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3.5/5
Non-Fiction
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Rating: 3/5
Pages: 464
Started: 3 July 2022
Finished: 3 July 2022
Summary:
Mary, Queen of Scots, knows in a vague sense that someday she will marry her friend Francis, the crown prince to France. But at the moment, she's more interested in going dancing with her four ladies in waiting and using her secret identity as an Eðian--a person who can turn into an animal (for her, a mouse) -- to spy on the French court for her mother, who is far away ruling in Scotland. But while scheming is a given i a royal court, there are nefarious schemes in place that will require all of the royalty and cleverness of both Mary and Francis to overcome so they can claim their rightful thrones.
Thoughts:
A few years ago, I read My Lady Jane by the same authors and had basically the exact same reaction to that book that I had to this one. I didn't hate it, but it was really freaking weird. I liked the almost interactive way that the narrators/authors talked to the reader, the way they gave assurances sometimes before I could worry too much about a bad thing happening, and the witty spunk of both the writing and the characters. But something about the tone was off just a little bit, enough that it felt super weird. The Eðian thing was done in a way that made it hard to take seriously, which was frustrating for a person who really liked world building/magic systems that can be immersive. The magical/verity situation felt very much like The Priory of the Orange Tree, which was kind of odd. The other connection I made was that the book reminded me inexplicably of the Amoeba Sisters. I don't regret reading it, but I also don't think I would pursue other books in the series at a later date.
Words:
Livre (n) former French money
Dauphin (n) the eldest son of the king of France