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| Final Rating: 2.7/5 |
Take a taste of French history with The Shadow Queen
It's all in the details, and unfortunately The Shadow Queen failed at this execution for this reviewer. I was searching for a delectable feast of history and all I found was a bland spoonful. The Shadow Queen enticed this reader with a truly distinctive narrator and a journey from obscurity in the grime infested streets of Paris to a confidant in the glittering halls of the palace of the Sun King but unfortunately it ended with a somber sigh. It pained me to finish The Shadow Queen with this reaction after reading the premise and envisioning a story steeped in historical details and descriptions of the ornate halls of Versailles. This could have been a fantastic journey into the multilayer happenings of the time period and perhaps it will be for another reader.
For me, there seemed to be this odd modern tone to the narrator and confusion in details such as nationality of names, a parade of convenient coincidences and chapters where medical terminology and details switched from archaic to modern. Action scenes were handled in a hurried comedic fashion and finally court drama and politics felt stagnant and repetitive. I did appreciate the handling of the boudoir scenes, they were uncomplicated by overly dramatized writing that sometimes bogs down a vital scene in the transformation of a character's morals and I did enjoy the Shadow Queen's portrayal. The Shadow Queen would appeal to a special kind of reader and unfortunately I am not that reader. I would never try to discourage any potential reader to explore a new realm of history, so take a taste of French history with The Shadow Queen. You may like this one.
* I would like to thank Doubleday publisher and Edelweiss for the opportunity to read The Shadow Queen.
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