First some critisism:
1. The Ferdinand shown op page 142 was a later King Ferdinand of Naples, not King Ferdinand VI of Spain.
2. The Isabel of Portugal depicted on page 114 was the wife of the Emperor Charles V, who was also King Carlos I of Spain. The Isabella of Portugal who married King John of Castile in the 15th century did not wear 16th century clothes.
3. The part about Erszebet Bathory is mainly based on hearsy, like the story of the bathing of blood, which wasn't invented until centuries after her death.
4. I don't quite understand why the parts about the 'difficulties' in the royal families of The Netherlands and Monaco are included, they're mainly about personal drama, not about misrule or madness.
Having said that, the author has done a quite good job describing a couple of notorious royals, like Christina of Sweden, Leopold II of Belgium, Rudolf of Austria, Carol II of Romania, the Bavarian Ludwig I and II, the French Louis XIV and XV, and the Spanish rulers Juana the Mad, Don Carlos, Carlos II, Philip V and Ferdinand VI.
The book has many colourful illustrations and extra stories about related topics.
