The King's Rose review by BBow
The King's Rose
by Alisa Libby
Age Range - 12 and up
Genre - Adventure
Five Star Award

LitPick Review

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Age at time of review - 13
Reviewer's Location - Tipp City, OH , United States
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A new and different approach to the Tudors and Henry VIII, 
Alisa Libby's The King's Rose tells the story of Henry's 
fifth wife, Catherine Howard. Cousin to Anne Boleyn, 
Catherine's story reveals her concerns with the marriage 
even before the king's proposal. Free from any glaring 
historical anomalies, The King's Rose builds upon real 
letters and testimonies to develop a love plot between 
Catherine and her cousin Thomas. The novel is structured 
around the contradictions of court life.  Though outsiders 
to the situation may see her as greedy, this portrayal of 
Catherine focuses on her young age and responsibility, 
especially as her marriage is presented as a duty. In this 
way, The King's Rose tells the story of a teenage girl who 
perhaps isn't ready to become Queen, but who is thrown 
into the position regardless in order to protect her 
family interests and then must struggle to balance King 
Henry's interests with her own

Opinion: 

Considering my interest in history, I truly enjoyed reading The King's Rose. To my 
knowledge, the setting is accurate and well developed, 
though liberty was clearly taken with the romantic plot. I 
was pleased to note Libby's emphasis on the importance of 
family in early English society, between Henry's 
nightmares over his heir and Catherine's rise to Queen as 
critical to social status of the Howard lineage. Though I 
knew how the novel would end, I appreciated how Libby led 
into it. Like Catherine herself, the reader feels helpless 
to the control of the council and upon finishing will 
likely contemplate Catherine's decisions as I couldn't 
help but do. In addition to young adults, this novel is 
certainly accessible to an older crowd with an interest in 
the Tudor era and the many wives of Henry VII. 
 
Rating:
5
Content Rating:

Content rating - nothing offensive
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