Scan barcode
thejude's review
4.0
I've been reading the Dame Frevisse mysteries, mostly in order, for about a year or so. Frevisse has very much grown on me, and as has Joliffe, through his occasional appearances (I have not read any of the Joliffe series). Although I like mysteries, I must say that I also very much enjoy the books that delve into political intrigues.
This series is absolutely excellent for the brilliant historical research put into it. It feels much more real and less romanticized than the majority of medieval historical fiction I've read, and I very much appreciate that. I also like the more nuanced, complex, respectful treatment of Christianity and religion.
The plots are generally good and most of the characters well drawn. Reading the series in order over a relatively short period of time, it's been really interesting seeing Frevisse's character development.
I'm going to hunt down the one or two books earlier in the series that I haven't read yet before reading the last novel. Now that I'm almost finished the series, I really don't want to finish it. When I finish a series, the character in it somehow solidifies. If there's still more to read, more character development, the character seems still somehow more alive, more fluid.
I don't think I've reviewed many of the Frevisse books, but I went back and re-read the last few paragraphs of this one several times before putting down the book and reflecting for a good while with a smile. A book that makes me do that, despite what felt like a slow start, deserves a review.
This series is absolutely excellent for the brilliant historical research put into it. It feels much more real and less romanticized than the majority of medieval historical fiction I've read, and I very much appreciate that. I also like the more nuanced, complex, respectful treatment of Christianity and religion.
The plots are generally good and most of the characters well drawn. Reading the series in order over a relatively short period of time, it's been really interesting seeing Frevisse's character development.
I'm going to hunt down the one or two books earlier in the series that I haven't read yet before reading the last novel. Now that I'm almost finished the series, I really don't want to finish it. When I finish a series, the character in it somehow solidifies. If there's still more to read, more character development, the character seems still somehow more alive, more fluid.
I don't think I've reviewed many of the Frevisse books, but I went back and re-read the last few paragraphs of this one several times before putting down the book and reflecting for a good while with a smile. A book that makes me do that, despite what felt like a slow start, deserves a review.
archytas's review
4.0
This is the book that most gave me pangs of regret for the untimely loss of Margaret Frazer, as the promise it holds for a series of elderly Dame Frevisse covering the War of the Roses. It's another tense spy thriller, as much about what will happen next as anything else. It's also an interesting mediation on the options of wives and children, as well as vassals of noble schemers.
More...