A very intriguing historical novel that had me quite captivated. Told from a first person perspective of Catherine de Medici herself, it's the story from her childhood in Florence as pawn of Pope Clement, as then wife to Henri of France, and as queen mother to the three sons of hers that ascended to the throne of France. This all in a period of great religious turmoil in the realm as Protestant Huguenots struggled against Catholic lords, foremost amongst them the Catholic Guise family.

I am sure the author took literary license quite a bit when it came to Catherine's relationship with Coligny, the Huguenot leader, but it's a captivating story that never gets dull. As I had mostly read historical novels from the Tudor side of things, it was quite enlightening to read about events like the Spanish Armada from a different viewpoint.

Definitely recommending this to anyone who enjoys historical novels from the Renaissance.