish kingdom and tensions with Queen Elizabeth over the English throne, Mary’s story is captured by Elizabeth Byrd in this wonderful narrative, bringing one of the most captivating women in English history to life.
My Review:
“Immortal Queen” by Elizabeth Byrd was an absolutely
fantastic read! This is the first novel that I have read that is all about
Mary, Queen of Scots. I have read several novels where she has been mentioned, or
was a minor character, but in this novel she was the main character, and she
was a character that I loved! I can’t believe that this is the first novel I have read about her, considering how many historical fiction novels from that time
period I have read. I’m so happy that I came across this novel and decided to
purchase it, it was definitely worth it!
I love that the book covered her entire life, from childhood
until death. Her life was a crazy soap opera, and it was interesting from
beginning until end. It really helps the reader to understand her as a person
better, because you get to see her grow up throughout this novel. The
characters in this book were great. Mary’s character was someone that you
definitely cared about and were rooting for, also, her husband Lord Bothwell
and her half-brother James were also great characters. They were well-written
and completely believable. Mary is a strong character, but she also has an
innocence about her, and you just want someone to protect her. It seems that no
matter what decision she makes, it is the wrong one. Time and time again she
brings failure upon herself, and death to those who support her, though she
does not do it on purpose. It seems like there is a dark cloud following her
around as she gets older. At times she really frustrates me, because she is lead
completely by her heart, and she doesn’t listen to the advice of others. If she
would have just listened to others, and really thought about her decisions,
than so many things in her life would have turned out differently, and who
knows how her history would have been written in the history books?
Overall this was an excellent book. All lovers of historical
fiction, especially the Tudor Era, should definitely check this book out. It’s
so good that you will have difficulty putting it down after you begin reading
it!
I give “Immortal Queen, A Novel of Mary, Queen of Scots” a
FIVE out of FIVE stars!
I too have never heard of, let alone read a book about Mary, Queen of Scots, which is such a shame because she really was a fascinating person, so will definitely give this a read! :-) xxx
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