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Pale Mistress: LOVER. COURTESAN. SURVIVOR
“Let heaven and men and devils, let them all, all, cry shame against me, yet I’ll speak…”
Cyprus, 17th century. Murder, lies and vengeance has left lovers dead, promises broken and no one to trust. Only one woman survives, Bianca.
The slain? History knows their Emilia, Desdemona, Othello.
But why do we not know Bianca? Who was the pale mistress? Liar or lied to? Instigator or victim? In telling one woman’s story, Naomi Kelsey dazzlingly recasts a Shakespearean tragedy as a psychological thriller of jealousy and gaslighting, ambition and envy, and the making and breaking of one of Shakespeare’s most notorious villains, Iago.
Cyprus, 17th century. Murder, lies and vengeance has left lovers dead, promises broken and no one to trust. Only one woman survives, Bianca.
The slain? History knows their Emilia, Desdemona, Othello.
But why do we not know Bianca? Who was the pale mistress? Liar or lied to? Instigator or victim? In telling one woman’s story, Naomi Kelsey dazzlingly recasts a Shakespearean tragedy as a psychological thriller of jealousy and gaslighting, ambition and envy, and the making and breaking of one of Shakespeare’s most notorious villains, Iago.
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 16, 2026
About the author
Naomi Kelsey
5 books28 followersHi, I'm Naomi. I'm a hobbyist author and I've been writing for fun since I was about 10 years old. I couldn't find many of the types of books I loved in the marketplace so I decided to write them myself!
I love mysteries, social satire, books about technology and society, non fiction, and fluffy beach reads about fashion and high society.
I am a voracious reader and love to read.
I hope you enjoy my books!
I love mysteries, social satire, books about technology and society, non fiction, and fluffy beach reads about fashion and high society.
I am a voracious reader and love to read.
I hope you enjoy my books!
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 26, 2026
With the beautiful backdrop of 16th Century Venice & Cyprus, a twisted plan plays out. Bianca’s story has been unheard for far too long. It’s time to give her a voice.
Thank you to HarperNorth & HarperCollinsUK for the proof! My review is my honest opinion.
Pale Mistress is loosely based on the Shakespearean play, Othello. I have never encountered it before, this did not affect my opinion and in fact I quite enjoyed the internet deep dive I did immediately after finishing the book!
“𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒚, 𝒊𝒇 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒂 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒘𝒆 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒔? 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒉, 𝒊𝒇 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒂 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒘𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍? 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚, 𝒊𝒇 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒂 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏?.”
First things first! I can tell Naomi Kelsey did their research on the time period! Sometimes in historical fiction the dialogue can take me out of the timezone. But not in Pale Mistress!! I was blown away by how informative this book is. ALL of the language felt authentic and completely on point for the time period.
“𝑺𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆, 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆, 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒘𝒆𝒂𝒑𝒐𝒏 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 - 𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒅, 𝒄𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒏.”
I was immediately immersed in the story. I was there in Venice, eating the fancy little fruit tarts watching everything unfold. If you want an accurate historical fiction this is for you!
“𝑵𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆, 𝒖𝒏𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒎 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒆𝒍𝒔𝒆.”
I loved Bianca! When we are first introduced to her, she’s confused and trying to unravel how she has ended up the way she has. I truly felt for her and believed her. The book did a good job reiterating her emotion and making us feel how Bianca feels. As the story progresses my mood shifted to anger, rage, possibly a bit of rebellion and then hopeful.
“𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒙, 𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒆. 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆, 𝒐𝒓 𝒍𝒖𝒔𝒕, 𝒐𝒓 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑰𝒇 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒌, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆. 𝑰𝒇 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒊𝒎𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒍, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒅. 𝑰 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒔?”
I loved this retelling. I also loved our villains! I won’t say much else there as you really need to feel Bianca’s feelings towards them to understand!
𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝑩𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒂? 𝑶𝒓 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒚 𝒃𝒆 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚?
I have included some of my *favourite* quotes so you can get a hint of how beautifully and intricate this book is written. The writing was lovely, it did take me a little bit to get used to but it was worth it.
I would have loved some more deeper world building, building upon some of those secrets would have been fascinating.
Overall, if historical fiction is your cup of tea… pick this up! Bianca deserved to have a voice and Pale Mistress echoed it perfectly.
Thank you to HarperNorth & HarperCollinsUK for the proof! My review is my honest opinion.
Pale Mistress is loosely based on the Shakespearean play, Othello. I have never encountered it before, this did not affect my opinion and in fact I quite enjoyed the internet deep dive I did immediately after finishing the book!
“𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒚, 𝒊𝒇 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒂 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒘𝒆 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒔? 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒉, 𝒊𝒇 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒂 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒘𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍? 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚, 𝒊𝒇 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒂 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏?.”
First things first! I can tell Naomi Kelsey did their research on the time period! Sometimes in historical fiction the dialogue can take me out of the timezone. But not in Pale Mistress!! I was blown away by how informative this book is. ALL of the language felt authentic and completely on point for the time period.
“𝑺𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆, 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆, 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒘𝒆𝒂𝒑𝒐𝒏 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 - 𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒅, 𝒄𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒏.”
I was immediately immersed in the story. I was there in Venice, eating the fancy little fruit tarts watching everything unfold. If you want an accurate historical fiction this is for you!
“𝑵𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆, 𝒖𝒏𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒎 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒆𝒍𝒔𝒆.”
I loved Bianca! When we are first introduced to her, she’s confused and trying to unravel how she has ended up the way she has. I truly felt for her and believed her. The book did a good job reiterating her emotion and making us feel how Bianca feels. As the story progresses my mood shifted to anger, rage, possibly a bit of rebellion and then hopeful.
“𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒙, 𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒆. 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆, 𝒐𝒓 𝒍𝒖𝒔𝒕, 𝒐𝒓 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑰𝒇 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒌, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆. 𝑰𝒇 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒊𝒎𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒍, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒅. 𝑰 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒔?”
I loved this retelling. I also loved our villains! I won’t say much else there as you really need to feel Bianca’s feelings towards them to understand!
𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝑩𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒂? 𝑶𝒓 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒚 𝒃𝒆 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚?
I have included some of my *favourite* quotes so you can get a hint of how beautifully and intricate this book is written. The writing was lovely, it did take me a little bit to get used to but it was worth it.
I would have loved some more deeper world building, building upon some of those secrets would have been fascinating.
Overall, if historical fiction is your cup of tea… pick this up! Bianca deserved to have a voice and Pale Mistress echoed it perfectly.
July 16, 2026
Pale Mistress is a retelling of Shakespeare’s Othello. It’s historical fiction thriller set in Venice with two timelines that slowly build toward the moment of connection and climax.
The past timelines helped us to see and understand Bianca’s life and how she got to where she did. The experiences that shaped her and her complex (doomed, obsessed) friendship with Iago.
Bianca grew up unclaimed by her father, with a Black mother in a time and place that saw Barbary as less than. Her choices are limited and she is misaligned continuously for things she has never done. She’s often naive, believing people to be someone they’re not but is seeing the best in people really a sin?
I liked seeing how Iago loomed so large in Bianca’s mind. He’s cunning and self serving, an expert manipulator but Bianca brushes off the red flags and doubts and chooses to believe he cares for her. She’s spends her childhood looking up to him and it shapes her every interaction with him. Even as she see’s him lie to others she believes he could never do so to her. I enjoyed seeing the truth eventually become clear to her as she sees everything in a different light.
Her relationship with Desdemona and Emilia were also interesting to unpack. The layers of jealousy, envy, friendship and bitterness. I didn’t like either of them but we only see them from Bianca’s pov so they become what she believes them to be.
The present chapters were interesting as Bianca tries to find a way out of her situation. Slowly it becomes clear that no one believes her. They call her a strumpet and judge her for things she did not do. But does her innocence matter when they have already decided who they want her to be?
I liked unravelling the story to see how Iago had influenced everyone to his own means and what the consequences were. He’s clearly a villain but so too are the men who are so easily persuaded to abuse, hurt and distrust their loves. It’s hard to have sympathy for any of the characters, all of the cruel or selfish in different ways (except Barbary).
I thought the ending was great - It’s well written and if you’re a fan of Shakespeare I think you’ll love it. However, the language was more dense than I would have liked and I will admit I have no reference for Othello and I do think previous knowledge would have been beneficial though it was fun not knowing exactly what would happen. The characters were very set in their roles and I would have liked more richness and depth added to their personalities though I understand that they are likely in keeping with their Shakespearean roles. The story felt more like a play and I just kept wanting to dive a little deeper.
Overall interesting retelling from a side character but not quite what I wanted it to be.
Thank you to Harper North for the proof copy. All thoughts are my own.
The past timelines helped us to see and understand Bianca’s life and how she got to where she did. The experiences that shaped her and her complex (doomed, obsessed) friendship with Iago.
Bianca grew up unclaimed by her father, with a Black mother in a time and place that saw Barbary as less than. Her choices are limited and she is misaligned continuously for things she has never done. She’s often naive, believing people to be someone they’re not but is seeing the best in people really a sin?
I liked seeing how Iago loomed so large in Bianca’s mind. He’s cunning and self serving, an expert manipulator but Bianca brushes off the red flags and doubts and chooses to believe he cares for her. She’s spends her childhood looking up to him and it shapes her every interaction with him. Even as she see’s him lie to others she believes he could never do so to her. I enjoyed seeing the truth eventually become clear to her as she sees everything in a different light.
Her relationship with Desdemona and Emilia were also interesting to unpack. The layers of jealousy, envy, friendship and bitterness. I didn’t like either of them but we only see them from Bianca’s pov so they become what she believes them to be.
The present chapters were interesting as Bianca tries to find a way out of her situation. Slowly it becomes clear that no one believes her. They call her a strumpet and judge her for things she did not do. But does her innocence matter when they have already decided who they want her to be?
I liked unravelling the story to see how Iago had influenced everyone to his own means and what the consequences were. He’s clearly a villain but so too are the men who are so easily persuaded to abuse, hurt and distrust their loves. It’s hard to have sympathy for any of the characters, all of the cruel or selfish in different ways (except Barbary).
I thought the ending was great - It’s well written and if you’re a fan of Shakespeare I think you’ll love it. However, the language was more dense than I would have liked and I will admit I have no reference for Othello and I do think previous knowledge would have been beneficial though it was fun not knowing exactly what would happen. The characters were very set in their roles and I would have liked more richness and depth added to their personalities though I understand that they are likely in keeping with their Shakespearean roles. The story felt more like a play and I just kept wanting to dive a little deeper.
Overall interesting retelling from a side character but not quite what I wanted it to be.
Thank you to Harper North for the proof copy. All thoughts are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
'What is memory, if not a story we tell ourselves? What is truth, if not a story we have agreed to tell? What is history, if not a story someone has been ordered to write down?'
— Pale Mistress by @naomikelseybooks
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Okay, I have a confession- and it is probably not that surprising a confession when you consider that I am an English teacher, but I. Love. Shakespeare. I particularly love a Shakespearian tragedy and the feeling you get whilst watching that is kind of like being in a car when the brakes have failed: you know it is going to end horribly, and you want desperately to stop it...but you can't. It's not about twists or being surprised, it is about the horrible powerlessness of barrelling towards a doom that would have been so easily preventable with, say, more effective communication, for example. One of the things I also love about literature is the notion of taking something that exists already and making it something new. In the 12th Century, they called it "Standing on the shoulders of giants" and Pale Mistress is the perfect example of that. Naomi Kelsey takes Bianca, a significant yet underdeveloped side character in Othello, and tells her story- both through flashbacks that take place prior to and during the original storyline, and after, as Bianca navigates the consequences of Iago's manipulation and her part in it. Let me tell you, it is done SO well. I was absolutely hooked and so invested. Othello is not a play I am as familiar with as some others, so I kept having to look up whether the events were canon or not- they were so seamlessly and cleverly interwoven that unless you have an in depth knowledge of the play, you can't tell- it reads like these are Kelsey's characters and not a retelling based on a play over 400 years old. Iago is pure sociopath, Bianca is vividly imagined- and frankly deserved better than Cassio. It is important also to note that witnessing the story from Bianca's point of view, was no less tragic- you still had that barrelling towards doom feeling, but at the same time, it was tinged with hope, curiosity, and understanding. The ending was super satisfying, if open ended and I was just blown away by the whole thing. What a feat of storytelling!
Thank you SO much to @harpernorthuk for the #gifted early copy of the book. It was incredible!
— Pale Mistress by @naomikelseybooks
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Okay, I have a confession- and it is probably not that surprising a confession when you consider that I am an English teacher, but I. Love. Shakespeare. I particularly love a Shakespearian tragedy and the feeling you get whilst watching that is kind of like being in a car when the brakes have failed: you know it is going to end horribly, and you want desperately to stop it...but you can't. It's not about twists or being surprised, it is about the horrible powerlessness of barrelling towards a doom that would have been so easily preventable with, say, more effective communication, for example. One of the things I also love about literature is the notion of taking something that exists already and making it something new. In the 12th Century, they called it "Standing on the shoulders of giants" and Pale Mistress is the perfect example of that. Naomi Kelsey takes Bianca, a significant yet underdeveloped side character in Othello, and tells her story- both through flashbacks that take place prior to and during the original storyline, and after, as Bianca navigates the consequences of Iago's manipulation and her part in it. Let me tell you, it is done SO well. I was absolutely hooked and so invested. Othello is not a play I am as familiar with as some others, so I kept having to look up whether the events were canon or not- they were so seamlessly and cleverly interwoven that unless you have an in depth knowledge of the play, you can't tell- it reads like these are Kelsey's characters and not a retelling based on a play over 400 years old. Iago is pure sociopath, Bianca is vividly imagined- and frankly deserved better than Cassio. It is important also to note that witnessing the story from Bianca's point of view, was no less tragic- you still had that barrelling towards doom feeling, but at the same time, it was tinged with hope, curiosity, and understanding. The ending was super satisfying, if open ended and I was just blown away by the whole thing. What a feat of storytelling!
Thank you SO much to @harpernorthuk for the #gifted early copy of the book. It was incredible!
September 4, 2026
I really enjoyed this, but also found it immensely frustrating. I'll caveat this with the fact that I'm an English teacher and love Othello with a passion. It's one of my favourite things to teach, second only to Macbeth.
So... happening across this reimagining from Bianca's perspective was more than a little intriguing. Kelsey does an excellent job of fleshing out characters and relationships, staying true to the known facts and inventing where the gaps permit (the nod to Margaret Atwood in the author's note shows her good taste). The characters were realistic and the novel as a whole didn't feel like Kelsey was writing nerdy fanfiction for the sake of it; this is a genuine gap that I've never seen another writer tackle. All great stuff that hurt and made me snort-laugh in equal measure. Bianca deserved so much better from Shakespeare and Kelsey gives her a real voice here.
And YET. It was super revealing to discover in the author's note that Kelsey is also an English teacher; it suddenly made a lot more sense why moments of high tension throughout the novel read more like revision guides. Plenty of the imagery is gorgeous, odd and so well-wrought. That's part of why it was so grating to see quotes from the original play sprinkled liberally from start to finish. Sometimes, these were in the mouths of the characters they belong to in the play itself; in these cases, I found myself thinking about the meta-weirdness of saying the same exact thing at two climactic moments in your life (and so dragged out of the story). Worse were the moments when a turn of phrase or word for word quote belonging famously to one character was given to someone else altogether; these just felt like being nudged in the ribs by the author on repeat. I know the play. I know you know the play. You're already doing a heartfelt, genuinely moving job with these characters. Why on EARTH include so many "she said the line!!1!" moments? This riled me to the point I had to rant about it to my partner, and the book drops a star for me.
I love a reimagined classic; the trend has been solidly popular for at least a decade now, meaning there are fewer and fewer unheard characters for writers to shine a light on. I'm glad someone finally asked Bianca her side of the story. I just wish Kelsey had trusted her own words as much as Shakespeare's.
So... happening across this reimagining from Bianca's perspective was more than a little intriguing. Kelsey does an excellent job of fleshing out characters and relationships, staying true to the known facts and inventing where the gaps permit (the nod to Margaret Atwood in the author's note shows her good taste). The characters were realistic and the novel as a whole didn't feel like Kelsey was writing nerdy fanfiction for the sake of it; this is a genuine gap that I've never seen another writer tackle. All great stuff that hurt and made me snort-laugh in equal measure. Bianca deserved so much better from Shakespeare and Kelsey gives her a real voice here.
And YET. It was super revealing to discover in the author's note that Kelsey is also an English teacher; it suddenly made a lot more sense why moments of high tension throughout the novel read more like revision guides. Plenty of the imagery is gorgeous, odd and so well-wrought. That's part of why it was so grating to see quotes from the original play sprinkled liberally from start to finish. Sometimes, these were in the mouths of the characters they belong to in the play itself; in these cases, I found myself thinking about the meta-weirdness of saying the same exact thing at two climactic moments in your life (and so dragged out of the story). Worse were the moments when a turn of phrase or word for word quote belonging famously to one character was given to someone else altogether; these just felt like being nudged in the ribs by the author on repeat. I know the play. I know you know the play. You're already doing a heartfelt, genuinely moving job with these characters. Why on EARTH include so many "she said the line!!1!" moments? This riled me to the point I had to rant about it to my partner, and the book drops a star for me.
I love a reimagined classic; the trend has been solidly popular for at least a decade now, meaning there are fewer and fewer unheard characters for writers to shine a light on. I'm glad someone finally asked Bianca her side of the story. I just wish Kelsey had trusted her own words as much as Shakespeare's.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
First of all, I love Othello as a play. It's probably my favourite Shakespeare, and I studied in at A-Level almost 10 years ago now. I did a literary project on Othello sequels/reimaginings in my second year of my undergrad, and even though now I'm in now way a Shakespeare scholar, Othello will always have a special place in my heart. Also eternally, justice for Desdemona and Emilia!! My poor girls 🥺
This was beautiful. I absolutely adored the characterisation of all of the major figures, the backstory and camaraderie between Biance and Othello and Bianca and Emilia the most. A familiarity with the play is needed, but given it's been at least 6 years since I last read Othello, I didn’t suffer. In fact it was a joy when little pieces of the play's script were included! I think it was such an interesting concept to take such a minor character like Bianca and give her a full and well-developed backstory. I was rooting for her and desperate to hear her story, despite its ups and downs - and it made me hate Iago even more. He's such a great villain and Naomi captured him so well, especially the young version. This was so rich with a beautiful Italian setting (and also Cyprus) that I forgot I was on holiday in Spain whilst reading.
I knew how the story would end of the flashbacks, but it made the book no less enthralling, and I found myself reading way past my bedtime to finish, desperate to discover what became of Bianca after her arrest. Flitting between the past and present was a fantastic storytelling pace! Another favourite part was the references to the ancient world, especially Roman & Greek mythology!
If you're a fan of Fair Rosaline, Shakespeare, or just historical fiction in general then I'd absolutely recommend this. It was a lush and gripping joy of a book to read. Thank you Naomi and netgalley for the arc ✨️
This was beautiful. I absolutely adored the characterisation of all of the major figures, the backstory and camaraderie between Biance and Othello and Bianca and Emilia the most. A familiarity with the play is needed, but given it's been at least 6 years since I last read Othello, I didn’t suffer. In fact it was a joy when little pieces of the play's script were included! I think it was such an interesting concept to take such a minor character like Bianca and give her a full and well-developed backstory. I was rooting for her and desperate to hear her story, despite its ups and downs - and it made me hate Iago even more. He's such a great villain and Naomi captured him so well, especially the young version. This was so rich with a beautiful Italian setting (and also Cyprus) that I forgot I was on holiday in Spain whilst reading.
I knew how the story would end of the flashbacks, but it made the book no less enthralling, and I found myself reading way past my bedtime to finish, desperate to discover what became of Bianca after her arrest. Flitting between the past and present was a fantastic storytelling pace! Another favourite part was the references to the ancient world, especially Roman & Greek mythology!
If you're a fan of Fair Rosaline, Shakespeare, or just historical fiction in general then I'd absolutely recommend this. It was a lush and gripping joy of a book to read. Thank you Naomi and netgalley for the arc ✨️
July 16, 2026
♥️ Lover
🥀 Courtesan
⚔️ Survivor
“Perhaps it is easier to admire a man’s capacity for violence when you yourself have a sword at your waist.” — Pale Mistress, Naomi Kelsey.
When I was wee I would flick through my grandpa’s (heavily annotated) ‘Complete Works of Shakespeare’. I also studied and became truly mesmerised with Othello, at school. Now that I have read Pale Mistress, I feel like I can finally admit that I love Shakespeare! Kelsey has undoubtedly lived, breathed, eaten, and slept Othello, as her psychological thriller is perfection and an absolute work of art. One of my annotations is: ‘Shakespeare could have written this.’
The dual timeline that catches the reader up to present day is expertly written. It weaves all the characters’ backstories; engaging the reader fully with Bianca’s life, the experiences that shaped her, and her complex friendship with Iago.
I am always a fan of side characters, the underdogs, and the forgotten or lost voices. Bianca was such a minor character in Othello, written as a marginalised character and dramatic pawn. What makes this retelling so compelling is that Bianca finds her voice, and her power, in a race to save herself.
If your fictional tastes veer towards historic and classical you will undoubtedly adore this, as I did. However I would heartily recommend Pale Mistress to anyone; no previous knowledge of Othello necessary as this is a strong and powerful reimagining. With writing that will make all of your senses tingle I think this would make the perfect summer read.
Thank you to Harper North for the beautiful proof. Pale Mistress was published on July 16th which means you can buy it now!
🥀 Courtesan
⚔️ Survivor
“Perhaps it is easier to admire a man’s capacity for violence when you yourself have a sword at your waist.” — Pale Mistress, Naomi Kelsey.
When I was wee I would flick through my grandpa’s (heavily annotated) ‘Complete Works of Shakespeare’. I also studied and became truly mesmerised with Othello, at school. Now that I have read Pale Mistress, I feel like I can finally admit that I love Shakespeare! Kelsey has undoubtedly lived, breathed, eaten, and slept Othello, as her psychological thriller is perfection and an absolute work of art. One of my annotations is: ‘Shakespeare could have written this.’
The dual timeline that catches the reader up to present day is expertly written. It weaves all the characters’ backstories; engaging the reader fully with Bianca’s life, the experiences that shaped her, and her complex friendship with Iago.
I am always a fan of side characters, the underdogs, and the forgotten or lost voices. Bianca was such a minor character in Othello, written as a marginalised character and dramatic pawn. What makes this retelling so compelling is that Bianca finds her voice, and her power, in a race to save herself.
If your fictional tastes veer towards historic and classical you will undoubtedly adore this, as I did. However I would heartily recommend Pale Mistress to anyone; no previous knowledge of Othello necessary as this is a strong and powerful reimagining. With writing that will make all of your senses tingle I think this would make the perfect summer read.
Thank you to Harper North for the beautiful proof. Pale Mistress was published on July 16th which means you can buy it now!
July 2, 2026
I’m probably one of the few people on the planet who hasn’t read or seen Othello, but I loved the sound of Bianca’s story.
Her antagonist is Iago, the original villain, whose heart is truly dark. Bianca stands accused of murder thanks to his machinations. Naomi Kelsey’s book imagines the story of their relationship from early childhood and exposes the foundations of the influence Iago builds over Bianca.
Despite all the warnings and the many signs, Bianca holds true to their childhood friendship, believing Iago misjudged, and that he holds her with the same love and care she bestows on him. But will this blind faith lead her to a dark fate? This is the tension that builds throughout the story as the sands of time run through Bianca’s hands in the hours leading up to her trial. Can she uncover the truth about the murders and the attack on her lover, Cassio, and if she can, does she have the words and the wit to convince the court of it?
It’s a beautifully written historical novel that begins against the backdrop of one of the world’s most romantic cities, Venice, and ends on the island of Cyprus. It really is a perfect summer read if your fictional tastes fall towards the classical and historic.
I heartily recommend it. Five stars from me, with thanks to NetGalley and Harper North.
Pale Mistress publishes on 16th July.
Her antagonist is Iago, the original villain, whose heart is truly dark. Bianca stands accused of murder thanks to his machinations. Naomi Kelsey’s book imagines the story of their relationship from early childhood and exposes the foundations of the influence Iago builds over Bianca.
Despite all the warnings and the many signs, Bianca holds true to their childhood friendship, believing Iago misjudged, and that he holds her with the same love and care she bestows on him. But will this blind faith lead her to a dark fate? This is the tension that builds throughout the story as the sands of time run through Bianca’s hands in the hours leading up to her trial. Can she uncover the truth about the murders and the attack on her lover, Cassio, and if she can, does she have the words and the wit to convince the court of it?
It’s a beautifully written historical novel that begins against the backdrop of one of the world’s most romantic cities, Venice, and ends on the island of Cyprus. It really is a perfect summer read if your fictional tastes fall towards the classical and historic.
I heartily recommend it. Five stars from me, with thanks to NetGalley and Harper North.
Pale Mistress publishes on 16th July.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
4.25
Pale Mistress is a retelling of Shakespeare's Othello from the perspective of a character called Bianca, who I understand has been somewhat overlooked previously.
Born out of wedlock, you follow Bianca as she navigates friendship, work, love and tragedy as a black woman in 16th century Venice and Cyprus. Kelsey frames this story as a psychological thriller, which combined with its sunny settings made it a fantastic sunny day read for me.
Knowing very little about this story going in was definitely not a handicap. In fact, the way the author structures this story, by starting with the tragedy and then showing us how the characters got there, cleverly puts all readers on the same playing field, no matter their previous familiarity.
This feels like a book for my fellow feminist mythology retelling fans; the villain boiled my blood in a similar way to Hewlett's version of Jason in Medea, and Bianca is complex and flawed and frustrating as well as empathetic and resilient. This story is full of betrayal and gaslighting and I was so gripped to see events unfold. My only criticism was that it took a bit longer than I'd have liked for events to catch up to the present, and I'd put all the pieces together myself so that slowed down my perception of the pacing.
I will definitely be checking out this authors other work! Thank you to the publisher for the early copy
Pale Mistress is a retelling of Shakespeare's Othello from the perspective of a character called Bianca, who I understand has been somewhat overlooked previously.
Born out of wedlock, you follow Bianca as she navigates friendship, work, love and tragedy as a black woman in 16th century Venice and Cyprus. Kelsey frames this story as a psychological thriller, which combined with its sunny settings made it a fantastic sunny day read for me.
Knowing very little about this story going in was definitely not a handicap. In fact, the way the author structures this story, by starting with the tragedy and then showing us how the characters got there, cleverly puts all readers on the same playing field, no matter their previous familiarity.
This feels like a book for my fellow feminist mythology retelling fans; the villain boiled my blood in a similar way to Hewlett's version of Jason in Medea, and Bianca is complex and flawed and frustrating as well as empathetic and resilient. This story is full of betrayal and gaslighting and I was so gripped to see events unfold. My only criticism was that it took a bit longer than I'd have liked for events to catch up to the present, and I'd put all the pieces together myself so that slowed down my perception of the pacing.
I will definitely be checking out this authors other work! Thank you to the publisher for the early copy
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I thought I would like this book but I didn’t expect to love it this much!
Full disclosure, these 5 stars are coming from someone who is completely unfamiliar with Othello, but was absolutely hooked by the interwoven character backstories and timelines.
I can only imagine what Shakespeare fans with an existing knowledge of who is who, and who they are to each other, are going to make of it, but for me I thoroughly enjoyed each layer of the story being unveiled.
I’ve done some googling since and understand Bianca doesn’t feature much in the play, which makes me even more impressed with how richly developed she is. I almost can’t imagine the story without her, Naomi does such an excellent job of making it feel like the events revolve around her.
It’s hard to say much without knowing what would constitute a spoiler, the story is rife with villains, betrayals, misplaced trust and misdirections. I loved the writing and the pacing and the use of quotes which added to the story without breaking the flow.
An excellent ‘retelling’ that has made me want to check out the original.
Full disclosure, these 5 stars are coming from someone who is completely unfamiliar with Othello, but was absolutely hooked by the interwoven character backstories and timelines.
I can only imagine what Shakespeare fans with an existing knowledge of who is who, and who they are to each other, are going to make of it, but for me I thoroughly enjoyed each layer of the story being unveiled.
I’ve done some googling since and understand Bianca doesn’t feature much in the play, which makes me even more impressed with how richly developed she is. I almost can’t imagine the story without her, Naomi does such an excellent job of making it feel like the events revolve around her.
It’s hard to say much without knowing what would constitute a spoiler, the story is rife with villains, betrayals, misplaced trust and misdirections. I loved the writing and the pacing and the use of quotes which added to the story without breaking the flow.
An excellent ‘retelling’ that has made me want to check out the original.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
4.5 stars
I love a retelling but I was surprised by how much I was engaged by this story about a minor character, Bianca, in Shakespeare's play Othello.
I have never read the play though I knew vaguely what happened. I was pleased to see a cast list at the beginning of this book.
Why I found this story so immersive was how it was told in a kind of dual timeline way with a "then" in Venice which narrates the backstory of Bianca and Iago and the events that lead up to the tragedy in the play, alternating with the "now" in Cyprus of the arrest of Bianca and Iago. In this section I loved how Bianca became stronger and more aware, how much she had to fight for her survival using her wits. Urgh, such squalid surroundings.
A very well-written book which I thoroughly enjoyed - I'm still surprised at how much!
If you like the current Greek myth retellings then this is definitely a book you will also be moved by.
Many thanks to Harper North UK and Netgalley fot this ARC
I love a retelling but I was surprised by how much I was engaged by this story about a minor character, Bianca, in Shakespeare's play Othello.
I have never read the play though I knew vaguely what happened. I was pleased to see a cast list at the beginning of this book.
Why I found this story so immersive was how it was told in a kind of dual timeline way with a "then" in Venice which narrates the backstory of Bianca and Iago and the events that lead up to the tragedy in the play, alternating with the "now" in Cyprus of the arrest of Bianca and Iago. In this section I loved how Bianca became stronger and more aware, how much she had to fight for her survival using her wits. Urgh, such squalid surroundings.
A very well-written book which I thoroughly enjoyed - I'm still surprised at how much!
If you like the current Greek myth retellings then this is definitely a book you will also be moved by.
Many thanks to Harper North UK and Netgalley fot this ARC
July 16, 2026
Pale Mistress by Naomi Kelsey is a gripping psychological reimagining of Shakespeare's Othello. The plot follows Bianca, the play's overlooked courtesan, as she fights to survive a web of jealousy and gaslighting in 17th-century Cyprus. I absolutely loved being transported into this rich 17th-century world. Refocusing on Bianca as the main protagonist rather than a minor side character from the original play was an amazing choice, and it was incredible to finally hear her distinct voice and see the familiar tragedy unfold from an entirely different view. Additionally, the seamless shifting of timelines made for great pacing, keeping the story gripping from start to finish. This is an excellent retelling that brilliantly reclaims a forgotten woman's narrative. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This is such a brilliant book and one which could so easily become a classic. I adored hearing more of Bianca’s tale and getting all the complexities of Iago throughout. This is brilliantly written and I was enchanted from early on - especially as we start roughly where Othello ends and are completely in the deep end. This is a book which could not be rushed and it did take me a moment to read it, but that is the beauty of such writing, which fits right into Shakespeare’s story and yet manages to be more engaging in a novel form. You don’t have to have read or seen Othello for this, any brief background knowledge will do and this makes it an ideal read for any audience!
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