If you read historical fiction, you already know that the Tudors are everywhere. It’s almost like what Regency England did to historical romance settings. While I love Tudor England, I still jumped at the chance to change things up and visit the early Stuart period. Set in the Court of King James I, this novel provided an interesting mix of reading experiences – some good and others not quite so pleasant.

The reader sees the story primarily through the eyes of James’ daughter Elizabeth. Though her father merely sees her as a marriagable pawn he can use to further his diplomatic policies, Elizabeth’s voice is that of a fairly clever girl. And girl she is, as much of the book’s action takes place during her early teens. Some readers may have trouble reading a 14 year old narrator’s musings on upcoming marriage prospects, but while jarring to modern sensibilities, this part of Elizabeth’s story is largely true to the historical record. Through Elizabeth’s eyes, we see life in James I’s court, as well as Elizabeth’s close relationship with her brother and what becomes an unusual friendship with the slave girl given to her by her mother. Though the book has some romantic elements to it, it is a coming of age story more than anything.

The main action opens at the time of the Gunpowder Plot, when Elizabeth is only 9. She becomes aware of the plot, and in its wake, is herself interrogated upon orders of James I. The actions she takes as well as her father’s paranoid suspicion with regard to his own children take center stage and they will come back to color much of what comes later in the story. Indeed, one of the strengths of this book lies in the author’s creation of a vivid portrait of James I and his court. The author focuses on some of his weaknesses to the detriment of his accomplishments in some respects, but she does do a good job of showing readers how James I’s early life shaped the king he later became. After all, his mother was deposed from the Scottish throne when he was only an infant and the resulting threats to his life had effects which one sees used in this book. His distrust of his own children, jealousy over their acceptance by the English people, and his conviction that his children would kill or dethrone him if given the chance show up again and again. James I’s court as shown by the author is not always pretty, but it will certainly fascinate readers and is likely more accurate than the genteel fancy dress parties that sometimes pass for historical fiction.

After the events of the Gunpowder Plot and as she reaches what her father considers marriagable age, Elizabeth spends less time at the country home of her guardians and more time at court. Though she does not always feel comfortable in court circles, her time there does give Elizabeth the advantage of having more time with her older brother to whom she is extremely close. The author’s spin on the sibling’s support for one another is an interesting part of the book and, as with James I, I found the character of Prince Henry interesting.

Indeed, many of the secondary characters in this novel are well-drawn and quite intriguing. The narrator herself is more difficult to believe or enjoy, and this shows up in another of the book’s major plots, the friendship between Elizabeth and Thalia (“Tallie”) Bristo, the slave girl given to her by the Queen as a gift. Things start off well enough. The insecure Elizabeth does not know quite what to make of actually owning a person and she fumbles around a bit trying to get to know Tallie and to build some type of rapport with her.

Unfortunately, things then go off the deep end a bit. Without giving too much away, I’ll just point out that Elizabeth at times goes from sounding like a 17th century princess to a very modern thinker. While the author does do a good job of making the point that Elizabeth’s circumscribed life at Court keeps her enslaved to a degree just as Tallie is enslaved, some of the interactions between mistress and slave girl do not seem plausible. I could buy that the lonely Elizabeth would befriend someone who listened to her and treated her kindly, but some of the adventures that these two get into strain credibility. I doubted that the closely watched princess could simply change into male clothes and go exploring in London, for instance. Given that parts of the book deal with the manueverings surrounding Elizabeth’s eventual marriage, I found it refreshing that the author dealt with the emotional and sexual sides of this as opposed to the merely political. However, some of the musings on sex and Elizabeth’s developing sexuality seemed very politically correct in the modern sense and, therefore, did not fit well into the tone of the rest of the story.

Even so, I did enjoy this book more than not and there are parts of it that will stick in my mind for quite a while. For that reason, it deserves a qualified recommendation. The writing is solid, and if one is willing to overlook the occasional flawed scene, there are some good reading moments to be had.