TWILIGHT OF A QUEEN

Author: Susan Carroll ISBN: 9780449221099 7/2009 HISTORICAL FICTION Publisher: BALLANTINE
Time Period: 1587-88

As war and treachery loom, an ambitious man’s mission threatens to topple two dazzling realms and their formidable rulers: Catherine de Medici, the Dark Queen, and Ariane, the Lady of Faire Isle. It is 1588, and as the Spanish Armada prepares to besiege England, Paris balances on the brink of revolution. To maintain her grip on the throne and on the dark magic that has become her obsession, Catherine de Medici turns to Louis Xavier, a ruthless corsair who was schooled in the dark arts and has mastered piracy along the Spanish main. But Louis’s basest instincts are held in check by the kindness of Lady Jane Danvers, a British exile whose innate sense of honor is but one facet of her complex and passionate nature. On Faire Isle, Ariane Cheney, unaware of the escalating threat from the Dark Queen, struggles with the task of protecting the daughters of the earth and their vast store of ancient magical wisdom. Weak and desperate for an advantage, the ailing Catherine makes a devil’s bargain that will cast a shadow over all.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

I have followed this wonderful series about the Daughters of the Earth since their first introduction in THE DARK QUEEN, where we learned about the Cheney sisters—Ariane, Gabrielle, and Miri—women possessed with mystical powers and involved in a neverending struggle to keep the powerful Book of Shadows from landing in the hands of Catherine de Medici. Always well written, absorbing, and draped in rich historical tapestries, this latest in the series, TWILIGHT OF A QUEEN, focuses on Lady Jane Danvers, a widow under the protection of Ariane, the Lady of Faire Isle, and Jane's relationship with Capt. Xavier, a pirate originally sent by the Dark Queen to find and kidnap Meg, formerly known as the Silver Rose.

While Carroll's writing is as solid as ever, this story didn't move and keep me as involved and immersed as the previous books did, perhaps because Jane is more of a complacent figure as compared to the other women. Instead, I wanted to read more about Meg and her coming of age as she hides from the Dark Queen and her powers begin to emerge; her character always seemed to overshadow the others whenever she appeared, and I was a bit disappointed when events would veer back to Jane or any of the others characters featured in this novel.

If you haven't read any of the previous books, don't worry, for TWILIGHT OF A QUEEN stands very well on its own. However, I would recommend reading this series in the order it was released (THE DARK QUEEN, THE COURTESAN, THE SILVER ROSE, THE HUNTRESS, TWILIGHT OF A QUEEN), simply because Carroll has so masterfully woven each of these books together, you might be a little lost if you read them out of order.

Nancy Davis