1458. Young Frenchwoman Estelle de Montavon sails to Cyprus imagining a bright future as tutor to a princess. Instead, she is betrayed by those she loves most—and forced into a dangerous new world of scheming courtiers, vicious power struggles, and the terrifying threat of war.
Determined to flee, Estelle enlists the help of an attractive and mysterious falconer. But on the eve of her escape, fortune’s wheel turns again. She gains entry to Queen Charlotta’s inner circle as a trusted scribe and interpreter, fighting her way to dizzying heights of influence.
Enemies old and new rise from the shadows as Estelle navigates a royal game of cat and mouse between the queen and her powerful half-brother, who wants the throne for himself.
When war comes to the island, she faces a brutal reckoning for her loyalty to the queen. Will the impossible choice looming ahead be Estelle’s doom—or her salvation?
Being a writer means getting to know other writers, and that means getting the chance to read books before they are published. It's an immense privilege and an honour that I do not take lightly. Letting your book go out into the big wide world is one thing, but letting other writers look at it first? That can be scary. Amy Maroney need not worry though, for once again she brings an intoxicating historical drama that, frankly, I resented having to put down to tackle mundane tasks such as eating and sleeping.
I say 'once again' because this is the third in the Sea and Stone Chronicles and, having read the other two in the series, I was delighted to renew my acquaintance with characters who feature in Books I & II. That said, this works completely as a standalone so, if you haven't read the other books, fear not (but do read them - they are fabulous).
In this new adventure we've moved - mainly - away from Rhodes to medieval Cyprus but, whilst I've never been there, I feel like I have now. Again, because I'm a writer, I know it's not easy to build an historical world that the reader can almost taste and smell, but here the author makes it look so easy, so effortless. Sometimes I stop reading and wonder just exactly how she does it - it's like a maths sum where you can't see all the 'working out' that's gone on beforehand. Whether we're at the bustling harbour where we feel the heat of the sun and the sea breeze, or high up in a mountain castle, we're somehow right there, alongside the characters, watching their every move.
And oh my, those moves are complicated. The Cypriot court teems with treacherous, ambitious folk who will stop at nothing to get what they want, using people as pawns in their power play, careless of what happens to them, and violent towards anyone who stands in their way. Estelle is an innocent when she arrives in this veritable next of vipers and she makes mistakes, she's not confident, and she is, understandably, homesick. What I particularly enjoyed was watching her learn, growing in confidence and stature, and seeing her become adept in navigating her own way through this strange and shocking world. She's an admirable character - loyal, loving, and fierce - but she has doubts, and insecurities, and she's all the more human for it.
The mysterious falconer remains pretty mysterious throughout, and the twists and turns of the plot ensure that we are never entirely confident about how the relationship between him and Estelle will develop. In fact, I am in admiration of the skilful plotting which finds so many characters in such tight spaces it seems impossible that they will find a way out. When such situations are resolved it is always plausible and never forced, or left to unbelievable coincidence.
This is world-building at its best: sights, sounds, smells, clothing, politics, social customs, are all vividly brought to life. The drama is breath-taking, edge of the seat stuff and yet, at the heart of this book is a young woman, dare we say heroine, about whom we worry, and for whom we care deeply. The phrase 'page-turner' is maybe bandied about a bit lightly sometimes, but this novel utterly deserves the description.
The Queen's Scribe is available now. Click here
No comments:
Post a Comment