A retelling of medieval history, Queen of the North focuses on Elizabeth Mortimer and ambitious quest to see her eight-year old nephew take the throne from King Richard the II. A historical fiction based on the tumultuous past of the British Throne, this novel is a fantastic book for those who enjoy medieval history and power struggles. 

The book is set in 1399 and King Richard II’s grip on power is getting weaker and weaker. With factions on all sides preparing a play for the crown, Elizabeth feels that the only rightful king is her nephew, Edmund. In order to try and bring her plans to fruition she must work to gather supporters in secret, against her husband’s wishes and with the risk of execution if she is discovered. This daring tale of one woman’s efforts to ensure her fortunes and protect her family’s rule of the North and change to course of history is intriguing, tense and a perfect opportunity to travel back in time from the comfort of your couch. 

Queen of the North is written by Anne O’Brien, a popular historical fiction writer who focuses her work on telling the stories of strong women born in a world that was dominated always by the policies of men. Anne has sold more than 250,000 books in the UK. Other amazing books written by Anne include The Shadow Queen, The King’ Sister, The Scandalous Duchess and The Queen’s Choice. 

Our Editorial Expert Opinion

Editorial Expert Sarah Broadhurst read and reviewed this book on behalf of LoveReading and here is an extract from her review:

‘This is another of the author’s excellent retelling of the lives of medieval women.  Written in the first person, this untangles history in a highly readable manner …   I think the strength of this is that it is written in the first person, highly enjoyable.’

If you want to read more of Sarah’s review head over to the Queen of the North book page.

Reader Review Panel

This book has also been offered to our Read Review Panel, who have provided us with some fantastic reviews for this book. Have a look at what they had to say:

Christine Woolfenden - ‘If you enjoy Phillipa Gregory and Alison Weir, then Anne O'Brien is definitely worth considering. A good storyteller of the more unknown periods of English history.’

Peter Baiden - ‘The past is normally written from the stance of the men involved, hence 'history'. 'The Queen of the North', should be called 'herstory', a new way of revisiting the past.’

Jane Gilman - ‘This is compulsive storytelling historical fiction to engage the emotions and get the blood racing.’

Our Reader Review Panel’s full reviews are also available on the Queen of the North book page. To learn more about the LoveReading Reader Review Panel, check out our Consumer Reader Review Panel. 

Queen of the North is out on the 31st May, so use our ‘Compare Prices’ button on the book page and get your copy ordered today!