Despite being a novel aimed at younger readers, as an adult I found this a compelling and moving tragedy. As the jacket blurb says, Lady Jane Grey, the nine-day queen is "all too often remembered as just a line in a history book," but this thought-provoking, romantic story of the (historically accurate) 16 year old protestant princess Jane and her (fictional) catholic sweetheart Ned will make you reassess all the preconceived notions you had about historical figures and make you wonder about the real human cost of history. Jane feels trapped by her family and the upper-class society she has been born into, whilst woodsman Ned represents in many ways the freedom that the young princess craves so much. The descriptions of tensions and conflicts between different groups in the book - religions, families - give the reader much pause for thought on the topics of acceptance and understanding (relevant as much today as it was in the blood-thirsty Tudor period). The imagery that runs through the novel is worthy of note and -coupled with Jane's eloquent, self-assured voice- creates a poetic and delicate atmosphere. It must be difficult for an author to find a suitable ending for a story that everyone already knows, but the ending to Raven Queen will overwhelm you. This is a truly devastating, heart wrenching dramatic finale that will have even the most hardened reader in floods of tears. A fantastic novel for young and old alike - even those that do not see themselves as readers of teenage/romantic/historical fiction!
