The Accidental Empress

Finally an adult book! With adult themes! And adult language! After all my YA reading, it's wonderful to read a book meant for adults. However, that's also my caveat. I think maybe my expectations of good literature have lessened with all the YA I'm reading.

It's so much easier to be entertained by a fun and easy story than to read good writing. Complex characters. Stellar thematic material.

This book I though was interesting. What I love about historical fiction is the education aspect of it. I know nothing of Austria/Hungarian royalty, so it was lovely learning about it in an entertaining way.

That being said, I need to put on my critical literature glasses instead of just my "was it a fun read" glasses.

When I compare The Accidental Empress to something such as The Other Boleyn Girl, I have to be disappointed. The characters were flat. The story predictable (yes, I know it's historical fiction but if you don't know the story, it still should be unpredictable). The writing was just fine. Historical fiction should transport the reader to the time and place and this one just didn't. I still felt just like a reader and not a participator.

Overall, a 7 out of 10. Good enough to read, captivating story, even as it dragged on. Have low expectations and you'll love it.