The Summer Queen | Book Review.♥ ~ ♥ Beenazai

The Summer Queen: A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine (Book #1)
Elizabeth Chadwick

Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
(July 1, 2014)

ISBN-10: 1402294069
ISBN-13: 978-1402294068
Genre: Historical Fiction
Buy It Here: Amazon

Synopsis: New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Chadwick brings Eleanor of Aquitaine to life with breathtaking historical detail in the first volume of this stunning new trilogy.

Eleanor of Aquitaine is a 12th century icon who has fascinated readers for 800 years. But the real Eleanor remains elusive.This stunning novel introduces an Eleanor that all other writers have missed. Based on the most up-to-date research, it is the first novel to show Eleanor beginning her married life at 13. Overflowing with scandal, passion, triumph and tragedy, Eleanor's legendary story begins when her beloved father dies in the summer of 1137, and she is made to marry the young prince Louis of France. A week after the marriage she becomes a queen and her life will change beyond recognition.

Wow.. This is a brilliant work of historical fiction - I was quite surprised I liked reading this. It was a bit slow when I began to read it, but I eventually grew fond of it. It replays the life of a powerful queen Eleanor of Aquitaine. After her father passes away and trusts her into the hands of the King of France and arranges her marriage to the French King's son Louis VII at the age of thirteen. I liked his character at first, but as he changed - my thoughts changed as well. I did not like her husband at all then, I found him bigot, sexist, and an idiot basically. He has no mind at all, I mean come on you're soon to be the king dude! You can do so much good with that kind of power, instead he does the opposite and causes so much corruption and hatred on the basis of his "advisers." He was a useless puppet.

Eleanor(Alienor) is smart and cunning, I don't believe she's cunning in a wrong way though - she's thinking logically with her mind, and not her heart. I noticed she's not as emotional as most people would think she would be as a queen. I thought she basically thought like a man. Think like a man, act like a boss? More logic, less emotions. I found it hard to relate to her because I'm an emotional fool who always thinks from the heart.

Eleanor was quite fearless too. I thought she was quite strong for a thirteen year old child - it shows what kind of household she was raised in. I loved the determination she had to live her life the way she desired. She was not corrupted, but she did look for her and her kingdom's benefit. She was selflessly selfish, if that makes sense? She wasn't evil though. However, she was caring and loving about her sister and her people of Aquitaine. It's a beautifully written novel, and at times I sympathized with Eleanor. She grew into a lovely woman who helped shaped the culture of two two nations.

The Summer Queen is quite a dramatic tale, and I loved reading every second of it. The life of Eleanor fascinated me and her choices I could understand. I will read the next two books in the trilogy. As I mentioned as times it felt slow, but I found no major flaws in it. I enjoyed reading it from the beginning to the end, it was an inspiring novel where I learned about someone who I was completely not aware of. The writing, the dialogues, the story, and the book overall was precise and neat.

I wish we could have read this in educational settings. I wonder why her character is never even mention in American schools. It's a wonderful work from a great author, I would recommend this to historical fiction fans, and even if you aren't one - this is still a great read. Eleanor(Alienor) of Aquitaine is one of the most fascinating and legendary women in European history, and I enjoyed reading her story.

Shukran for reading this! Leave your blog links in the comments & I'll be sure to check them out & follow :)

Also, My paperback giveaway for the YA Paranormal book: Whisper ends soon, Oct 31! Don't forget to hop on here, it's international! Stay in tuned pretty creatures..

Disclosure: The Summer Queen was sent free of charge from Sourcebooks Landmark in exchange for an honest review.

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