When I read that Philippa Gregory had a new book out I knew I just had to get it. Thankfully Christmas was just around the corner and there was still room under the tree for a book! I fell into reading it within days of unwrapping it and found myself in a completely different world in the first page.

Gregory has caught up, somewhat, to the successful story of The Other Boleyn Girl. She corrects the flaws from The Virgin's Lover with the way she presents the different perspectives. It still causes the story to jump around a little bit more and it takes a few chapters to fall into the vibe, but once you do it's well worth it.

As usual, Gregory's writing is beautiful in language and she presents this different world to the reader in such a way you understand every custom, dress and word. It's a little hard to keep track of all the different characters running in and around, but it's not to great a deal as you do remember the ones that matter.

Speaking of characters, there is only one that brings the book down. Katherine Howard. She's written as a two-demensional character, which wouldn't be a big deal if she wasn't one of our main protagonists. She comes across as a flitty, dumb little girl. She acknowledges this flaw in herself, and that's great, but it means nothing to the reader if there's nothing else to her. Sure, maybe she's written this way so we just see her as another one of Henry's wives, but she was a wife longer than Anne of Cleves, and Anne's character was written much better and you care for her a lot more.

Other than the nuisance that is Katherine, the book is fabulous. Gregory does not disappoint and definitely proves herself worthy of being the eyes and ears of this most unique court.