Book Review: The King's Daughter by Christie Dickason ~ 2013Reading

The King’s Daughter by Christie Dickason

ARC, Paperback, 480 of pages

Harper Paperbacks

November 23, 2010

Genre: Historical Fiction

Source: Received from the Publisher for Review

“The court of James I is a dangerous place, with factions led by warring cousins Robert Cecil and Francis Bacon. While Europe seethes with conflict between Protestants and Catholics, James sees himself as a grand peacemaker—and wants to make his mark by trading his children for political treaties.

Henry, Prince of Wales, and his sister, Elizabeth, find themselves far more popular than their distrusted father, a perilous position for a child of a jealous king. When Elizabeth is introduced to one suitor, Frederick, the Elector Palatine, she feels the unexpected possibility of happiness. But her fate is not her own to choose—and when her parents brutally withdraw their support for the union, Elizabeth must take command of her own future, with the help of an unexpected ally, the slave girl Tallie, who seeks her own, very different freedom.”

This novel is a quick read and the plot speeds right along. The beginning of the novel feels somewhat frivolous, but by the time you reach the middle of the book it gains some weight. I think this is on purpose to show how Elizabeth grows up from an innocent child to a woman. There was also a cute love story between Elizabeth and Frederick that you were rooting for by the end of the book.

This was an interesting story and one whose characters I have not encountered elsewhere. We get up close and personal with the court of James I – his wife Anne of Denmark and children, Henry, Charles, and Elizabeth. This is quite the interesting court. James I is a very paranoid king – and rightly so – but it was shocking some of the actions that he took to protect himself, even from his family. Throughout the story we find out a lot about Henry, Elizabeth, and King James, but left wanting some regarding Queen Anne. The author may have left us distant from her in order to show how she was distant to the rest of her family – however, I did want to know more about her.

This wasn’t a novel with a lot of depth, more of a surface story, but it was enjoyable. I would recommend this if you are looking for a fun read but not expecting to tax your mind too much. I came away from reading it with a sense of enjoyment, but not with too much else and the events of the story don’t stick with you for a long time.

Author Christie Dickason also has written The Firemaster’s Mistress. You can visit Christie Dickason’s website for additional information about the book. If you would like to preview the story before reading it, why not try out this excerpt of the book?