Battle of the Queens

After the fantastic “Prince of Darkness” this sequel turned out to be a let-down.

First off, the author not only repeats information too many times from this story, but she also recalls way too much from the previous novels in the Plantagenet saga. I found this tedious as well as unnecessary. Some references to the former kings and queens are relevant, but we don’t need to re-read huge chunks that have been covered in the previous books.

I also feel this would’ve worked better if it had been more linear. For instance, we find out early on that Philip of France has died, yet in a subsequent chapter we go back in time when the French king is alive again. This leads to more annoying repetition.

A third big problem I have is the number show more of people covered. The author would’ve been better off dividing this into three novels and focusing on fewer characters at a time. It’s even harder to keep up with the narrative when you’ve more than one Isabella, Eleanor, etc., to contend with.

This isn’t a bad book in my mind, hence the three-star rating, but had Ms Plaidy given it more thought, spent time cutting all the repetition and limited the amount of characters’ lives she was reliving, then this could’ve been a brilliant effort. show less

Amazing - so good I couldn't put it down. I finished it in one day. Story was on the premise of Queen Mother Isabella (Henry III's mother) widow of King John and Queen Blanche (Louis IX's mother) widow queen of Louis VIII. Both very strong women and a power struggle as both their sons assume the throne while they are young. It is an excellent read - even if you don't read any of the others in the series - read this!

Fascinating read. I love to read about this era. One of the Queens is Isabella, the wife of King John. If I ever doubted before, I now know for sure: "King John was not a good man." Jean Plaidy, aka Victoria Holt, brings her considerable insights into this historical period, and her formidable talent for storytelling makes even the convoluted politics of the time comprehensible and human.

Gosh I struggled with this one. ( audiobook). Too many characters with the same name. isabellas, Johns, Henrys, and so on. And to be honest I found it plodding. I didn't give much of a toot for any of 'em. I'm sure Jean Plaidy wrote some much better books than this one.

Review to come.

La historia de dos mujeres, Isabel de Angulema, viuda del rey Juan de Inglaterra, y Blanca de Castilla, reina de Francia, que se odian desde el primer encuentro.