Lisa Ann Sandell

Absolutely lovely retelling of the legend of Elaine of Ascolot - the Lady of Shalott.

As Arthur leads his soldiers into battle after battle, Elaine learns the price of war and works with her small skills to bring healing to the wounded. She escapes into dreams of Lancelot, hoping he will return her love. But when Gwynivere arrives, she sees her hope end. Kidnapped and threatened with death and worse, Elaine must fight for her own life, and that of the lady Gwynivere. A powerful story of a show more strong, complex young woman finding her own place in a wartorn story, finding her own identity in a world dominated by men, and finding the strength to love after bitter betrayal.

The language of this story is beautifully lyrical, the free verse style adding to the epic feel of the story. An excellent addition to Arthurian canon. show less

I tried to read this book with an open, YA mind. From that perspective, the authors did a fine job bringing me into the story and keeping me there.

But I had a real issue with the Katherine Parr section, which had Katherine Parr far more prescient than she or anyone would have been and yanked me out of the story. First the author had her want to teach Mary and Elizabeth how to rule - then she observed that Henry could not appreciate Elizabeth enough to realize she she was his true heir. No, show more no, no. show less

A Map of the Known World was a beautiful balance of serious sadness, romance, and art. I often fear "sad" books but I loved the way this one balanced itself out. For every heartbreaking passage there was another about finding a romantic connection, a new friend, or creating a beautiful piece of artwork. It worked really well for me.

Cora's situation seemed so hopeless at first, a family living in silence, forever changed by the loss of their brother and son, struggling to understand him and show more understand what happened. Cora's parents choose to place blame on Damian, their son Nate's friend that was in the car with him. Surprisingly, to both Cora and Damian they find a connection through this shared tragedy and begin spending time together. Their connection also happens to include a love for the arts, I LOVED how much art played into this story. The summer before the current school year, Cora had escaped through her drawn maps of foreign countries, daydreaming about what it would be like to be there. It was beautiful and I wish I got the opportunity to read about artistic people like the ones in this story more often!

While I really enjoyed this book, for some reason the ending wasn't really surprising. Not that I really wanted to be surprised or that I didn't want it to end the way it did. I'm not sure, something was missing. I could have used a little more. But overall I really liked this book! A great perspective on a hard topic. show less

I'm not sure why I'm such a sucker for Tudor era history and fiction. I've read more pages on Henry VIII and his wives than any other historical figures. I think it's a mix of things....shock at so much power in the hands of one man and how misguided that sort of power can make even the strongest person....the sheer political grasping and manipulating of upper class men and women in that time...and the role of English women in the 1500s. Six women destined to be queen.....six women finding show more out that being the queen was the highest rank in the country, but not the safest or most secure spot. Was the reward worth the cost? I think not. Divorced, Beheaded, Died. Divorced, Beheaded, Survived.

So much drama. So much manipulation. So much sorrow. And death. And betrayal. And lies. The whole situation so F'd up that people still talk about it more than 450 years later.

When I saw the blurb for this book, I had to read it! Seven YA authors coming together to write a book from the POV of each wife and Henry VIII. The emotions, the behind-the-scenes manipulation, the realizations, the reasons why.....

Although some changes were made (for instance a couple names are spelled differently in the book to avoid confusing people with similar names. It's fiction, not a non-fiction narrative of events, so I didn't mind the switch.) and the events are toned down a bit, this was a very interesting and enjoyable take on events. I liked the fact that this was written by several different authors. The changing styles between each chapter was fitting. All of Henry's wives were very different people, so the style changes really brought that concept home. My favorite chapter was the one about Anne of Cleves. In my opinion, she fared better than any of Henry's other wives -- divorced, but very wealthy.

This book definitely illustrates the fact that women were often used in bargaining for political power, riches and place at court. These women had little or no choice....if Henry showed interest in them at all, their families wanted to capitalize on it. Women had no power outside of manipulation....even when married to the King. In his quest to have an heir to carry on the Tudor line, Henry positioned himself so that he could do as he wished with his wives.....divorce, execution.....all for that heir. Sad. And he bankrupted the country. Worst. King. Ever. Worst. Husband. Ever.

I enjoyed this book! The stories are well-written, emotional and engaging. Each chapter is followed by commentary from Henry VIII's point of view. At the very back of the book is a timeline for the Henry's life and reign.

I wouldn't recommend this book for children under 14. There are some very adult situations and a little bit of sex. Nothing graphic. Just Henry trying to get his heir. Ugh. There is also a little bit of description of why this proved impossible or incredibly gross......nothing graphic, but it's impossible to tell the story without discussing impotence, morbid obesity, festering leg sores, etc.

This is the first book I've read by any of these YA authors. I'm definitely looking into their other books. Very enjoyable reading experience, despite the heaviness of the subject. show less