What do you think?
Rate this book
Spy for the Queen of Scots
As lady-in-waiting to Mary, Queen of Scots, the beautiful Ginette—known as Jenny—is the young queen’s closest childhood friend. Growing up in the elegant but ruthless French court, surrounded by enemies and traitors—not least the jealous, manipulative Catherine de Medici, and Mary’s own scheming half-brother, James—Jenny has always been fiercely loyal to her mistress. But when she overhears a mysterious whispered plot, closely followed by several unexplained deaths at court, she puts her own life in danger and turns spy for Mary.
Jenny quickly realises not a soul at court can be trusted, and when she and Mary return to their Scottish homeland for Mary to claim her throne, they face even greater peril. Desperate to protect her friend from those who would slit her throat to steal her crown, while battling her feelings for the charismatic nobleman Duncan Alexander, Jenny becomes embroiled in a dangerous web of secrets, betrayals and lies.
Jenny quickly realises not a soul at court can be trusted, and when she and Mary return to their Scottish homeland for Mary to claim her throne, they face even greater peril. Desperate to protect her friend from those who would slit her throat to steal her crown, while battling her feelings for the charismatic nobleman Duncan Alexander, Jenny becomes embroiled in a dangerous web of secrets, betrayals and lies.
416 pages, Paperback
First published August 2, 2012
12 people are currently reading
1888 people want to read
About the author
Theresa Breslin
90 books96 followersTheresa Breslin is a Scottish author of over 50 books, known for her contributions to children's and young adult literature. She won the Carnegie Medal in 1994 for Whispers in the Graveyard, which tells the story of a dyslexic boy overcoming personal struggles. Born and raised in Kirkintilloch, Scotland, she started writing as a teenager and later worked as a librarian before becoming a full-time author.
Her works often explore historical and social themes, as seen in Divided City (2005), which addresses sectarianism in Glasgow, and The Medici Seal (2006), a historical novel featuring Leonardo da Vinci. Her book Prisoner of the Inquisition (2010) was shortlisted for another Carnegie Medal.
Breslin has received numerous accolades, including the Scottish Book Trust's Outstanding Achievement Award and an Honorary Fellowship from the Association for Scottish Literary Studies. In 2019, she was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her services to literature.
Her works often explore historical and social themes, as seen in Divided City (2005), which addresses sectarianism in Glasgow, and The Medici Seal (2006), a historical novel featuring Leonardo da Vinci. Her book Prisoner of the Inquisition (2010) was shortlisted for another Carnegie Medal.
Breslin has received numerous accolades, including the Scottish Book Trust's Outstanding Achievement Award and an Honorary Fellowship from the Association for Scottish Literary Studies. In 2019, she was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her services to literature.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
December 2, 2014
Refreshing to read about a different version of mary queen of scots. I love anything to do with this time period and I liked that the author sympathised with Mary. I know quite a bit about this time period but not much about Mary queen of Scots except for the negative's about her. So found this a very interesting read filled to the brim with history and for the YA audience a romance. Definatly a good book if you want a look into this time period. Will definatly check out more from this author.
December 21, 2012
Review by Shelly
“Jenny, close friend and companion of Mary, Queen of Scots, has grown up at the French royal court – a place of ruthless ambition, intrigue and deceit. When Jenny overhears a whispered plot, and several mysterious deaths take place, she turns spy for Mary.”
Now I love a good historical novel and was really looking forward to this one as I don't know too much about Mary Queen of Scots. The story starts with a prologue of Mary facing her execution and then transports you back 29 years to France and Mary's upcoming wedding to Francis. The story is told by Ginette, Jenny, who is Mary's best friend and confidant. She unwittingly overhears a plot that may have tragic consequences for Mary and so their stories are interwoven as she looks out for her Queen and turns spy for her to uncover the truth.
The problem with this book is that there are too many characters. You begin to forget who is who and lose track of the goodies and baddies. Too many of the names are the same, for which you cannot fault the author, but we do not get to know these characters in depth and so do not care about them let alone remember them from one chapter to another. Jenny is written well but I could have done without the romantic twist as the will they won't they get together story line tends to distract from the main story of Mary.
Having read the book I am not sure if I am any nearer to knowing who and what Mary stood for and even though it was a good read I was not hooked and so will have to get my Mary fix elsewhere.
“Jenny, close friend and companion of Mary, Queen of Scots, has grown up at the French royal court – a place of ruthless ambition, intrigue and deceit. When Jenny overhears a whispered plot, and several mysterious deaths take place, she turns spy for Mary.”
Now I love a good historical novel and was really looking forward to this one as I don't know too much about Mary Queen of Scots. The story starts with a prologue of Mary facing her execution and then transports you back 29 years to France and Mary's upcoming wedding to Francis. The story is told by Ginette, Jenny, who is Mary's best friend and confidant. She unwittingly overhears a plot that may have tragic consequences for Mary and so their stories are interwoven as she looks out for her Queen and turns spy for her to uncover the truth.
The problem with this book is that there are too many characters. You begin to forget who is who and lose track of the goodies and baddies. Too many of the names are the same, for which you cannot fault the author, but we do not get to know these characters in depth and so do not care about them let alone remember them from one chapter to another. Jenny is written well but I could have done without the romantic twist as the will they won't they get together story line tends to distract from the main story of Mary.
Having read the book I am not sure if I am any nearer to knowing who and what Mary stood for and even though it was a good read I was not hooked and so will have to get my Mary fix elsewhere.
August 17, 2014
I’ve always been fascinated by Mary, the last Queen of Scots so I was intrigued to read this historical fiction of most of her life. It’s divided into two parts, the first one takes place in her youth when she lives in France and the second part is her life in Scotland when she returns to take her throne after the death of her widowed mother. The first part was very interesting to me, because although I know to take everything in a historical fiction like this with a grain of salt, it was still super interesting to read about how her life was. Of course everything is seen from the point of view of Jenny, her maid in waiting, so some things are not told as directly as one would have hoped for. But Jenny is so close to Mary that it is almost as if it’s told by Mary. Wherever Mary goes, so does Jenny and they are almost joined at the hip for the most of the time. I supposed this was done deliberately to create a better effect for the story, and I honestly don’t mind because it works!
As far as Jenny goes to me, she started out rather weak as a character. Granted she starts out as a young teenager but as the story progresses so does her character and she grows a backbone and some serious loyalty to Mary, and it is because of this loyalty that the story gets as interesting as it does. It is close to being like a thriller story with all the political plotting and conspiracies that go on across the countries. On top of that, there’s the added tense romance between Jenny and Duncan Alexander, whenever he’s in the picture, because he does travel a lot. But those little bits where ones that I looked forward to some times because it brought something different to the story apart from the struggle for power among the many important names.
The second part of the book is Mary’s constant struggle to keep her throne back home in Scotland and this part becomes much more political and embedded with names that are easily forgotten than the first part. I often found myself skipping lightly over some of the many names simply because there were so many of them. Besides this I was still able to read on and follow the story, because with my little knowledge of Mary’s life I almost always knew what was about to happen. Yet I was still surprised in some cases and near excited to see how the ending of the book would be, because we know how Mary’s ending was.
Overall I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Despite some of the many history books about Scotland and Mary, I sometimes feel like she is a forgotten person in history, so I enjoyed reading some more about her, although it was fiction for the most part.
The only reason I leave out one star is because of the confusion of some of the many names, but that has nothing to do with the author or the story, just the simple fact that sometimes history can become too confusion with all those names.
As far as Jenny goes to me, she started out rather weak as a character. Granted she starts out as a young teenager but as the story progresses so does her character and she grows a backbone and some serious loyalty to Mary, and it is because of this loyalty that the story gets as interesting as it does. It is close to being like a thriller story with all the political plotting and conspiracies that go on across the countries. On top of that, there’s the added tense romance between Jenny and Duncan Alexander, whenever he’s in the picture, because he does travel a lot. But those little bits where ones that I looked forward to some times because it brought something different to the story apart from the struggle for power among the many important names.
The second part of the book is Mary’s constant struggle to keep her throne back home in Scotland and this part becomes much more political and embedded with names that are easily forgotten than the first part. I often found myself skipping lightly over some of the many names simply because there were so many of them. Besides this I was still able to read on and follow the story, because with my little knowledge of Mary’s life I almost always knew what was about to happen. Yet I was still surprised in some cases and near excited to see how the ending of the book would be, because we know how Mary’s ending was.
Overall I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Despite some of the many history books about Scotland and Mary, I sometimes feel like she is a forgotten person in history, so I enjoyed reading some more about her, although it was fiction for the most part.
The only reason I leave out one star is because of the confusion of some of the many names, but that has nothing to do with the author or the story, just the simple fact that sometimes history can become too confusion with all those names.
May 5, 2016
If you're into Historical YA, I would definitely give this book a read. It features a likeable main protagonist, Jenny, who throws herself in danger to protect her friend and Queen, Mary - acting as a spy and snooping around the castle. There is also a sub-plot arousing the mystery of Jenny's friend and love-interest, Duncan, who is literally the definition of suspicious.
The context was woven in so well into the story - all of the details historically and socially. It's fascinating to see the characters develop from children into adults. Mary is forced to become a woman and cope with the issues of her country, experiencing betrayal, heartbreak and loss at such a young age. Her journey is very intriguing.
The reason why I didn't give this book 5 stars was because of Jenny. It feels at times in the story her only purpose was to recount what was happening to Mary, and that was all. The story might be more interesting focusing more on Mary, than having Jenny as a main character.
However, the ending was brilliant. I loved the final showdown with Jenny, Duncan and the traitor. The story does start off slow, but by the time I was halfway through I couldn't put this book down.
The context was woven in so well into the story - all of the details historically and socially. It's fascinating to see the characters develop from children into adults. Mary is forced to become a woman and cope with the issues of her country, experiencing betrayal, heartbreak and loss at such a young age. Her journey is very intriguing.
The reason why I didn't give this book 5 stars was because of Jenny. It feels at times in the story her only purpose was to recount what was happening to Mary, and that was all. The story might be more interesting focusing more on Mary, than having Jenny as a main character.
However, the ending was brilliant. I loved the final showdown with Jenny, Duncan and the traitor. The story does start off slow, but by the time I was halfway through I couldn't put this book down.
January 4, 2015
This book was absolutely amazing! Ever since I started watching the TV show Reign, I've become very interested in the time period of Mary Stuart and this was a new, fresh take on it which I really loved. The politics were easy to follow and the romantic interest was very slow burn but it was SO worth it in the end. The writing style was beautiful, I found it really easy to visualise everything that was happening on each page, from the location to what the characters were wearing. The writing flowed beautifully and there were some moments where I had to force myself to put it down so I could get started on work I actually had to complete. This book was such a great read and I recommend it to everyone, even if you aren't a particular fan of the time period I have faith that you'll still enjoy it.
November 19, 2019
Gripping, scary and breath-taking, this realistic story by the brilliant author Theresa Breslin has made many hearts skip a beat, or two, or three, with her messages portrayed in her book. Cliffhangers end quite a few chapters, drawing readers to go on and on. This is definitely the book you should be looking out for in the book store. Such a thrilling read! I strongly recommend this book to children ages 11-15.
wishlist
December 11, 2011Yay! Another time period and place I know NOTHING about. :)
June 23, 2016
Friends, beware; the ending in this book is so downright shitty you'll probably cry blood if you read this.
IF, you read this.
Review to come
IF, you read this.
Review to come
May 14, 2024
A good book based on the life of Mary, Queen of Scots, worrying from the POV of her lady in waiting, “Jenny”.
I didn’t read the authors notes, and error in my part, but from what I gather, Jenny is a fictitious character used to tell Mary’s story as are some of characters connected to Jenny’s story like Duncan and Gavin.
This first part of this book is set in the French court when Mary is betrothed and then married to dauphin Francis. We had all the fascinating members of the Valois family here, King Henry and his mistress Dianne, Catherine de Medici and even Nostradamus with his ability to see into the future. King Henry II of France is not really commented on for womanising in this story apart from Diane de Poitiers, even though he had three illegitimate children, one with Mary’s Governess. I am also massive fan of a Catherine De Medici, and initially I thought we was going into a let’s bash this women by constant remarking in her being somehow unattractive and bitter, but I think she came across eventually as a cunning and ambitious woman. I would tell everyone to read more on her as she is as fascinating woman.
Anyway, we are introduced here to Jenny’s love interest, the brooding and difficult to read, Sir Duncan Alexander and throughout the book they blow hot and cold towards each other, adding the romance element to the book which was fun to set a fictional romance within this world. They did annoy me as I just wanted to them to actually have a conversation instead of two lines every time they met.
By the second half, we really get to envision how difficult Mary’s reign was in Scotland, and I genuinely felt sad that what could have been a happy reign by a woman who just wanted to the best for her country and its people was hindered by jealous power hungry men.
I also think her depiction of Lord Darnley being the absolute worst was accurate to how he would have been.
All in all, a good read.
There are a lot of names to Rememeber so if that is something ye struggle with maybe keep a note on paper for reminding you.
I didn’t read the authors notes, and error in my part, but from what I gather, Jenny is a fictitious character used to tell Mary’s story as are some of characters connected to Jenny’s story like Duncan and Gavin.
This first part of this book is set in the French court when Mary is betrothed and then married to dauphin Francis. We had all the fascinating members of the Valois family here, King Henry and his mistress Dianne, Catherine de Medici and even Nostradamus with his ability to see into the future. King Henry II of France is not really commented on for womanising in this story apart from Diane de Poitiers, even though he had three illegitimate children, one with Mary’s Governess. I am also massive fan of a Catherine De Medici, and initially I thought we was going into a let’s bash this women by constant remarking in her being somehow unattractive and bitter, but I think she came across eventually as a cunning and ambitious woman. I would tell everyone to read more on her as she is as fascinating woman.
Anyway, we are introduced here to Jenny’s love interest, the brooding and difficult to read, Sir Duncan Alexander and throughout the book they blow hot and cold towards each other, adding the romance element to the book which was fun to set a fictional romance within this world. They did annoy me as I just wanted to them to actually have a conversation instead of two lines every time they met.
By the second half, we really get to envision how difficult Mary’s reign was in Scotland, and I genuinely felt sad that what could have been a happy reign by a woman who just wanted to the best for her country and its people was hindered by jealous power hungry men.
I also think her depiction of Lord Darnley being the absolute worst was accurate to how he would have been.
All in all, a good read.
There are a lot of names to Rememeber so if that is something ye struggle with maybe keep a note on paper for reminding you.
August 19, 2018
DNF. At page 80.
I wanted to read this because I loved the tv show Reign which follows Mary queen of Scots and was interested in knowing more about her story.
I was soooooooo bored, I didn't connect with any of the characters. I did like the relationship between Jennet and Duncan, but it was taking so long.
I wanted to read this because I loved the tv show Reign which follows Mary queen of Scots and was interested in knowing more about her story.
I was soooooooo bored, I didn't connect with any of the characters. I did like the relationship between Jennet and Duncan, but it was taking so long.
July 1, 2019
I LOVE IT SO MUCH, it kind of reminds me of pride and predigest, the love between Jenny and Duncan, although I haven’t read the book, I have only seen the movie so the book of pride and predigest might be different. I still love it.
October 6, 2017
3.5 stars.
December 18, 2018
Scottish drama.
A very slow but investing romance.
MYSTERY!
A very slow but investing romance.
MYSTERY!
October 24, 2021
I love Mary so much, I’ll read anything about her :)
September 19, 2016
The first genre that I ever really got into is historical fiction and that is a genre that I continue to go back to, even now. I’ve actually already read this book but, as I was suffering from severe Reign withdrawal, I decided to dive back into the world of Mary, Queen of Scots but with some different characters and something that was slightly more historically accurate. It was actually very interesting to read this book after watching Reign because now I can see all the links and connections between the two adaptations of Mary’s life. I also liked re-reading this book because now that I’m older I picked up a lot more of the smaller details, and also a lot more of the sexual innuendos that my 13 year old self definitely glossed over. I really loved the characters in this book because they were all complex and interesting and I’ve really come to see just what an amazing person Mary Stuart was. The writing style can sometimes get a little too descriptive for my liking but overall, it’s very engaging and informative. I’m really pleased that I decided to re-read this one and it was the perfect thing to stop me mourning over Reign.
As lady-in-waiting to Mary, Queen of Scots, the beautiful Ginette—known as Jenny—is the young queen’s closest childhood friend. Growing up in the elegant but ruthless French court, surrounded by enemies and traitors—not least the jealous, manipulative Catherine de Medici, and Mary’s own scheming half-brother, James—Jenny has always been fiercely loyal to her mistress. But when she overhears a mysterious whispered plot, closely followed by several unexplained deaths at court, she puts her own life in danger and turns spy for Mary. Jenny quickly realises not a soul at court can be trusted, and when she and Mary return to their Scottish homeland for Mary to claim her throne, they face even greater peril. Desperate to protect her friend from those who would slit her throat to steal her crown, while battling her feelings for the charismatic nobleman Duncan Alexander, Jenny becomes embroiled in a dangerous web of secrets, betrayals and lies.
In some books, I can get very annoyed when authors say they are writing historical fiction but have blatantly added a character that never existed and never would have existed. And while there is no documentation of Mary ever having a lady in waiting called Ginette, there’s every possibility that she might have done. Jenny is a really engaging character to read about and she’s incredibly loyal and supportive and isn’t afraid to stand up for herself or put her foot down – which for a woman in those days would have taken a lot of bravery. I also really liked the character of Duncan Alexander because he’s interesting and complex but brave and stubborn and trustworthy and I particularly like his relationship with Jenny. I had forgotten how funny this book was and it’s mainly Jenny and Duncan’s exchanges and their banter that adds to the humour. I also liked that the book had a good mix between fictional characters and real people because this cemented the fact that this book is historical fiction, but there is also room for imagination.
This book spans over quite a large time period, from when Jenny is 15 to well past Mary’s death date, and while I don’t think this added anything in particular to the story it allowed us to follow Mary throughout the most emotional and troubling times in her life, meaning that overall the plot was much more fast-paced and action-packed. There’s not one villain in this book – there are multiple characters with shady agendas and questionable intentions as well as characters who are just horrible human beings but the majority of those characters are justified – or at least, they think they’re justified – in their actions. That’s another thing I liked: everyone did what they thought was the best way forward and what applied to their specific beliefs. It’s just that some of those beliefs happened to be to overthrow the Queen of Scotland.
I’m really glad I re-read this book, not just because I got to live in the world of Mary Stuart for a little longer, but because it’s a very accurate piece of historical fiction. I’d give it a 4 out of 5 stars and I know now that I really should check out more of Breslin’s works.
As lady-in-waiting to Mary, Queen of Scots, the beautiful Ginette—known as Jenny—is the young queen’s closest childhood friend. Growing up in the elegant but ruthless French court, surrounded by enemies and traitors—not least the jealous, manipulative Catherine de Medici, and Mary’s own scheming half-brother, James—Jenny has always been fiercely loyal to her mistress. But when she overhears a mysterious whispered plot, closely followed by several unexplained deaths at court, she puts her own life in danger and turns spy for Mary. Jenny quickly realises not a soul at court can be trusted, and when she and Mary return to their Scottish homeland for Mary to claim her throne, they face even greater peril. Desperate to protect her friend from those who would slit her throat to steal her crown, while battling her feelings for the charismatic nobleman Duncan Alexander, Jenny becomes embroiled in a dangerous web of secrets, betrayals and lies.
In some books, I can get very annoyed when authors say they are writing historical fiction but have blatantly added a character that never existed and never would have existed. And while there is no documentation of Mary ever having a lady in waiting called Ginette, there’s every possibility that she might have done. Jenny is a really engaging character to read about and she’s incredibly loyal and supportive and isn’t afraid to stand up for herself or put her foot down – which for a woman in those days would have taken a lot of bravery. I also really liked the character of Duncan Alexander because he’s interesting and complex but brave and stubborn and trustworthy and I particularly like his relationship with Jenny. I had forgotten how funny this book was and it’s mainly Jenny and Duncan’s exchanges and their banter that adds to the humour. I also liked that the book had a good mix between fictional characters and real people because this cemented the fact that this book is historical fiction, but there is also room for imagination.
This book spans over quite a large time period, from when Jenny is 15 to well past Mary’s death date, and while I don’t think this added anything in particular to the story it allowed us to follow Mary throughout the most emotional and troubling times in her life, meaning that overall the plot was much more fast-paced and action-packed. There’s not one villain in this book – there are multiple characters with shady agendas and questionable intentions as well as characters who are just horrible human beings but the majority of those characters are justified – or at least, they think they’re justified – in their actions. That’s another thing I liked: everyone did what they thought was the best way forward and what applied to their specific beliefs. It’s just that some of those beliefs happened to be to overthrow the Queen of Scotland.
I’m really glad I re-read this book, not just because I got to live in the world of Mary Stuart for a little longer, but because it’s a very accurate piece of historical fiction. I’d give it a 4 out of 5 stars and I know now that I really should check out more of Breslin’s works.
July 26, 2025
Spy for The Queen of Scots was such a great read. I've always wanted to read more about the tragic life story of Mary Queen of Scots, and this book used the perspective of a lady in waiting, turned spy, to give us a close glimpse into the life of Mary. It also inspired me to do more research into her life and the succession after her.
The mystery aspect of this book was very cool and very deceiving, i ended up suspecting MANY people and was surprised by the reveal in the end.
If anyone knows if there are any other books written similarly about other historical figures, do share your recommendations.
The mystery aspect of this book was very cool and very deceiving, i ended up suspecting MANY people and was surprised by the reveal in the end.
If anyone knows if there are any other books written similarly about other historical figures, do share your recommendations.
August 28, 2012
*3.5 stars*
When it comes to historical fiction and me, we don’t always gel, but I always try to give it a go. Even though I didn’t fall in love with Spy for the Queen of Scots, I’m glad I read it.
Right from the get go Spy for the Queen of Scots is highly political, exactly like the time during which Mary lived. Politics is one of those things that I’ve really known about or been that interested in, but with the history and the lovable characters, I was easily able to just go along with it. I think that the political side of the novel confused me so much because there was a huge cast of characters that kept switching sides and I just lost track of them and whether I should trust them or not.
I have to admit that there were some brilliantly horrible characters in Spy for the Queen of Scots that I loved to hate, my favourite being Catherine de’ Medici, the Queen of France. As a member of the infamous Italian Medici’s, as soon as I heard her name, I knew trouble was brewing and it was brilliant. She was everything I expected from a Medici and I’m now intrigued to go back and read Theresa Breslin’s 2006 novel, The Medici Seal.
With the nasty and dangerous characters came the equally as good. Firstly, Mary, Queen of Scots, who I knew very little about bar her execution and involvement in the war between Catholicism and Protestantism. I discovered a brave, strong, dedicated and fascinating woman who had royalty and responsibility thrust upon her from birth. Then you have our protagonist, Lady Ginette, or Jenny, who is Mary’s loyal confidante and friend. There’s literally nothing bad about this girl, although some of her less-smooth moments may have secured her her guy a little sooner, I’m glad those distinctly teenage moments were included.
And now you’re all thinking ‘Her guy? Tell us about him then!’ and so I’ll oblige. Sir Duncan Alexander, a Scots lord, is on the receiving end of Jenny’s love. He’s a very mysterious character and I was constantly unsure whether he could actually be trusted or not, but I was continually hoping that they’d get together. Although the tension was there between them, there wasn’t really enough romance for me, I wanted some swoon, dammit! But all in all, I’m happy with how her story ended, with an exception of the final paragraph of the epilogue. It felt cheesy and contrite and not at all in keeping with the tone of the rest of the novel and I closed the book with a bit of a sour look on my face.
Even though the ending wasn’t quite to my taste, I enjoyed reading Spy for the Queen of Scots and I hope to get around to more of Theresa Breslin’s beautifully researched novels in the future.
When it comes to historical fiction and me, we don’t always gel, but I always try to give it a go. Even though I didn’t fall in love with Spy for the Queen of Scots, I’m glad I read it.
Right from the get go Spy for the Queen of Scots is highly political, exactly like the time during which Mary lived. Politics is one of those things that I’ve really known about or been that interested in, but with the history and the lovable characters, I was easily able to just go along with it. I think that the political side of the novel confused me so much because there was a huge cast of characters that kept switching sides and I just lost track of them and whether I should trust them or not.
I have to admit that there were some brilliantly horrible characters in Spy for the Queen of Scots that I loved to hate, my favourite being Catherine de’ Medici, the Queen of France. As a member of the infamous Italian Medici’s, as soon as I heard her name, I knew trouble was brewing and it was brilliant. She was everything I expected from a Medici and I’m now intrigued to go back and read Theresa Breslin’s 2006 novel, The Medici Seal.
With the nasty and dangerous characters came the equally as good. Firstly, Mary, Queen of Scots, who I knew very little about bar her execution and involvement in the war between Catholicism and Protestantism. I discovered a brave, strong, dedicated and fascinating woman who had royalty and responsibility thrust upon her from birth. Then you have our protagonist, Lady Ginette, or Jenny, who is Mary’s loyal confidante and friend. There’s literally nothing bad about this girl, although some of her less-smooth moments may have secured her her guy a little sooner, I’m glad those distinctly teenage moments were included.
And now you’re all thinking ‘Her guy? Tell us about him then!’ and so I’ll oblige. Sir Duncan Alexander, a Scots lord, is on the receiving end of Jenny’s love. He’s a very mysterious character and I was constantly unsure whether he could actually be trusted or not, but I was continually hoping that they’d get together. Although the tension was there between them, there wasn’t really enough romance for me, I wanted some swoon, dammit! But all in all, I’m happy with how her story ended, with an exception of the final paragraph of the epilogue. It felt cheesy and contrite and not at all in keeping with the tone of the rest of the novel and I closed the book with a bit of a sour look on my face.
Even though the ending wasn’t quite to my taste, I enjoyed reading Spy for the Queen of Scots and I hope to get around to more of Theresa Breslin’s beautifully researched novels in the future.
October 4, 2015
Long live the daughter of James the Fifth, rightfull heir to the trhone of Scotland
This is a good book, that's for sure. "Spy for the queen of Scots" is a good historical fiction, and those who want to know the story of Mary Stuart would fine a good source of infomation in this book, buuut I'm a big fan of the scottish history (and, England and Irland), so I knew a lot about Mary Stuart before reading these book. Soooo I didn't fine anything new in the story, it didn't contain any curious thing apart from the story itself that I already know. I enjoyed this book because I looooove reading about Scotland, nad Theresa Breslin does make and incredible writing, but, as I said, I already knew all the information that was in this book.
When the moment comes, be mindful of your own dignity. For myself, I will die as I lived, as a woman and a queen.
Also, the end of Mary (her ears in captivity, her trial in Elizabeth's court, and the "evidences" for her beheading), weren't in the book, although wue read that Mary is executed in 1587, people who don't know a lot about Mary, would not know about her trial, the 19 years of her imprisonment, the real motives of her death, of ELizabeth I or the "Casket Letters"(They were produced as evidence against Queen Mary by the Scottish lords who opposed her rule. In particular, the text of the letters was taken to imply that Queen Mary colluded with Bothwell in the murder of her husband, Lord Darnley. Mary's contemporary supporters, including Adam Blackwood dismissed them as complete forgeries or letters written by the Queen's servant Mary Beaton.), wich were the main exuse to execute Mary (along with Elizabeth's fear of Mary dethroning her), because these things are barely mentioned in the book. Another interesting thing about this moment, the death of Mary, was the deep grief of ELizabeth, not just for signing the death warrant of her cousing, but also for allowing the death of another female monarch, a warrior queen, in times like that, where a woman was nothing mor than a way of havin heirs and never allowed to be more).
I recomend this book if you are curious about Mary Stuart, but if you're like me, a person who is very interesed in Scottis history and knows the story of Mary, you will not find more information than you already know, but this book is very enjoyable.
In the end is my beginning
August 1, 2013
More of my reviews can be found on my blog, Booktastic Reviews. :)
My past experience with historical fiction has been... well, not so good. That's why I'd made it a rule to never pick up another historical book. But then this one came through the post. It wasn't expected. I put it aside, dismissing it - doubting it would be something I'd like... Then, surprising myself, I ended up picking it up. I don't know what came over me but, suddenly, I just wanted to give it a chance. And I'm glad I did. It turned out to be an interesting read that, even though I didn't love, I enjoyed enough to make me consider venturing more into historical fiction in the future.
One thing I adored about this novel in particular was that it was (partly) set in Scotland. I love reading books set in my home country (since they are virtually non-existent!) - it was a breath of fresh air. I also hadn't really thought much of Mary, Queen of Scots, and this helped me understand more of what happened to her. Obviously this book doesn't relay the events exactly like how they really happened (considering it's fiction) but, I'm to believe, that the author did incorporate some truth into the storyline. Which I enjoyed.
The story is told through the POV of lady-in-waiting and best friend to Mary, Lady Ginette - known better as Jenny. I found her to be a very admirable character. She was extremely loyal to Mary and was always looking out for her. However, she did have a tendency to jump to conclusions and, more often than not, she took out her frustration and anger on Duncan. Which I felt was really unfair to him. Even though he was a very secretive and frustrating character himself, I still fell for him. The romance between them was a little all over the place though.
Overall, I did end up enjoying this book more than I thought I would. Though I was led to believe there would be more spying on Jenny's part than there was, the romance was a bit out-of-sorts and the language in the book had me confused at parts - as is common with the few historical books I have read - I am still glad I read it. It was completely different from anything I'd read before and I was constantly intrigued as to how the story would end - given that Mary, ultimately, comes to a graphic end. So, to conclude, I did like this novel. Just not loads.
My past experience with historical fiction has been... well, not so good. That's why I'd made it a rule to never pick up another historical book. But then this one came through the post. It wasn't expected. I put it aside, dismissing it - doubting it would be something I'd like... Then, surprising myself, I ended up picking it up. I don't know what came over me but, suddenly, I just wanted to give it a chance. And I'm glad I did. It turned out to be an interesting read that, even though I didn't love, I enjoyed enough to make me consider venturing more into historical fiction in the future.
One thing I adored about this novel in particular was that it was (partly) set in Scotland. I love reading books set in my home country (since they are virtually non-existent!) - it was a breath of fresh air. I also hadn't really thought much of Mary, Queen of Scots, and this helped me understand more of what happened to her. Obviously this book doesn't relay the events exactly like how they really happened (considering it's fiction) but, I'm to believe, that the author did incorporate some truth into the storyline. Which I enjoyed.
The story is told through the POV of lady-in-waiting and best friend to Mary, Lady Ginette - known better as Jenny. I found her to be a very admirable character. She was extremely loyal to Mary and was always looking out for her. However, she did have a tendency to jump to conclusions and, more often than not, she took out her frustration and anger on Duncan. Which I felt was really unfair to him. Even though he was a very secretive and frustrating character himself, I still fell for him. The romance between them was a little all over the place though.
Overall, I did end up enjoying this book more than I thought I would. Though I was led to believe there would be more spying on Jenny's part than there was, the romance was a bit out-of-sorts and the language in the book had me confused at parts - as is common with the few historical books I have read - I am still glad I read it. It was completely different from anything I'd read before and I was constantly intrigued as to how the story would end - given that Mary, ultimately, comes to a graphic end. So, to conclude, I did like this novel. Just not loads.
May 20, 2014
At school, we never really covered Mary Queen of Scots. I'm English, so naturally my history teachers never really delved into Scottish affairs when covering the Tudors, it was just sort of a 'Yeah and Elizabeth thought that Mary might be a threat and had her executed, now moving on...'
So for me, this book was totally fascinating. I had only read about the end of Mary's life in forgotten paragraphs in the corners of yellowing textbook pages, so I was easily drawn in to the tangles of the French and Scottish courts. The plot line covered many, many years, in just 400 pages, so I did feel that it was moving slightly too briskly for me to keep up, and at the end I was totally befuddled about which of the Scots were good and bad and whether he liked so-and-so, and whose land that guy wanted etc etc etc. I also felt that I struggled to make emotional connections to most of the characters, due to the fact it was fairly whistle-stop - but saying that, I did love the three main characters: Mary, Ginette and Duncan Alexander.
(Particularly the latter two. I may have occasionally thrown down the book in exasperation about those two liking each other, and very obviously wanting each other, and knowing that they wanted each other, and still not getting together.)
Not that I got too in to it or anything...
Despite the large quantity of confusing court relations, this book still held rich and glorious descriptions of the court, and I ended up loving Ginette's slightly feminist and sharply intelligent wit.
Alright, I'll admit it, I totally devoured this book: romance, betrayal, interesting questions about gender roles and religion, and all the rest of it.
I've been dithering for a while now about whether to give it 3 or 4 stars. The writing was excellent, but I suppose the unnecessary concision of the book decided it for me: Mary had been portrayed as such a brilliant person, and yet the complicated and brisk narration meant that I didn't cry when she was about to die.
And it's not too hard to make me cry.
Black Beauty gets me every time.
Unfortunately, Breslin didn't this time, but I will definitely be devouring more of her books in the near distant future.
So for me, this book was totally fascinating. I had only read about the end of Mary's life in forgotten paragraphs in the corners of yellowing textbook pages, so I was easily drawn in to the tangles of the French and Scottish courts. The plot line covered many, many years, in just 400 pages, so I did feel that it was moving slightly too briskly for me to keep up, and at the end I was totally befuddled about which of the Scots were good and bad and whether he liked so-and-so, and whose land that guy wanted etc etc etc. I also felt that I struggled to make emotional connections to most of the characters, due to the fact it was fairly whistle-stop - but saying that, I did love the three main characters: Mary, Ginette and Duncan Alexander.
(Particularly the latter two. I may have occasionally thrown down the book in exasperation about those two liking each other, and very obviously wanting each other, and knowing that they wanted each other, and still not getting together.)
Not that I got too in to it or anything...
Despite the large quantity of confusing court relations, this book still held rich and glorious descriptions of the court, and I ended up loving Ginette's slightly feminist and sharply intelligent wit.
Alright, I'll admit it, I totally devoured this book: romance, betrayal, interesting questions about gender roles and religion, and all the rest of it.
I've been dithering for a while now about whether to give it 3 or 4 stars. The writing was excellent, but I suppose the unnecessary concision of the book decided it for me: Mary had been portrayed as such a brilliant person, and yet the complicated and brisk narration meant that I didn't cry when she was about to die.
And it's not too hard to make me cry.
Black Beauty gets me every time.
Unfortunately, Breslin didn't this time, but I will definitely be devouring more of her books in the near distant future.
September 19, 2019
Great historical read: packed with information, yet most of the characters (main ones at least) really seem like humans. There's a sprinkling of humour here and there to keep things humane and there's a nice love story which builds throughout the book. At times you really fear for Jenny and Mary's lives as the brutal Tudor world is brought to life. For me, though, this book really dragged. Four hundred pages seemed like way too many. We move briskly through literal decades - then skipped a huge chunk of Mary's life right at the end, to have her suddenly die (I don't consider that a spoiler as A) it's history and B) you get a 'preview' chapter right at the start effectively telling you she will die at the end). Someone's entire life was condensed into 400 pages which really seemed like too much for one book. I don't know. A LOT happened.
I did enjoy this. At times the writing style or the way the author had the narrator express her thoughts made me giggle (not in a good way, sorry). However, it is also moderately addictive at times! If you enjoy informative historical reads then this is definitely for you: a mix of politics, war and the general goings-on at court. At times the action is really exciting and the violence gruesome. The whole book is quite dark and morbid - sadly not really what I was looking for in a read at this time (end of exam season - summer is dawning!). However, the various characters are quite well-written so it doesn't feel too impersonal.
A good historical read. A bit too long-winded and dark for my liking - but I suppose that's how history is.
I did enjoy this. At times the writing style or the way the author had the narrator express her thoughts made me giggle (not in a good way, sorry). However, it is also moderately addictive at times! If you enjoy informative historical reads then this is definitely for you: a mix of politics, war and the general goings-on at court. At times the action is really exciting and the violence gruesome. The whole book is quite dark and morbid - sadly not really what I was looking for in a read at this time (end of exam season - summer is dawning!). However, the various characters are quite well-written so it doesn't feel too impersonal.
A good historical read. A bit too long-winded and dark for my liking - but I suppose that's how history is.
February 21, 2014
This is a historical fiction and I was pleasantly surprised about how much I enjoyed the novel. Throughout the book, I worried for the life of Mary, Queen of Scots and Lady Ginette also known as Jenny. Jenny is the main character and is written in first person to show her perspective on certain aspects of this book. This novel charts the life of the famous Queen of Scots.
My one fault with this book is that there was little about the uprising and rebellion against Mary and there was nothing of her life in England before her execution.
Apart from that, I really enjoyed the growing relationships between Jenny and Sir Duncan Alexander and Jenny and Sir Gavin. The twist at the end was something I really wasn't expecting and shocked me.
Overall, I felt this book was really enjoyable and really good. This book is well written and defiantly deserves to be an award winning book. I loved the fast pace of this book and the wittiness of Jenny and the fierceness of Mary. This book encourages me to go on and read more historical fiction and more books by the author Theresa Breslin. I would defiantly recommend this book to anyone who is look to learn something from a book. If I was able I would defiantly would give this book 4 1/2 stars.
My one fault with this book is that there was little about the uprising and rebellion against Mary and there was nothing of her life in England before her execution.
Apart from that, I really enjoyed the growing relationships between Jenny and Sir Duncan Alexander and Jenny and Sir Gavin. The twist at the end was something I really wasn't expecting and shocked me.
Overall, I felt this book was really enjoyable and really good. This book is well written and defiantly deserves to be an award winning book. I loved the fast pace of this book and the wittiness of Jenny and the fierceness of Mary. This book encourages me to go on and read more historical fiction and more books by the author Theresa Breslin. I would defiantly recommend this book to anyone who is look to learn something from a book. If I was able I would defiantly would give this book 4 1/2 stars.
November 28, 2013
I actually have a good few feelings about this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the story, and I actually managed to read the whole thing without it feeling like a chore. I feel like historical fiction can definitely be a drag, however the way this book was written really enveloped me. I enjoyed meeting, and getting familiar with the characters, and I was made to feel connected to some and begin to heavily dislike others. It gave a good insight into the politics behind the Queen of Scots, while keeping it bearable (I'm not a huge fan of serious politics).
It is clear that the facts have been romanticised a great deal, but I enjoyed the romance. And the mystery that developed. It was executed very well, and I actually started to feel strong feelings towards Duncan Alexander. Whether his personality was like that illustrated in this book, I don't know, but it's strange thinking how the majority of the people in the book were real, and did exist. I don't know, it's mind boggling.
Overall, this was a fantastic depiction of the Queen of Scots, and you don't even need to know much about her reign beforehand (I knew nothing). A very enjoyable read!
It is clear that the facts have been romanticised a great deal, but I enjoyed the romance. And the mystery that developed. It was executed very well, and I actually started to feel strong feelings towards Duncan Alexander. Whether his personality was like that illustrated in this book, I don't know, but it's strange thinking how the majority of the people in the book were real, and did exist. I don't know, it's mind boggling.
Overall, this was a fantastic depiction of the Queen of Scots, and you don't even need to know much about her reign beforehand (I knew nothing). A very enjoyable read!
December 10, 2014
I rated this as five stars because through all the tedious political stuff, the enormous amount of Lords and Earls (where I ended up not knowing who was who)and the ending that wasn't quite right for me, it was actually a very well thought out plot line. The extensive amount of research that went into the making of this book amazed me and I was so happy that it wasn't a half-done job. Just to rephrase, the death part of the ending was great, just not the next part after that. It was one of those books that has been published amazingly - great paper, perfect size, a cover that really brings in the feel of the story and an overall aura of 'wow'.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2016
OH MY GOD I'M IN LOVE WITH THIS BOOK!!!
When I got ahold of this book, I honestly didn't think I'll be a 100% into it, but surprise surprise, I was hooked from the beginning!
I loved the politics, scandals and scheming in this! The main thing I loved though, was the romance between Ginette and Duncan! I was rooting for them from the beginning and I'm ecstatic with how they ended up! My one disappointment though was that there wasn't much about what life was like for Ginette and Duncan once they got the chance to get together.
Anyway, I'm definitely picking up more of Breslin's books coz this one was fricking amazing!
When I got ahold of this book, I honestly didn't think I'll be a 100% into it, but surprise surprise, I was hooked from the beginning!
I loved the politics, scandals and scheming in this! The main thing I loved though, was the romance between Ginette and Duncan! I was rooting for them from the beginning and I'm ecstatic with how they ended up! My one disappointment though was that there wasn't much about what life was like for Ginette and Duncan once they got the chance to get together.
Anyway, I'm definitely picking up more of Breslin's books coz this one was fricking amazing!
June 23, 2013
I absolutely love historical fiction but I have never read anything on Mary, Queen of Scots. I found this to be a very interesting piece of literature. I thought the book was well written, however I had a couple of problems keeping up with the characters as there were so many, I felt I could not get to know who each character really was but I could not fault the author as there were probably that many people involved in Mary's story.
I don't know much about Mary, Queen of Scots but this book has made want to learn more about her.
I don't know much about Mary, Queen of Scots but this book has made want to learn more about her.
April 23, 2015
I really loved this book. It was so good, I loved how it was in two parts and how it made clear that Mary Queen of Scots was a woman who had a lot of difficulties in her life. Her first husband dead, along with her second, miscarriage of twins and her third husband a cruel man.
But through all this her maid Jenny remains close to her and supports her even while she has personal problems.
I love this book and I would recommend it to many people.
But through all this her maid Jenny remains close to her and supports her even while she has personal problems.
I love this book and I would recommend it to many people.
April 24, 2016
I picked this book up when I was in edinburgh in a charity shop and thought I would give it a go as love the tudor period. I started reading it a week after I had been to Edinburgh and while I was there I had been to the castle and holyrood so while reading the book I could imagine being back at the places.
I enjoyed the book and author has done her research which I liked. Loved the twist in end think bits went on a bit but did finish book in 3 days. I would read this author again.
I enjoyed the book and author has done her research which I liked. Loved the twist in end think bits went on a bit but did finish book in 3 days. I would read this author again.
December 16, 2012
Was a good book though found it was focusing on the battle between the scots lords rather than the main charecter this was my only problem with this book. i don't know how accurate the history in the book is as i haven't study the story of mary but either way it was done well to put a fictional charecter into history.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews