Review: The Tudor Throne

The Tudor Throne
by Brandy Purdy
Available Now
Published by Kensington Publishing Corp.
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher for review

Henry VIII has died and on his death bed he knows that his son Edward, son of Jane Seymour, is not strong enough to rule and will be himself ruled by the sixteen men appointed to guide him until he is old enough to take the throne but he fears that if Mary, daughter of his first wife Katherine of Aragon, becomes queen all will be lost. His one true regret is that Elizabeth (Bess), daughter of Anne Boleyn, wasn’t a boy. He knows she has what it takes to rule but since she is a girl and third in line to the throne, he knows there is no hope that she will be queen.

After the death of Edward, Mary and Bess embark on a battle for the crown. Even though Mary had basically raised Bess like a daughter she knows that she is also her biggest enemy. Bess is truly beloved by the people and Mary knows that. Bess is also the reason that Mary’s husband –to-be, Philip, says he won’t come over. Until she is gone he doesn’t feel safe, or so that was what Mary is told.

Both ladies have a very different view on how the kingdom should be ruled as does their advisors. There were times that your heart just breaks for Mary and her quest for love turns her into a sniveling weak minded woman. She was one who definitely let her emotions rule. Elizabeth’s approach was quite different but started the same. Her love of Thomas Seymour destroyed her also but in the wake made her stronger and more determined never to let emotions rule her. Her heart hardened and she vowed to never let anyone see her weaknesses.

At first I was unsure about how I was going to like the chapters written in Mary’s POV and then in Elizabeth’s POV. I truly enjoyed having both viewpoints put forth for me and they are mainly focused on how each woman felt at this moment or that moment. We are swept from the death bed of Henry VIII all the ways through Bloody Mary’s rule and end up with the Virgin Queen taking her rightly place on the throne.

I highly recommend The Tudor Throne for all those historical fiction fans of the Tudor Era.

RATING

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