Book Review - The York King

 * Thank you so much to Lume Books, Anne Cater and Amy Licence for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review and for inviting me on this book tour. 

The York King by Amy Licence

Synopsis: 

1464. Family conflicts, Lancaster against York, the fight for the English throne continues... During the early years of his reign, Edward IV of York battles to bring peace and stability to the country, as Henry Beaufort, Duke of Somerset, raises support in the north, attempting to return the Lancastrian king, Henry VI, to the throne.  With uprisings imminent, the Earl of Warwick pursues a marriage alliance with France, determined to bring about a friendship between the two countries and suppress support for Lancaster. Unhappy with the match, Edward meets Elizabeth Woodville, daughter of a squire, and marries in a secret ceremony. With verbal agreements broken, friendships damaged and old divisions reappearing, Edward finds himself facing new enemies much closer to home. Set during the Wars of the Roses, this is the second volume in the House of York trilogy. 

My review:

This is the first novel I have read by Amy Licence, I am a huge fan of her non-fiction books, my favourite being Edward IV & Elizabeth Woodville: a True Romance, so I jumped at the chance to read her new book The York King, which is the second of a trilogy. This book focuses on the meeting of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville, Edward’s betrayal by his brother and Warwick, and the fight to win back the English throne.

The York King begins in 1464 and finishes in 1471. By the end of the book, Edward seems to have matured. He now has a wife and children, and he’s experienced deep betrayal at the hands of his brother and Warwick, which results in a bloody battle to regain the crown. Even though I knew exactly what was going to happen, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book. I will never tire of this story. Amy managed to keep the story fresh and bring it back to life. All the characters were written perfectly, Edward is exactly how I imagined him to have been. The York King is wonderfully descriptive, I could clearly imagine everything, as if I was there!

This factual novel would be excellent for those who are new to the Wars of the Roses and the House of York. Fiction can be a lot easier to digest for people who don’t like heavier going non-fiction. By sticking to the facts, Amy proves that the history is interesting enough on its own, without the need of any extra additions or fluff!

I highly recommend The York King, I read it in a couple of sittings and didn’t want it to end! I am going to read the first book and I eagerly await the final book in the series. 

The York King is out now! You can buy your copy here.

Check out the rest of the tour:

Amy Licence:

Amy Licence is an historian of women’s lives in the medieval and early modern period, from queens to commoners. Her particular interest lies in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth century, in gender relations, queenship and identity, female orthodoxy and fertility and childbirth. She is also interested in modernism, specifically Woolf and the Bloomsbury Group, Picasso and Post-Impressionism. She has been a teach for over twenty years. Amy has written for The Guardian, The TLS, The New Statesman, BBC History, The Huffington Post and contributes regularly to BBC History Magazine.