From the Bookshelf of And So It Begins Reading Challenge…

Gilt (Royal Circle, #1)

Katherine Longshore

Start date: January 1, 2013

Finish date: December 31, 2013

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May 01, 2012 Darlene rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: for-review, audiobook, read-in-2012, 2012-debut-author-challenge, 2012-ya-audiobook-challenge

I received this audiobook for review from the publisher. I did not receive any compensation for my review, and the views expressed herein are my own.

This historical fiction novel by debut author, Katherine Longshore, takes place during the time of the Tudor Era.

Kitty Tylney is the best friend or, more appropriately, servant of Catherine Howard (aka “Cat”), who longs to become a member of the nobility. When the opportunity arises that King Henry VIII is looking for a new wife (after the disastro I received this audiobook for review from the publisher. I did not receive any compensation for my review, and the views expressed herein are my own.

This historical fiction novel by debut author, Katherine Longshore, takes place during the time of the Tudor Era.

Kitty Tylney is the best friend or, more appropriately, servant of Catherine Howard (aka “Cat”), who longs to become a member of the nobility. When the opportunity arises that King Henry VIII is looking for a new wife (after the disastrous and short-lived marriage to his fifth wife, Anne of Cleves), he chooses young Cat who is about 30 years his junior.

I feel that I am in the minority here when it comes to my opinion on the book. While I do enjoy historical fiction, I have to admit that I found this novel very hard for me to get into. I surmise that my difficulty in enjoying the story stemmed from my inability to connect with the characters. I do not have to like a character to enjoy the story, but a good author should evoke a strong emotion from the reader, whether it be love and adoration or disgust and revulsion! I felt neither but, rather, was “ho-hum” about the story.

Cat reminds me of a spoiled, petulant child who always gets her way. She cares nothing for her “friends,” and routinely uses them whenever she fancies to get what she wants. She cares more about her looks, material possessions, and station than anything of real importance. I did not care for her character at all. I even had a hard time liking Kitty, who considered herself a friend to Kat but also did not fool herself that she was more than she was: She had nothing and was nothing without Cat. I wanted to like Kitty, I really did, but I had a hard time respecting her choice to become a martyr for Cat. She always put aside her own happiness and felt she was undeserving of anything for herself.

The pace of the book was very slow, and I was rather bored for the most part. However, the last third of the tale picked up, and I was happy to see Cat and Kitty get their comeuppance! Overall, I had high hopes for this debut but was disappointed. It is my understanding that there will be additional books in the series, all featuring different people from the Tudor Court. I am really on the fence as to whether I will continue with the series. My love of historical fiction and the time period makes me want to give it another go, but we shall see.

Jennifer Ikeda is a new-to-me narrator, and I thought she was very good. I loved her British accent, and I will definitely look for more audiobooks from her. Honestly, if it weren’t for her excellent narration, I may not have finished the audiobook. The audiobook was enhanced with instrumental music to introduce different sections of the book, and I felt that the music was a great tie-in to the time period.

MY RATING: 2 stars!! Meh, it was just "ok". Thanks to Penguin Audio for the review copy! ...more

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