“Margaret, a young Saxon princess, is shipwrecked with her family on the coast of Scotland and forced to accept sanctuary from the recently widowed warrior-king Malcolm Canmore of Scotland. Malcolm sees a political prize in Margaret, and promises to help her brother, the outlawed rebel Edgar of England, in return for his sister’s hand in marriage.
When Malcolm brings a female bard, Eva, to court as a hostage to ensure good behavior of her kinswoman, his conniving enemy Lady Macbeth, Margaret, and Eva expect to resent one another. Instead, they discover an unlikely bond as outcasts of a sort–Eva a wild Celtic spirit captive among her enemies, Margaret suppressing her passions as she endures increasing pressure as a queen and a mother of princes.
Torn between loyalties, Eva must betray the king and the new queen in order to honor her devotion to the former queen. Thrown into Malcolm’s dungeon, charged with witchcraft and treason, Eva soon learns that Queen Margaret–counseled by the furious king and his powerful priests–will decide the fate of the young bard and her mentor, the troublesome Lady Macbeth.”
My first comment about this book has to be that I think they made a fantastic cover choice. The cover really grabs you at the first glance. It introduces the novel as the story of a woman from another time…without words. It is sure to draw in readers who will enjoy a story such as that of Margaret of Scotland. Queen Hereafter is a unique book not only because of it’s time period and the subject choice but I think it’s special also because we are actually given two heroines and therefore two sides of the story. Queen Margaret is a compelling figure but so is Eva, another female royal figure caught up in circumstances beyond her control. Readers can’t help but root for both women even though they often stand on opposite sides of the fence. This powerful dynamic of two strong and yet in some ways powerless female characters proved to be my favorite part of this work. King also has a way with authenticity and setting the stage for a time period that lends itself to readers who may not be familiar with a particular setting or era. However Queen Hereafter will still be enjoyed most by true lovers of historical fiction. The average modern day reader may not be able to stick with it due to it’s intricate detail and period setting. All in all, Queen Hereafter is an elegantly crafted historical work to get lost in while also learning more about a lesser known historical figure. Enjoy!
Readers may also be interested in Susan Fraser King’s Lady Macbeth or in The Word Wenches Blog of which she is a part of. You can also follow the Queen Hereafter Blog Tour with TLC Book Tours.
Susan Fraser King’s TLC Book Tours
TOUR STOPS:
Monday, December 6th: Royal Reviews
Tuesday, December 7th: Passages to the Past
Wednesday, December 8th: Stiletto Storytime
Thursday, December 9th: Scandalous Women
Friday, December 10th: Historical Tapestry
Friday, December 10th: Rundpinne
Monday, December 13th: Books Like Breathing
Monday, December 13th: Life in Review
Tuesday, December 14th: Life in the Thumb
Wednesday, December 15th: Hist-Fic Chick
Thursday, December 16th: Luxury Reading
Friday, December 17th: Simply Stacie
Monday, December 20th: Feminist Review
Tuesday, December 21st: The Maiden’s Court
Wednesday, December 22nd: Girls Gone Reading
Thursday, December 23rd: Thoughts from an Evil Overlord
Monday, December 27th: Teresa’s Reading Corner
Tuesday, December 28th: The Tome Traveller
Wednesday, December 29th: Chaotic Compendiums
Stiletto Storytime 
I completely agree – the cover draws you in!
What a lovely review! Thank you.
And I love that gorgeous cover too! 🙂
Thanks Susan…I really applaud your authenticity and incorporation of cultural detail…while it makes it a more advanced read, I truly think it’s what makes it so great as well! You’re a wonderful researcher and I so admire that as a librarian! Thanks for stopping by!
As a fan of historical fiction, I was happy to read your review of King’s novel. I saw it in a bookstore recently and had considered buying it. I’ve worked my way through the novels of Sharon Kay Penman, Jean Plaidy, and Philippa Gregory and was debating who to read next.
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