Blog Tour: The Queen's Vow by C. W. Gortner

Author: C. W. Gortner

Publisher: Random House

Date of publication: June 2012

 

No one believed I was destined for greatness.
 
So begins Isabella’s story, in this evocative, vividly imagined novel about one of history’s most famous and controversial queens—the warrior who united a fractured country, the champion of the faith whose reign gave rise to the Inquisition, and the visionary who sent Columbus to discover a New World. 

I'm not normally a reader of historical fiction that involves a real person.  I normally shy away because there is no way anyone would know what a person was thinking so many years ago.  But, I am always up for trying something new.  The Queen's Vow is the story of Queen Isabella of Castille and is told from her point of view.  I knew nothing about this queen going into the story.  I only knew that she financed the Columbus's trip to the Americas. 

The author did a great job of capturing the feel of the time period. Isabella did not live a charmed life as one would think a future queen might.  Instead it was hard and filled with danger.  She seemed to be a brave woman with very strong religious convictions.  Together with her husband, they were able to take back Spain and become powerful rulers.  I liked their love story and can only hope that their relationship was as happy in real life.  I thought the book was well written and interesting.  There were a few times that I thought the book dragged a bit. Overall, I think anyone who likes this genre will enjoy the book.  One thing I did enjoy was the afterward by the author.  It give some more insight into the queen and her history.  It's worth checking it out!