The Rebel Princess by Judith Koll Healey ISBN: 9780061891632
Series: Alais Capet #2
Published by Harper Collins on June 30, 2009
Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery
Pages: 400
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“A seamless blend of history and fiction, and a gripping read.”
—Minneapolis Star Tribune
The Rebel Princess—the breathtaking sequel to Judith Koll Healey’s critically acclaimed historical novel The Canterbury Papers—returns the reader to Medieval France as it continues the story of an exceptional heroine, Princess Alais. Blending fascinating fact with dazzling invention, Healey’s The Rebel Princess is an impeccably researched, gorgeously detailed tale of love, intrigue, and adventure, brimming with surprises and spine-tingling suspense—an ideal read for lovers of Philippa Gregory’s The Other Boleyn Girl and Labyrinth by Kate Mosse.
The second in the Alais Capet duology, this book was slightly more difficult to get into. The sense of urgency was somehow lacking until the final third of the book, when stakes turn deadly. I suppose it’s partly because we don’t get introduced to Alais, who is cunning and observant, as well as blessed with a ‘second sight’ ability. The story follows the build-up to the first (and very bloody) Christian-on-Christian crusade, though dates are fudged a bit to lend tension.
Alais doesn’t really have a central part in the intrigue, but she functions as a sort of detective, motivated by her personal passions. Most of her value in the story is extended through repetitive observations and thoughts, which didn’t help with the slow pacing or the (very little) character development. I do like that it didn’t end on a happily ever after note, as fitting for a historical fiction around the time that an entire culture in what’s now the south of France was wiped out. But for the most part, the book was ‘meh’ for me.
Read for the Wide World of HistFic Reading Challenge.
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