THE PLOT: ‘The King’s Mother’ by Annie Garthwaite is a historical novel set during the Wars of the Roses. It follows Cecily, Duchess of York, as her son ascends the English throne in 1461. Yet Cecily is not the only mother fighting for her child’s place at the centre of court. With Marguerite of Anjou (the deposed queen sheltering her son in France), Margaret Beaufort (the last hope of Lancaster and progenitor to the Tudor dynasty), and Elizabeth Woodville (fiercely promoting the Prince of Wales for the top job), the novel charts the dynamics of four mothers who each have their eye on one crown.

RATING: It’s no secret that I loved Annie Garthwaite’s debut novel, ‘Cecily’. Indeed, I’ve been waiting for this sequel with bated breath over the last two years. So, I’m pleased to say, it met all my expectations and more. Medieval history is my favourite but it can be hard for some novels to capture the atmosphere of the period, which can feel so alien to our own. Garthwaite’s skill is that she completely inhabits the voice of the character and makes the grand events feel universal by focussing on the human emotions. So, it’s an obvious five-stars from me and I can’t wait for more from this author.

GOOD BITS: I love the character of Cecily. She’s strong, powerful, intelligent, and she’s best when she’s in a fight. But fighting to keep the throne is different to fighting to win, and I enjoyed seeing her become more vulnerable and emotional as she ages. Although still a powerful force at court, as the action revolves around her sons you feel Cecily lose the burning need to rise, and I enjoyed how the author highlighted the similarities between Cecily and Margaret Beaufort as a kind of ‘handing over the baton’. Additionally, though this book is called ‘The King’s Mother’, for me the standout aspect was the depiction of Richard III. Often maligned as a child-killer and usurper, this novel redeems Cecily’s youngest son by portraying him as a good ruler and protector, who didn’t seek power for selfish reasons.

NOT SO GOOD BITS: Everything about the marketing and positioning of this novel made me think it would be multiple point-of-view, with chapters from the perspective of each mother. Therefore, I was a tad disappointed when we didn’t see events through the eyes of the other characters. Given the novel is written in third-person, I think Garthwaite could’ve pulled it off and it would’ve replicated the dynamism and pace of ‘Cecily’ (e.g. jumping to France and Marguerite etc.). On this note, I think this book lacks some of the energy of the previous book because Cecily is less personally active so she’s witnessing dynamics between others more than she’s affecting the course of history herself.

OVERALL: I’d recommend this book to lovers of Hilary Mantel, Philippa Gregory, Alison Weir and Elizabeth Chadwick. In particular, if you’ve read ‘The White Queen’ series by Philippa Gregory, this provides a wonderful view of the other side of the conflict and you’ll be enthralled with the depiction of Elizabeth Woodville. If you love historical fiction, then this author needs to be on your ‘to buy’ list.

Thank you to Viking for my #gifted copy and spot on the blog tour in exchange for an honest review.

‘The Kings Mother’ is out today and available to purchase with a discount on my bookshop.org page.