Catherine de Medicis is one of my most favorite queens in history. I’ve read a lot of books on her…..I mean how could you not admire her in some ways? She was about as cutthroat and unapologetic as they come which I kind of admire in some of history’s most famous queens.
Her name is notorious so when this book came across my nightstand for review, I jumped on it. While it is not about Catherine herself necessarily, it’s about the Medicis so that was enough for me! Plus I don’t know much about her children, just about her, so I was really interested in reading this one.
Princess Margot is summoned to the court of France, where nothing is what it seems and a wrong word can lead to ruin.
Margo’s mother, Queen Catherine, is notoriously known as Madame la Serpente. Catherine is a powerful force in a country that is continually devastated by religious war. Margo must learn how to navigate the royal court. Margo is an obedient daughter and accepts that she will likely be a marriage pawn but she doesn’t plan on falling in love.
But the Duc de Guise is charming, powerful, and wins her heart. However, Margo is promised to Henri of Navarre who is looking to secure a much needed truce. The marriage that promised peace though is only an illusion though. Queen Catherine’s schemes are endless, and Margo’s brothers plot vengeance in the streets of Paris.
When Margot’s wedding devolves into the bloodshed of the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, she will be forced to choose between her family and her soul.
This is my first novel by Perinot, I know she has written another historical fiction book set in the French court, so clearly this is a period that she loves and that shows in her research. The way that Perinot describes the court makes the reader feel like they are right there, and the historic characters are well written and true to their forms for the period and what history tells us of these characters. She captured the political intrigue so well that I felt like I was right there experiencing it myself. So well done on the historical elements!
Margot’s character wasn’t an immediate ‘like’ for me but by the end I was mesmerized by her. She was very complex with many layers to her. When she came to the court, she was so eager to please and be a dutiful princess which kind of bothered me a little as she almost came across too innocent. But then as the novel went on she bloomed into this really intriguing character. She wasn’t afraid of making hard decisions and while I didn’t always love each choice she made, I understood why she did things. I loved that the novel was told in the first person, because then the reader could really connect with Margo’s character from the get go. A very well written and interesting character for sure!
The thing I was most sad about in this book was that it only covered a short period of Margo’s life. I get that you have to end a novel somewhere, and I understand that the period selected was probably the most historically valuable but I still felt like I wanted more for some reason. When the book was over, I felt like it was a complete story, however I also felt at odds because I wanted to keep reading about her and how things continued to evolve through her life but at the end of the day, I was satisfied.
Can we talk for just a minute about the cover?! BEAUTIFUL! I love the chateau in the background and the image of ‘Margo’ on the front in red works so well with the background and the colors selected. It suggests glamorous, mysterious (because she has her back toward us), and romantic. I absolutely love the cover!
This was a great read. If you are a fan of Marci Jefferson, Stephanie Thornton, or C.W. Gortner then you will LOVE this book! It’s full of royal intrigue, political conflicts, betrayals, romances, and historical figures that have unique stories to tell. This is a great read, pick it up without question!
Please check out other stops on the tour for author interviews, guest posts, giveaways, as well as a number of other reviews! The schedule is listed below!
Challenge/Book Summary:
Book: Médicis Daughter: A Novel of Marguerite de Valois by Sophie Perinot
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Kindle Edition, 384 pagesPublished December 1st 2015 by Thomas Dunne Books
- Review copy provided by: Publisher as part of the HFVBT book tour in exchange for an honest review
This book counts toward: NA
- Hosted by: NA
- Books for Challenge Completed: NA
Recommendation: 4.5 out of 5
Genre: Historic fiction, romance
Memorable lines/quotes: NA
Blog Tour Schedule
Monday, November 16
Review at The Mad Reviewer
Review at Peeking Between the Pages
Tuesday, November 17
Review at Just One More Chapter
Wednesday, November 18
Review at The Maiden’s Court
Thursday, November 19
Review at The Eclectic Reader
Friday, November 20
Spotlight at Historical Fiction Connection
Monday, November 23
Review at Broken Teepee
Guest Post at A Literary Vacation
Tuesday, November 24
Review at Book Lovers Paradise
Wednesday, November 25
Review at A Literary Vacation
Monday, November 30
Review at leeanna.me
Tuesday, December 1
Review at To Read, Or Not to Read
Wednesday, December 2
Review at Bibliophilia, Please
Friday, December 4
Guest Post at Bibliophilia, Please
Monday, December 7
Review at Flashlight Commentary
Tuesday, December 8
Interview at Flashlight Commentary
Wednesday, December 9
Review at Curling Up By the Fire
Thursday, December 10
Review at The Readers Hollow
Friday, December 11
Review at Reading Lark
Monday, December 14
Review at A Book Geek
Tuesday, December 15
Review at The Lit Bitch
Wednesday, December 16
Review at CelticLady’s Reviews
Friday, December 18
Review & Interview at With Her Nose Stuck in a Book
Monday, December 21
Review at Bookish
Tuesday, December 22
Spotlight at Passages to the Past
Wednesday, December 23
Review & Guest Post at Historical Fiction Obsession
Monday, December 28
Review at Unshelfish
Tuesday, December 29
Interview at Unshelfish
Thursday, December 31
Review at The Reading Queen
Review at The True Book Addict
The Lit Bitch 
Another book I MUST buy! Marci jefferson is one of my favorite historical fiction writers, so I love that you mentioned her. I’ve read a lot of things about Catherine. I started to read Rival Queens but it was so dry…My only knowledge of Margot is of her as a side character in books, or from the CW show Reign lol. I’m looking forward to reading this as I’m back on a historical fiction kick!