Monday, December 23, 2013

Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir

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Title: Innocent Traitor
Author: Alison Weir
Genre: Historical Fiction
Length: 400 pages
Published: 2007
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) I am now a condemned traitor . . . I am to die when I have hardly begun to live.

Historical expertise marries page-turning fiction in Alison Weir’s enthralling debut novel, breathing new life into one of the most significant and tumultuous periods of the English monarchy. It is the story of Lady Jane Grey–“the Nine Days’ Queen”–a fifteen-year-old girl who unwittingly finds herself at the center of the religious and civil unrest that nearly toppled the fabled House of Tudor during the sixteenth century.

The child of a scheming father and a ruthless mother, for whom she is merely a pawn in a dynastic game with the highest stakes, Jane Grey was born during the harrowingly turbulent period between Anne Boleyn’s beheading and the demise of Jane’s infamous great-uncle, King Henry VIII. With the premature passing of Jane’s adolescent cousin, and Henry’s successor, King Edward VI, comes a struggle for supremacy fueled by political machinations and lethal religious fervor.

Unabashedly honest and exceptionally intelligent, Jane possesses a sound strength of character beyond her years that equips her to weather the vicious storm. And though she has no ambitions to rule, preferring to immerse herself in books and religious studies, she is forced to accept the crown, and by so doing sets off a firestorm of intrigue, betrayal, and tragedy.

My Review:
I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

This novel was incredibly fascinating. It was beautifully written. Drawing on her vast knowledge of this era of history, the author does justice to a very tragic figure: Queen Jane Grey, who ruled for only nine days. 

I couldn't help but love the innocent Jane, feeling horror at the abuse she suffered as a child, the abuse she later suffered in her marriage bed, and every tragic thing that kept befalling her. A victim of her own birth and rank, Jane is trapped by society, her family, and others.

This was definitely an amazing book. It's not often that a fiction novel brings me to tears, but this one did. Definitely recommend it for any fan of the Tudor era. 

You can purchase Innocent Traitor through Amazon in hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read Innocent Traitor? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

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