Jacqueline Kolosov

I have an interesting relationship with A Sweet Disorder. For what seemed the longest time, it was on my "to read" list, but I could never seem to hunt it down anywhere for a decent price -such is the life of a bookworm. I was cleaning out my to read list a few months ago and I decided to dump this one and go with other books on the list. I nearly forgot about it, but something about the cover still haunted me. I kept seeing on the shelf at Barnes & Noble and wondering what fascinating world show more the pages contained. Since I'm trying out a reading challenge this year for YA historical fiction, I decided to put A Sweet Disorder back on the list, and was finally able to hunt it down at my library.

Life for Miranda changes completely when her father passes away and she is left with no dowry and no marriage prospects. After being sent far from home to be the ward of a distant relative, Miranda finds her way to the court of Elizabeth I, where she soon finds that court life is a complex web of politics and marriage games -which Miranda wants no part of. She would rather use her blossoming skills as a seamstress to become her own.

In some ways I felt rewarded, in others, a little cheated by A Sweet Disorder. First, Jaqueline Kolosov is a fabulous writer. She has the talent to craft a fascinating tone with meticulously-chosen words that convey story and character better than many other writers out there. In particular, I was drawn to Kolosov's dialog, which, though not exactly a completely accurate representation of the period, felt realistic and was easy to enjoy.

As for the cheated part -it felt like there were a few aspects of A Sweet Disorder that had the potential to become amazing but just never quite were realized. First, the characters aside from Miranda tended to be a little flat, and I was a little disappointed in the lack of characterization of Elizabeth I, who could have been a great character. Also, there were several points where it felt like the period was a little fuzzy, as if there wasn't enough detail or, with all of the marriage games afoot and the way it was written, sometimes the characters felt like they were constantly being sucked into a Jane Austen era-esque setting, rather than the Elizabethan period.

A Sweet Disorder is a decent book. It's a quick, easy and fun little read that's great for YA historical fans, but I wouldn't say it's the best one I've ever read. Kolosov is really a talented writer who has so much potential to create compelling stories, but she just isn't there yet. show less

I wanted to like this book more. The premise was pretty interesting, and the story could get pretty interesting in places. But somehow there was something... lacking. Still, it's not a bad book, so I rate it a fair 3.5/5 stars for a decent historical fiction novel.

Orphaned at an early age Mary Seymour’s life isn’t luxurious or pampered as you would think the daughter of a queen’s life would be. Her mother died shortly after she was born and her father was sentenced to death for betraying the crown, leaving Mary to become nothing more than a seamstress in a duchesses’s household. Soon after the death of her guardian, Mary discovers that she indeed has a destiny all her own. "Fetch the red queen’s daughter from the house of shadows. Bring her show more to your home beside the dark wood. School her well in the white magician’s wisdom so that she may go forth into the world and fulfill her calling when the virgin queen ascends the throne." Lady Strange becomes Mary’s new guardian and she trains her in the ways of the white magicians.When Mary reaches the age of sixteen she is invited to court by Queen Elizabeth and is soon made a lady-in-waiting. The queen’s court, however is even more corrupt then Mary initially believed. And the person that may possibly be the most dangerous of all, is none other than her very own cousin, Edmund Seymour.The Red Queen’s Daughter is a perfectly blended masterpiece of historical fiction and fantasy. Although the real May Seymour, I found in research died in infancy, Kolosov’s story made me believe that she might have lived an extraordinary life. At times I thought the plot was becoming predictable, but it continued to surprised. The ending is very open, I would love to know more of the story. Perhaps there will be a sequel in the future, I can only hope! I immensely enjoyed this book, and I recommend it to all fans of historical fiction and fantasy. show less

Great historical fiction/fantasy! The real Mary Seymour was the daughter of England's former queen Catherine Parr and Thomas Seymour. Orphaned early, she was taken in by the Duchess of Suffolk, and there are no records of her after the age of two. Jacqueline Kolosov takes that story and creates a new life for young Mary, where she is taken in by the Lady Strange after the Duchess' death, and educated in the normal arts and sciences as well as the arts of white magic. When she comes of age, show more Mary is placed in Elizabeth I's court publicly as a lady-in-waiting, and secretly as a white magician charged with protecting the queen. Mary's biggest problem is that there are agents of black magic who seek to dethrone the queen -- including her very handsome cousin Edmund. show less