A nice gentle stroll through the early Tudor years with Henry becoming the first Tudor king after winning a battle. His wife, Queen Elizabeth, has many children, one of them being the most famous King of England, Henry VIII.

A Tudor tale or should that be tail, of Lady Guildford who takes it upon herself with building up the Ravens conspiracy which is now famous for being at the Tower of London. If the ravens ever leave the tower, the kingdom will fall. Not many people like ravens so Lady Guilford tries to improve their reputation. Lots of historical facts coming through the story with lots of interesting characters to keep you wanting to read further.

For me, the ending just comes to a sudden stop but if you think about it, it's the perfect ending as Lady Guilford has the most important person supporting the ravens, King Henry VII and because of that support the ravens have been allowed to stay and are no longer used for target practice.

Enjoy

My thanks to Netgalley & HarperCollins UK for an advance copy of this book in exchange of an unbiased review. I try to avoid spoilers and do not go into plot details except when it is unavoidable.
Joan Hickson has an enviable reputation of deep knowledge and understanding of England's medieval period. And a catalogue of historical books to her name.
So, when a new book is published along with the title of a new series, -Queens of the Tower, Book 1, we know we are in for a well research volume with a good read and long ride.
Some have criticized it for being slow, but I think Mrs Hickson is carefully laying the groundwork for other books in the series. I must also declare and interest in that I am waiting with bated breath for the last in the Wolf Hall trilogy and this new pasture giving a fair background to life in the early Tudor period is just what i wanted as a warm up.
I will follow The Queens in the Tower with interest and if they come up with the quality promised in this first volume I will be well pleased.
Five stars all the way.

Great addition to the fictional Wars of the Roses genre, focusing on a key participant who us often pushed to the sideline by the men if the story. Well written, with almost no anachronistic errors and a compelling voice.

This is a fantastic book! I love historical fiction, especially during the Tudor period. This caught my eye because if the cover and the referencing to thw ravens, which are a fixture of London Tower. I thoroughly liked getting to know Joan Vaux and she tells a powerful story, it immersed me in the book and didn't let go until the very last page. A big thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to have a copy to read and review.

Historical fiction at its best Jane and her ravens drew me in kept me involved.A book i didn’t want to put down& go back to my real world.Highly recommend the book the author. #netgalley#harpercollinsuk

The Lady of the Ravens is a historical fiction based in Tudor England.
A story of politics in the royal household of Henry 8th, the Ravens that protect the Tower of London and a young girl growing up with the rule and constraints of expected behavior in Tudor times

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This was a solid enjoyable read, very much in the vein of Philippa Gregory. As a commoner, the character of Joan Vaux provides a different perspective on the court politics and relationships of the early Tudor period. The inclusion of lots of details about the unpleasant nature of women's lives in this period, both noble and otherwise, was also good to read. If you like reading about the history of the Tudor monarchy and particularly Tudor women, then this book is for you.

I really enjoy books like this, that allow you to feel as if you're going back into the past. I liked the character of Joan and enjoyed watching her grow through her young service to the Queen, and into adulthood of service and arranged marriage. The addition of her fascination with the Tower's Raven's is great' it's a fascinating notion that fate is wrapped up in the Raven's living at the tower and the threat of collapse if they decide to leave.
Thinking about the book, it's also an insight into the role of the female during this time in history - what a challenging existence, the hardships of arranged marriages, childbirth and lack of rights.
Lovely descriptive and vivid writing that brings this historical period alive. Thoroughly recommended read.

Historical fiction, especially set around the Plantagenet and Tudor eras are my favourite books to read so I was delighted to be approved to read this Arc, thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the first two thirds of this book, the character of Joan is an interesting portrayal of a woman at this time. She is strong willed, and strong minded and even though its a male dominated world she wants to be in control of her own destiny. However, the character wasn't interesting enough to distract me from the fact that I knew what was going to happen to the peripheral characters of Henry VII, his wife Elizabeth and his children etc.

I enjoyed the setting of the tower of London, and the link with the Ravens as well as the constant mention of the princes in the tower one of my favourite mystery's! Ultimately though I thought there was not enough dialogue between characters, meaning that I never really felt that I got to know any of them.

The ending for me was a little unsatisfying but that being said I enjoyed the majority if this reading experience so would say this is a middle of the road 3/5

Bulk standard historical fiction. Doesn't really delve beyond the history lesson. Recommended for fans of Tudor England.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

I was sent a copy of The Lady of the Ravens by Joanna Hickson to read and review by NetGalley.
For me this book was fairly middle of the road. There were a couple of things that I didn’t like about it: the fact that generally there wasn’t a defining mark separating the different passages within a chapter, which on occasion made things a little confusing, and the fact that there were some very obvious errors, mainly in the use of a character’s (incorrect) name! Perhaps this and the odd typo were ironed out before the book went to print, although I am not aware that I was sent a proof copy. The story itself was quite interesting, being set around the reign of King Henry VII and told first person by Joan Vaux, friend and confidante of Elizabeth of York. The details regarding the ravens and the general history woven throughout the novel were engaging but I did feel that there was a lack of real tension which gave the book it’s so-so rating for me.

There are so many books set during the endlessly fascinating (at least to me) Tudor reigns that you could be forgiven for getting Tudor Fatigue. It helps if you love that time period and also if you can find well-written novels that look at events from a different angle. This charming story by Joanna Hickson fits the bill perfectly.

The eponymous Lady of the Ravens is Giovanni ‘Joan’ Vaux a gentlewoman of Elizabeth of York’s household. It sounds like this real-life lady had an excellent vantage point of the tumultuous events at the end of the Wars of the Roses and the early reign of Henry VII. She was in the sphere of the formidable Margaret Beaufort and was obviously highly trusted by Henry and his wife as evidenced by some of the duties she was assigned during her court career.

So it appears that in Joan we have the perfect guide to the nascent Tudor dynasty; through her eyes we see Elizabeth of York’s doubts about Henry Tudor’s marriage intentions, the births of their children, the revolts connected with Perkin Warbeck and the arrival of a young Catherine of Aragon. At the end of the book Joanna Hickson reveals that she is planning a sequel so that we can follow Joan through the trials of tribulations yet to come.

I enjoyed this novel very much and thought that the elements regarding the Tower Ravens were very interesting. It is refreshing to read about these very famous events from this viewpoint and I was glad that she hadn’t made the story too romantic (which often spoils these types of novels for me). Joanna Hickson was a new author to me but I will look for some of her other work now.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publishers for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

An engaging and evocative piece of historical fiction, The Lady of the Ravens tells the story of Joan Vaux, trusted lady in waiting and friend of Elizabeth of York, the woman who married King Henry VII which united the warring York and Lancaster clans by forming the Tudor dynasty.
Joan is summoned to the Tower of London to serve her Queen, and once there she finds herself intrigued by the clever and capricious Ravens that live there and the legend that if they ever abandon the Tower, the kingdom will fall. Court life may be glamorous but it is also governed by rigid rules and protocols, while secrets and intrigue abounds and while Joan has no desire to marry and desperately fears dying in childbirth, she is forced to conform or risk losing her place.
Set in turbulent times, this book put a more human and domestic face on an epic story. Joan is immediately relatable and her outlook resonates with the modern reader. The scene setting is wonderful, rich in historical details but never bogging down the story. Fans of historical fiction will enjoy seeing this take on the early Tudor era and while this is my first Joanna Hickson book, I am looking forward to reading more .
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

What a brilliant read this was. Many people are aware of Henry 8ths wives and his adult life but it is interesting to become familiar with his parents Court and the intrigues surrounding the beginning of the Tudor dynasty.
All of this is brought to us through the eyes of Lady Joan Guildford a confidant of his mother Queen Elizabeth but also a lover of the ravens of the Tower of London and the belief that they are the guardians of the dynasty.
Lovers of this genre and fans of Phillippa Gregory will adore this book.

Lady of the Ravens is an interesting historical novel, set in the reign of Henry VII. Featuring many of the key players in 15th century England, Hickson offers a straightforward fictional foray into the genesis of the Tudor monarchy, with all its power struggles and personal frictions.

While I enjoyed the detail of day to day life in the early Tudor court, and the interesting facts Hickson weaves in, I was a little underwhelmed by the narrative. Although following chronological history, the storytelling feels a little aimless and lacking in structure. Joan Vaux is clearly a fascinating figure, but this depiction of her life is a little underwhelming; I wish there was a stronger sense of purpose, of why her story should be heard.

Lady of the Ravens may not offer anything new, but will make an enjoyable read for anyone who loves historical fiction.

Recently I read an historical account of the family of Yorks iin England, so I'd become re- ignited thinking about Tudor England.. even though that's not quite right .. the flavour of the times, and the story of protagonist's rise in this period felt very authentic and I much appreciated that .. often i find digression that is too much away from what really seems to have happened, very distracting . Perhaps it is, however, that preoccupation which started to flatten the dramatic plot out. It's a tough balance. Joan's seeking out the silver lining (enjoyment of the ravens) was interesting and persuasive. It's all just a bit stolid, I suppose but that is an easy flaw to make in historical fiction. Recommend this however for vh it's intelligence and actually its info!

I was excited to read this as I was somewhat familiar with the historical events and was hoping to gain a little bit more insight or even just to see the event from a different perspective. While it started well enough: interesting narrative voice and a sound writing style, it soon turned into a boring read due to lack of passion, of intrigue, and of drama/tragedy.

It’s not often that I read a historical novel as I always worry the will be a little dry and boring. This cannot be said of this book though. I instantly became friends with Joan Vaux, around who this tale is told. What an absolutely wonderful character, strong, loving, and very good at her job it would seem!

England under the Tudor’s was an exciting time, and this book really brings all of that to light, I struggled to put this book down and I was really sad when it ended.

Overall an absolutely cracking historical read.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

i have read a lot of historical fiction books revolving around the Tudor era, so, to be honest, I felt like it was getting to a point I was reading the same thing over and over again. Dealing with Henry VII rather than his more famous son, Henry VIII, this was quite unique to me. The novel focuses on a lady in waiting to Elizabeth of York. I loved the link to the title, as Joan marries Richard Guildford in the novel, who has rooms in the Tower of London where Joan encounters these ravens, I thought the author's use of imagery around this was amazing. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and look forward to seeing more from this author.

Really enjoyed this one even though it is not my usual genre of book!! Would be interested in reading more from this author !!