The Red Queen's Daughter

by Jacqueline Kolosov

Paperback, 2009

Status

Available

Call number

YA A Kol

Publication

Disney Hyperion Books

Pages

399

Description

The orphaned daughter of Katherine Parr and Henry VIII, sixteen-year-old Mary Seymour vies to gain acceptance and fend off her jealous relatives and castle-mates as she enters into Queen Elizabeth's court.

Description

Mary Seymour is the daughter of the great Katherine Parr--the last Queen of Henry VIII. Orphaned at a young age because of her mother's bad marriage to Thomas Seymour, Mary determines early on that love is a sentiment that causes foolishness at best, and death at worst. She is sent to be raised by Lady Strange, a mysterious noblewoman who informs her of her destiny: Mary is to be a white magician who will join Queen Elizabeth's court and ensure her safe reign.
After spending her early years honing her education and learning the arts of the white magician, Mary is indeed invited to join Elizabeth's court as a Lady in Waiting. There she is met with warm welcome from the Queen, but soon realizes that the court is also rife with ambitious men and women who are jockeying for power. The most dangerous of these is Edmund Seymour, Mary's cousin. The moment she meets the dark, mysterious courtesan, Mary is drawn to him despite herself. Edmund is a black magician--the mirror image of Mary's own powers.
When Edmund becomes embroiled in a plot to overthrow the Queen, Mary has to risk everything she believes to fulfill her calling. But playing this dangerous game could cost her more than she ever imagined.

Collection

Barcode

5939

Language

Original language

English

Physical description

399 p.; 8.25 inches

ISBN

1423107985 / 9781423107989

Lexile

960L

User reviews

LibraryThing member Mezzowriter
I picked this one up because I was captivated by the cover. I bought it because I was captivated by the synopsis. I could not put this book down. For those who love the Tudor period of history and a little fantasy or magic, this book has both.

I found Kolosov's narrative style to be well-paced. She
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writes a solid plot, and her protagonist is one I wanted to invest in as a reader.

In particular, I thought her choice of ending was unique--I won't give it away except to say it leaves options for a sequel, and I found myself wanting one. I'm interested in reading Kolosov's next book, "A Sweet Disorder."
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LibraryThing member KarenBall
Great historical fiction/fantasy! The real Mary Seymour was the daughter of England's former queen Catherine Parr and Thomas Seymour. Orphaned early, she was taken in by the Duchess of Suffolk, and there are no records of her after the age of two. Jacqueline Kolosov takes that story and creates a
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new life for young Mary, where she is taken in by the Lady Strange after the Duchess' death, and educated in the normal arts and sciences as well as the arts of white magic. When she comes of age, Mary is placed in Elizabeth I's court publicly as a lady-in-waiting, and secretly as a white magician charged with protecting the queen. Mary's biggest problem is that there are agents of black magic who seek to dethrone the queen -- including her very handsome cousin Edmund.
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LibraryThing member Pascale1812
Had some very cool elements, but wasn't very satisfying plot or character wise.

Rating

½ (43 ratings; 3.6)

Call number

YA A Kol
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