I love historical fiction set in Tudor times and this time I was not disappointed at all. I loved the storyline and the characters, The story tells us about the women that history usually forgets. Highly recommended!

New life was breathed in to the old favourites, the Tudors, with this telling of life under Henry VII. I enjoyed this more than I expected and although I am sure that not all the historical details were accurate, I was swept along with the characters and telling of life in the Royal Household. I liked the parts about the ravens as they interest me now, there still being a Raven Master at the Tower of London. Perhaps we will learn of the development of this role in a subsequent book. Altogether it was an informative read and a very enjoyable one.

This book came at just the right time for me – I had recently finished reading Thomas Penn’s excellent (non-fiction) The Brothers York which finished with the death of Richard III and ascension to the throne of Henry VII. The Lady of the Ravens picks up the story right at that point and is told from the perspective of a friend and gentlewoman of Elizabeth of York, soon to be queen and eventually mother of Henry VIII.
Like all good historical fiction, it pins the story around known facts and takes its liberties in the grey and unknown areas. The portrayal of the real historical characters rings true with other accounts but is not too caricatured. I particularly liked the spiky sister of the queen, Anne of York (who married Thomas Howard, later Duke of Norfolk). As usual, I couldn’t help breaking off from reading to look up the people involved and their relationships to one another, with an eye on the dramatis personae of the later Henrician saga.
This is marked as Book 1 of the Queens of the Tower series. I look forward to reading the subsequent stories.

I really enjoyed this book. It is a compelling read, with well-drawn characters, and a real sense of the period. Once I had immersed myself in it, I found it very difficult to put down.

Historical fiction isn't my usual read, however this caught my interest!
I did have to persevere a bit and I'm glad I finished it.
Overall it was a good compelling read.
Thank you netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love a good Historical Novel and I have read Hickson before, hence why I requested this novel, took me a little while to read it, due to personal restirctions, but it was worth the while, as this did not disappoint.

I really liked her First of the Tudors books and was excited to read this, as mentioned previously.

As with all her novels, she tells a great story and makes the charecters come alive , Joan was a great charecter to read, I have read so many novels that set themselves in the Court of Henry VIII and really felt it was about time that i read more about his father's court.

As you read, you get to know more about said court and of course of Joan, whom I became quite attached to whilst reading, Please can we have more!

I hope this comes out on audiobook as I would love to revisit it one day.

The story of how the Tower of London and the monarchy of England will fall if the Ravens leave, is the background to this fascinating story, of fifteenth century Tudor history. Shown from a feminist perspective, the trials of being a female in those days, must make us modern women, feel so thankful for advances in modern childbirth, marriage laws and a general enlightenment of the value of females today. Tudor women, especially those of Royal blood, were married early, usually to gain advantages of land, titles, very rarely was love considered. Child brides could be mothers at thirteen, and dead by sixteen. Such turbulent times, meant you could on the throne one day, and deposed and imprisoned the next. Breeding was done for children to rule the land and create powerful alliances, females were to bring advantageous marriages.
The narrator of this story, is Joan Vaux, who is in Royal service. I recognised the name when I requested this book,as I lived about 20 miles away from Harrowden Hall, when I lived in Northamptonshire, but I didn't know the full story of this lady. I found this book to be a very well researched story about the early Tudor court, and I learnt a lot about this family. The amount of detail was fascinating, and never dealt with in such detail, when I was studying this period at school. I do hope there will be others in this series, I strongly believe that the small and often neglected details of the time, especially the female views, show the greatest understanding of that historical period. The life of the females was often neglected, but is so rich in that so many diaries and notes, have been made and then forgotten, and I am delighted that this rich source of material is being discovered and used at long last. I will look forward to the next book in this series, a definite five star read.

Having read the story of The Brothers York this book provides an interesting sequel. It is of a different style as it focuses on the life and career of a noble but lowly chamber maid to the Queen consult of King Henry at the start of the Tudor Dynasty. How she becomes interested in the Ravens of the Tower and succeeds in saving them when men wanted to kill them also provides an insight to the politics of the time. The Brothers York was a tragic story but in contrast this has a happy ending as she rises in the Queens service and finds unexpected true love along the way.. A most enjoyable read.

I had mixed feelings about this book. Although it's about a period I like and well enough written, I reached the end and thought "so what?". There were no new insights or ideas about the characters that are not covered already by Phillipa Gregory or Hilary Mantel during the next reign.
There were a few bits of lurid prose and some errors - surely cloth of gold is well, gold, not white or varied colours ?

A fabulous tale bringing Tudor history to life, this book has as much fact in it as it does fiction, with most of the characters being genuine historical figures. Set during the reign of Henry VI, we catch a fascinating glimpse of life in the royal household, both upstairs and downstairs, as well as find out about the ravens in the title. The storyline is based around Joan Vaux who really was a lady in waiting to Henry's wife, Queen Elizabeth of York, and moves along at a steady pace throughout, yet keeps you turning the pages simply by being so beautifully written. I was effortlessly transported back to the late 1400's and found myself wanting to learn more about the people in the book afterwards ( thanks to Wikipedia!) The ending is a little abrupt, but I hope that means there are more stories to come from The Tower of London. 4.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

The Lady of the Ravens gives an insightful fictionalised account of the life and ‘obsession’ of Giovanni ‘Joan’ Vaux, later Lady Joan Guildford, lady-in-waiting to Henry VII’s wife Elizabeth of York. An avid believer of the superstitious belief that as long as the ravens are in residence at the Tower of London the kingdom will flourish, Joan sets about ensuring the ongoing breeding program of her beloved birds however polarised and deceptive the attitudes of the human residents. The book ends as Joan is feted by King `Henry for her achievements. A bit of a cheese read but nevertheless quite enjoyable in holding my attention.

Joan Vaux is brought to live in the shadow of the Tower of London when young and seeing her first raven is impressed and in awe of them .Years later she becomes their champion whilst serving as lady in waiting to Elizabeth of York ,wife of Henry VII .
This is a cracking slice of history told from the viewpoint of a minor historical figure not one of the royal family and as such we learn more about the lives of ordinary citizens. Joan ,fearful of the consequences of childbirth, vows not to marry. However,, as a member of court ,she is given no choice and ends up as stepmother to the children of the recently widowed Richard Guildford. This serves to remind us that marriage in those times was mainly seen as a political tool and women really had little power if any . Luckily for Joan her husband turns out to be a gentleman and her life is not so bad .
As a fan of historical fiction, particularly of this period , I loved the fact that the story was told from a different viewpoint and was obviously well researched . The ravens are fascinating creatures ,their symbolism and the folklore around them is interwoven well into the story of the crown and Henry’s bid to unite the warring factions at this period in history. I look forward to reading the next instalment of Joan Vaux’s life

An enjoyable Historical fiction set right at the beginning of the Tudor period. Joan Veaux is lady in waiting to Elizabeth of Yor, who is married to Henry VII. Despite being terrified in the beginning of childbirth, and therefore marriage, she ends up having to marry Richard Guildford. He has rooms in the Tower of London where she comes across the ravens, which according to legend are protectors of the Tower and when there are no ravens left, the kingdom will fall. She admires the ravens, an unpopular opinion at the time and encourages them.
I found it interesting to read about this period, there are plenty of books out there on Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, but this is the first time I have come across a book set in the earlier period of the Tudor dynasty. I look forward to reading more if they become available.

*Many thanks to Netgalley and Harpercollins for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion*

The Lady of the Ravens, Joanna Hickson



Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews



Genre: historical


I loved this, it was a book I savoured over several sittings, not devoured in one go. I find for me that works better with historical reads, gives me time to mull over events, to think about the characters and actions, with them being so far from how we live now.


I really enjoyed the day to day bits, what they wore, what they ate, Joan chatting to her friend in the sewing trade, what each person did in the duty of the royal household. I loved it when we finally got the Raven connection, that seemed to take time and I found the story a little slow at first.


Henry 7th isn't someone I've read a great deal about, I know him from the periphery of stories about his son, and of course the whole York/Lancaster issues. Turbulent times to live in when one could be royal one day, deposed and in the tower the next. Of course that stood for followers too, one day landed gentry, the next everything goes to the crown and they were out, let live if lucky, tower or death if not.
Hard decisions, yet as Joan sees, however one sympathised if a potential heir was living the followers would always be a danger, even if there was no intention on the potential heir's part to rule.

I enjoyed reading about his royal household, the children, though was sad at how fragile life was even for royal families. Disease and death was very prevalent then, and even royals succumbed far too often.

Reading too about how children were sent away from families at such a young age, for politics, for family power, for alliances and of course for their personal futures was hard. Seemed really sad to me, that close family contact was rare in wealthy households, that parents had children they rarely saw, and who could be sent hundreds of miles away, to other countries even when still only very young. They grew up quickly then, as we see from their speech and education while still little more than toddlers.


I loved reading about Sim and the Ravens, about Joan's championing of them and the issues she faced. Its a fictional snippet of history with roots in reality, and certainly the Raven/Tower legend is still strong. I believe the Ravens actually have their own guardians officially now.


Joanna is an author new to me, I'd be happy to read more from her when in the mood to get lost back in history for a few hours. She writes in a way that had me totally immersed in what was happening, feeling it was real, and that's always the best stories for me.



Stars: Five. I thought at first it was a little slow, but that's really scene setting as I discovered when I read further, and its a book I thoroughly enjoyed.

Arc via publishers and Netgalley

I telly tried to like this book, the subject matter piqued my interest, but the writing was clunky, the narrative didn’t flow and I very quickly became annoyed with it and gave up reading. Not for me, I’m afraid.

I love historical fiction but I found this book to be a little slow for me. It's well written and well researched but just didn't hit the spot.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

What an amazingly researched book. I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of Joan, friend of Henry VII's incumbent and then Queen, Elizabeth. The ravens myth and the struggle to get them accepted adds a nice touch to the story which is full of historic details and a lot of characters, some of whom I last heard about in history lessons at school fifty years ago. I enjoyed the set pieces in court and family homes, whilst the details of the clothes and journeys and the countryside which really helped to set the story in its time and place. Highly recommended to lovers of that period spanning England's move from medieval into Tudor history. With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review an e-ARC (which I hope is an unproofed copy as there are several bloopers).

I really enjoyed this historical novel set at the beginning of the Tudor Dynasty. The central character is Giovanna Vaux, who is known as Joan. Her mother enjoys the patronage of Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII and Joan becomes part of Elizabeth of York’s household, so we get a ringside seat of events! The story takes us from the start of Henry’s reign to the marriage of Prince Arthur to Katherine of Aragon, a marriage that in the future will be highly problematic! Joan is the Lady of the Ravens, she loves them and admired them and does all she can to protect them from those who do not. Legend has it that the presence of ravens at the Tower of London is essential to royal security.

I really like the characters in the story especially Joan and Richard Guildford who she marries. He seems taciturn but underneath the bluster is a kind and loving man who is also very loyal to his family and King. Joan is clever, honest, amusing and self deprecating. I like how the royal couple are portrayed and the difficulties of establishing the dynasty are well explained. The author captures the colour, lawlessness, harshness and dangers that are ever present. There are some lovely descriptions especially of the more spectacular events such as the coronation of Henry and his marriage to Elizabeth. Later in the book Joan’s son Hal is placed with Prince Harry who is to become so important later on. He is portrayed as lively, clever and talented and there are some lovely scenes where Prince Arthur meets and later marries Katherine of Aragon.

Throughout the book there are stories about the ravens and although I got a little bit tired of this at some points there are some wonderful images associated with them. I particularly like the section where the King meets them which most certainly gives the royal seal of approval!

This is a well written, enjoyable book which is firmly embedded in the history of the times. The dangers of living then are clearly shown, whether that is the ever present danger of disease, rebellion or being born on the losing side. There are some really good characters and some lovely and lively scenes which are easy to picture.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for this ARC.

A really good interesting and insightful read. This book has obviously been well researched. I have read a number of books on this period in history and always find them fascinating.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Well, this is a difficult one to review without appearing too critical.
I almost gave up reading the book at 20% but continued, and now I kind of wish I hadn't.
The beginning of the book is slow and tedious to get underway. There is a great deal of just moving around, and slight conspiracy, and a vague reference to ravens and I confess, I thought the book was just going to be about the main character, Joan's, interaction with Elizabeth Tudor. Having recently read a book about Elizabeth Tudor, and a number of books on Margaret Beaufort, I thought it was just replaying what I'd read and was confused by the title.
Only then Joan gets married and the story becomes less about her service to the queen and more about Joan herself. That said, there are still huge chunks where the author 'tells' the story instead of 'shows' it (I know it's historical fiction and that sometimes it's the only way to tell the reader everything they need to know - but I found it added little to the story).
This section then, is where the novel is strongest, and the ravens gain some prominence, but there are a number of characters who get discarded along the way - indeed, we hear little about Joan's step-children, even the oldest daughter who at one point, is very prominent. And this is a missed opportunity by the author, or the editor, or whoever wrote her out. After all, she is important to the story of the ravens, if nothing else.
When the story returns to the queen's court, I imagined I knew where the story would end - and I think those who know the story of Elizabeth Tudor will think the same - but for some reason, the story just ends, incredibly abruptly, and at a 'weird' point. It's almost as though the editor just decided that the word count had been reached and that was that.
While there is evidently meant to be an antagonist, the character is so poorly formed, the reader can be forgiven for forgetting about them, and his 'comeuppance' (if that's what it's supposed to be) is weak in the extreme.
With that said, I would never deny the research that has gone into this book - it is evident in every scene and spoken word - but the storyline is too flimsy to fully satisfy the reader. (And why are there no historical notes at the end?)
I was left wondering why I bothered reading the book, and that is never a great feeling when you've invested time in characters who ultimately, have little to reward a reader with!