The Innocent

Summary (from the publisher): The year is 1450, a dangerous time in medieval Britain. Civil unrest is at its peak and the legitimacy of the royal family is suspect. Meanwhile, deep in the forests of western England, a baby is born. Powerful forces plot to kill both mother and child, but somehow the newborn girl survives. Her name is Anne.

Fifteen years later, England emerges into a fragile but hopeful new age, with the charismatic young King Edward IV on the throne. Anne, now a young peasant girl, joins the household of a wealthy London merchant. Her unusual beauty provokes jealousy, lust, and intrigue, but Anne has a special quality that saves her: a vast knowledge of healing herbs. News of her extraordinary gift spreads, and she is called upon to save the ailing queen. Soon after, Anne is moved into the palace, where she finds her destiny with the man who will become the greatest love of her life — the king himself.

Review: This book is the first in a trilogy about Anne, the illegitimate daughter of King Henry VI. I was intrigued to learn more about her, because while I’ve read several historical fiction novels about her lover King Edward and his wife Elizabeth Woodville, I had never heard anything about Anne.  I enjoyed Anne’s story, especially her skills with healing and the fact that she grew up simply, not knowing she was the daughter of a king. However, I found the narration of this rather stilted. Additionally, it lacked sufficient character development. Anne’s life between birth and the age of 15 is barely discussed. I felt like the supposed connection between Anne and King Edward was discussed in a very superficial fashion and I failed to see how the two could have formed any real attachments in the seemingly little contact they had between them (aside from the numerous sexual encounters they indulged in).  Several plot details were not fleshed out enough. For example, when Anne tells Edward she is the daughter of the former king, and thus his political rival, he becomes enraged, but suddenly later in the book all is forgiven with no explanation for either his rage or the disappearance of it.  However, this was a decent historical fiction novel that explored a unique historical figure. I’m curious to see how Anne’s life progresses in the second novel.

Stars: 3