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The Virgin's Daughter by Laura Andersen Series: Tudor Legacy #1
Published by Ballantine Books
Pub Date: May 26th 2015
Pages: 368
Format: Paperback | Source: Author
Genres: Adult, Historical
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Since the death of her brother, William, Elizabeth I has ruled England. She’s made the necessary alliances, married Philip of Spain, and produced a successor: her only daughter, Anne Isabella, Princess of Wales. Elizabeth knows that her beloved Anabel will be a political pawn across Europe unless she can convince Philip to grant her a divorce, freeing him to remarry and give Spain its own heir. But the enemies of England have even greater plans for the princess, a plot that will put Anabel’s very life and the security of the nation in peril. Only those closest to Elizabeth—her longtime confidante Minuette, her advisor and friend Dominic, and the couple’s grown children—can be trusted to carry forth a most delicate and dangerous mission. Yet, all of the queen’s maneuverings may ultimately prove her undoing.
I won a finished copy of this book from the author’s website, though I would have purchased it in any case. This did not affect my review in any way.
The Virgin’s Daughter made me giddy for a multitude of reasons (in no particular order):
-It’s a sequel trilogy to the Boleyn King trilogy, so there are many favorite recurring characters that were such fun to catch up with. Definitely older, sometimes sneakier, sometimes wiser ;) For this reason (and despite the spoilers in the synopsis), I really recommend reading The Boleyn King– it’s EXCELLENT and you’ll get so much more out of Laura Andersen’s Tudor England.
-It’s alternate history that feels like real history. I was enmeshed in the Tudor court, the English countryside, the French manor homes. It feels familiar as a history buff for those reasons but because it’s an alternate timeline, you don’t know how events will actually transpire or turn out! Elizabeth never had a daughter in real life, so how am I to know if Anabel will become Queen one day or who she will marry? I don’t! It adds a delicious layer of tension and excitement to the story. Plus there are really good ships! ;)
-The spies and mystery: the rotating POVs gave the impression of an unreliable narrator, which was great- loyalty, betrayal, treachery,and murder abound. You don’t know who to trust or who is telling the truth. In the end the reader got to know the truth before the characters, or some of the truth anyway, and it made me so nervous and tense!!! I wanted everyone to uncover the secrets already!
-THE CHARACTERS! Both real (Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots) and imagined (Julien LeClerc, Princess Anabel). They are vivid, they are passionate, and they are vibrant. I absolutely loved Lucette Courtenay and her puzzle solving mind. I swooned over Julien, and I loved seeing how much of Anabel’s personality reflected her fiery mother, who in turn is as fully fleshed out as you could wish. Elizabeth is fierce, demanding, and powerful, but has softer moments as well. It humanizes her.
If you’re a history fan with Tudor fatigue, I highly recommend this book! Laura Andersen’s writing feels both familiar to fans of historical fiction and original in its subject matter and characterization. It’s a great twist on English history. The Virgin’s Daughter is compulsively readable, action-packed, descriptive, twisty, and romantic. I can’t wait for the next book.
Alexa S.
I NEED TO READ THIS SERIES! I read and loved The Boleyn Trilogy during summer, so I will happily immerse myself in more books from Laura about these people ;) I cannot wait to check it out for myself!!
Morgan @ Gone with the Words
Yay!!! I hope you love it Alexa, I thought it was just as awesome as the first trilogy! Can’t wait to hear what you think :)
Lyn Kaye
“It’s alternate history that feels like real history.”
AN AI universe with The Tudors??! Okay, that sounds totally just AWESOME.
Morgan @ Gone with the Words
It’s REALLY fun! It reads like historical fiction but you don’t always know who lives and dies and what happens.
Jessie
You know I was iffy on the first trilogy. I just could not really buy into it buuuuuttt damned if you haven’t piqued my interest in this spin off/sequel series. You and I feel similarly about the Tudors and I do love alternate universes…. Plus… ELIZABETH’S DAUGHTER. You know that is going to be a character that I will love. Great review!
Morgan @ Gone with the Words
You should give this a try!!! It feels similar to the first trilogy so if it was her writing you didn’t love that could be an issue… but omg I love this new generation of characters! It’s really great, I hope you end up liking it!! And thank youuuuuu for commenting :)