D. Leah L. (DLeahL) - , reviewed on 10/22/2010 + 48 more book reviews

I find this series of books delightfully entertaining. It's difficult to create an authentic character who purports to live 1000 years ago in general - but to give such a personality many "modern" sensibilities while retaining the reader's suspension of belief is very difficult. I had my most problems with this difficulty when I read the first book in the series, Mistress of the Art of Death.

Franklin has allowed her characters to grow and change in satisfying and believable ways. I think that my favorite character is her take on an authentic historical figure - King Henry II of England. It is easy to judge Henry with 20/20 vision and a kind of "backwards"perspective. His actions during the last half of his life (give or take) - imprisoning his wife, cruelty to his sons, abducting and raping their fiancees, etc.is sufficiently obnoxious to create a kind of disdain among many people today (especially women who tend to glorify Eleanor of Aquitaine).

Yet we also must remember that there was some reason Henry, at the age of 19 years, was able to convince Eleanor - several years older than him and married to the King of France - to anull her marriage and wed him. This and his reputation as a "lady's man" of sorts does indicate that he must have had a good amount of personal charm. In addition to this, many of his laws and decisions seem to point to a king with a good head on his shoulders.

Franklin portrays a realistic Henry for her readers. Considering this, and how much I enjoy the people within her novels, makes me realize that these books, in many ways, are much more character driven than the plot. The plots are interesting enough, but it is the way in which her characters view and react to events which provide the spice.

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