The Red Queen's Daughter

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 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 show more 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, 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 show more very handsome cousin Edmund. show less

I picked this one up because I was captivated by the cover. I bought it because I was captivated by the synopsis. I could not put this book down. For those who love the Tudor period of history and a little fantasy or magic, this book has both.

I found Kolosov's narrative style to be well-paced. She writes a solid plot, and her protagonist is one I wanted to invest in as a reader.

In particular, I thought her choice of ending was unique--I won't give it away except to say it leaves options for a sequel, and I found myself wanting one. I'm interested in reading Kolosov's next book, "A Sweet Disorder."

Had some very cool elements, but wasn't very satisfying plot or character wise.

I tried and failed to read Jacqueline Kolosov's The Red Queen’s Daughter. It was just awfully written - it felt like a poor fan-fiction than a published novel. I was originally attracted to it because it's meant to be the story of Catherine Parr's daughter, Mary Seymour (of whom historians don't know much about). However, I just couldn't get past the second chapter! It was just so cheesy and full of strange imagery, and the characters names were ridiculous. And she sounds awfully mature for a girl that's meant to be only about ten years old.

An extract:

It was after the Duchess's funeral that I met the woman who would become my new guardian. Our meeting took place during that crepuscular hour when the sky turns a deepest blue before show more fading into black. So silently did she move that neither Jack, my beloved wolfhound, nor I heard her enter my small bedroom in one of the manor's draftiest rooms, where we lay curled beneath two thick wool blankets beside a scantily laid hearth, trying to stay warm.

When the newcomer placed her hand on the small of my back, I rolled over to face her. I felt I knew her instantly. Breathing in the fragrance of her skin, so like the cool dark of a forest in spring, I said "You've come for me, haven't you?"

"Yes. I am Lady Strange." Her violet eyes glinted in the firelight, and the sapphire at the base of her throat seemed to radiate an energy that filled me with calm. "You are to live with me from now on. I will raise and protect you as my own daughter."

A sort of trembling, like the dancing of new leaves, overtook me.

"You may not know it," Lady Strange said, "but you were born when Mars, symbol of power and potency, was in Scorpio, the most secret of all the water signs."

"What does that mean?"

"It means, my dear girl, you have a destiny."

This word was new to me. Nevertheless, I liked the sound of it. I knew that 'destiny' must mean something marvelous.

Seriously, "Lady Strange"?!

It was so awful that I thought I should mention it to warn other people from wasting their time with it! show less

Im sorry I just couldnt believe in the story.