A review by dragoninwinterfell
The Passionate Tudor: A Novel of Queen Mary I by Alison Weir

emotional informative tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Thank you to the author, the publisher Ballantine Books, and Netgalley for the digital ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

The Passionate Tudor is the third novel in The Tudor Rose series, following The Last White Rose, A Novel of Elizabeth of York and The King’s Pleasure, A Novel of Henry VIII. Centering on the novelized life of Mary I Tudor, readers follow her story as she goes from a cherished princess and heiress to a disgraced bastard to one of England’s most infamous monarchs.

As always, Weir utilizes her extensive knowledge of English history to craft a very grounded narrative while giving life and spirit to what could be dry history. This is what I love about The Tudor Rose series as well as Weir’s connected series, Six Tudor Queens. Whether one agrees with Weir’s interpretations of the known facts or not, she has a gift for writing historical figures and making their choices feel both authentic to the time period as well as understandable to a modern reader.

https://youtu.be/NSWQd5aALus