From Goodreads: Joan of Kent, renowned beauty and cousin to King Edward III, is destined for a politically strategic marriage. As the king begins a long dynastic struggle to claim the crown of France, plunging England into the Hundred Years’ War, he negotiates her betrothal to a potential ally and heir of a powerful lordship.
But Joan, haunted by nightmares of her father’s execution at the hands of her treacherous royal kin, fears the king’s selection and is not resigned to her fate. She secretly pledges herself to one of the king’s own knights, one who has become a trusted friend and protector. Now she must defend her vow as the king—furious at Joan’s defiance—prepares to marry her off to another man.
In A Triple Knot, Emma Campion brings Joan, the “Fair Maid of Kent” to glorious life, deftly weaving details of King Edward III’s extravagant court into a rich and emotionally resonant tale of intrigue, love, and betrayal.
My Thoughts: I loved that this book covered a period of history that I am not very familiar with. It was so refreshing! It was nice to meet an entirely new set of characters instead of ones that I have seen portrayed in fifteen different ways. I liked Joan a lot but there were times where it seemed weird that the story was told by a 12 year old (at least in the beginning). Prince Edward was a little scary. He wasn't really the villain of the story but every time he showed up, he gave me the creeps.
I think what interested me most about this story was the case involving Joan's marriage to Thomas Holland. It was fascinating to read about the extent each side went to in order to 'win' and I really enjoyed reading about the process of investigating her the details of her marriage and interviewing witnesses, etc. It's just crazy to think about how Joan had to deal with so much and wait so long in order to actually be with her husband.
One of the things I didn't love about this book was that the historical aspects got really confusing. I spent a lot of time googling different historical characters and their stories so that I could get a better idea of what was going on. It made it a little hard to get into the story. I also didn't like that the story kind of just ended; Joan lived a long while after the point at which the story ended. I was definitely left wanting more.
Overall, this was a good read that made me want to read everything I can find about Joan of Kent. 3 stars.
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I think there's so many things that could have made this a great story since Joan has such an interesting history, but there were just a lot of aspects that didn't work for me. I find out that The First Princess of Whales is about her, and one people seem to enjoy, so I'm curious about it to see if I'll enjoy it more than this one.
ReplyDeleteI love historical fiction but will probably only pick this up when I see it somewhere cheap. It seems really difficult to read if you know nothing of the period.. :)
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