A great historical fiction set during the reign of Henry VII, this book kept me engrossed and was a throughly enjoyable read, perfect for any Tudor lovers.
I shall be recommending this to my friends as a great story to get lost in!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for allowing me to read in return for an honest review

Historical fiction meets historical fact in this book which is set during tudor times and follows the life of Giovanna Vaux, known as Joan, beginning when she is in service to Princess Elizabeth, who will eventually marry King Henry VII.

It is clear from the depth in this book that Ms Hickson loves what she does and the attention to detail and her obviously time consuming research give this book an authenticity which shows on every page. I knew of the legend surrounding the ravens at the Tower of London but this story taught me so much more. The author is able, through her ability to meld fact and fiction, to paint a vivid view of a very different time in our history and show how there were good times to be had alongside the bad no matter who you were.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction especially as this seems to be the beginning of a fascinating series.

Not usually my type of book, but I did enjoy it. Set in ye olde England as the Tudors take over from the Plantagenets, this story is about a daughter of a lady of the royal court and her love for the ravens in the tower. She does not share the opinions of the archers that they are evil. As is still know in the present day, should the ravens leave the tower the monarchy will fall. This book describes her closeness to the Royal court, her marriage and subsequent children, Her nature is shown throughout this book, but I felt that the final few chapters were rushed. It was a free flowing story until that point.

The Lady of the Ravens by Joanna Hickson is a interesting book set in the Tudor reign.
The protagonist Giovanni ‘Joan ‘ Vaux is attendant in the Princess Elizabeth of York household who is married to King Henry VII. She works her way up and becomes a lady in waiting after marrying Richard Guildford. But despite already having a ready-made family to his six children. She is frightened of childbirth. Whilst visiting her mother who is a companion to Lady Margaret Beaufort. She visits the Tower of London were the evil Ravens reside. She is fascinated by them they are always watching people everywhere. She becomes friends with them and even feeds them.
I love historical novels and I was glad to be accepted for a copy of this book. I liked this book. I thought it was well researched and well written. But as I was getting into I just thought there was too much description and not the actually story that I got disengaged from it and just skimmed read the last twenty five percent of the book.

Im so stoked about this book, mainly because im from York and i speak And study Italian and love history so this book is heaven to me. Its very heavy on the kings and queens which is something i have a hard time remembering and retaining.. but had to take that with a pinch of salt and enjoy the story!

This book seemed more like a fictionalised history book than a work of fiction. There were too many historical facts and I didn't feel that the characters were fleshed out enough. That being said, the writing is good and it was a fairly engaging story.

Great historic novel during the reign of the King Henry VII, interesting story, reflecting perfectly the way of life of the Tudors'time.
Get easily attached to the characters and easy reading.

A closer look into the transition period from York to Tudor. London 1486. Joan, our main character, is attendant to the queen and wife of Richard Guildford, a courtier. Legend has it that when the ravens flock the Tower of London, all is organised and stable. But the uprisings have the birds fleeing the palace.
There's not much of a story in this book, other than life in close proximity to the royals, with an entourage traveling from manor to manor and from castle to church.
Just a pleasant read for anyone who likes a bit of history.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins for the ARC.

I've always been a fan of historical fiction and jumped at the chance to read an advanced copy of The Lady of The Ravens by Joanna Hickson.

Set in the times where the Tudors took control of the monarchy, the author has cleverly interwoven fact with fiction to create a compelling story that weaves the legend of the Ravens at the Tower of London, with a fictional tale of Joan, a young lady who starts her life of royal duty by being a companion to Princess Elizabeth, and, as time goes by, works her way up to the rank of Lady in Waiting for the then Queen Elizabeth. Along the way, she is chosen to marry Sir Richard, and becomes mother to six stepchildren, despite never wanting to bear children herself.

Joan develops something of an obsession with the majestic black birds that frequent the green around the Tower, and despite the belief among the commoners that the monarchy and country is safe, as long as the ravens roost at the Tower, she is horrified at how the archers use them as target practise, and the treatment of them.

I loved how the story of the ravens and how they appeared to become more accepted, and the life of Joan blended in with the real facts of the monarchy and events that happened at this time.

The characters came to life, and I became a champion of Joan and her cause through the book!

Definitely a recommended read if you are a historical fiction lover!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Joan is a Lancastrian where it is finally safe to admit to it, although for Lancaster, one must now read 'Tudor'. Henry Tudor has won Bosworth and is not king, and on the road to winning his bride, a rather petulant, spoiled Elizabeth of York. Joan was a ward of Margaret Beaufort, and becomes by default companion to Elizabeth and through familiarity, friend. But she's not noble and as such can't take a place close enough to the queen-in-waiting as either would like.

Hmm... really not sure about this book. The narrative flows but in fits and starts; there is little chronological flow, more episodic than a full story that goes from event to event. We leap between Christmas to Easter to summer and back to Christmas with nothing to really link, and so we lose the characters and their impact. No one really comes out as a fully formed person but as flat, caricatures at best.

The file provided was not good, even allowing for it being an corrected proof, the sheer number of typos and grammar errors was unacceptable and it does make one wonder how much is from the author herself and how much from the publisher. I'm assuming that the anachronisms are all the author's work. I felt that only the references to people even went close to grounding this in the 1480s and not a century later.

Sadly not impressed, a good editor and someone who knows the era to direct the author would help her.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, told from the pov of Joan Vaux who was a lady in waiting to Elizabeth of York. As the new Tudor dynasty is taking shape it is fascinating to read about some of the less well known characters and without the usual Shakespearean bias. Henry VII brought the War of the Roses to an end with a rather dubious claim to the throne, but also united the Houses of York and Lancaster in a fragile peace.
His actions changed the course of English history, opinion will differ as to whether it was for the good. Without home there would be no Henry VIII, no protestant movement and, possibly, none of the bloodshed that followed. Although no doubt there would have been something else to fight over.
Its aleats nice to see history through the eyes of women rather than men.

I found the book to be a little romanticised. All the women seemed happy with their arranged marriages and didn't seem to object at all to being used as pawns in mens power games. I don't know how accurate this is.

Still, a good read and informative.

My thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for this copy.

I felt this tale was weighed down by all the historical facts that were threaded through the narrative. Although I do enjoy reading historical fiction to get an idea of what life was like in another age, I found there was too much information laid out baldly, rather than subtly supporting the story.
A lack of commas (which might be due to this being an early draft) also meant it was sometimes difficult to grasp the meaning of a sentence.
The story itself was slight, and I found it difficult to engage with the heroine, who seemed to be reporting on her life rather than inhabiting it. The heroine is a real historical person so this limits how much leeway the author could take with her character.
I feel guilty for not liking more what was obviously a well-researched book, but I did not get caught up in the story.

This is the story of Joan Vaux, a gentlewoman in the court of Henry VII who rises through marriage to the nobility. She is obsessed with ravens, firmly believing the superstition that as long as there are ravens in the Tower of London then the monarchy is safe. This was a mixed read for me. I liked the character of Joan although found her obsession a little tedious. The metaphor of the ravens throughout to show the rises and falls of the Tudors was overused and for me the most interesting parts were the daily lives of the people in the court though of course, we don't really get an in depth view of what a peasant's or a commoner's life was like. Ordinary people are kept in their place. A pleasant enough read but not outstanding. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I enjoyed this book. It's good to see the story through the eyes of a lady in the royal court rather than a queen or princess, as is usual with historical novels set in medieval England. I like the slow pace too, which seems to suit the period. The lady of the title is Joan Vaux, through whom we learn the story of her mistress Elizabeth, Henry VII's future queen. Joan is also a friend of Henry 's mother, Margaret, Countess of Richmond. Margaret has lived as an honoured guest in the Tower of London since her son became king after defeating the infamous Richard III and Joan sometimes visits her there. Joan loves the intelligent, noisy ravens who live in the Tower and are said to bring good luck, though they are used as target practice by the guards. A good account of Elizabeth's life, written from an unusual viewpoint.
Love the book cover with its ravens and medieval pattern, so appropriate to the story.

This is a bit more aimed towards romance than I usually like my histfic but I was completely captivated. Set during the reign of Henry VII, the story follows Giovanna ‘Joan’ Vaux as she moves to London and becomes part of Elizabeth of York’s household. Joan lives in the shadow of the Tower and is fascinated by the ravens. There are bits of Raven lore interspersed thoughout the book, which I loved. Leading right up to the wedding of Prince Arthur to Katherine of Aragon, this is less a dramatic retelling of well known, well worn and history altering events, and more a quiet episode in a nevertheless important part of the Tudor era. Highly recommend.

A wonderful story full of detail that brings alive the fifteenth century when Henry VII defeats the King and takes the throne. The lady at the centre is Joan Vaux whose mother served Henry's mother and now it is joan's duty to serve Elizabeth of York and she is privy to a lot of secrets that take her to meetings at the Tower where she discovers the ravens and literally falls in love with their quaint ways and believes that the Tudors will reign only when the ravens stay at the Tower. Full of vivid detail and at the centre you understand the risks that women underwent in childbirth. Joan has a marriage arranged with Richard Guildford but is also approached by another who she turns down. She becomes a stepmother to six and her difficulty coping with the brood is beautifully explained. This novel pulls aside the curtain of life at court and is a great read!

This was a really engaging Historical novel. Nicely paced with enough detail of the Reign of Henry VII to keep the War of the Roses fab in me happy. All the key players in the New Tudor dynasty appear.

A lovely domestic tale and gentle love story also made for a thoroughly satisfying whole.

Highly recommended

Joan Vaux is a young woman in the court of King Henry VII, her mother is one of the ladies in waiting to Henry’s young queen Elizabeth. Joan herself is fascinated by the ravens which reside at the Tower of London, and builds a relationship with them, feeding them and encouraging their presence – she finds herself much derided, particularly by Sir Henry Wyatt, a senior member of the king’s team.

As the girls around her marry, Joan is terrified of the prospect, and above all terrified of the prospect of childbirth. It seems marriage is not something she can avoid and she is soon forced to choose between Sir Henry Wyatt, and the recently widowed Sir Richard Guildford, neither proposer being someone she wants to accept.

The story continues exploring Joan’s marriage, her new role as stepmother, and her promotions up through the rank of the queen’s ladies.

Joan is a fascinating character, and I found the story compelling. I’ve not read any of Joanna Hickson’s work before, but have dipped into Philippa Gregory, and this is the best comparison – definitely on a par.

Joan Vaux, who was brought up in the household of Margaret Beaufort. Upon Henry Tudor becoming King, Joan finds herself installed as a lady in waiting to Elizabeth of York.

As a young girl Joan made her first visit to the Tower of London to visit her mother and found herself fascinated by the inhabitant ravens. Joan had been told the tale that it was believed the ravens kept the Tower safe and if they ever left then the kingdom would fall.

Joan finds herself married to a courtier with a number of talents and who lives at the Tower of London, providing Joan with access to the ravens. Enlisting the help of a young boy who grows up to love the ravens as much as she does, Joan manages to ensure the ravens flourish at the Tower.

One man is not happy and aims to rid the Tower of the ravens. We all know the ravens are still at the Tower so thankfully they've managed to stay even obtaining royal permission.

What can I say? I absolutely loved this. It was a great story based around the legend of the ravens at the Tower of London but includes some very real characters.

I visited the Tower of London myself last year and have to say the ravens are fascinating! They're not afraid of humans and make lots of wonderful sounds.

There's also recently been a TV programme called Inside the Tower which has segments of the lives of the ravens and the ravenmaster.

I'd recommend the book, tv show and certainly the Tower itself to anyone with an interest in the time of Henry VII and the Tudors.


I have also planned a post to be published on my blog just before publication and will post to Amazon.

I really enjoyed the history and the writing in this story. The rise of Joan amongst the newly established Tudor court is packed with historical references and insight. I appreciate this period in history was complicated but there were times I lost the plot of who was who and what the historical relevance was, there were nods to her previous book about Jasper Tudor but I did find that book geld more action and story than this one. Having said that I still enjoyed the journey throuh Joan's life and especially the ravens.