#The Court Of The Midnight King

[mellyorablack]

I just finished reading this book, ‘The Court Of The Midnight King’ by Freda Warrington.

I’ve read other books by Warrington before and I love her style and how she can enchant with her words and stories. This one is special because it’s a story of history - notably that of Richard III - mixed with elements of fantasy. And it works. Those who know me know that I am a ‘fangirl’ for British kings, mostly tragic ones like Robert the Bruce (although he is the least tragic in my list of heroes), Henry V and also Richard III. Ever since his remains were found in Leicester I read a lot about him and his time, the Wars of the Roses and how he came to be king. Of course I know the Shakespeare-play and everything about his reputation, how vile he is painted by history as well as modern reception. I never really thought of him as an evil king, rather a tragic one (as I said). And in my hero worship I tend to think a lot about ‘my’ kings and their fates, what could have happened if they had lived. Would Joan of Arc have become such a famous heroine if Henry V had lived? Would Scotland have been a different, independent country if Robert the Bruce had not died so early (even though for his times he was already old age)? And would things have been different if Richard III had won the day at Bosworth? At least there wouldn’t have been a Tudor reign, no Elizabeth I. and no Royal Family as we know them today....

Well, back to this book. It gives a fictional account of the times of the Wars Of The Roses. And of Richard. There is a pagan religion battling with Christianity and at the center of that is Kate who is both drawn to Richard and one of his closest friends, Raphael. Most of the story is close to what is in the history books, that’s why I dreaded the end of the book as I thought I knew what was about to happen. And knowing the Richard from Warrington’s story and falling in love with him made it worse. But it was a pleasant surprise when I came close to the last page and I now feel some kind of relief and satisfaction that maybe in another reality thing WERE different and Richard wasn’t slain at Bosworth, but became the king I always felt he could have been.