good but nothing special - Rated 
Ok so I really liked the whole concept of this story, as soon as I got the book I thought it was some thing special. I enjoyed the layout of being able to see the events taking place from various perspectives. But I feel the book and the protagonist is weak. I felt that at points Jane was too perfect and that it seemed like Alison weir had forgotten she was just a girl of 16 who would have had other hopes beyond religion and studies although I have not researched Jane so I would not know but I simply could not see her as a human. I did however enjoy her mother who seemed like a much more interesting and well developed character. I also disliked Jane's "wedding night" I felt the whole scene was unnecessary and very depressing, at points it became unbearable to read which really put me off finishing the rest of the book. I feel the problem with this book is that Jane lacked faults, she did not seem to me to be a real person who did actually live, she seemed more like a saint and I felt I simply could not relate to this character. I also felt some chapters were rather boring and I found myself skipping a few pages.
First Class Historical Fiction - Rated 
Alison Weir is a much read and much respected historian with a string of non fiction books to her name. She is widely known for her biographical books about British Royalty. She lives in Surrey with her two children, John and Kate.
Innocent Traitor is the first novel that Alison Weir has written and I am not sure whether it was a conscious effort on her part or a brave move to write about one of the lesser known characters of English history. Whatever the reason the author has brilliantly captured the feel of the Tudor period. A time when the country was in turmoil following the death of Henry VIII.
Lady Jane Grey was the victim of scheming and dominant parents who used her like a pawn in a game of chess. Although of royal blood Lady Jane was used by many of the powerful men of the time who were solely interested in feathering their own nests. The throne of England was there to be taken by those who dared to chance their arm on installing a young girl whose claim to the English throne fell far behind that of the rightful heirs. A young girl who was to pay the ultimate price allowing herself to be manipulated, albeit against her better judgment. For some of the most powerful men in the kingdom, virtually anything was preferable to Mary, with her strict catholic religion that would bring the country close to open civil war.
Some of the best historical fiction I have read - Rated
If you asked some one to name the first Tudor Women they could think of you would probably hear names like Elizabeth I, Anne Boleyn or Mary I. In many ways I think Lady Jane Grey is a very overlooked character, perhaps because she was executed at the tender age of sixteen, which was why I was glad to see that she was chosen as a historical fiction debut by an acclaimed historian.
Poignant, intruiging and ultimately tragic 'Innocent Traitor' spans Lady Jane Grey's dramatic childhood from her birth to frustrated, ambitious parents to her truly heroic dignity at the scaffold. Lady Jane Grey's story is told from many perspectives; her own, her ruthless mother's, her doting nurse's, that of Katherine Parr (who adopted her for a short time), that of Mary I (who is shown to have more humanity than I would have expected) and that of the scheming Duke of Nothumberland. The novel is a tribute to the strength and resourcefulness of character of Tudor women apparently helpless in a bloody, male-dominated system. However as a slight weakness I found that having so many narrative voices sometimes made the novel harder to follow and Jane's voice especially, was a little plaintive at times. Still, I would recommend this to any readers of historical fiction and look forward to the 'Lady Elizabeth', Alison Weir's next work of historical fiction.
Great Historical novel - Rated
I'm Leicester born and bred and have always been fascinated by the ruins at Bradgate park and now I know much more about Lady Jane Grey. What an excellent book, well written, excellent characterisation, I can't wait for her next one!
If you like reading about what it must have been like in these times this is a definite must. I'm a fan of Philipa Gregory and would say that this supasses even her books.
A really moving book - Rated
This is the first book i have read by Alison Weir and i loved it so will definately be reading more of hers.The story has a lot of true facts about those times and i read it continuously as i was hooked.I cried a lot which is something i never do but i felt deeply for Lady Jane and her circumstances.When i had finished, i looked up places from the book and some characters on the internet and found out that some bits i thought that would be made up were infact true of those times,ie when Henry the 8th was took to syon house in his coffin, it burst open in the night and dogs were licking up the bits of spillage,oh yuk.It has made me want to revist the Tower of London and to go to some other places mentioned.A fantastic read and as good as Phillipa
gregory's historical novels.
Enjoy this book- as i am sure you will :-)
Tisha Carroll London.
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