Began reading: 6.6.2017
Completed reading: 10.6.2017
Overall rating: 3 stars
France 1565. Marguerite de Valois is the most beautiful woman in the French Court, and the subject of great scandal and intrigue. Her own brothers, the mad Charles IX and the bisexual Henri III, will stop at nothing to control her. Margot loves Henri of Guise but is married off to the Huguenot Henry of Navarre. By this means her mother Catherine de Medici hopes to bring peace to the realm.
But within days of the wedding the streets are awash with blood in the Massacre of Saint Bartholomew. Not only is her new husband's life in danger, but her own too as her mother and brother hold them hostage in the Louvre. Can they ever hope to escape and keep their heads? In a court rife with murder, political intrigue, debauchery, jealousy and the hunger of power, it will not be an easy task.
Hostage Queen by Freda Lightfoot is a historical fiction novel, which explores the life of Catherine de Medici and her children following the death of Francis II. I happened upon this book while I was wandering around the library, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it until I borrowed it. I really enjoyed it but there were some things that I found a little disappointing. I’ll discuss them as we go along.
Growing up, Margot had fallen in love with Henri, Duke of Guise. They spent so much time together that Margot believed her mother Catherine de Medici would allow them to marry. Of course, things don’t run as smoothly as Margot had hoped, especially when her brother Charles and her mother demand that she marry Henry of Navarre – a country bumpkin, who she shares no common interests with. After their wedding, a prominent Admiral is found murdered and ignites an all-out religious war between Catholics and Protestants. While the body count rises, Margot’s husband is in danger and it is up to her to plead her mother and brother to spare him. For their safety, Margot and Henry are imprisoned in the Louvre where they are forced to spend time in a perverse and dangerous court. As Margot spends more time at court, she becomes the centre of many rumours which threatens her life. Margot must learn to improve her skills in manipulation and deception in order to survive the constant threats at court.
The book was well-written, especially in terms of structure and character-building. I enjoyed the use of literary techniques to add depth to the plot and dialogue. The use of tone, dialogue, suspense and setting are just some examples of how Lightfoot enhanced her writing style in this novel. There were also some great quotes, including:
[…]who would dare beard the she-wolf in her den, let alone when she was holidaying with her cubs? (p. 40).
Little Fleurette, whom he’d so casually abandoned to bear her child alone, had been found drowned in the river, her heart broken by his rejection. Poor girl, it was indeed a tragedy to love a Prince (p. 63).
‘A peace made of snow this winter will not last the summer’s heat’ (p. 76).
‘Your grace and charm will win the heart of any king, and his courtiers.’
‘What need I of kings when I have the love of my chevalier?’ (p. 80).
‘Do not anyone say that marriages are made in heaven; the gods would not commit so great an injustice’ (p. 101).
‘Crowns sometimes come with more problems attached than you bargain for’ (p. 159).
What had she done to deserve such treatment? And from the one man she had trusted, the one man she could truly love for life, and whom she had believed loved her. But he had lied, and betrayed her like all the rest (p. 175).
‘A marriage may be political, at least for such as ourselves, but a love affair is a choice, a pledge of love and honour between two people’ (p. 176).
‘Remember that I will still be here, waiting, when you are in better temper.’
‘You can wait till hell freezes over,’ she shouted. ‘I’ll have no more of you’ (p. 177).
‘When one is successful and admired in court, everyone wishes to be your friend. Adversity is solitary, while prosperity dwells in a crowd’ (p. 241).
I really loved the range of characters that appeared throughout the book. I initially thought that the story would revolve around Margot’s views on her relationship with her husband and family. As I read, however, I found that the story did not focus on Margot, but pretty much every member of her family. I was able to learn more about how each character thought and interacted with others, so I had an insight into each character’s personalities. Unlike most books, this novel did not centre around one main character, which I thought was interesting. Of course, I would have preferred to read about all of the events from Margot’s point of view, but I don’t mind too much. I thought that it was a different way of seeing things and gaining entrance to other opinions, so I’m happy.
I only mentioned it briefly earlier, but the suspense in this book was amazing! I love suspenseful books because they have the power to keep me turning the page. This book oozed suspense from start to finish, and I knew that I had to finish reading it. There were so many plot turns that made the characters’ situations risky, especially Margot’s. Everywhere she went, around every corner, there was a chance that she could be imprisoned or tortured by her family, so I was hooked to what would happen next.
Maybe it was because of the suspense, but I thought that the plot was intriguing and immersive. I watched the tv show Reign, so I had a fair idea of the Medici/Valois family but I never saw Margot. I knew this when I stumbled across the book, so I thought that it would be nice to get to know her character a little. The blurb promised drama and scandals, so my inner drama queen NEEDED this book. I love a book that can keep me interested from start to finish, so I think that Lightfoot did an awesome job with this one.
As I’ve said in past reviews, a good conclusion should provide closure and answer all questions that have been brought up throughout the book. In this case, I thought that the text provided decent closure for its readers but not enough of it. The narrative ended with a quick flashback before returning to Margot. It was sweet but didn’t outline what happened next. I know that I could just Google it, but it would have been a nice way to end the story. Because it didn’t end this way, the story won’t really be as memorable or provide enough closure as it could have. I’m not saying that the conclusion was bad, but I will admit that it was a tad bit disappointing.
Another kind of let-down was the focus of the book. I mentioned previously that the novel did not focus solely on Margot’s outlook on what was happening, but rather every member of her family. This isn’t the issue, but it did play a role in what I thought irritated me the most about this text. The issue I had was that the book felt more like a Wikipedia page, as it wasn’t so much story-telling but detailing major historic events during this period. I would have preferred a little more focus on the characters because anyone could Google the Massacre of Saint Bartholomew if they needed information. I wanted more focus on something fictitious, or based on personal opinions and actions, as opposed to re-telling what Catherine, Charles and Henri did.
My favourite character was Margot because she was loyal (especially to her husband), rebellious, clever, courageous and relatable (I know all about the whole mother-and-son duo). I loved how cold she could be towards the haters, but completely sweet and charming to those who deserve it. I felt for her when she was betrayed, and I understand her need to be loved.
Although Margot’s family (with the exception of Claude and Francois-Hercule) had an element of dislike-ability, I hated Charlotte de Sauves despite the fact that she was only obeying orders. She was cruel and cold towards Margot, and was pretty much the root of her unhappiness. I only wished that Margot got revenge on her. I also hated du Guast for being so ambitious and cunning, but I’m beyond glad that he got what he deserved.
My favourite part of the book was Margot’s confrontation with Charlotte de Sauves because it was feisty and dramatic. Margot flaunted her authority in a subtle way, which reflects her humble personality. She behaved in a calm way, so calm it was almost scary. If only she took that opportunity to wipe de Sauves’ smile off her face – a nice, deep gash across her pretty face would have taught that b*tch a lesson. I know I sound crazy, but I just feel very protective of Margot.
Recommendation time! If you like The Queen of Diamonds by Jean Plaidy, His Last Duchess by Gabrielle Kimm, and The Confessions of Catherine de Medici by C.W. Gortner, you will love this book. Also, I recommend this book to anyone who likes the tv show Reign, the tv show The White Princess, Queen Margot, Henry of Navarre, and The Princess of Montpensier.
Happy reading!
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