Friday, 13 April 2012

The Betrayal Review


The Betrayal (At The House of the Magician 3)
-       Mary Hooper

Publisher: Bloomsbury
 Lucy is asked to continue her work on behalf of Queen Elizabeth I. But will her romance with Tomas, the queen's fool, get in the way?

Mary Hooper is the queen of immersive historical fiction for teens. I’m sure I’ve said it before, but I will say again (and probably each time I read one of her books!), but her stories hum with the life and atmosphere of the sixteenth century vividly painting images and textures in my head.

Lucy continues to work for her beloved monarch, Queen Elizabeth even while helping Mistress Midge prepare a London town house for Dr Dee and his family. The move from Richmond and Mortlake to London opens up the world for Lucy and gives a new exciting range of sights and sounds for us to explore – including the world of the theatre and players. The way the servants and manual labours look up to the aristocracy is subtly done with their gossip about court life and the queen’s suitors similar to any gossip magazine today.

Lucy’s relationship with the queen’s fool Tomas is expanded upon with the trust between them strained at times as a rival for Tom’s affections appears. Tom and Lucy have a very sweet relationship especially considering the traditional roles for men and women at that time. A great read – and fantastic insight into a different century and a different way of life.

Recommended for fans of Harriet Castor and Celia Rees. 8 out of 10

3 comments:

  1. All these great reviews of Mary Hooper you've posted and I STILL haven't read one of her books! I really need to address that soon!

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  2. Cute cover and sounds like a good book too. It has been a while since I read any YA historicals

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  3. The queen of historical fiction YA? Okay, I need to read this author!

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