Review: Nine Days a Queen: The Short Life and Reign of Lady Jane Grey by Ann Rinaldi

Nine Days a Queen: The Short Life and Reign of Lady Jane Grey by Ann Rinaldi

Summary: I had freckles. 

I had sandy hair. I was too short.
Would my feet even touch the ground if I sat on the throne?

These are the words of lady Jane Grey, as imagined by celebrated author Ann Rinaldi. Jane would become Queen of England for only nine days before being beheaded at the age of sixteen.

Here is a breathtaking story of English royalty with its pageantry, privilege, and surprising cruelty. As she did in her previous novel Mutiny's Daughter, Ms. Rinaldi uses powerful, evocative writing to bring to life a teenage girl caught in the grip of stirring times.

Review: A quick read, a very quick read actually, but an enjoyable story with a sympathetic character.

I have not previously read a book about Lady Jane Grey, but it is a very fascinating story. It's almost hard to believe that someone was queen for only nine days. I know some people may think of queens as being very powerful, but her story goes to show that even if a woman was queen, she could so easily be powerless. Some queens were more powerful than others, but Jane Grey was very much a pawn, or at least that is how it appears to me.

I found Jane to be a very sympathetic character and I hoped (even though there was no hope) that Jane would not be forced to marry, that she would not become queen, and would not be beheaded. This book had a good deal of foreshadowing due to Jane remarking that she was grateful that she was a not a princess, that she would never be queen, and that she would throw the crown at them if she ever did become queen. I must admit it's a little much because we all know what will happen to her. 

Jane's character took a somewhat significant turn after she became queen, but I am not entirely sure it was warranted due to her actions, behaviors, thoughts, and emotions before. She took to the power she always said she never wanted a little too well. All in all, the story of Lady Jane Grey is a tragic one and this book does a good job of telling it.

Rating: 

Recommendation: I would recommend this book to fans of young adult historical fiction, the Tudors, or stories dealing with young girls and teenagers in hard positions.