When HarperCollins reached out to me and asked me if I would be interested in reviewing this book I couldn’t say no, especially after reading the synopsis that was sent to me.

Generally speaking I do enjoy reading historical fiction but I have to admit I did struggle with this one.  While reading this book it’s very clear that the author has done her research thoroughly, but I felt that this book was a bit too fact based. For me this meant the story didn’t flow as smoothly as there were just too many facts inserted in-between.

Although the story its self was not too bad, I struggled to connect and engage with some of the characters. I felt they were a little flat, but saying that I understand the main character is based on a real historical person so I can see that there are limits on how much the character can be changed.

Sadly, this book wasn’t for me but I think it will be enjoyed by many others, so don’t just take my word on this book once again I think I’m in the minority that didn’t enjoy this book.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers HarperCollins UK, HarperFictions for a copy of my eARC in return for an honest and unbiased review.

A well written story that was full of passion and above all friendship. Mother Guildford. Is shown as a strong person who was loved by all she met. The story depicts life under the start of the Tudor reign so realistically. I loved the fact that the ravens played such a large part in the story as I also grew up knowing that the day they left the Tower would be the end of England. These birds now have a special place at the Tower and no-one would ever try to harm them. Lady Guildford would be so pleased. The descriptions of the characters, places and social events have all been clearly described.
For anyone interested in historical based stories, this one is highly recommended. The Tudor period was one of the most influential and exciting time of our history and warrants such a lovely insight.
I look forward to reading more by this exciting author.

The Lady of the Ravens is a get idea for a book and I really enjoyed reading it. I've long been a fan of the Tudor Historical Fiction genre and got excited when I came across this book. The legend of the Ravens of the Tower is famous: it is believed that the Ravens are the guardians of the Tower of London. As long as the Tower of London stands so will the rule of the kingdom. The legend is so important that the Ravens are still looked after in the tower to this day and you can visit them. They have their own carers who look to their every need and to date they have never left the tower.

This legend is weaved into this novel. King Henry VII has won the throne of England, the country is trying to heal itself and soldiers don't like ravens. We follow Lady Joan Gildford nee. Vaux from her time serving Princess Elizabeth of York after King Henry VII's victory, to the alter and beyond to when she raises to the position of Maid of Honor. Joan is the Lady of the Ravens. She is enchanted by them and is a supporter of their survival and comfort. She knows of the Raven legend and the soldier's dislike of them. They are used as target practice for archers and Joan makes sure that opinions of them are changed. Beautifully, the ravens near misses coincide with troubles on King Henry VII's throne, thus reinforcing the legend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

A great book set in the reign of Henry vii if you like philippa Gregory and jean plaidy you will love this.
Full of historical detail you can tell the author loves her subject.

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.

I love reading about Tudor history, both fiction and non-fiction, so was delighted to be granted The Lady of the Ravens by NetGalley.

This novel tells the story of Elizabeth of York in the early days of her engagement and marriage to Henry VII - designed to bring together the Houses of York and Lancaster. In conjunction with her story is that of one of her ladies-in-waiting, Joan (Giovanna) Vaux. Joan has an obsession with the ravens at the Tower and believes the story that the kingdom will crumble if they leave the tower.

Obviously very well-researched however I really didn't enjoy reading this book. The research is SO obvious; facts are jammed into every scene and piece of dialogue. With all that though, there was nothing new to glean about Tudor history in this novel, and the characters were unconvincing and stilted (and spent a lot of time telling each other things that they should already know, just to move the plot along). The ravens theme that runs through the novel I am convinced was selected because the title 'The Lady of the Ravens' sounds good.

Not for me.