Lady Katherine Grey, sister of the more famous Lady Jane Grey, makes for an excellent subject of a novel and this is by no means the first I've read featuring her (both Alison Weir and Elizabeth Fremantle have used her as a character in fiction). Perhaps because of this and because I read Leanda de Lisle's excellent biography of the Grey sisters a while back, I kept wanting more from this book. The author states in the concluding note that she doesn't think Katherine was frivolous or featherbrained, yet often the Katherine portrayed in the pages of this novel appears naïve and out of her depth navigating the Tudor court. This historical Katherine certainly did make mistakes, but I think she was a more complex woman than the one portrayed in this book. ( )

A true love story

Well written from the point of view of Katherine Grey. I have read other books that tell her story but not just her story in her own voice. I have always admired Katherine for the difficult life she had. An enjoyable read that will keep you turning the pages. I enjoyed this much more than the first book. ( )

I think what I enjoy most about the Tales from the Tudor Court series is the author's ability in taking the fringe players and showing us how essential they were to what was going on in the Tudor world. She accomplished this in My Lady Viper, with Anne Seymour, and she does it brilliantly once again with this book surrounding Katherine Grey's life.

Katherine was the younger sister to Lady Jane Grey, Queen Jane for those illustrious nine days. She was the middle daughter of Frances Grey, nee Brandon, who was the niece of Henry VIII and daughter to Mary Tudor and Charles Brandon. In this book, Katherine seemed to be a more grounded type of person, who really only wanted the simple things in life. Not the intrigue of court. Although naive at times, she is very kind to the less fortunate, which I thought commendable. But she also has an inner strength that really comes to her aid later on when she finds herself in a precarious situation.

It was difficult for me to read Queen Elizabeth I as being such a mean, spiteful...and paranoid...woman, as I have a spot in my heart for her. However, the author here makes us believe that she could have really been like that. Not by simply writing her character that way, but by portraying the reasons why might have behaved in this way. It doesn't really portray her in a favorable light, but we can accept that, given the times and what she had endured, she could have very well had reasons for her behavior. I say, "Well Done!"

In all, Prisoner of the Queen is an excellent historical novel. It is well-researched and the characters are well-written, interesting and engaging, as is the entire story. If you have not picked this series up as yet, I highly recommend that you do.
( )

Prisoner of the Queen by E. Knight
Book #2: Tales from the Tudor Court
Source: Netgalley
My Rating: 4½/5 stars
My Review:

As Prisoner of the Queen opens, England is in turmoil as Henry VIII’s only surviving yet sickly son is on the throne and his daughters, Mary and Elizabeth struggle with their place in the world and their claim to the throne of England. As the young King’s days come to a close, the Grey family makes their play and places their eldest daughter, Jane on the throne. Known as the nine-day Queen, Jane Grey is wholly incapable of holding her position and along with her father and several others, loses her head for treason. Sitting in the wings and knowing she is pawn in a much larger game is Jane’s sister Katherine Grey.

Born of noble blood, Katherine has always known she is nothing more than a pawn in other’s games. Katherine is kind, caring, generous, and totally uninterested in suffering the fate of her sister, Jane. In fact, from the very beginning she is clear to any and all who will listen, she has no interest in being a queen no matter her bloodline nor does she have any desire to stand in the way of Mary and Elizabeth and their respective claims to the throne. Katherine wants what a normal and quiet life that includes a man who loves her, a home far from court, her beloved pets, and a ridiculous number of children. At a very early age, Katherine meets the man she is to love for the rest of her life, Ned, a beautiful and titled young man who knows instantly that Katherine is meant to be his.

The bulk of Prisoner of the Queen is devoted to Katherine and Ned and the tragic love they share. Like Katherine, Ned is from a politically ambitious family and a union between his house and hers would certainly be seen as a threat to the throne. While most would simply get married and call it a day, Ned and Katherine have to receive approval from the crown which is granted shortly before Queen Mary dies. As we all know, Queen Elizabeth was a cat of a different color and was in no way inclined to continue the policies of her now-deceased half-sister. As Elizabeth begins her reign, it is imperative to her safety and security that she identify her enemies and keep them in check. High on her list of potential threats is Katherine Grey.

The moment Elizabeth takes the throne, she makes it clear to Katherine that she will not ever approve her marriage to Ned and her every action will be watched. Katherine isn’t just watched, her letters are read, her words are marked, and her every step is shadowed by someone looking to bring a claim of treason against her. Elizabeth warns Katherine constantly that she is a threat that will be neutralized should she (Katherine) put even a toe out of line. In order to ensure they cannot be together, Elizabeth often engages Ned’s services which keeps him far, far from court. But, love is a powerful emotion to overcome and Katherine and Ned are committed to one another. Knowing they could lose their heads for treason, they wed in secret with the hope that one day, the Queen will approve of their union.
The Bottom Line: Once again, Knight has taken a well-known story and reported on it from a totally different character’s perspective. I LOVED IT!! From the very beginning, Katherine is an individual you want to root for all the while knowing she will never truly have what her heart desires. Despite her actions nearly always supporting her words, Katherine is dealt blow after blow by a suspicious and vindictive queen. This is one of the first books I have read (and I’ve read A LOT of Tudor-related titles) that depicts Queen Elizabeth I as something other than a reasonably decent human who only wants what is best for her subjects and her country. Knight portrays Elizabeth as paranoid, suspicious, untrusting, and cruel. I LOVED IT!! There are some truly beautiful moments in this read for Katherine and Ned but overall, their road is long, hard, and paved with a great deal of misery. Though there is still an incredible amount of detail in this read (BLECH!!) it does end better than the first book and I found myself quite satisfied with the end result. ( )

Katherine Grey was born into greatness as the grandniece of Henry VII. All she dreams of is to find love and peace but as royalty, she is simply a pawn in a much grander game of royalty. With greatness comes peril as her lot is to navigate the Tudor court, play her part in securing history and in turn, find her own happiness while keeping her head.

E. Knight takes her readers on a journey in history when a young women had very little to call their own. Katherine is trapped and being tossed from one plot to the next. Her life revolves around her love of animals, keeping her head safe and tip toeing around those she loves, fearful of where they will place her in their schemes. I enjoyed reading her perspective as it was far more emotional than those in the inner circle of court life. ( )