Fierce Kingdom Review

Fierce Kingdom. Gin Phillips. 2017. Viking. 288 pages.

Rating: 2/5

I was expecting this book to be a lot more exciting than it turned out to be. Of course, it starts out normally enough as Joan and her son Lincoln are visiting the zoo. Things turn when they are getting ready to leave.

A couple of things bothered me about this book. One is the writing style. Something about the way Phillips writes this story makes it feel forced. This wasn't something that was contained to a certain portion of the book, but kept popping up throughout. Joan seemed to be trying too hard to show how much she cares about her son by focusing on how he used to be. Second, there are a bunch of unbelievable moments. Not in the "I can't believe that just happened!" sort of way, but instead in a "Why would she even do that?" way.

Then there are the shooters. We only really get to see one of them, but they are portrayed as caricatures. They seemed thin and only present to try to force Joan to do something. Which doesn't really work for the most part. It seemed like everything she does is reactionary. She only makes decisions when something else forces her into it. This drained a lot of the tension out of the story for me because she wasn't being dynamic. The flow of time based on the events that occurred compared to the times listed at the beginning of the chapters seemed off.

It's not all bad though. There are powerful moments, especially when Joan is confronted with the baby. And the end, while not entirely surprising, is built up to and presented well.

The Sultan and the Queen Review

The Sultan and the Queen. Jerry Brotton. 2016. Viking. 352 pages.

Rating: 4/5

Disclaimer: I received a free copy via Goodreads Giveaways in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting read. It covers the period from around the mid 16th century to the beginning of the 17th century. Of course, the focus is on the relationship between England and the Ottoman empire. It goes beyond that to some degree by going into detail about some interactions with the Persians and the Muslims in Morocco. With the rise of Protestantism, England became cut off from much of Europe. This led to them seeking alliances in other areas.

The writing was a little mixed in my opinion. Most of it is very good. However, there are times where the book gets very dry. There were only a couple instances that I can think of, but they dragged on because they were full of dates and names with little insight. Most of the book does not fall into that category though. It became great when the author delved into the plays that were created during this time. They provide insight into the relationships between these kingdoms and the English people. The analysis of some important Shakespeare plays in light of the events discussed in this book is wonderful.