Daughter of the King is historical fiction at its best. It is full of important history that is delivered in an entirely readable package with characters who have immense depth.
When we meet Isabelle she is a peasant teen living with her ailing mother in France. The Catholic King is persecuting the Protestant Huguenots, taking their property and torturing them trying to force them to convert or be killed. Isabelle’s mother is staunch in her beliefs and Isabelle is fiercely loyal to her mother and her people. She runs the streets trying to find food and often finds herself intervening when she sees people being persecuted or women being taken advantage of. She gets a bit of a reputation and is forced to flee. Her love interest tries to convince her to covert to survive but when she refuses he helps her find a place where she can be somewhat safer. She lives as a servant there hiding her identity until circumstances force her to flee again. This time she is chosen as a Daughter of the King, selected to travel to the new colony in Canada to marry and help stabilize the colony. There she crosses paths with some old acquaintances and the natives and finds herself really advocating for the women she traveled with and the betterment of the colony.
I always love stories of the colonies and the adventure and romance of starting something new, but I haven’t read a lot of the Canadian colonial era. I was really intrigued by the Daughter of the King concept and how women who weren’t previously empowered were suddenly in a position of choice. As always, that is daunting to some and downright terrifying for others. I was quite intrigued by how much Isabelle grew during the years and yet often still made a choice that was safe or to please someone else rather than herself. There comes a time where fulfillment and living an authentic life is equal to survival and we see each character reach that point in their own time. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks to Netgalley for access to this novel. All opinions above are my own.
I came across this one on bookstagram from a writer promoting her own work, have you ever randomly come across an author and found you love their work?
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