Review: The Queen's Lady by Eve Edwards

The Queen's Lady (The Lacey Chronicles, Book #2)
by Eve Edwards
Release Date: February 1st, 2011
2011 Razorbill
Softcover Edition; 324 Pages
ISBN: 978-0-141-32733-4
Genre: Historical Fiction/ Young Adult
Source: Review Copy from Penguin Canada

4 / 5 Stars

Summary
1584 – Surrey, England  When Lady Jane Rievaulx begins service to the Queen at Richmond Palace, she is thrilled at the court’s newest arrival . . . Master James Lacey. Despite her previous courtship with his older brother, James is the man she truly loves. And for his part, he cannot deny his fascination with her. However, James is setting sail on a treacherous journey to the Americas, seeking absolution for what he sees as past sins. But when Lady Jane is forced into a terrible situation by her own family, there is only one man to save her. Will Master James return to his lady ­- before it’s too late?

My Thoughts
The Queen's Lady is the second book in the Lacy Chronicles and tells the story of James Lacy and Lady Jane, two characters to which we are introduced in The Other Countess, the first novel in the series.  Having read the first novel, I was pleasantly surprised by the The Queen's Lady as I was glad to see the further development of Jane's character as she was by far one of my favourite characters in The Other Countess.  I actually thought she displayed the most possibility for being a unique and enjoyable character, and her antics in the first novel are what made it so interesting.  While she was far tamer in the second book, having undergone a transformation while in exile and during her marriage, it seemed like her vitality was just simmering below the surface and the fire she displayed in the first novel was just waiting to come out. 

One of the things I really enjoyed about this novel is the conflict that women often faced during this time period, regardless of how strong a character you have or how much money you may have.  Despite finally winning freedom from her awful and controlling family, Jane quickly finds herself under their wing as their machinations and betrayals force her hand into a foreign marriage that she does not want.  I read Jane's struggles with interest as it really showed how desperate women were, especially those who waited on the Queen, despite the money, power, and position they may have held, and how they could be easily tricked into following their family's wishes.  I really felt for Jane in her predicament, but with the Queen backing her family, and the threat of insanity hovering over her head, there was little she could do.  I couldn't imagine feeling that powerless and although I felt for Jane in her predicament, being a woman of the modern world, it really is hard to imagine what that would be like as we have so much freedom.  The fact that she has to rely so heavily on other people to get her out of her predicaments must really weigh heavily on her, and she was lucky to have had that help as to many others did not.

I enjoyed the further development of Jane's character in this novel, but she had changed so much from the first novel that it was difficult, at times, to reconcile her as being the same person.  I liked especially when she was rebellious or did something that went against decorum as she seemed so much more likeable and personable that way, and she often got herself into a lot of trouble too.  Her temper tantrums made her seem more normal, and although she alienated her maids on occasion, they were fun to read about.   James was a much more serious character in this novel than in the first, but he had spent time in the Low Countries and had seen some atricious things while serving there.  He was suffering from a form of PTSD and needed some help to overcome his anxiety and nightmares, something of which Jane could not understand.  I thought the voyage to America was too pat in healing his anxiety and stress disorder, but swallowed it for the sake of the novel.  Milly and Diego were favourites of mine, and I wish the author had spent more time delving into their relationship and the difficulties they would have faced during this time period.  This is another area I thought was dealt with a little too succintly, but perhaps there will be more in the third novel.

Verdict
The Queen's Lady is an enjoyable and quick read, with characters that are interesting and fun.  If you are looking for something that is really deep and involved, you will not find that in these novels, as they tend to be more on the lighter side of historical fiction.  The great attention to detail, and the polish that many of the great historical novels have is missing, but The Queen's Lady has a charm of its own that makes it whimsical.  I am looking forward to reading The Rogue's Princess, the next novel in this series, about James and Will Lacey's half-brother Christopher Turner.

Review: The Last Seal by Richard Denning

The Last Seal (The Praesidium Series, Book #1)
by Richard Denning
Release Date: July 20, 2011
2011 Mercia Books (Paperback Edition; 382 Pages)
Ebook Edition; 343 Pages
ISBN: 978-0-956-81033-5
ASIN: B005CC4RSC
Genre: Fiction / Historical / Paranormal / Young Adult
Source: Review Copy from Author

4 / 5 Stars

Summary
September 1666: a struggle between two secret societies threatens to destroy London. Three hundred years previously the Praesidum defeated and incarcerated a demon beneath the city. Now the Liberati aim to release it and gain its power for themselves.

Agents of the King are seeking four suspected foreign spies who are, in reality, disparate and unlikely heroes: GABRIEL, the sole remaining member of the Praesidum, crippled by his fear of failure; FREYA, a young thief orphaned by the Great Plague, driven by poverty and self-interest; TOBIAS, a cynical physician, obsessed by his desire for vengeance against the Liberati cavalier who killed his father, and finally and most vitally, BEN, a Westminster schoolboy, whose guilt over his parents' death threatens to destroy him. Yet these four must overcome their personal problems and work together if they are to foil the evil plans of the Liberati, protect the city and gain the means to defeat the demon.

Thrown together by chance when Ben finds an ancient scroll revealing the location of arcane seals that bind the demon beneath London, the story launches into a battle between the Liberati and Praesidium, a battle which takes place within the Great Fire of London. Ultimately, Ben and his friends must confront and defeat both the demon and the evils of the Liberati to save their city and themselves.

My Thoughts
Set amidst the Great Fire of London in 1666, The Last Seal is an interesting twist on how the fire first sparked, using demons, magic, and sorcery as the reasons behind why it lasted for five days and destroyed so much of the city.  Using the age-old struggle between good and evil as the basis for the story, The Last Seal is a story about the battle between two secret societies, one of which wants only to raise a demon in order to have ultimate power on earth and the other spends all its time and resources on preventing this from ever happening.  Woven realistically within the historical context of the Great Fire, with amazing detail that displays how much research went into this work, The Last Seal is a novel full of action, adventure, magic, and secrets. 

One of the things I really enjoyed about this novel was the incredible attention to detail in the historical sense.  With great attention to detail, Mr. Denning wove a story around the Great Fire in such a way that I could feel London burning and grieve for a place that was falling down around the characters' feet.  The descriptions were such that I actually felt like I was there, and I'm still amazed that people did not panic when it first began, considering the drought and lack of resources to put out the flames.  While I knew that the Great Fire actually began at a bakery and rapidly spread from there, using a demon to start the fire instead was believable as it was woven quite subtly into the story.  My issue was some of the narrow escapes some of the characters faced as I'm sure they would have succumbed to smoke inhalation in the normal sense, but I tended to overlook that and just went with the story.  There was also the implication that many people died and I rather liked that as I can't imagine that such a fire would have had only a few deaths and I tend to believe that many more people died and their bodies cremated in the awful heat of the inferno.

Ben and Freya were two of the main characters and they are a complete contrast in study.  Ben is a well-to-do young man who gets caught up in the idea of inheriting powerful sorcery and constantly struggles with the concept of doing the honourable thing towards others or grabbing the power for himself.  He is also dealing with the aftermath of his parents' death and the guilt he carries from that night.  I enjoyed his flawed character as it made him more real, even if I didn't always like his choices or his actions.  Freya however, I enjoyed tremendously as I found her concept of honour, even though she was a thief, rather intriguing.  While she thought nothing of pilfering others' belongings in order to survive, she had ethics and morals that were quite impressive and would never leave anyone behind no matter the danger to her person.  The rest of the characters were interesting as well and I was glad to see Gabriel had issues too. I particularly loved the scene when Gabriel meets his old headmaster again and is reduced to the status of a child; it's quite funny and it reminds me that even as adults we never forget how we behaved as children and those of whom we were afraid.  The camaraderie that builds up between the main players was quite nice to see and I was glad that it developed as I really liked all of the main characters.

Verdict
The Last Seal was an enjoyable novel that moved quickly from scene to scene, hardly giving one time to breathe between events.  Set amidst a time of terrible tragedy for London, it is also a historical treat for those of us who really enjoy learning about the past.   Written in an easy style, it is highly recommended for readers of any age who enjoy historical fiction with a twist of paranormal.  I am definitely looking forward to the next book in this series when it is released.