So I didn’t like this book as much as I hoped it would. I really tried but struggles to get into it, it would take me fifteen minutes to get through three pages...

It’s a really shame as I loved the Queens of Innis Lear, up there with my top books. Maybe I will circle round and try this book again, but I need to take a break on it for now.

DNF p. 40

It pains me to stop reading this book but I’ve been trying to get back in to it for over a month now with little success. Perhaps it’s because I haven’t read The Queens of Innis Lear yet—I didn’t think it was necessary since this book wasn’t listed as being part of a series, at least not when I requested it, but there are references to things that happened to that book and I think I’d have a better sense of the world had I read it first. I can usually pick things up fairly quickly but I’m confused about who’s who, in part because characters are referred to by both their nicknames and formal titles interchangeably, and there are all the changing politics to keep track of as well.

For now, I plan to read The Queens of Innis Lear and then I’ll circle back around to this one. Normally I love Tessa Gratton’s books but I’ve only read her contemporary fantasy thus far and high fantasy has taken more adjustment than I would have guessed.

CW: battle/war references, death of loved ones, violence, execution

Lady Hotspur is the companion to The Queens of Innis Lear, with the novel's plot occurring generations later. I have no read The Queens of Innis Lear, but I don't think you necessarily need to in order to understand the novel. There were a couple of moments I was a bit confused, but for the most part I understood the plot.

While I didn't enjoy this novel as much as I was expecting, I still believe that this book will be important to a lot of people, especially considering how many casually queer characters there are in this world. If you're the type who loves epic fantasies with a slow, complex sapphic relationship, then this book would interest you.

Ultimately, Lady Hotspur is a book about betrayal and love and revenge. It's a book about morally grey characters, complex political systems, prophesies and interesting magic. The worldbuilding is complex and a bit confusing, especially as it is based on Shakespeare's Henry IV which I have read. I wish the world and the characters were a bit more fleshed out, because it took a long while for me to grasp how the magic system worked.

However, I think my biggest problem with this book is that it was a bit too angsty, in the sense that the characters can't be who they are in regard to sexuality. I personally am very tired of novels like that and so I kept being taken out of the story because some scenes were just too distressing to read. The plot was also a bit pointless -- it felt like nothing was happening, but the novel was also really long so it felt like I was reading forever.

But please don't let me put you off the book! I do recommend trying it out, especially if you are a fan of the author's books and love queer fiction.

One of the great joys of my job as a critic is the moment of discovery, that indefinable instant when the realization washes over you that a chosen book is even better and more interesting than you’d hoped. I’ve gotten pretty good at curating what makes it from the pile to the page, but sometimes, I get more than I bargained for – in a good way.

I had just such a moment of discovery with Tessa Gratton’s latest book “Lady Hotspur.” It was a book that I had heard a little bit about and was intrigued. Gender-swapped fantasy-flavored loose reimagining of Shakespeare’s “Henry IV” certainly sounded like it could be my jam, so I started reading.

What I got was a high fantasy tale of love and loss, of the big wounds of warfare and the quiet cuts of palace intrigue. Set in the same world as Gratton’s earlier “The Queens of Innis Lear,” this new book expands upon that foundation, finding ways to both broaden and narrow the scope. It’s a beautiful and intricate landscape across which compelling characters stride. It’s smart and sweet and occasionally savage … and a heck of a read.

Hal Bolingbroke is one of the most famous (or infamous) of the Lady Knights of Aremoria, a fighting force bound by ties of blood and sisterhood. Few are as bawdy and rowdy as she – even her mentor, the legendary Lady Ianta Oldcastle (a delightful analog for Shakespeare’s clownish knight John Falstaff), notes Hal’s extreme behavior.

But it all changes for Hal when her exiled mother rallies an army to seize the throne for herself. Hal’s loyalties are torn, but she ultimately joins her mother – much to the chagrin of her dear friend Banna Mora, ostensible heir to the childless king. Meanwhile, stuck in the middle is Lady Isarna Hotspur, a legendary knight in her own right who played a major role in leading the new queen’s forces.

Oh, and Hal and Hotspur are in love, which only serves to complicate things.

Banna Mora is cast out, sent back to her homeland of Innis Lear to serve as a governor of sorts. It isn’t long, however, before the Glennadoer clan – led by patriarch Owen and his magical son Rowan – takes her and seeks an alliance. Said alliance could lead to Mora’s ascendance to the throne … if she’s willing to stand against Hal, her best friend from childhood.

Two princes – one reluctant, one revengeful – with the fate of a kingdom hanging in the balance between them. One knight, the proud and noble Hotspur, left in the middle, striving to execute her duty in the best way she can, but unsure of just how to do so. And a prophecy looms over all – a prophecy whose relative truth could make all the difference.

“Lady Hotspur” is a lot of things. It’s a rendition of a fantasy realm both broad and deep, with layers upon layers of detail conspiring to create something vast and immersive; this world contains magic without being ABOUT magic, a difference fantasy too often fails to recognize. It’s a love story made of love stories, each forging its own path while also forming a piece of the larger whole. It is quick-witted and clever and romantic without ever feeling smug or treacly – no small feat.

Credit for that has to go to Gratton, who has a wonderfully florid and occasionally bombastic writing style that suits her narrative choices beautifully. She is equally deft at scene-setting, at expository explorations and at interpersonal dynamics. Whether it’s the wild moors or the palace throne room, whether it is love sought or love caught, all of it is rendered with a robust delicacy of prose. One can almost feel the spirit of Shakespeare drifting between the lines.

It’s important to note that while this book is both a) an extension of a world begun in a previous book, and b) an adaptation of a classic work, your enjoyment of “Lady Hotspur” is not dependent on foreknowledge of either. It is a standalone work in every way, one that tells a complex and compelling story on its own terms, with no reliance on either the book that preceded it or the play that inspired it (though as someone with love for Shakespeare in general and the “Henry” works specifically, I will admit to having more than one moment of delight at references scattered throughout).

“Lady Hotspur” is the finest kind of fantasy, a thoughtful and evocative novel that does honor to its inspiration even as it carves out a wholly new path. Fans of fantasy, Shakespeare or just plain old solid storytelling will find plenty to like here.

A historical fantasy, one inspired by Shakespeare’s Henry IV, this book is one of the most highly anticipated of the year for a reason. Sapphic Shakespeare is enough to make me buy immediately and I was so fortunate to be able to read this early. Tessa Gratton is an amazing writer and I've wanted to read this as soon as I heard her talk about it on twitter.

I included it in The Young Folks list "Book Buying Recommendations For Mood Readers." https://www.theyoungfolks.com/review/140005/book-buying-recommendations-for-mood-readers/

Lady Hotspur was a mistake on my part, for many reasons. The first of which is I don’t really love Shakespeare, I know nothing about his play Henry IV, and I have only come across one retelling I actually liked. The second reason was that I requested this while still reading The Queens of Innis Lear (my second attempt). I ended up DNFing both.

So Lady Hotspur is a genderbent retelling of Henry IV, featuring queer characters, and three strong female leads. Sounds good right? I thought so too.

One of the biggest reasons I wanted to love this book is because of Tessa Gratton’s writing. It is absolutely beautiful. It has a kind of lilting, lyrical quality to it that I enjoy reading.

And her worldbuilding usually has an ethereal, otherworldly feel that completely mesmerises me. Lady Hotspur had less of it than The Queens of Innis Lear, and I really missed it.

One of the big problems for me was the fact that the book is so huge, and the pacing is so slow. The start is a jumble of names and details and relationships that was hard to untangle. While I applaud using terms that have traditionally been assigned to males (such as duke and prince) for female characters, it did add somewhat to the confusion.

I also found it hard to connect to the characters, despite this being quite a character driven book. I don’t feel any emotional investment in Prince Hal, Lady Hotspur, or Banna Mora. I didn’t care enough about any of them to finish. I also didn’t think the prior relationships between the characters was established enough to be believable. It was very much a case of ‘telling, not showing.’

Sadly, this book was a bit of a miss for me. When I get the time I will definitely go back to The Queens of Innis Lear, but I probably won’t give Lady Hotspur another go.

Thanks to Netgalley and Tor for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had a really hard time getting through this book. I've had the same problem with the other Tessa Gratton books I've read. I thought Lady Hotspur was too long and the plot dragged quite a bit. However, I do love the author's writing, as well as the LGBT+ representation in the book.

I think this is a book perfect for high adult fantasy readers, especially fans of George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones series. I want to thank Netgalley and the publishers at Tor Books for this opportunity in reading Lady Hotspur. I thought the book ran way too long and it had a substantial amount of world-building to wade through which ruined my reading experience, It made for a much slower read and unfortunately it ruined the story for me. I had not read the companion novel to this book before reading this and I don't think I will. The story was good albeit too complicated to follow. It's enriched with magic and prophecy so if that's your thing you should enjoy this book! I think this book just wasn't for me, sadly.

I was also lucky enough to interview Tessa Gratton for the Nerd Daily!
https://www.thenerddaily.com/tessa-gratton-author-interview/

LADY HOTSPUR does not bill itself as a sequel to THE QUEENS OF INNIS LEAR, but I think it would be almost impossible to follow this book without having read the other. So much hangs upon the magic, politics, and familial entanglements set up in QUEENS.

I wasn't troubled by the slow pacing of this book, as I enjoy a good meander, but I'm also not surprised at how many DNFs I've seen around the 30-40% mark. The action doesn't really pick up until the halfway point, and then the climax ends up feeling rather rushed. This book is at its best with Hal and Hotspur, who are both magnificent characters, and when it's exploring the many shapes that family and loyalty can take. (That is the advantage of Charm's POV chapters, which otherwise do little to serve the plot -- a shame, because he's an interesting character but seems something of an afterthought). It is weakest when it's entrenched in the mystical arrogance of the Learish characters, whom I often found insufferable. (YMMV on them, of course).

There are lots of subtle treats in here for the nerd who really knows 1 Henry IV very, very well -- which I, being a giant nerd, appreciated.

I really wanted to love this book, but, after having gone back to it several times to try and persevere, I’m afraid I have to DNF it. I loved the concept and I’d started to grow attached to some of the characters, yet I found that there were too many more characters and their respective plot threads to keep track of. It was a little too jarring to settle into one element or point of view of the story and be pulled away from it just as things were beginning to become clearer. I made the aforementioned several attempts to read Lady Hotspur because the writing itself is actually good and engaging and emotive, with an often beautiful grasp of the cadence of language, but the pacing and the aforementioned shifts in narrative focus made it difficult to become invested in the story.

DNF @ about 50% (I do not give star ratings to books that I DNF)

I love Shakespeare retellings, and I really wanted to love this so much. The pacing on this novel didn't work for me. Some parts were rushed, and others were absolutely torturous. The audiobook helped me not feel cofused in the beginning, as I feel you are literally just dropped into the story in the middle of a battle.

All in all, I'm just sad this didn't work for me. The whole concept of the novel was great, but the execution didn't work for me personally.

It really won't be fair of me to write a review when I didn't even make it half way to the book.
I've tried reading this book so many times but honestly, I made it till 43% and then I gave up.
So yes I DNF-ed Lady Hotspur at 43%

I guess you don't have to come into this having already read Tessa Gratton's The Queens Of Innis Lear, but I'm betting it would be super helpful. And I say that as someone who spent a lot of time looking up both that novel as well as the Shakespearean plays that inspired them (Henry IV Part I for this one, King Lear for its predecessor) in the course of reading this. Which research, along with historical asides, reminded me of all the reasons Shakespeare's plays annoy me. Massaging the truth for drama is one thing, but then pretending that drama is the truth is quite another. Oh, don't tell me old Bill was presenting his stuff as fiction, you know well and good he wrote expedient political nonsense.

But I do love a good retelling, and so to Ms Gratton's latest. Lady Hotspur is a gender-bending, multiracial fantasy based loosely on Henry IV Part I, which itself was based loosely on real history. Hal, Hotspur and Edmund are all women in this version, and best friends who grow to be at odds when Hal's mother returns from exile to depose the previous king, Rovassos, who had named Edmund (here renamed Banna Mora) his heir. Hal and Hotspur become lovers but as the duties of nobility tear them away from one another and from Banna Mora, more than just personal conflict arises, as the quest to rule Aremoria begins. There's prophecy and sex and magic and loads of bloodshed, leading to a lovely, unexpected ending that felt rightfully earned. It's not exactly a spoiler to say that you can understand why Hal forgives Banna Mora, even tho I personally would not have -- then again, Hal is a good prince (eventually) and I'm a grumpy book critic.

That said, it can feel like a slog to get to said ending. There is A LOT going on, with a magic system and folklore that constantly reference TQoIL, such that I almost hesitate to call this a standalone novel. Ms Gratton does have a gift for characterization, where a character she presents as being deeply annoying can grow to become not only understandable but heroic. This was especially true for Hal: I spent a long time feeling impatient with her sense of self-pity and had to remind myself that she was still a teenager, and one who hadn't expected to have such responsibility thrust upon her. I was thus pleasantly surprised at how well she turned out. I do rather wish that some of the time spent on her romance with Hotspur had been spent on fleshing out her relationship with her mother instead, as I was actually quite startled when she expressed her devotion to Celedrix after spending so much of the book trying to disappoint her. I also wish I could've sympathized more with Banna Mora's outright selfishness and sense of privilege, but again, Hal is a far better person than I am.

If you dig medieval fantasy, Celtic-based magic and quasi-history, you could do worse than to pick up Lady Hotspur. If you want queer, feminist stories of warfare and leadership that affirm many facets of a healthy sexuality, <i>definitely</i> pick up Lady Hotspur.

And oh my God, that cover. The artist for this and TQoIL was <i>inspired</i>.

LADY HOTSPUR by Tessa Gratton is set within the same world of her masterful THE QUEENS OF INNIS LEAR. Instead of tackling another of Shakespeare's tragedies, Lady Hotspur fantastically deconstructs Henry IV, Part I in this gender-bent exploration of identity, loyalty, and love.
In the first chapter, Aremoria's king is overthrown with the help of the titular Lady Hotspur. The former heir to the throne Banna Mora was give her title of Prince to her fellow Lady Knight, Hal. As prince, Hal is more focused on crafting her story, serving as Prince of Riot and unapologetically loving Hotspur. Mora, who is both Learish and Aremorian, resents the lost of her future throne, and returns to Innis Lear, plotting her revenge. Though Hotspur loves Hal, she comes to side with Mora as she witnesses Hal neglecting her princely duties.
LADY HOTSPUR presents this tale through numerous points of view which lends itself well to this complex and layered story. Additionally, by hearing from Hal, Hotspur, and Mora individually, the reader's loyalties will similarly be tested like this lady triumvirate. These strong women all love each other but have very different perspectives on governance and justice.
Gratton builds upon the magic found in QUEENS OF INNIS LEAR and readers will encounter familiar names and characters. A major subplot in LADY HOTSPUR is Aremoria's lack of magic and the deserve to bring Aremoria and Lear together. Prophecy drives the plot and characters grapple with intention and destiny. QUEENS OF INNIS LEAR was tragic and destroyed me as a reader. LADY HOTSPUR has its moments of tragedy but focuses on how one rebuilds oneself. It's beautiful and inspiring.
LADY HOTSPUR features a broad tapestry of diverse figures and queerness is embedded within both Learish and Aremorian society. Though accepting of queer relationships, lady monarchs are still required to give birth to heirs which creates complications for all of the characters.
Gratton's prose is gorgeous and LADY HOTSPUR was a joy to read. I am excited to see which play of the Bard she tackles next in the world of Innis Lear.

The plot is essentially about three young women who were once firm friends, as their relationships change into a more complex dynamic that has consequences not just for them, but for two kingdoms. This long book (600+ pages) is very ambitious, given it claims to be a retelling of one of the Shakespeare history plays. While there are echoes of that dynamic, I wouldn’t get too hung up on that thread, as there are also important differences that occur very quickly.

It took me a bit of time to really bond with the characters, but then I hadn’t appreciated that this was the second book and I recommend you read the first one before tackling Lady Hotspur. The title is actually misleading as the book equally deals with Prince Hal and Bana Mora just as much as Hotspur. It covers their joint and individual journeys extremely well. Gratton is an accomplished author who drew me into a world of complex magic and layered characterisation so that despite the heftiness of the read, I was held throughout. I was all set to give this one a ten, before I got to the final act and that crucial defining battle…

As I don’t want to lurch into Spoiler territory, you’ll have to bear with me if I’m a tad vague. But the trajectory of the book charts the relationships and competing claims, both personal and societal, upon three young women who already had high expectations thrust upon them. I felt Gratton did an outstanding job in making those genuinely gripping and very poignant – the relationship between Hotspur and Hal was particularly well done, I felt. But I was very dissatisfied with the manner in which the story was tied up. I think Gratton committed the unpardonable sin of raising reader expectations for one type of outcome, only to pull a switch that didn’t convince me at all. The conclusion was far too tidy for such a tortuous journey – by the end, I wasn’t even sure why they went to war at all, given the outcome.

The other issue I had was the role of women in the story. This magical tale is set in a late medieval setting when political marriages secured dynasties and land and Might is Right. Why we suddenly have a cadre of highborn, marriageable women, able to fight in battle alongside their male counterparts, is never fully explained. And I mind. It seems to me that you cannot sweep away all the impediments to women’s full equality within a story without addressing these obstacles, or factoring in a different dynamic that will give these women some tangible advantage in hand-to-hand fighting. Because their ability to prevail against fully armoured men due to their unique skill never convinced me. And I’m not prepared to go with the flow on this one – what sort of message does that give generations of us who watched our male work colleagues sail past us simply because of their genitalia? That we’re not strong enough? That we need magic? Or that just reading about a cosy world where it’s all just different is going to make me feel better? Systemic inequality of opportunity for women is far too widespread to be treated in such a flippant manner.

Furthermore, it’s supposed to be a retelling of a Shakespearean play. He might have been the greatest playwright that ever lived, but he was still a product of his time – so women were never found on the battlefield fighting alongside their men in his stories. If Gratton had wanted to change that aspect after specifically referencing Shakespeare in her worldbuilding, then she needed to spend at least some time and effort demonstrating what made it possible for these women to be able to learn the martial arts and take part in the bloodletting alongside the men. And she doesn’t.

The really aggravating aspect is that it wouldn’t have taken much to have turned this well-written, but slightly flawed effort into an outstanding read, as far as I’m concerned. And despite my real gripes with the book, I am still awarding it a solid eight. But it could have been a ten with just a little bit more thought… The ebook arc copy of Lady Hotspur was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest opinion of the book.
8/10

Tessa Gratton’s latest novel, Lady Hotspur is an imaginative novel, one that is heavily inspired by Shakespeare's Henry IV. As you can imagine, that means that there will be plenty of politics and war. Oh, and did I mention that the novel has a very strong female focus?
There are those meant to fight, and those meant to lead. Hal was a fighter, born and raised as a knight. Only to be stuffed into the role of Prince, one her mother took the throne. She fought and bled for her mother’s rise in power, but the change is still a strange one.
Enter Lady Hotspur, another stunning warrior and a welcome distraction for Hal. She’s the Wolf of Aremoria – a violent and powerful warrior capable of taking on any foe. Lady Hotspur gladly shed her blood for the sake of this war – even while she questions its success.
Banna Mora lived her life expecting to take on the throne. While she may have survived the war and overthrowing of her uncle, she certainly lost her crown and any path leading to it. Now all she can do is plot revenge and hope.

One thing I would like to mention, before diving into this review; Lady Hotspur is the sequel to o Queens of Innis Lear. That’s a fact I missed when excitedly picking up this novel to read, so I want to help make it a bit more clear here. I do feel that I missed out on something, thanks to my lack of reading Queens of Innis Lear beforehand.

“Never ignore the consequences of your actions, for such ignorance alone makes your actions unjust.”

I was so insanely excited to start reading Lady Hotspur. I loved the cover, the description, the inspiration, everything. So perhaps I went into this book with an unfair set of expectations. I’m not sure. What I do know is that this was not quite the book that I was hoping it would be.
Was it full of politics, war, and love? Yes, it absolutely was. Ultimately, it was the pacing that threw me off here. There was so much set up, which admittedly did create a beautiful world. But there is such a thing as too much, sometimes.
Hal, Lady Hotspur, and Banna Mora were three undoubtedly powerful female characters, and I was very much looking forward to getting to know them. While I enjoyed reading about their feats and their plotting (and their falling in love), I did feel like there was a certain lack of connection between myself and them. Maybe it’s the mood I was in, but given other reviews out there, I’m not so certain that’s the case.
I think what it all comes down to is that I didn’t read Queens of Innis Lear first – which I deeply regret. I’m hoping/assuming that there’s a stronger foundation there, one that would result in me feeling much more fondly towards these characters.
In short: I adored the concept of Lady Hotspur. A gender-bent version of Henry IV sounds absolutely amazing. I also loved the cover, which caught my attention and is easily one of my favorites so far this year. I also loved the sense of power and confidence behind the female leads. This is not something I want to be overlooked, so I’m mentioning it again here.
That being said, I didn’t end up loving Lady Hotspur nearly as much as I hoped. Actually, if I’m being brutally honest here, I struggled to finish this one. I don’t think I’d let this disappointment discourage me from reading more works from Tessa Gratton – in fact, I’d love to hear more about her other works (especially the predecessor for this novel).

Whew. This is a loooong book. It took me quite a while to read it, but in the end I did enjoy it. I really enjoy all the characters and the fierce females of this book. This isn't an easy book to read - all the characters have some seriously difficult choices to make and lives to live, but it felt so real for such a fantasy driven book. The court politics, while driving me crazy and making me angry, were amazing and detailed and held my attention. My only real negative is the pacing of this book. It was difficult to get into because it was very slow in the beginning, then the rest of the novel varied wildly from fast paced to achingly slow.
Overall, this is a great book, but I would hesitate before recommending it to people. It requires a specific type of reader I think. Someone who likes fantasy, sex scenese, LGBTQ reads, court politics, Shakespeare retellings, and/or long books.

LADY HOTSPUR continues the story of the ancestors of THE QUEENS OF INNIS LEAR, which is based on Shakespeare's play, KING LEAR. And if you loved the explosion of magic and darkness and politics of QUEENS, trust me that LADY HOTSPUR is a fullbodied addition to the world created in the first book. Read it!

“These champions could not be happy–the world doesn’t let women like us be happy!”

At heart, Lady Hotspur is a inspired by Henry IV, and you should know, I am no fan of Shakespeare. I do enjoy Macbeth and subsequent re-tellings, but on the whole, not my bag. Gratton got me, however, when she spun the classic tale as the story of three women who love each other but find themselves torn apart by politics, war, and their convictions at the hands of a prophecy concerning a lion, a dragon, and a wolf.

I should probably lead with the fact that I didn’t read The Queens of Innis Lear. It’s been on my TBR for a while, but I haven’t gotten around to it, and I don’t think it’s essential before jumping into this one, at least I don’t feel like I missed crucial information for this story. I am sure it will be a richer experience if you’re already steeped in this world, but as a newbie, I don’t feel like I missed too much to enjoy this story.

This. Book. Was. Work. Hard work, like mentally taxing. I wanted to quit MANY times but kept pressing on because I wanted to know what happened to these ladies. I had to know if their love for each other could mend broken spirits, hearts, and lands. I will admit, I can’t usually do long, high fantasy, and I HEAVILY skimmed large parts of this one. It clocks in at 592 pages, and like most high fantasy, has so many characters that I can’t keep them straight, nor can my little heart take caring about each and every one of them. I was wholly invested in Hal and Hostpur, even when their stubborn convictions kept them at odds and often made hypocrites of both of them.

I can’t wholeheartedly recommend this one to everyone. You have to enjoy long books. You need to like high fantasy and all that entails, and you have to have a strong constitution for a sprawling epic. Aside from the initial stirrings of romance, nothing comes quickly or easily, but I do think, in the end, it’s worth it. Gratton almost lost me several times, but she kept me hanging on, and I am happy that I stuck with it through the end, even if I probably missed some salient plot points regarding minor characters in my quest for Hal and Hotspur.

This one is out Tuesday, so it sounds up your alley, block off some serious time on your calendar to get lost in the story of two lands, about 256 characters, and and three women who come to life straight off the page. Also, wizards!

Great writing but I couldn't fully connect with the characters. That might have nothing to do with the book though, maybe it was just a case of me. Still, interesting premise and fast paced. I recommend it.