YA BOOK REVIEW: A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly.
Blog Hop 1/28-1/30 - is it next year already?. ESCAPE TO THE PAST WITH: The Stolen Crown by Susan. Susan Higginbotham has a few more books to her name, and now, I will have to add them to my TBR list. At the end, an author’s note points out which bits of information are factual, which are fancy, and what may be factual but is disputed. A list of characters at the beginning will help you keep all the names straight. The book is written with the confident touch of an author who knows her history. Higginbotham shows us all that by using the viewpoints of two historically marginal characters who witnessed it all. This is a historical time frame that is filled with all the elements for a riveting read: passion, betrayal, murder, unbridled ambition leading to unspeakable crimes. Although she doesn’t shine with any great intelligence, she is a much better judge of character than her husband and possesses the intuition for doing and saying the right thing at the right time-a skill Harry sorely lacks. Kate, who begins as a curious and lively child, grows into a loving and, for the most part, dutiful wife. With a few words here and there, Richard sows the seeds for years, solidifying Harry’s dependence and loyalty to him. Higginbotham does a wonderful job of portraying Richard as slyly manipulative while Harry is guileless, easily manipulated, and self-important. Harry is close friends with Richard, the Duke of Gloucester. There is not a lot of extraneous political analysis, we are only given the same amount of understanding necessary for the self-interested very young duke and duchess, but it moves the tale along. Coming from the minds and voices of children it is narrated simply and straightforwardly. It’s a good device, because the history is complicated. We listen to Kate and Harry both tell their stories. The book is told in the dual first person voice. The novel then shows us how this all came to pass. Harry, the other protagonist of the book, as we learn at the outset of the novel, will later be condemned to die as a traitor. 
Kate is wed to the young Duke of Buckingham, Harry Stafford. The king quickly awards the numerous Woodvilles with wealthy, titled spouses (to the irritation of the remaining nobility.) Kate Woodville is Elizabeth’s youngest sister and one of the protagonists of this engaging novel.
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