Maid of Secrets by Jennifer McGowan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Maid of Secrets – what I thought to be a YA romance turned out to be so much more. It begins with Meg, an expert thief who travels with a play troupe, who gets caught by Queen Elizabeth’s advisor and is given a choice to become a spy or rot in the dungeons. As a spy, she is expected to protect the Queen in her newly established court by gathering information with her mimcry skills. She is kickass, and quite spunky and I love her philosophy – when in doubt, always curtsey! 😉
Plotwise, the book had so much going on and it was such a interesting flow of events. The complexity within the plot involved much more than just Meg and the danger that came with being a spy. There is her loyalty to the Queen, the friendships she earns and quite a lot of sneaking about and discovering. The writing complemented the plot so well, with all the subtexts and clues offered which make it an excellent suspense novel. The instability in the court, the fearless Queen and the overall element of paranoia were portrayed quite realistically.
The romance is somewhat overwhelmed by the political intricacies woven and while Rafe was interesting I am not his fangirl yet. Nevertheles, the other love stories and the ones which might develop offered so much more than the main one and the friendships between the girls, especially Meg and Jane is so cute that I wish I had such friends. Considering how little time they had together, they still come to each other’s aid without any pettiness. I am looking forward to reading more of these brave and spirited Maids of Honor.
YA on my Mind 