Sisters of Treason is your next read if you delight in a story where history comes alive before your eyes Multifaceted viewpoints of the bloody game for power that consumed 16th-century England create this gripping tale of poisonous fate, consequences of choices and battles for survival. The reader follows the keyhole views of Mary and Katherine Grey who live with the daily fear of being sent to the executioner's block as their brother-in-law, older sister and father before them for treason. An outsider's view is also supplied by following Levina Teerlinc a talented artist who paints miniature portraits of the English court, forms a unique bound with the Grey family and allows the reader a commoner's view of the shifting decrees and opinions of the widespread public. These three women must somehow transverse the narrow razor edge of favor with the Grey's fickle ordained cousins who with one word and flourish of a sharpened quill pen could sentence all three to the dreaded Tower, banishment or send them to their grisly deaths at the hand of the executioner. With these looming threats the sisters must make choices that will ultimately affect everyone involved but what are the right choices? Katherine Grey wants to be loved, her younger sister Mary wants her freedom from the gilded cage of palace life and Levina Teerlinc wants to keep her family safe and untouched by the danger that surrounds them. This is the ultimate game of survival where it seems no one can be trusted, there may not be any easy solutions and the simple fact that if a drop of Tudor blood flows in a man, woman, or child in 16th-century England they could be next to kneel to the axe. I was pleasantly surprised with Sisters of Treason. I will be honest, I was envisioning only a brushed over flimsy history lesson with weak characters and anachronistic language, terminology and actions. While I did find a few modish scenes in the beginning that did cause a brief interruption the second part to the novel had me barely remembering those few scenes and overall applauding such a creative and historically polished work. The depth the novel went with the characterizations of the central figures, minor characters and the smooth transition of the shifting narrations and views never confused this reader and I knew exactly who I was following, listening to, or who was in the room in each chapter so any curious reader who may not be familiar with the multiple names from history be assured that Ms. Fremantle has spun every: Mary, Jane, Elizabeth, Kate, John, Henry, Thomas and Edward into a vibrant fleshed out entity that really brings history to life for her audience. Details are also shared with the reader that leaves a clear distinction what era we are experiencing and even explains the conflicting religious turmoil and court politics in a clear entertaining fashion. I did find the action a little slow in the beginning but then the second part made up for this when the risks escalate and well you will just have to wait and see. Overall, this was an unexpected engaging read that I recommend to those who are just finding a fascination with 16th-century English History, delight in a story where history comes alive before their eyes or those who are familiar with the maelstrom of events and are curious to further explore the other side of the Tudor family tree. * I would like to thank Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and enjoy Sisters of Treason Also in this series: Queen's Gambit (The Tudor Trilogy, #1) by Elizabeth Fremantle Watch the Lady (The Tudor Trilogy, #3) by Elizabeth Fremantle -EGP/June 2014 Comments are closed.
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