The Widow Queen

The Widow Queen is much more than a biography of Poland's Swietoslawa.  It is also the saga of the rulers of Poland, Russia, Denmark, Sweden and parts of Germany in the late 10th century. Swietoslawa's family calls her "the bold one." Her father, Duke Mieszko, plans on using all three of his daughters to make foreign alliances that will strengthen his power in the region. While the daughters tell him their preferences for husbands, Mieszko uses them strategically. However, Swietoslawa refuses to be a pawn in his schemes. She wants a throne of her own, with no husband by her side. This novel is Book 1 in the author's Bold One series.

There are many names and details to remember when reading this book. It covers alot of ground and is a slow read for that reason only. It remains a captivating tale. Our heroine is renamed Sigrid by her new husband, the king of Sweden. It was chosen because it was easier for his subjects to pronounce and it is a Swedish name, which any Swedish queen must have. Her brother Boleslaw is the heir to the Polish throne but depending on what chapter you are on, you will read about different heirs to multiple European thrones. All of them are strategizing to gain power by determining the best marriage options and also which potential rulers can be trusted. 

I enjoyed reading about these powerhouses in Eastern Europe. I also loved that the time period was the tenth century. Most of the historical fiction novels that I read take place in England, France or Germany during the Middle Ages.  The Widow Queen was a nice change. All of the characters are historical figures whom I had never heard of before.  I found myself going to Wikipedia to become more familiar with them.  A few of them include Sven of Denmark, Olav of Norway, Eric of Sweden, and Vladimir of Rus. 

Book 2 in the series has already been published in Poland. It looks like author Elzbieta Cherezinska has written a couple of other series set in the same time period but because I can't read Polish it is hard to tell. I hope all of them are translated into English because she is a fabulous writer. I love that she is writing about a place and time historical fiction fans don't see much of.

5 out of 5 stars.