An e-copy of this book was given to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book primarily follows Cecily, Duchess of York, through the perilous Wars of the Roses, and we see how she and her family respond to various events throughout the fifteenth century. The book is mostly told through letters, but we also see Cecily's diary entries, her prayers, newspaper entries, and the odd chunk of 'normal' narrative between the characters, in Cecily's first person. The majority of the book is seen through Cecily's eyes, but we do also see other people and their motivations in their letters to Cecily and others.

I found it really interesting following this particular woman's life through these treacherous times in British history due to her heavy involvement in the actions of her family members. The storyline follows personal views, including Cecily's and others', but is also very political in nature, which you might expect from the topic of the novel.

If you already know about this period of history surrounding the Wars of the Roses, then this novel will give you an, albeit fictional, interesting insight into the behind-the-scenes of the tensions between rivals and within families. If you don't know anything about this period, however, it is an interesting introduction and is possible to follow with little historical knowledge.

I found the novel to be incredibly plot-driven, and not much time was given to the development of characters. However, I think this worked quite well as the reader is left as an onlooker to the events of Cecily's life. I enjoyed parts of this book, but also found some parts quite tedious and repetitive due to the changing formats of letters, prayers, and news reports. I still gave it 3 stars and would recommend it to any historical fiction fan, especially those who enjoy medieval history.

The Queen's Rival is a stunning look at the 'later' life of Cecily Neville from 1459 until 1483. This is not a 'quiet' period of history and to cover the tumultuous events, the author adopts the technique of recording the letters of the main protagonists, either from the pen of Cecily or from those who write to her.

It does take a little while to get used to the technique, but the reader is quickly drawn into the story, not perhaps by the events taking place, but rather by the relationship between Cecily and her two sisters, Anne, Duchess of Buckingham and Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk. The words they share with each other are just what sisters might well say to each other, especially when they're not likely to see each other soon. More importantly, the sisters, while fiercely loyal to their Neville inheritance, are not of one mind about who should rule England, and who has the right to rule England. It highlights just how destructive the War of the Roses was, and is a genius way of quickly ensuring the reader appreciates that families were ripped apart by the protracted war.

This is the story of the women of the later 15th century. It's their voices that we hear, as they try and come to terms with the rises and falls all of them experience. There are moments when the narrative is hard to read, either because you know what's going to happen, or just because you really feel for Cecily and don't want her to experience the tribulations than she does.

I am a huge fan of Anne O'Brien and the 'forgotten' women of the medieval period in England. While the author may stress that Cecily is not really a forgotten woman, I was not really aware of her before reading this book. The mother of two kings, the grandmother of future kings, and yet she could also have been queen herself. What an interesting life she led.

I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my review copy.

I will be honest when I started to read this book I was a little put off by the story having been written in the form of letters and I found it hard to get into the style of the book to begin with. However, once I got used to the style I really started to enjoy the book and loved seeing a different side to such well known names from history.

Cecily Neville is a strong woman who is not afraid of a fight and does not stand down easily. She is proud and determined to get the very best for her family. I loved Cecily’s strength through this book and even at times she faced alarming things like her husband leaving her and three small children to face an army ransack her home and town she stood firm, she did not hide but made her children watch and learn the dangers of an army. She never gave up even when weighed down in grief and kept strong for her family.

My favourite letters in this book were between Cecily and her two sisters, I must admit they did leave me giggling at times. Sisterly love at its finest with side notes of snide remarks. I also loved the letters from Cecily’s sons to her because you can tell at times they are really fed up of their mother’s interference and constant nagging letters.

I enjoyed this book and found it interesting how O’Brien chose to write the story in the form of letters and documents. It made me wonder if O’Brien was trying to make her book a little different from all the other Historical fiction that is out there. I highly recommend this book to all Historical fiction fans.

I feel like the really gripping story in the centre of this book was badly let down by the decision to keep the entire narrative tied to correspondence. This is extremely unfortunate because The Queen's Rival takes place in a time of high intrigue, plotting and betrayal. So many moments fall flat I did struggle to get through the book as my attention flatlined. I did glean a few tidbits about Cecily Neville and did feel the author is passionate about her subject I just wish that so much of interest was not left to simply footnotes.

This book is set in Medieval England and tells the story of Cecily Neville, who was married to Richard, the ambitious Duke Of York. I am a historian and am familiar with the people and events here...I’ve read all of Anne O’Brien’s previous historical novels so was excited to read this.
Unfortunately whilst the plot and characterisation was as always sound I did not enjoy the style this was written in at all. It is written as if a series of letters, prayers and chronicles. I found this style stilted the story and in all honesty pretty much ruined my enjoyment of the novel. I never felt like I had time to be drawn into the plot, nor care about the characters because as soon as I was interested suddenly the story switched to another chronicle, extract or someone else’s letter. Because of the style I never felt like the book actually got going, and I had lost interest half way through.
This was such a shame as there were glimmers of O’Brien’s usual brilliance, especially in the character of Cecily Neville, and in the evocation of the lives of women at this time, but really I just wanted to read the story not slog my way through a series of documents.

England, 1459: Cecily Neville, Duchess of York, is embroiled in a plot to topple the weak-minded King Henry VI from the throne. But when the Yorkists are defeated at the Battle of Ludford Bridge, Cecily’s family flee and abandon her to face a marauding Lancastrian army on her own. Cecily can only watch as her lands are torn apart and divided up by the ruthless Queen Marguerite. From the towers of her prison in Tonbridge Castle, the Duchess begins to spin a web of deceit – one that will eventually lead to treason, to the fall of King Henry VI, and to her eldest son being crowned King Edward IV.

This is set during a well known period of history and a period I very much enjoy so I was looking forward to getting stuck into it. However, I did not enjoy O'Brien's writing style in this. O'Brien has written this through a combination of letters, prayers and excerpts from The English Chronicle. This method certainly proved unique but I cannot help but wonder if it was unique for a reason. It simply did not work for me. This is not factual but a work of fiction so why try and make it read like a factual book. Due to the writing style I found this read stunted; it lost its flow and felt like it never got going. Dare I say it but I was bored.

The one positive I can think of for this method is it allowed the reader inside the heads of the people O'Brien is writing about. I did think the "characters" O'Brien includes were well presented, their personalities were captured and their thoughts and feelings seemed plausible. I only wish this had been written differently and then I may have enjoyed it more.

It pains me to say this, but I was not gripped at all by this read and could have very easily not finished it. Suddenly, one of my favourite periods of history lost its sheen and I cannot begin to express my disappointment.

I have nothing else to add about 'The Queen's Rival' other than what a real disappointment this proved to be.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for an advance copy.

I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this book as when I started reading it I realised it was written in the form of letters and pieces from the Chronicle of England and I usually dislike books written in this style.
I stuck with it and it was a good read from a slightly different perspective from the Philippa Gregory white queen series. If you like historical fiction you will enjoy it. It's not for the lazy reader as you need to read the chapter titles so you know who is writing to whom

What a fantastically intriguing book!

I am a huge fan of Phillipa Gregory novels so and knew much of the story through her novels, however Anne O’Brien takes the history and character and spins them to a whole new level, giving another untold perspective to explore.

It took a while to get used to the correspondence style of writing - this is not something I have encountered before and it felt a little heavy to start with.; however, once you get used to the style it proves a brilliantly crafted way to move through years of history without getting weighed down in description.

Cecily Neville is a fascinating character - often portrayed in historical literature as cold and unfeeling I found the relationships with her sisters intriguing. It felt so authentic - the ups and downs and petty bickering, the one upmanship that as one of three sisters myself felt all so familiar! Her unwavering commitment to her family, particularly of the way she stood by her sons despite their well documented flaws rings true to any mother.

I thoroughly enjoyed this and would highly recommend it to any historical fiction fan, or fans of the Plantagenet / war of the roses historians!