Lucy Worsley is an engaging author just as she is as an onscreen presence. I absolutely adored this book and a new fresh (albeit younger) take on the Tudor court. I do believe there should be more in this series.

I loved this book! The full review will be posted soon at kaitgoodwin.com/books! Thank you very much for this wonderful opportunity to connect books to their readers!

Elizabeth Rose Camperdowne is a Tudor maiden in the time of Henry VIII. Eliza may be fictional, but she is surrounded by characters who really lived and breathed. Through her eyes, we see the story of Katherine Howard unfold. Eliza trains with Katherine at the Duchess of Northumerland's school and becomes a lady in waiting to Anne of Cleves.

I quite enjoyed this book by Lucy Worsley. Through Eliza, the reader sees the restrictions and expectations placed on the women of Henry VIII's court. Katherine Howard is one of the most misunderstood of Henry VIII's wives, and Eliza serves as a nice foil for that tragic tale.

Thank you for the chance to review this book, however, unfortunately, I was unable to read and review this title before it was archived.

An interesting concept mrred slightly by an unconvincing love story.

Maid of the King’s Court by Lucy Worsley, a historical novel by the curator of the Historic Royal Palaces in London. For one so steeped in the history of Hampton Court and other sites, it must be endlessly tempting to weave one’s knowledge of the everyday details of Elizabethan life into an exciting narrative. Worsley’s knowledge and love of the era was clear, but its transformation into fictional form did not quite work for me.

I had a hard time connecting with her protagonist, a fictional Elizabeth whose destiny becomes intertwined with real-life figures including the notorious Catherine Howard, and of course King Henry VIII. Elizabeth talked and acted like a modern teenager, and in general the tone was indistinguishable from a contemporary YA romance. This may make history spring to life for some readers, but it’s not my style at all. I would still be interested to see Worsley in her capacity as a TV documentary host, though, or maybe read some of her non-fiction, to see how she presents this kind of material in a different context.

This book was wonderful! The author did a beautiful job of rendering the court of Henry VII fron a maid of honor's view. I really enjoyed reading about the stuggle between choosing love or choosing position.

I was initially really intrigued by this book's cover, but was very happy that the inside was just as great! I love historical fiction and combined with a dose of suspense and a dash of romance this really spoke to me. Lucy was a compelling character and the plot moved quickly and kept me engaged.

“Maid of the King’s Court” is an excellent historical fiction novel about life in the court of King Henry VIII.

While the story of Elizabeth is fictionalized, most of the facts of life at the time are as historically accurate as possible, owing to the fact that the author (Lucy Worsley) is a British historian who actually works at the castle featured in the book. I have always enjoyed reading about life in Tudor England, and this novel did not disappoint. It’s also surprisingly clean considering it’s about life with King Henry VIII. It does have talk about sexual situations but none involving the main character.

I highly recommend “Maid of the King’s Court” to those who like historical fiction with a dash of romance.

The beginning started out great. However, the story fell flat in the middle. I also didn't care for the characters, and there was nothing new to the story of Katherine Howard.

I have had an interest in the Tudors since I was in late middle school, and this is absolutely a book I would have loved as a teenager.I didn't DISLIKE this book, and in fact, I read it in one day. I think that this book had a very interesting premise, and I like historical fiction enough, that I did find reading this book a fairly enjoyable experience. Although I did enjoy this book, I felt that the subject matter was very mature for YA Lit, and yet the topics were discussed in such a simplistic way. As an adult reader, I also found the writing a little dull.

Those things being said, I think this book would be devoured by young readers, and I think had I read this book in early high school or middle school, this would have been a 4 or 5 star read for me.

When Elizabeth's arranged marriage falls through, she is sent to another household. Among the households other girl's is Katherine Howard, the future wife of Henry VIII. This book follows Elizabeth and Katherine into the royal court and through Katherine's execution.

This book was ok. It follows an interesting period in history, but was a bit lackluster. The characters were a bit stereotypical, Elizabeth was not particularly interesting, witty or charming. She was just there. The book completely ignored the others executed with Katherine, and completely ignored the ladies in waiting. I think the book could have been more dynamic and interesting, but fell flat.

Elizabeth has been sent to the court of Henry VIII to secure a wealthy husband. In the midst of intrigue and ambition, she must maintain her family fortune, marry well, and above all, keep her head firmly attached to her shoulders. While doing all this, is it possible for her to find love?

This was a more unusual take on Henry VIII's 5th wife, Katharine Howard, as seen through her cousin. Katharine Howard certainly had the cards stacked against her. I appreciated the way that Katharine was portrayed through her relationship with Elizabeth. Elizabeth herself struggles to find her place in the world and what she wants. I enjoyed this story very much.

Elizabeth Camperdowne has always known her place in the world. As the only daughter of the oldest noble family in Derbyshire, she is destined to marry a man who will bring wealth and title back to her family after her uncle’s treason to the king. After a botched engagement with a local earl’s son, Elizabeth is sent to stay with a relative who runs a school that trains up girls to serve the English court. There Elizabeth meets a cousin she never knew she had, vivacious and flirtatious Katherine Howard. When it comes time for the English court’s need of new maids of honor for the new Queen Anne of Cleves, Katherine and Elizabeth get the chance they’ve been waiting for. While Katherine soon sets her sights on winning the heart of King Henry VIII, Elizabeth endeavors to fulfill her family’s wishes, while constantly being drawn to the king’s page Ned Barsby. What seemed such a simple yet glamorous life in the English court, soon turns dangerous and chaotic as Anne of Cleves loses favor with the king and Elizabeth is drawn into court intrigue more than she ever wanted when her cousin Katherine becomes the new queen. And history knows how that turned out.

This was a confusing read to say the least. When I saw a young adult novel featuring Henry VIII’s court, I was extremely excited. I’m not sure where my fascination of the Tudor time period comes from, but I have been known to watch documentaries on Henry VIII. For fun. So of course when I saw this on the new releases list that I check and found it on NetGalley, I had to request it.

The characters were okay but I didn’t find any of them to be particularly engaging, especially the main character of Elizabeth. She was kind of bland for a main character and didn’t really do anything exciting to liven up her life in the book. Katherine was an interesting character, albeit frustrating at times, and she was certainly known for being lively in real life as well. I did really enjoy the glimpses that we got of King Henry and they definitely seemed to ring true with what is known about his personality.

I think the main issue of this book for me was the plot. Or maybe I should say the lack thereof. It never seemed like the book had any direction and I found myself struggling to figure out what the book was supposed to be about. I initially thought that Elizabeth was eventually going to end up with the earl’s son from the beginning of the book because of the wording used during her botched engagement. Then I thought we were going to follow Elizabeth to where Anne of Cleves spent her life as the king’s sister. It wasn’t until the end of the book and I read the author’s note that I realized this book was supposed to be about Katherine Howard and her possible motives of her betrayal of King Henry. I admit that when Katherine’s confession to Elizabeth was first told, I found myself completely surprised and intrigued with the possibility of what she said. But the plot lacked so much direction that I really feel the theme was done an injustice. The writing style was also nearly middle grade in its simplicity which didn’t do this book any favors either.

Overall I think because this book portrayed one of my favorite periods of history to read and learn about, I enjoyed it more than the average reader. With the writing style being simplistic and the chapters short, it’s definitely a quick read. If you are intrigued as I am about this time period, this may be worth the read for you. However if you’re looking for something full of intrigue and excitement, this isn’t the book for you.

*I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley for free in exchange for an honest review*

writer. I'm surprised that there isn't more historical fiction in middle grade and YA fiction, because those that exist tend to be so well researched and written. I'd love to see more. She writes child characters in a dignified fashion befitting to the upper class 16th century ladies they would've been. A lot of writers' depictions of children are cringe-worthy and don't treat them like fully realised human beings, but just as cute little things that read as more annoying. But Elizabeth understands she's nearly a woman, yet still has that naivety of a child, not completely understanding how adults work, which I have a lot of respect for. There's just a lot of care and respect in the narrative. I'm very pleased.

While a quick read, I found myself not really caring at all for the characters. Additionally, the pacing and the plot felt more suited for adult readers than for teenagers.

Elizabeth knows it is her duty to please the king in all things, but Henry the Eighth is a fickle ruler. Her desire to provide for her father's estate battles against her desire to be loved and to love another in return. She was raised to honor her duty and was trained to please the royal court, but her attention is drawn by a gentleman with no station whatsoever. Set against her cousin, Katherine, Elizabeth's rise to power and favor is slow and stumbling. Ultimately, she must decide what she really wants and what she is willing to do to get it.

Though Maid of the King's Court, Lucy Worsley brings to life the debauched society of the royal court at the time of Henry the Eighth [appropriate for high schoolers]. Most are familiar with the many women who lost their lives at the whim of their husband and king; however, through the eyes of Elizabeth, we can live the maybes and what-ifs behind the actions of one woman in particular, Katherine Howard, giving readers a fuller understanding of that age and time. In my opinion, Lucy Worsley has fulfilled her goals of bringing to light the possibilities and broadening the understanding of her readers. As it is with all quality historical fiction, the royal court of Henry the Eighth can be seen and touched.

On a personal note, the ending of the book doesn't seem to fit the time and situation. That was the one part of the story that seemed a little mismatched. It just didn't seem plausible to me.

Thank you very much to Candlewick Press and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book for review. All opinions are my own.

I didn't care for this book. The character felt distant and I found myself skipping pages. This wasn't for me. I do usually enjoy historical fiction novels.

l honestly felt nothing for these characters. My entire reaction is just apathy. There was no real plot or even character development.

Sunday, March 12, 2017 – Book Review of Maid of the King’s Court by Lucy Worsley

I am a sucker for historical fiction, so when I saw that Maid of the King’s Court focused on the Tudor period of British history I was instantly reading to read it. There are some great things going on here, but unfortunately, this one fell a little bit flat for me.

First, the good.

I love that Lucy Worsley actually works in London as Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces, and that she got the idea for this book from rumors that Katherine Howard still haunts the Hampton Court palace, racing to find her husband, King Henry VIII to plead for her life. It’s such a rich and interesting premise to base a fictional story on, and I really wish this novel had focused more on Katherine and less on the fictional character of Eliza. Telling the story from the point of view of made-up character might have its advantages, but it also has major drawbacks. For one thing, this story didn’t feel like the story of Henry VIII or any of his wives. It felt like Eliza’s story (because, obviously, she’s the one telling the story – she’s the main protagonist). Sure, Katherine Howard is a key player in many ways, but she never felt like the protagonist, and we never get her POV. I really really think this book would have been ten times more interesting if we had.

Now, that’s not to say that this didn’t have interesting moments – I was totally engrossed in learning more about Henry VIII and his wives because this book peaked my interest on that topic several times. Because they aren’t really the focal point of the book, we just get little teasers about Henry and his insane string of marriages. Those little historical nuggets left me wanting more, and I ended up spending a very long time on google reading up on these intriguing historical figures.

All in all, this book might be better suited to a Middle Grade audience, as most Middle Grade readers probably won’t mind a thinner historical setting. I think most older readers will come away wishing there was a stronger historical foundation here.

Rating: 3/5 stars