The Woodville family were at the heart of political life during the War of the Roses, a turbulent period in English history. When Elizabeth Woodville waited under a tree in 1464 to speak with Edward IV, romance unfolded, however Kingmaker Warwick, unaware of their secret wedding, vowed the Woodvilles enemies. Not a court occasion, the weddings only attendees were Elizabeth’s mother and two ladies maids. Anti-Woodville propaganda continued as Elizabeth’s sisters married powerful men, alliances between important families ensuring King Edward loyal supporters. Brother John Woodville’s marriage to Duchess of Norfolk in her 60s further fuelled accusations of taking advantage of the king. The Queen’s Sisters explores, despite limited documentary evidence, her sister’s emotions regarding arranged marriages and events that stemmed from their rise into royal circles. Marriages arranged for six-year-old Katherine and ten-year-old Jane were unlikely plotted by children themselves as they found their way to the upper echelons of society. Like all fifteenth century women, the sisters, apart from Jaquetta, had marriages arranged, however she, Katherine and Jane finally married a man of their choosing. Widows in medieval times ran their own estates and took care of children but once remarried their power diminished, becoming again subservient to husbands. Hodder looks at events through which the sister’s lived, their families, homes (including Raglan, Breacon and Arundel Castles), marriages (one at Reading Abbey) and life at Edward’s court, modelled on the magnificence of its Burgundian counterpart, ‘counterpanes of gold and ermine.’ Having spent time at court, Anne’s life was probably most intertwined with the Queen. Her granddaughter married William Parr whose sister was Henry VIII’s sixth wife, in fact, both children and grandchildren of this dynamic family feature widely historically. Joy of their sister’s coronation was ruined when their father and brother were executed by an enraged Kingmaker. Lives were filled with struggles and betrayals. In 1483 Edward IV’s death meant Katherine’s fortune turned as her husband committed treachery against her family. (Incidentally, her grandson would be executed by Henry VIII.) On the King’s death his brother Richard feared the Woodville’s would seize power. He arrested Elizabeth’s brother and son. Crowned Richard III, he put Elizabeth’s sons in the Tower declaring them illegitimate. They were never seen again. He executed Elizabeth’s brother, Anthony Woodville, and her younger son Richard Grey. Margaret found herself on opposite sides of political divide with family members and loved ones. Later, her grandson would plot to overthrow Queen Elizabeth and replace her with Mary Queen of Scots. Mary and Jaquetta died in their 30s. When Mary was buried at Tintern Abbey, did mourners think that fifty years later her sister’s grandson Henry VIII would declare himself head of the church and begin the greatest destruction of monistic properties ever seen? We read of many Woodville affiliations; an aunt to Jacquetta’s husband was shamed in front of gathered crowds, forced to do penance for sorcery. Paraded through the streets barefoot in her undergarments, she was imprisoned for the rest of her life until 1452, reminding me of a scene from a recent popular television drama. Generations of family members sharing the same name causes confusion, and with such a big family, everyone seems somehow to be related to everybody else. Who is in Order of the Garter, a Knight of the Bath or the Warden of the Newforest? Subterfuge, betrayal, and executions were natural for these battle hardened widows who lived in a dangerous world, where outside the pomp of court, danger lurked everywhere. A good read. ~ Carina McNally, Book Reviewer

‘The Queen’s Sisters’ is a strong debut by Sarah J Hodder. Her passion for the subject of the Woodville sisters is clear to behold, as she rescues them from the shadow of their sister, the Queen consort of Edward IV. The marriage of Elizabeth to King Edward changed the lives of all her sisters, especially those whose marriages were arranged to forge alliances with the nobility. Some of their descendants were involved in key events at the end of the York dynasty and throughout the reign of the Tudors. Although the sources relating to these women are scarce, Hodder has used them successfully and has managed to piece together events in each of the women’s lives. This concise, well written account is a great starting point for anyone wanting to learn more about these women. ~ Tamise Hills, Lady Jane Grey Reference Guide

I enjoyed Sarah Hodder’s debut book. The story of the Woodville sisters, their lives, marriages and fortunes, set during the War of the Roses, a time of upheaval and treachery. Elizabeth, their eldest sister, consort to Edward IV, known as the White Queen, was pivotal to their destinies. Sarah brought to life the events that befell them and the fate of their families. An excellent read. ~ Jackie Skingley, Author of High Heels & Beetle Crushers

The women during the Wars of the Roses hold as much fascination with the modern day reader as their male counterparts. In this, her first book, Sarah takes us on a journey to find out who were the sisters of The White Queen, Elizabeth Woodville and why history has until now, given them a cursory glance. To be honest, like many, I knew next to nothing about the sisters save for Katherine and her marriage to Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham. From the first page, you can see why the author is passionate about telling their story - to right history’s misconception of the family and to give these women their own identity; as all too often when discussed, they have been labelled together as the ‘Woodville Clan’. I like the addition of the places to visit that have the Woodville connection - my to visit list has gotten that little bit longer !!!!! Well written and I only wish that it was longer. ~ Kate Wallace, The Tudor Age

5 Star Rating: This is a fantastic debut! Beautifully written and referenced throughout. The book dedicates a chapter to each of the Woodville daughters and I really liked the citation used at the beginning of each chapter. There is little information available on these ladies and the author has done a fantastic job of researching what's available and bringing it together to provide a glimpse of the lives of these females and the impact on their lives following their sisters marriage to Edward IV. It's a short book but I enjoyed it as I found Hodder has stuck to the topic when it would have been easy to fill more pages with unnecessary information about the era. I am hugely interested in the Plantagenet and Tudor era so this grabbed my attention straight away and I was not disappointed. My only regret it that there isn't more information available as I like the authors writing style and could easily have read more! I am looking forward to reading more by this author! ~ , Amazon

5 Star Rating: The sisters of Elizabeth Woodville are finally brought to life! This is a fascinating short book that looks at the medieval women that surrounded the infamous wife of Edward IV and are often overlooked. The author has made the most of the sources to delve into what is known of their lives. From Jacquetta to Katherine, we find out in one volume about Elizabeth's closest kin. A great debut and a must-have for those interested in this period in history. ~ Sarah Watkins, Amazon

5 Star Rating: A good first book from this author. I admired the amount of research and its clear, succinct delivery. Well put together, with an extensive list of appropriate places to visit, and a comprehensive bibliography to whet your appetite to delve further into the subject. I can't wait for the next in the series. ~ , Amazon

5 Star Rating: A beautiful, rich imaginative read, I couldn't recommend enough. I eagerly await more work from this author. ~ Lucy King, Amazon

The story of the Woodville family has fascinated those who study the Wars of the Roses for centuries. Their mother Jacquetta of Luxembourg married Richard Woodville because she loved him, even though he was the chamberlain of her late husband. Jacquetta and Richard had numerous children, notably Elizabeth Woodville, who would marry the first Yorkist king, Edward IV. Elizabeth and her brothers are often talked about when discussing the Woodville children, however, Elizabeth had several sisters who married relatively powerful men. The stories of the sisters are rarely told, until now. Sarah J. Hodder has decided to take on the task of exploring the lives of these hidden figures in her debut book, “The Queen’s Sisters: The Lives of the Sisters of Elizabeth Woodville”. I would like to thank Chronos Books for sending me a copy of this book. As someone interested in the Wars of the Roses, I wanted to read more about the Woodville family, so this book caught my eye. Hodder has a chapter for each of the sisters; Jacquetta, Anne, Mary, Margaret, Jane, Katherine, and the possible seventh sister, Martha. The order of chapters is important because it is the order of which they were born. There is no chapter strictly dedicated to Elizabeth Woodville since there are several biographies dedicated to her alone. Instead, Hodder has chosen to show how Elizabeth’s shift in her social standing, from a widow of a Lancastrian knight to a Yorkist queen, affected the lives and marriages of her sisters. They may not be as famous as their sister, but their stories are equally as fascinating as Elizabeth and her royal life. They are filled with struggles and triumphs, strong loyalty and betrayals. These sisters and their stories present a window into what it meant to be a woman during the Wars of the Roses and beyond. This book is best described as a series of “bite-sized biographies” as each chapter is only a few pages long. Since women were rarely recorded in medieval history, unless they were royal women, not much is known about different aspects of the sisters’ lives and their feelings about their husbands, as Hodder explains several times in this book. Hodder does her best to use what evidence and facts that we have of these sisters to tell their tales. The only real problem that I had with this book was that I wish it was a bit longer because I wanted more of their stories. Overall, I found Hodder’s debut book enjoyable, easy to read, and rather intriguing. She truly brought these sisters out from behind Elizabeth’s shadow and into the light so that we can better understand this dynamic family. Their children and grandchildren would go on to serve Richard III and the Tudors. This book is definitely for those who understand the basics of the Wars of the Roses as Hodder mentions members of the nobility and future royals who would either benefit or fall because of the Woodvilles. If you are compelled to learn more about the hidden figures in the Woodville family, I encourage you to read, “The Queen’s Sisters: The Lives of the Sisters of Elizabeth Woodville” by Sarah J. Hodder. ~ Heidi Malagasi, Adventures of a Tudor Nerd

A thoroughly engaging read. Hodder places the Woodville sisters in the context of their times, giving us a deeper look into the lives of the women at the heart of the conflict known as the Wars of the Roses. So often, historians tend to focus on the "celebrities" of the period and forget the ancillary people who played important roles behind the scenes. Hodder brings these women out of the shadows and gives them voice, contributing to a better understanding of the world they inhabited. ~ Adrienne Dillard, author of Catherine Carey in a Nutshell

When Elizabeth Woodville married King Edward IV in secret in 1464, the fortunes of her family changed. The Queen's Sisters looks at the less documented lives of Elizabeth's sisters, with each chapter dedicated to one of her six or possibly seven sisters. The lives of these women were often exciting but also full of uncertainties and tragedies, especially when the fathers, husbands, or brothers were called to war or caught up in political intrigue and were faced with conflicting loyalties. I found this book well written, easy to read, and full of interesting information. I liked that the author pointed out the role women were expected to play within the household and managing estates, especially when their husbands were away. It is hard to imagine how girls who married so young must have felt when they were expected to move in with in-laws and grow up away from their own families. Also, the fact that widows gained some independence after the death of a husband only to lose much of that if they remarried, almost made me wonder why they would even contemplate another marital alliance unless they were forced to do so. It is sad to think how little was documented about the Queen's sisters. Considering their advantageous marriages and the fact that they were close to the center of power, one would think there would be more information available about them. And although the author might not have intended it, I found myself rather bothered by the fact that these women were largely ignored by history. Why should their lives and stories be so unimportant? Was it merely because of their gender? Thinking about this made me appreciate the author's interest in shedding light on this forgotten past, even if it meant having to dig through the history of men to learn about the secret lives of interesting and historically significant women. Thanks to Chronos Books for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review. ~ Susan Miller, Book Reviewer

Rating ***** The first thing I want to mention about this book is the cover, it’s a beautiful cover! I love the image of the crown half in light, half shadow which I suppose is how Elizabeth’s sisters lives were, thrown into the light of the court but in the shadow of their sister at times. This is a fantastic debut! Beautifully written and referenced throughout. The book dedicates a chapter to each of the Woodville daughters and I really liked the citation used at the beginning of each chapter. There is little information available on these ladies and the author has done a fantastic job of researching what’s available and bringing it together to provide a glimpse of the lives of these females and the impact on their lives following their sisters marriage to Edward IV. It’s a short book but I enjoyed it as I found Hodder has stuck to the topic when it would have been easy to fill more pages with unnecessary information about the era. I am hugely interested in the Plantagenet and Tudor era so this grabbed my attention straight away and I was not disappointed. My only regret it that there isn’t more information available as I like the authors writing style and could easily have read more! I am looking forward to reading more by this author! The Queen’s Sisters is available for pre-order now and I certainly recommend you grab a copy! It will be released on Friday! ~ Endo the Road, Book reviewer

So, I am just going to start by putting this one out there: don’t pick up this one if you don’t know anything about the War of the Roses. There, I said it. This is a very short book and the author doesn’t hold your hand in this one. Yes, it’s a fairly easy read, but if you don’t have the proper background knowledge, you will not be able to follow what is happening. The War of the Roses is messy and there’s a lot to it. Sarah writes this one like you have a pretty understanding of just how the war went down. No, don’t rely on historical fiction either to give you a full understanding. This book looks into the lives of Elizabeth Woodville’s sisters and how her rise to queen affected them. Sarah points out throughout the book that there just isn’t a lot of information on them, which I get. I mean, a lot of times history writes out women. Anyway, given the small amount of information that we have, Sarah is able to paint a pretty good picture of the sisters. Now, normally, I would have liked to have more, but, again, history has kind of forgotten about them. I like how she was just honest with the fact that we don’t actually know that much about them. Each sister gets her own chapter. Some are longer than other, simply because we have more information or they just happened to have longer lives. I loved getting to see kind of a behind the scenes look at women in history. It kind of reminds us that history just isn’t about the men. We get to see just how difficult life was in the 1400s and that women back then really aren’t all that different from today. We get to see day to day life, what it was like to have little to no say in your life, and how actions of one family member affects the others. I just enjoyed this short little look into the War of the Roses. Now, I would recommend going into this one with some kind of understanding of the War of the Roses. It’s not the author’s fault, but there clearly is an intended audience here. If you are someone who is looking for a little bit more about the War of the Roses, then I encourage you to pick this one up. ~ Alyson Serena Willow Stone, Book Reviewer