From the perspective of someone who knows relatively little about Edward IV and the War of the Roses, The York King is a highly intriguing and enjoyable historical fiction read. It centres around Edward IV between the years 1464 and 1471 and explores his relationships with both Eleanor Talbot and Elizabeth Woodville. I was not previously aware it was a part of a series, but it works perfectly as a stand-alone novel.
Occasionally the book felt confusing considering the sheer number of characters. Perhaps it could benefit from a family tree or two at the beginning to aid readers who are not as knowledgeable about Edward IV and his relations.
Regardless, I feel as though I have come away from this book with much better understanding of Edward IV and the War of the Roses. I would give The York King 4/5 stars and I would highly recommend it to historical fiction fans.

Heads up this is the second volume in the House of York trilogy. I had to go back and read book on to follow book two, so that being said make sure you read book one first or you will be lost. I really did enjoy this book and am thankful to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review. These are my favorite types of books and I tend to get lost in them. I love the battles between kings and the whole idea if nobility. I find it rather romantic. I look forward to the final book in the trilogy.

I flew through this book, it was so intrigung and full of vivid descriptions. it was well written with well developed characters that had obviously been well researched and an interesting storyline. I find books set in this period and the tudor period fascinating and this was no exception. I really enjoyed it.

The York King was a book that held a lot of promise for me given that it focused on one of my favourite areas of history (the Plantagenets) and on a king that I've previously enjoyed reading about: Edward IV. It started well with Edward's flirtation with Lady Eleanor Butler, something not normally covered in that period of historical fiction, which I thought was a refreshing take on the genre. I particularly enjoyed the sowing of the seeds for what I presume will come in the third book of the trilogy: the exposure of his secret marriage/pre-contract with Lady Eleanor.

However, the rest of the book paled in comparison to the starting chapters. After leaving Eleanor to fight against his enemies, he establishes himself as the king a few years later and comes across Elizabeth Woodville. The story goes that she was a great beauty and that Edward IV fell in love with her upon first sight to the point that he insisted on marrying her. It's a great historical romance in its own right as his marriage is being fixed with Bona of Savoy, the sister to the French king, to promote an English alliance whilst Elizabeth is the widow of a Lancastrian supporter with two sons of her own. Yet despite this backdrop, the author makes the romance dry and uninteresting even when describing their secret marriage. There's no spark to their relationship and in truth, this is something from which the whole book suffers.

Edward is given somewhat of a personality, yet the rest of the characters act as mere props to propel his character forward. None of the relationships felt meaningful, not his marriage to Elizabeth nor his brotherly bond with George and Richard. Even Cecily, Proud Cis, is dull and her relationship with Edward is non-existent. It's such a shame because the dynamics between the House of York are one of my favourite things to read about in historical fiction. Moreover, it makes it hard to empathise with Edward later in the book when George turns traitor and sides with Warwick because there's no nuance to his character.

I appreciated the author's level of research and details conveyed within this novel especially when describing the fashions. In particular, I loved her description of the hennin caps - it was very visual! However, I found the story suffered from over-explanation when it came to military scenes which bogged the novel down.

As a whole, it's an average story with some enjoyable elements so the best credit I can give is that I liked it at parts.

Being a huge fan of Phillippa Gregory I was excited to get a review copy of this not realising there is a book written before this one. But having said that I don't think I needed to read the last book in order to read this one.

A great historical fiction, set in 1464 it is a story about the English throne, the fight for peace and what happens in the world of kings and queens. It is a fascinating time which involves the War if the Roses, the rivalry between the House of Lancaster and the House of York and the history of this era.

A great book, an entertaining and educational read and a story that really draws you in with its intrigue and excitement. Once I start reading books like this I just can't stop!

Amy License's novel covers the early reign of Edward IV and his relationships with the women in his life (Eleanor Butler, his mother, his wife Elizabeth and there's a mention of an earlier mistress) and those with his brothers Clarence and York as well as with Warwick, his cousin and kingmaker.

It falls into the biographical fiction trap of trying to explain too much, and as a result it's too tell-y for me. But what really put me off was the writing style itself; it felt old-fashioned. The language is too flowery; it reminds me of mid-20th-century books.

Worse, the constant head-hopping is offputting. - (eg p50) in a few lines we leap from Elizabeth's point of view to her mother's.. Then there's the place-hopping, which is another sort of PoV problem; Far too many scenes start with a bird's eye view (often from the PoV of actual birds), slowing it down while we wait for something to actually happen as the crows sit on the roof observing the space below.

Then there are problems with clarity. When we meet Edward's aunt she's intriduced as 'your great-aunt Katherine'. Or Henry VI is described as a prisoner in the Tower in one scene, yet the day before they were 'seeking' him so he was obviously on the run. Another time,and on the same page, Eleanor had been 'alone, neglected' during her marriage to Butler and then he 'had been a good husband, diligent'. Which is it?

There's also clumsy writing. Describing Cecily Neville, we're told that 'her chin still spoke of nobility'. What's a noble chin? Do they not get saggy with age like peasant chins or something? Another time, we're told about 'three gothic windows'. They were just windows. Gothic is a later coinage. And bizarre anachronisms crop up, like 'I have not grown!' 'You have so.' All this has the effect of pulling me right out of the time and place of the story.

These may just irritate me, of course. Other readers may not mind. But for me a book can be spoiled by the writing and I'm afraid this one was.

I absolutely love any kind of royal or historical fiction, and this one was no different. I love that time period, and not only was it entertaining, it was extremely historically accurate.

If, like me, you rub your hands in glee at ANOTHER book about the Plantagenet/Tudor era you won’t be disappointed with this.
The second in the House of York series, The York King offers plots, intrigue, betrayal, treason, romance and a lot of battles. And that last item is what makes this series different to many novels based in this historical period.

The book covers the period when Edward VI becomes king and follows him and his family as their fortunes rise and fall. Rather than focusing mainly on the experience of the royal women of the time, which we see in many wonderful books of this era (eg from Philippa Gregory and Alison Weir), Amy Licence has chosen to focus mainly on the men. The women do get a look-in, and some chapters are from their perspective, but she writes primarily from the perspective of Edward, the King in question and Earl of Warwick, his right-hand man.

I found the first few pages a bit too heavily descriptive, and if you do too, don’t give in! You’ll soon start to see the challenges Edward faces from his rival Lancastrians, as well as from some surprising quarters (if you’re not familiar with the history I shan’t reveal too much!).

If you’ve not read Son of York – the first in the House of York series - I recommend you do so first. It’s not essential if you’re familiar with the period, but Licence spends care and time creating the characters you will meet in this book.

What I really liked: the book is pacy, and the action moves swiftly. The characters are believable, as is the dialogue between them.

What I would change: apart from struggling through the description in the first few pages, I loved much of the book. The end came a bit suddenly for me. I would have liked to have seen some other scenes between the final battles. Perhaps it was because I just didn’t want it to end?

This was an enjoyable read set during the War of the Roses. I hadn't read the 1st book (didn't realize this was the second) but I was able to catch on. It's evident Amy Licence did the necessary historical research for this novel and I was impressed with the detail. The style of novel reminded me much of Phillipa Gregory's novels, especially with the added descriptions of romance which I wasn't into so much. The romantic scenes distracted me from the overarching story. I wish there was more historical exposition and less dialogue at times too.

NOTE: I was given early access to this novel in exchange for writing an impartial review. Thank you netgalley and Lume Books. Scheduled Publication: March 3, 2022

This historical novel-- Book Two in author Amy Licence's HOUSE OF YORK trilogy -- focuses on a chunk of the Wars of the Roses: British history between 1464 (when King Edward IV of England had been on the throne for three years) until 1471 (when he defeats King Henry VI for the second and final time). I'd award it 3.5 stars if I could.

The book begins at a moment I have seldom seen included in novels about this period. It's the moment when 22-year-old King Edward IV meets Lady Eleanor Talbot and promises to marry her. If you know Edward's story you know that this promise becomes VERY significant after Edward dies in 1483. Because at this time period, a promise to marriage was as legally binding as the ceremony itself. So, IF Edward did promise to marry Eleanor, he was not free to marry Elizabeth Woodville in 1464, making ALL ten of his children with Elizabeth illegitimate and unable to inherit the throne.

Included in this novel is the story of how Edward meets Elizabeth Woodville, how he marries her against the wishes of his chief advisor (Richard, Earl of Warwick), and how the ambitious Warwick and Edward's younger brother George (Duke of Clarence) then continue the Wars of the Roses in an increasingly desperate attempt to wield power. It's an interesting story, in part because it also involves the King Edward's own struggle as he weighs loyalty to family against wise policy.

The issue I had with the book was the level of detail the very knowledgeable Amy Licence includes about daily life at this time period. It was just too much for me and I felt it made the story overly dense, even slow. At times, it felt more like part historical fiction and part history textbook. As a journalist, historian, and award-winning author, Licence has written many, many books about medieval and Tudor England. And I felt that she simply tried too hard to include too much of her impressive knowledge into her descriptions of meals, battles, and situations. I personally would have been happier if she'd spent more time with the internal psychology of Edward, Warwick, and George -- who are for me three of the most fascinating characters from history.

Edward IV is a fascinating figure in history. One of the last kings to win his crown in battle, this novel takes place several years into his reign and continues where the previous novel left off. This book was written so well and truly pulls you into the action of the time period. His marriage to Elizabeth of Woodvile and how that affected his reign and his constant battle to keep the throne. Recommended for fans of historical fiction and the age of the war of the roses.

'The York King' is set during one of my favourite historical periods so I was excited to get started. For the most part I did enjoy the read; the atmosphere was good, the people were portrayed well and Licence moves at a good pace. However, for me, there was a little spark missing that I normally get from historical fiction. I am not sure what it is but there was something stopping me from loving this book.
The person we follow does change about a bit during the read which led to the book feeling quite stunted at times. Licence does capture the mood of the time well and as always, I enjoyed reading a book focusing on Edward IV.

A wonderful second volume to the York trilogy. This is a great series for those looking to get into the War of the Roses time period through historical fiction. Looking forward to the ending instalment.

1464. Family conflicts, Lancaster against York, the fight for the English throne. English history is filled with the opportunity to write good HF novels. This is one of them. and we find ourselves in the midst of the War of Roses. White rose/Red rose...very interesting. A well written novel, I found it entertaining and would highly recommend it. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As a former medieval history major I have very high expectations for this book and every expectation of mine was met. I thought the political aspect of this world was handled incredibly well and I also loved the romantic drama side. Well done!

This was an absolute joy to read! I have always enjoyed the story around Edward and this one did not disappoint. It was a great addition to the series and I cannot wait to see what the next book brings.

I love reading historical fiction and this was no exception. I felt like I was drawn into the 15th century and I loved reading more and more of the book and didn't want to put it down.

Really enjoyed reading a book about this part of history. I did read it not having read the first book, but because I read a lot of Tudor history I didn't feel like I was missing part of the story.

I’m gonna be honest I’m a little disappointed because I had certain expectations for this one and it didn’t meet them (which is partially my fault but yk) but I did enjoy myself for the most part. I can see why people would give it 4/5 stars.

Personally, for me, there were books I just enjoyed way more and that were more up my ally.


*thank you NetGalley for the ARC

Good steady enjoyable read. I did not realise it was part of series. However that did not stop me from enjoying it.