Book: Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir

Pages/Format: 399/hardcover

My Thoughts: Having read several of her books, I thought I’d give this book a try.  It’s about the life of Lady Jane Grey, who is also known as the 9 Days’ Queen.

The format I found to be somewhat annoying, as she shifted between the different characters.  Just as I got used to one character, she would sometimes switch to someone else.  While it was interesting to see the different perspectives, it would have been nice to focus on one character throughout the novel.  Plus, I felt like the shifting characters fell flat- the characters had very similar voices, and if it weren’t for the “headers” and different events/relationships, it would be very hard to distinguish between everyone.  Personally, I thought the most distinct character was the executioner of Lady Jane Grey.   

Something I thought was interesting was that I found myself wanting to take notes.  I think that’s the direct result of having read several of her non-fiction books, and taking notes what I’m reading. 

I could envision everything happening- she really brought the people to life, and dug deeper than just the facts, which also brought the events and the people to life.  I honestly felt like I was one of the characters in the book.  Or if not one of the characters, then I felt like I was eavesdropping or peering into their life in some way. 

My Rating: It gets a 3 out of 5, as it is Weir’s 1st attempt at fiction.  It was very enjoyable overall, despite the fact that the characters sounded very similar.