How did I not know about this amazing part of history before? I was engrossed from the synopsis and I could not stop reading about Brunhild and Fredegrud. The drama and action was non stop! It kept me on the edge of my seat and I had to remind myself “These were real people and they actually lived this!”. It was fascinating to learn about a time period in history that I knew nothing about. Everything from the wars and assassins to nuns and political moves were interesting. I loved the the pacing as we flowed from Brunhild’s events to Fredegrud’s events. I really appreciated how we saw the men around these two strong women but they never took away the focus of our story. I can’t wait to own a physical copy and reread it all over again. This is one of my favourite nonfiction books!

I received an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Impressive that Shelley Puhak was able to unearth so much rich detail in researching the lives of these long-forgotten queens, then put forth a narrative that makes it unlikely they will ever be forgotten again. How have we never heard of these two queens before? Their stories read like Shakespearean tragedies, quite literally. How on earth could anyone survive the decades of nonstop drama, intrigue, conspiracies, plagues, political and personal threats these women endured, let alone the various plagues, diseases, floods, and other hardships of life in the Dark Ages? Yet, these two women not just survived, up until the very end they somehow managed to outwit and outlast pretty much everyone around them. Puhak deserves much credit for returning the names of these two epic women to the annals of our history books.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for honest review, as I truly enjoyed every aspect of this book.

Rounded to 4.5 stars.

I have to admit that I was very interested in seeing how queens played such a big role in medieval history, but I was honestly expected this to be somewhat of a dry history tome. I wasn't expecting this to be such a fascinating historical book that I found myself not wanting to put it down and read actual fiction, as I normally do.

This was absolutely immersive, and the author managed to take information that could have been boring and confusing, and craft it into a narrative that captured my attention and left me hanging on every word. I've never before found myself struggling to put down a HISTORY book to go to sleep - normally, I find myself falling asleep and only waking up with the kindle hits me in the face.

Puhak takes the sources and tells the tale of two sisters-in-law, Brunhild and Fredegund, strong women who managed to grasp control at a time when strong and powerful women were dispatched of either by sending them to a convent or just killing them. And these two women not only gained control over their respective kingdoms, they managed to hold onto power for quite some time. What I did notice was that the narrative seemed a bit biased at times, with one queen being portrayed as "bad," while the other wasn't necessarily portrayed as "good," but was viewed as maybe ... better. However, it was clear that one queen definitely had a little less in the way of morals holding her back from committing certain acts. But the author still gave us plenty to work with as far as the motivations that might have driven these women, and even allowed me to get inside their heads.

When I say that this book was fascinating, I seriously mean it. There was political intrigue, assassination plots, battles, backstabbing, sieges, religious manipulation, legal issues, marital discord, family drama, and ... revolts let by nuns? Oh yeah. Although it's all history and backed up by a plethora of sources, it read like the greatest historical fiction that I could ever imagine. And on top of all of that, the author manages to link it to plenty of examples of how these stories are incorporated into popular culture. Threads of these stories can be found in fairytales, operas, and even Game of Thrones. It was probably the coolest and most intriguing (no pun intended) nonfiction book about history that I've ever read. Although it was a bit difficult to keep track of some of the characters, since the names were often quite similar, but I can't fault the author for that, since she didn't name the characters - that's a matter of historical record.

She also critically analyzes the sources, and the biases that they hold which influence how the tale is told. Since men were the ones keeping the historical records, their misogyny often comes through in their writing, and the primary eyewitnesses were often affiliated with one of the queens, so obviously their bias would be skewed towards her, regardless of how he might have felt towards women in power. In addition, history is written by the victors, and after the demise of these queens, much effort was made to write them out of history. But overall, this was a comprehensive, enlightening, and very interesting read.

This book is an absolute win! I love nonfiction historical books in this one is no exception. What made it even better if it’s a part of history that I’m not familiar with.

There are so many important stories of women in history that have been lost or as the book points out, essentially scrubbed from the record. Shelley Puhak did a wonderful job bringing these two queens to light and telling their story. I haven't read a historical nonfiction in a while, but this book reignited that interest.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloombury for providing me with a digital ARC for this book in exchange for my honest review!

Prior to reading this book I had never heard of the sixth century Merovingian queens Brunhild & Fredegund, but I would bet that most readers haven’t. There is very little source material left documenting these queens reigns, even with as important as they were (or maybe BECAUSE of how important they were in the very male-centric world). So be aware that there is a fair amount of, shall we say, creative embellishment going on in this book. But I think the spirit of it certainly rings true and it’s a fascinating read. I really appreciated that the writing was always easily accessible & the narrative flowed well, making for a great reading experience.

Thank you to NetGalley & Bloomsbury USA for this advanced reader copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thank you to NatGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I had never heard of these two queens before. Which made reading this very exciting because I love learning about women in history I have never heard about. The writing and research was done very well. I enjoyed the depth of the information that was in the book.

It's so hard to find books that cover this period! History seems to skip from the fall of Rome to the High Middle Ages in so many works, and its gratifying to find something that fills in this gap. Having never heard of either woman, Puhak does a great job at reminding us that history is about people first and foremost.

I'm trying to up my non-fiction consumption this year, and I'm so happy I started with this book. Overall, it's well-written, fast-paced, and with a strong narrative thread. It's interesting to see the sources that Puhak pulled from to write this, and the story he was able to create doing so. Having just finished The Matrix, I'm feeling pretty engrained in the world of powerful and politically savvy women of the Middle Ages, and this book kept that ball rolling.

Brunhild and Fredegund are strong and complex women, and Puhak uses his research to make a clear portrait of who these women are. I wanted a full Game of Thrones-esque map and character list in order to keep track of everyone, but Puhak keeps you organized enough as you move through the book and their worlds.

I would recommend this even to readers who don't do much non-fiction (I don't!) - I think it's enjoyable no matter what.

Having minored in medieval studies in college (way back in the day), I was extremely excited about this book. Little-known queens battling for power in a male-dominated world? Exactly my jam.

Despite being upfront that there's very few primary sources left about Brunhild and Fredegund, Puhak manages to pull together a tense and engaging linear narrative, telling the story of the two women's respective rises to the top and their fierce - and sometimes underhanded - fights to stay there. For two women nearly lost to history, they come across as complex and well-rounded figures, with their own compelling and unique personalities - no mean feat considering how scarce the information about them is. Puhak tackles their stories with empathy, but never lets it cloud her narrative.

As with many history books, this one occasionally tended towards being a little dense, but the constant action (so many wars and assassinations, wow) kept it readable. I will admit to occasionally getting tripped up by all of the similar Germanic names, but such is the risk one takes when reading nonfiction (no fiction book would ever have multiple Theudeberts or Guntrams).

For me, the biggest drawback of this book was one that was likely outside of Puhak's control. Especially in early chapters, much of the action is dominated by men, and I found myself wanting more of Brunhild and Fredegund up front and in the thick of the action. But alas, the problem with history is that you can't just change it to suit your narrative. Still, with so much set up before the queens were able to really get going, the first part of the book felt a bit slow to me.

Overall, though, I walked away from this book feeling enlightened about two intriguing forgotten women, and even a little (more) enraged that we still have so few women leaders these days.

3.75/5

The Dark Queens is about the 6th century Merovingian queens Brunhild and Fredegund. This book chronicles their lives and the almost 40 years of their political rivalry that extended to their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

I had no idea who Brunhild and Fredegund were before starting this book and I am shocked that I haven't heard of them! Their story is so filled with intrigue, drama, murder, revenge, and generally being and staying extremely strong political figures at a time when that was unheard of for women. I am so glad that I found this book because Brunhild and Fredegund's story deserves to be better known! I hope that HBO is in talks to make this story a show because there is certainly enough material!

I really enjoyed Puhak's humor in the book and the way that she was able to bring the historical figures to life with narrative passages. I think that this was my first time reading narrative fiction and I liked it a lot! I enjoyed that the author included interpretations that read between the lines and noted when things would have been unremarkable at the time based on the way that they were recorded. I don't see that in a lot of history books and I felt like it really helped to flesh out the time and the people.

Overall, if you are interested in a crazy story historical story about some incredible and little known women, this is the book for you! 4 stars. Thank you to Bloomsbury Publishing and NetGalley for the electronic advanced reader's copy of this book!

I didn't have much knowledge of the Roman empire or the early middle ages, but over the first few chapters you're given the information you need to enjoy the learning process, so I wasn't lost for very long.

There are illustrations scattered throughout- I wish there had been a map of the Kingdoms at the time though, but it's easy to reference Google.

Dark Queens is wonderfully written.

The Dark Queens is an historical account of two 6-7th century Queens, Brunhilda and Fredegund, each married to a grandson of Clovis I. Each must struggle for power and control of their respective pieces of the Merovingian empire, difficult enough on its own, as women were excluded from succession.
Even as popular history, you might expect this book to be academic and somewhat dry, but I didn't find that to be the case at all. There is political intrigue, murder and letter-writing, and it was very easy to follow. What I like so much about this book, other than the fact that it reads very much like a narrative, is that all of the respective choices they made, and all of the actions they took either measured or drastic were because of the limited options they had available to them because they were women. Between the two of them, they were still able to rule a region of Europe larger than even Constantine did.
After I finished I discovered that Shelly Puhak is not an historian by profession; she is a poet. . And I had no idea she wasn't an historian until the author's notes. She had the Latin translated for her, but she utilized all of the primary sources herself and it was incredibly comprehensive. The time and attention taken in the research of this book is very clear, and the reader can tell how passionate she is about her subject. Strong recommend, easily one of the best books I've read this year.

Don't expect a dry textbook history lesson here. The Dark Queens is an immersive experience into early medieval times and the lives of two women who weren't content to sit in the shadows. This nonfiction read like an exciting family history being told to you by a passionate and knowledgeable grandparent. The author clearly did some incredible research to bring these two queens back to life and find their long reaching connections to our modern times. Excellent on all fronts!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for access to this arc.

I am no medieval scholar and as a result I knew nothing of the subject matter before reading this book but I found it incredibly fascinating and easy to understand, and it appears to be very well researched. While this book is ostensibly about two queens, Brunhild and Fredegund, it is really about ~50 years of politics in Francia under the Merovingian dynasty as influenced by and pertaining to these two powerful women.

It was really amazing how many primary sources Puhak was able to reference in this work. She made these people who lived nearly 1500 years ago feel very human and relatable (or at least as relatable as fratricide and assassination attempts can feel).

I enjoyed getting to read this work which put a spotlight on these very powerful women. In many ways they had been erased from history in the same way that other female voices have been routinely silenced, but this work brings them back to life showing their power and influence on global politics.

<p><em>The Dark Queens</em> is an utterly immersive work of narrative nonfiction that had wide-eyed and gasping more than any fiction book I've read in the past several months. Though the book is focused on Queens Brunhild and Fredegund, the cast of characters is massive, and the complexity and wildness of their political, personal, and military maneuvers is truly something to behold. I couldn't get enough of this story, and I hope it makes the "Dark Ages" more accessible and interesting to other readers.</p>

<p>Puhak's work is clearly rooted in an enormous amount of research. There are footnotes (though not so many they interrupt the flow of the story) and direct quotes from sources like Gregory of Tours where applicable. (Unfortunately, very little survives of Brunhild's or Fredegund's own words.) There are moments where Puhak is obviously conjecturing, about what Brunhild or Fredegund was probably feelig at some point or about what the city would have looked like from their bedroom windows, etc., but this, too, is clearly grounded in some sort of research (ex. what did this city look and sound like in general at this time period, to their best of our knowledge?), and a careful reader will be able to mentally note the pieces where Puhak seems to be filling in the gaps a bit. Her educated guesses do make the book read more smoothly (again, it's narrative nonfiction), which I think readers will generally appreciate and find keeps the book engaging.</p>

<p>And engaging it is. I can hardly remember the last time I read a nonfiction book this quickly and with an urgent sense to find out what on earth was going to happen next-- because what happened next was always absolutely crazy. Brunhild comes across as brilliant and calculating but one of the more level-headed actors in the story, while Fredegund is fierce about getting rivals out of her ways and cool with being accused of a wide number of murders. The men go about marrying and divorcing and killing and invading everyone left and right, betraying each other and making up and acting like this is all totally normal. What a time to be alive, either as someone in power who had to participate in all this scheming or as a poor peasant who had to wonder month to month exactly what kingdom they belonged to now.</p>
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<p>One of the author's goals is to revive the history specifically of Brunhild and Fredegund, two powerful women who ruled something amounting to an empire, whose contributions to society would be systematically erased by their successors. And the book does do that. I do think, in spite of Puhak's efforts, that Brunhild comes across as more "sympathetic" than Fredegund, who murdered tons of people and was even violent with her own daughter, but Fredegund is clearly brilliant at playing politics and a force to be reckoned with, and I can see the arguments that people were/are to be less likely to bat an eye at man who's as violent at she is. I, however, do think the book expands a lot beyond the two women; it's an excellent portrayal of the region as a whole during this time period, with a large network of actors striving to take land and power.</p>

<p>You don't need to be a nonfiction fan to enjoy this one. The strong narrative voice and the wild action of the story will keep you engaged even if you're normally just a fiction reader. I don't know if a fantasy author could have made stuff up that's this fast-paced and, at times, downright bizarre. Seriously, go pick this one up when it's released February 2022.</p>

Explore the fascinating rivalry of two early medieval queens.

Meet Brunhild and Fredegund, two Merovingian queens from the late 500s. These sisters-in-law ruled at a time when women were mostly considered accessories, their worth directly related to the value they provided to the men in their lives. But the author brings these impressive rulers out of the footnotes of history and into the spotlight.

I wasn’t very familiar with this time period before starting the book, and the author did an excellent job of giving context, both culturally and historically.

The best part is that this non-fiction book reads like a novel—full of political intrigue and drama. Some non-fiction can be dry, weighed down with facts at the expense of the narrative—but not here. The storytelling is engaging and I was immediately drawn into the lives of these women.

It really does read like a medieval soap opera, with assassination plots, hidden babies, and strategic marriages.

I always enjoy reading about women who’ve been minimized by history (see also: The Five by Hallie Rubenhold). This author gives us insight into how these extraordinary women lived, loved, and ruled. She sheds light on these two impressive Dark Queens.

Thanks to @netgalley and @bloomsburypublishing for an advanced eBook copy. The book will be out on February 22.

Definitely check out this book if you like page-turning non-fiction about powerful women!

This is a 10/10 read for me! It was incredibly well-written, thought-provoking, and educational. Considering I wrote my honors thesis on medieval women who yielded power, The Dark Queens was right up my alley. The amount of research Pukah so clearly put into creating this book is incredible and I cannot wait to see what else she has in store for readers!

Not sure why, but I thought this book would real more like a story.
Even though it was not what I was expecting, the book flowed nicely and gave an interesting look at two women I knew nothing about.

A must read for historical non fiction lovers.

How have I gone 25 years of my life without knowing about Fredegund and Brunhild?? These women were amazing! Not only accomplishing things unheard of for women in their time (and for a thousand years or more after them) but also influencing societies up to today. We can find hints of them in everything from fairy tales to Game of Thrones. Yet few of us would recognize their names.

Absolutely 10/10. I wish I had learned about these women in school!