Just a Queen

by Jane Caro

[Kelly]

★★★☆
http://www.divabooknerd.com/2015/05/just-queen-by-jane-caro.html
Just a Queen was a surprising and enjoyable read that is a cross between young adult and historical adult fiction. Told from Elizabeth's point of view, we seen a Queen who is nearing middle aged and looking back over her upon the throne, now older but perhaps none the wiser. The fictional insight took quite a few chapters to immerse myself in, but as the reader begins seeing the girl behind the Queen, I felt more endeared to woman that was ultimately indecisive and seemingly unhappy. Thrust into a position of power well beyond her control, she's known as the Virgin Queen, pure and untouched. But she harbors a deep and passionate love for her Horsemaster, a man she cannot marry for fear of reprisal. Many a suitor makes their attentions known from across the seas, Princes and King's alike. But not only does Elizabeth refuse to take a husband, but also to name an heir to her throne should she be ostracised or killed.

Where Elizabeth is seen as a darling of purity, her cousin Mary is not. The now Queen of Scotland has seen multiple marriages and scandal, but her strong religious ties still ensure the defamed Queen may still hold a place on the throne occupied by Elizabeth. The men in her life were deplorable, where Elizabeth wanted little more than to find a friend within the Queen of Scots, the secrets and whispering gossip had forced her hand. But as the storyline drifted back and forth between Elizabeth sharing her younger years as a newly anointed Queen and her older self looking back with much regret, the fictional version of Elizabeth seemed more so the spoilt child who never quite grew beyond her reign and allowed herself to be swayed far too easily.

But without a doubt, the historical prose was lovely. I could easily envision what it felt to be a woman in a predominantly male world. Her subtle acts of defiance during that period may have paved the way for equality today, but sadly those were too and far between. It was rich, detailed and a wonderful insight into a formidable woman through her fictional life.