Review: The Queen's Vow by C.W. Gortner

The Queen's Vow: A Novel of Isabella of Castile

by C.W. Gortner
Release Date: June 12, 2012
2012 Ballantine Books
Ebook Edition; 400 Pages
ISBN: 978-0345523969
ASIN: B005OCYREE
Genre: Fiction / Historical
Source: Review Copy from Publisher

4 / 5 Stars

Summary
Young Isabella is barely a teenager when she and her brother are taken from their mother’s home to live under the watchful eye of their half-brother, King Enrique, and his sultry, conniving queen. There, Isabella is thrust into danger when she becomes an unwitting pawn in a plot to dethrone Enrique. Suspected of treason and held captive, she treads a perilous path, torn between loyalties, until at age seventeen she suddenly finds herself heiress of Castile, the largest kingdom in Spain. Plunged into a deadly conflict to secure her crown, she is determined to wed the one man she loves yet who is forbidden to her—Fernando, prince of Aragon.

As they unite their two realms under “one crown, one country, one faith,” Isabella and Fernando face an impoverished Spain beset by enemies. With the future of her throne at stake, Isabella resists the zealous demands of the inquisitor Torquemada even as she is seduced by the dreams of an enigmatic navigator named Columbus. But when the Moors of the southern domain of Granada declare war, a violent, treacherous battle against an ancient adversary erupts, one that will test all of Isabella’s resolve, her courage, and her tenacious belief in her destiny.


My Thoughts
The Queen's Vow is another interesting novel by C.W. Gortner whereby famous events from a fascinating and troubling historical period are told from the viewpoint of a woman, written by a male author.  It's this aspect about C.W. Gortner's writing that I've thought was rather interesting as the focus has always been more on the nurturing side of these famous figures rather than on the political side and the fearsome personalities they must have been.

I've always been rather intrigued by the woman of the fifteen and sixteenth centuries and Queen Isabella is one of those women about whom I have never been sure about.  I've usually thought of her as fearsome and rather cold, especially after reading about the Jewish Exodus of 1492 and the Spanish Inquisition in By Fire, By Water by Mitchell James Kaplan.  And to be honest, I'm not sure how to reconcile this Isabella in this novel with the one I've always learned about, the one who was strong and tough and unshakeable in her desires, rather inflexible really.  Here, she was much warmer and more willing to negotiate and reconcile with the Conversos and was quite disturbed and shocked when Torquemada started going after the Jews themselves.  Considering the political situation during this time period, and the stranglehold the Catholic Church had over most of Europe, and considering Isabella was a woman fighting in a man's world trying to do the best she could while keeping her power base, I can see how she would have struggled with what was happening to her people while trying to keep Rome happy.  It definitely gave me something to think about and I would like to do some more reading about her.

I really enjoyed the descriptions of the court and the countryside, and understanding how Isabel's frugal nature developed as she was not one to spend too much on luxuries as she thought it wasteful.  I enjoyed learning about the relationships she developed with her mother and brothers, and other close retainers, and the difficult relationship she had with King Enrique who was a rather weak king who let the country go almost bankrupt and on the verge of ruin.  It was interesting to see how Ferdinand and Isabel went about changing existing policies in order to fix the deep problems they faced.  

While there were some historical facts that were glossed over or were not quite accurate (and the author fully acknowledges this in his comments at the end of the novel), and some of Isabella's more exploits were not necessarily given full attention in this novel, I did enjoy the fact that Gortner spent quite a bit of time exploring the younger years of this remarkable woman who led quite a fascinating life.  How a girl with two brothers ended up being Queen of Castile is an interesting story and I enjoyed learning about the court intrigues and some of the difficulties and terrors she faced.  It is understandable that she would have grown up with quite a backbone as she would have needed one to survive what she did.  She is a woman of the fifteenth century and had to live within the strictures set upon her, morally, spiritually, and politically, and to negotiate between all of them must have been extremely difficult. 

Verdict
The Queen's Vow is a far more sympathetic view of Isabella than any that I have read in the past and I am not quite swayed in the direction Gortner wishes us to take with regards to her personality and her decisions.  She had grown up in very difficult conditions, struggling for her life, always fighting for her country and what is best for her people.  But she is a product of the times, and growing up with the issue of the Jews and Conversos would have been the norm for her as it has been present in her life from the time of her birth.  I do admire her for taking the risks she did in order to secure her throne and she was definitely a strong and admirable queen, but I am unsure that she was as kind and flexible as she was portrayed in this novel.  For historical fans looking for an interesting read about a very fascinating time period and a very determined woman, I highly recommend The Queen's Vow as well as any other novel, such as The Last Queen, about Isabelle's daughter Juana, by this author. 

Author Interview: Michael Sussman

I would like to welcome Michael Sussman, author of Crashing Eden, a novel about a 17 year-old boy who can suddenly hear things others can't after a biking accident, and has to deal with this new reality and a new world beyond the borders of his current existence, a world that he could never have imagined existed before his accident. As he and his friends attempt to manipulate this newfound existence, they unleash forces they should never have tampered with and set about a series of devastations that could destroy the world.

Interview with Michael Sussman

1) To start off, can you tell me a little bit about yourself? How did you become interested in writing novels?

I’m a clinical psychologist, currently focused on writing. The first two books I published were written for psychotherapists. Once I became a father, I enjoyed reading picture books to my son. I decided to try my hand at writing one, and my debut picture book—Otto Grows Down—was published by Sterling with illustrations by Scott Magoon. As my son grew older, I started writing for an older audience, and the result is Crashing Eden, a YA fantasy/paranormal novel.

2) Can you tell us a little about your novel, Crashing Eden?

My first novel, Crashing Eden, is a YA urban fantasy with paranormal elements. It was released by Solstice Publishing in May, both as a paperback and e-book.

I’ve been interested in world mythology for many years, and especially intrigued by the widespread myths suggesting that humans have degenerated from an ancient state of grace, symbolized by Paradise or the Golden Age.

In Crashing Eden, I tell the story of a group of youngsters who build a device that reproduces the state of mind experienced by people before the Fall. This instant enlightenment puts them at odds with Samael, the Creator God, who regards them as having crashed the Gates of Eden. As Samael rains down his apocalyptic devastation, the protagonist and his companions must find a way to overcome his wrath or face oblivion.

3) What inspired you to write this novel? How much research was involved in the writing?

When I was nineteen I lived in a commune in Paradise, Nova Scotia. One night, I suffered a concussion in a car crash in which I was a passenger. Like my protagonist in Crashing Eden, I spent the days following the concussion in what I can only call a state of grace, filled with deep feelings of gratitude and joy. I think that, unconsciously, this experience spurred me to write the novel.

I did substantial research into myths of the Golden Age and myths regarding the afterlife. I also researched Gnosticism, which I knew very little about. Gnostic cosmology is fascinating, and it became central to the novel’s plot.

4) What was your greatest challenge while writing this novel?

The novel is written in first person, from the point of view of a 17-year-old boy named Joss Kazdan. Getting inside his head and finding his voice was the biggest challenge. For one thing, it meant revisiting my own adolescence, which was a painful and confusing period of my life.

5) I think most of us can appreciate how difficult the teenage were.  In this novel, we are introduced to some very interesting and intriguing characters. Who was the most fun to write about? Which character presented the biggest challenge?

I had the most fun with Joss’s 5-year-old sister, Callie. I love children at that age, and I worked hard at bringing out her innocence and joyful nature.

The toughest character was Joss’s mother, a bitter woman who is full of resentment, especially toward her son. I tried to tone down her meanness, but she stuck to her guns.

6) What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?

Definitely join a writer’s group. Your writing cannot progress in a vacuum, and you can’t rely on friends or family to give you the feedback you need.

If you’re writing for children or young adults, join the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (http://www.scbwi.org/). They hold great conferences and can help you find a critique group. Also check out Verla Kay’s chat site (http://www.verlakay.com/) which provides a wealth of information and emotional support.

8) Can you share with us any projects that you are currently working on or plans for the future? Are there other genres in which you are interested but haven't yet explored?

I’m working with an amazing illustrator on an adventure story in verse, titled The Great Gogglemog, and I hope to begin a new novel this summer. I’d like to write a comic mystery novel.

9) Favorite authors?

There are so many, but here’s a partial list: Dostoyevsky, Mark Twain, Lewis Carroll, Virginia Woolf, J.D. Salinger, Steinbeck, Nabokov, Vonnegut, Updike, Ann Patchett, Tom Robbins, Robert Parker, and Christopher Moore. My favorite YA authors include M.T. Anderson, Francisco Stork, Neil Gaiman, Philip Pullman, and Melvin Burgess.

10) We share a lot of the same favourite authors.  Do you have a pivotal point in your life, a point when you knew you would be a writer? How did it develop?

I’ve always loved to write. As a teenager I wrote poetry, short stories, and song lyrics. In graduate school I wrote a dissertation that became the basis for my first book, A Curious Calling: Unconscious Motivations for Practicing Psychotherapy. I also edited a follow-up volume, A Perilous Calling: The Hazards of Psychotherapy Practice.

When my son was little, I read piles of picture books to him. Although some were excellent, I felt many of the books were kind of boring or condescending toward children. I decided to write a book that challenged kids’ minds, and the result was Otto Grows Down, a story about a boy who becomes trapped in reverse time when he makes a birthday wish that his baby sister was never born.

11) What do you like to do when you are not writing? What is your ultimate luxury?

I like to read, go hiking, dance, and play music. I especially like to spend time with my son, who is now thirteen. I suppose my ultimate luxury would be to travel to New Zealand or to Chile, my mother’s homeland.

12) Is there anything else you would like to share with your readers?

I’d like to thank you, Stephanie, for inviting me to do this interview!

You're welcome, Michael!!

I’d love to hear feedback from readers of Crashing Eden. Please visit my website, http://www.MichaelSussmanBooks.com and my Facebook Fan Page, http://www.facebook.com/CrashingEden

Guest Post: Kari Lee Townsend

I would like to welcome Kari Lee Townsend, author of Corpse in the Crystal Ball, the second novel in her cozy mysteries A Fortune Teller Mystery.  In this delightful second mystery, Sunny has to deal with Mitch's ex-girlfriend, especially when her body turns up in the woods, implicating Mitch in her murder.  Can Mitch trust in Sunny's unusual talents to help save the day?




How I came up with the idea for this book!


Authors come up with ideas for their books from all kinds of sources. The news, a song, a snippet of conversation … just about anything can spur an idea. In my case, when I first came up with the idea to write a mystery series, I knew I wanted it to be paranormal. There is just something so mysterious and fascinating about the paranormal to me. But I didn’t want it to be just any paranormal. I tried to think of something that hadn’t been done. So I searched some publisher sites. I found a few series revolving around a psychic, but I didn’t see anything about fortune telling. I once had my tea leaves read and was totally hooked. I had my palm read as well as a past life reading, but there was still so much out there I wanted to learn about. That’s where I came up with something to make my series even more unique. I decided to have each book focus on a different fortune-telling tool. That way I could do the research, learn about something I’m interested in, and share it with the world.

My main character, Sunshine Meadows, is a real psychic. She simply uses various fortune-telling tools to help her interpret her visions. What she sees always comes true; it just sometimes takes her a while to fully interpret the meaning of what she sees. And that’s half the fun. In the first book, Tempest in the Tea Leaves, I decided to start with reading tea leaves, since that’s how I was first introduced to the world of fortune tellers. With that story, I loved the idea of having Sunny move to the small town in upstate New York called Divinity. I live in upstate New York, but the town is fictional. It’s based on a lot of the small towns I grew up in, and I thought it would be fun for her to be from a big city and now try to adapt to small-town life. Sunny gives a reading to the small-town librarian and predicts she will die. When Sunny becomes the main suspect, she has to clear her name in order to keep her business alive and stay on the path to her fresh start.

Sunny and Detective Mitch Stone are total opposites, yet they fall for each other after he helps to clear her name. In book two, Corpse in the Crystal Ball, Sunny uses a crystal ball to give Mitch’s ex-girlfriend Isabel a reading. Later Sunny aids the police in finding Isabel’s body in the woods, and now Mitch is the prime suspect. Only, Mitch has a hard time stepping aside and letting Sunny help clear his name this time. I didn’t really have any outside forces help me come up with these ideas so far. That has happened to me with other books, but for these, it’s been more about the characters and who I wanted as the prime suspect and what situation would be the most logical to put them there. And speaking of characters, I introduce Sunny’s Granny Gert in book two, and yes, you guessed it. She will become the prime suspect in book three, Trouble in the Tarot. Sometimes it’s more characters than situations that dictate what we do.

Author Biography
National Bestselling Author, RT Reader’s Choice Award & Agatha Nominee Kari Lee Townsend lives in Central New York with her very understanding husband, her three busy boys, and her oh-so-dramatic daughter, who keep her grounded and make everything she does worthwhile…not to mention provide her with loads of material for her books. Kari is a longtime lover of reading and writing, with a masters in English education, who spends her days trying to figure out whodunit. Funny how no one at home will confess any more than the characters in her mysteries!


Kari writes fun and exciting stories for any age, set in small towns, with mystical elements and quirky characters as Kari Lee Townsend. Kari also writes romantic comedies and women’s fiction with the same sense of humor and quirky characters as Kari Lee Harmon.

To find out more about Kari and all her books go to http://www.karileetownsend.com/ or click on the links below:

Kari Lee Townsend (Website & Newsletter & Facebook & Twitter)

National Bestselling Author of The Fortune Teller Mysteries

TEMPEST IN THE TEA LEAVES 4 1/2 Starred RT Review

Best Amateur Sleuth of 2011 RT Reviewers' Choice Nominee

Best First Novel Agatha Award Nominee

CORPSE IN THE CRYSTAL BALL - June 2012 (preorder now)

DIGITAL DIVA: TALK TO THE HAND (Kindle & Nook)

DIGITAL DIVA: RISE OF THE PHENOTEENS (Kindle & Nook)

DESTINY WEARS SPURS (by Kari Lee Harmon) (Kindle & Nook)

PROJECT PRODUCE (by Kari Lee Harmon) (Kindle & Nook)

Guest Post: L.W. Herndon & Check out the Giveaway!!

I would like to welcome L.W. Herndon, author of The Mark of Kane, a novel about a half-demon half-human charged with the task of hunting down renegade sorcerers bent on disrupting the underworld with demonic possessions and murders.  LW Herndon is here today to interview some of the principal characters from the novel.  Care to see if any of the demons show up for the interview, and to see if the author survives the interview?????

The Interview

 

Thank you for hosting me today on Curling Up By The Fire.

I was planning on interviewing two characters from The Mark of Kane, but only one has shown up. And while there are few people I would sit in a dark vestibule of an old church at two in the morning to interview, these two qualify. The demon contingency of interviewees have special needs and their participation in the story is key. From the itch of sulfur in my nostrils and the shimmer of gold flesh and black sigils, I’m relieved that at least Abraxas has arrived.

LW: “Should we wait on Chaz or do you want to go ahead and tell the readers a little bit about yourself, and maybe about him?” I slid farther back in my seat as the eight-foot figure perched on the top of the pew before me. No elaborate stain glassed windows framed the nave. Instead cold, white moonlight filtered through plain glass and illuminated the swirl of horns rising from the flesh on either side of Abraxas’s face. The bones swept back in a graceful arc, meeting at a deadly point at the back of his head. An interesting protection helmet, I thought as I waited on his answer.

His fingers curled, the razor-tipped ends reflecting moonlight like silver nail polish. “I have no wish to be here, scribe. But as I have no choice let me make this quick. Chaz will not be here. Tonight or any other in your lifetime.”

LW:  Okay. “He is alive though?”

Abraxas tilted his head, and leaned closer. His smile, if I could call it one, depicted a surprisingly white set of normal teeth. “He is alive. No thanks to your tale.”

LW: I held up my hands. “I only write the story the needs to be told.”

“Then it is fortunate for you that the Halfling was able to save our brother.”

LW:  “You mean, Kane.” I received only a grunt. “He and Chaz were partnered for scouting runs by Shalim, certainly they would have loyalty toward each other. Kane wouldn’t leave his partner to die.”

I shifted uneasily at his growl.

LW: “Maybe we should just move on to how you met Kane?”

A rumble of humor, long and deep, shook the pews. “I didn’t meet him. We didn’t become acquainted in bar or at a neighborhood picnic. He crashed through the ceiling of our demon compound, a weak broken boy, and refused to die.”

He stretched his neck a second and stared at the gallery above me as if in thought. “His salvation was his skill to scent the putrid odor of the sorcerers. That and his stubbornness.”

LW: The fiery gaze he turned back on me made me swallow hard. I’d never been that close to a raging inferno.

“I admit I tried to kill him. Many times. I try to kill all my trainees. They learn nothing if I coddle them like babies.” Another grunt echoed in the darkness. “He leapt the flaming pits and dodged the lash with greater skill than some of our younglings. With mortal food, rest, and training, his speed and cunning surpassed many. He delivered himself to the physical endurance and then exceeded mentally enough to try to aid his brethren.” A trace of pride filtered through his words “Not that demons need the help of a Halfling.”

LW: I relaxed and waited for Abraxas to tell the story his own way.

“But the real test of training is releasing the subject.” He suddenly sat silent.

LW: “You mean after Kane had grown up and chose to live in Los Angeles part of the time?”

“No. A year after he joined us, we left him in the desert not far from a human outpost. One week later he returned. He bore bruises and cuts from a fight, but to find us he would have had to walk for days, leaving soon after we departed. Barely able to stay conscious, he knelt before my master and swore his oath of allegiance.”

LW: “I gather the human village wasn’t exactly sanctuary for Kane?”

“Humans.” He spat the words. The fire diminished in his eyes, but the pupils widened and the dark pitch inside seemed to suck the blackness from around us. “They were driven by greed and covet as always. A team of them beat and robbed him, and then beat him some more for amusement. And people blame us for their choices. We don’t injure our own for sport.”

LW: “I’m surprised he would have told you what happened.”

“He did not. But his wounds were fresh and his blood told me the story. I sequestered him with our scholar.” As if aware of my confusion for what seemed like an act of aid, he shrugged. “Our clan feeds on emotions. Those that offer the most strength are sexual in nature, not violent. However, violence can still call to the youngest in our pack. Kane’s wounds and his trial would not only entice, but weaken the ones whose conditioning was not yet resistant.”

LW: “You saved him.” I pushed on despite the frown drawing his brow bones into a threatening V. “You trained him and when he passed his test and came home, you saved him from being mauled at his weakest point.”

“The clan is the only important thing. Not the individual.” He roared the words, but settled down for a second with his eyes closed as if he were aware he’d lost his edge. “I ensured his condition wouldn’t disrupt the clan. I also serve my master, Shalim. He had use for Kane—alive.”

LW: Right. I wasn’t about to bring up how the male demons actually raise and care for the few infant progeny. No service was more important in the demon clan than protection of the young. Whether Abraxas considered Kane to be under his protection or not wasn’t a concept I thought we’d make any headway on tonight. “Any final thoughts on Kane’s future?”

He sighed. The reaction surprised me more than anything I’d learned tonight.

“He cannot avoid his destiny. My kind has lived long enough to understand there is no escape. Whether any of us will survive what he brings, remains to be seen.” He glanced back at me, steel and conviction in his gaze. “But after each test, he returns to us. He holds his loyalties even if he is determined to add more innocents to his personal protection list. Until that changes, we claim him.”

Without a sound, he dissolved into smoke. All that remained was a light odor of sulfur and a hint of cinnamon.

LW:  Thank you both for joining me here today. Readers can follow the dates and locations for the Mark of Kane Sizzling PR Book Tour @ http://lwherndon.com/

You can find me on:

Website: http://www.lwherndon.com/

Blog: http://demonssorcerersandmore.com/lwherndonblog/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lw.herndon1

Twitter:  https://twitter.com//LWHerndon

For the giveaway: A $25 Amazon or Barnes & Noble GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour as well as to the host with the most comments. Additionally, two random drawn winners will receive the 2^nd Thaddeus Kane ebook, on its release date, Fall 2012.