Title: Shadow on the Crown
Author: Patricia Bracewell
Review: I didn’t know what to expect from this book…there
is a page listing all of the characters and a map so I thought it would be difficult to
follow…but it wasn’t. Emma is a young
girl who finds herself the Queen of England.
She is unprepared except for a talk her mother gave her before she left
to marry. The King is uncaring and only
into the Queen for the churches and the bishops. He wants to sleep with who he likes and not
worry about more children. He uses Emma
as a whipping post and yet she still stands strong.
love that this book is based on real events recorded
during this time in history. The
interactions are all part of the authors imagination, but there are good. Emma is a strong woman who will not be
dictated to by anyone. She is going to
run her life and not worry about who doesn’t like it.
The little romances there is sweet and short lived. Emma is much younger than the King and his children are more her age. As the story
progresses you cheer for Emma and what she can and will do as the Queen. She is tough and yet you get to see the
tender side she hides from the world. I
didn’t know it was a series when I started the book, but I look forward to reading the next books.
The writing is easy to read and fast paced. This is a book anyone would enjoy and if you
like historical fiction you will need to get this book for sure.
Publisher: Published
February 7th 2013 by Viking Adult
ISBN: 9780670026395
Copyright: 2013
Pages: 416
Quick Review: 5 stars out of 5
Why I Read It: I
love historical fiction.
Where I Obtained the
Book: Sent to me for review by the publisher
Synopsis: A rich
tale of power and forbidden love revolving around a young medieval queen
In 1002, fifteen-year-old Emma of Normandy crosses the
Narrow Sea to wed the much older King Athelred of England, whom she meets for
the first time at the church door. Thrust into an unfamiliar and treacherous
court, with a husband who mistrusts her, stepsons who resent her and a bewitching
rival who covets her crown, Emma must defend herself against her enemies and
secure her status as queen by bearing a son.
Determined to outmaneuver her adversaries, Emma forges
alliances with influential men at court and wins the affection of the English
people. But her growing love for a man who is not her husband and the imminent
threat of a Viking invasion jeopardize both her crown and her life.
Based on real events recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle,
Shadow on the Crown introduces readers to a fascinating, overlooked period of
history and an unforgettable heroine whose quest to find her place in the world
will resonate with modern readers.
Author Biography: Patricia Bracewell holds degrees in English
Literature (B.A. Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, 1972; M.A.
University of California at Santa Barbara, 1974) and has studied Anglo-Saxon
History both as an undergrad in the U.S. and as an independent scholar in
Britain (Cambridge Summer Study Program, Downing College, July, 2007). She was
born and raised in California, where she taught high school literature and
composition before embarking upon her writing career. She is a member of the
International Society of Anglo-Saxonists and the Historical Novel Society, and
she is a charter member of the S.F. Bay Area writers’ organization, Left Coast
Writers©. She has travelled extensively in Europe, Asia and South America, both
for research and for pleasure. She enjoys gardening, tennis and, of course,
reading, and she is still a decent guitarist and folk singer, although her
writing leaves her little time for practice. She has two sons and lives with
her husband in the San Francisco Bay area.
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