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Kelly Evans
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The Northern Queen Kindle Edition

by Kelly Evans (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 out of 5 stars 537 ratings
St. Brice's Day, England, Anno 1002. At the order of King Aethelred, thousands of Danes are murdered in a frenzy of ethnic cleansing. Outraged, the Danish king, Sweyn Forkbeard, swears he will take Aethelred's head, and his crown. But Sweyn needs allies. Chief amongst his supporters is Aelfgifu, an English noblewoman and head of a once great family. She has her own reasons to hate Aethelred and, as a pagan, she is sympathetic to the Danish cause. When Aelfgifu marries Sweyn's son, Canute, war is inevitable. But if Aethelred is weak, Emma, his Norman queen, is not. And she will stop at nothing to destroy the woman at the heart of the Viking army. Love, ambition and revenge combine in an epic struggle for justice during the most turbulent period in England's history.
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  1. Print length
    343 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Accessibility
    Learn more
  4. Publication date
    November 30, 2018
  5. File size
    862 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
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  8. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Kelly Evans is a Canadian, with a passion for history, horror and writing. Kelly's first novel with Nordland Publishing is "The Northern Queen," an epic tale of love between one of the most enigmatic men the Viking world ever produced, Canute the Great, and his Pagan English wife, Aelfgifu.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07L1KN34R
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 30, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 862 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 343 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 537 ratings

About the author

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Kelly Evans

Kelly Evans

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Kelly Evans

Award-Winning Author

Kelly Evans writes historical fiction about real but little-known women from history. She earned a degree in medieval history before moving to London, England where she could usually be found ambling about one of the many museums. While continuing her historical studies, Kelly fell into investment banking and still has no idea how it happened. After a successful career, she moved back to Canada where she gave up corporate life to write full time. When not working on her novels, Kelly writes Audio Description scripts for visually impaired individuals. She enjoys studying medieval medicine and gardening, and watching old sci fi movies.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
537 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this historical novel engaging and well-written, with a compelling and moving story about a strong woman. The book receives positive feedback for its meticulous research and fully developed characters, and customers appreciate its historical accuracy, with one noting the author's knowledge of the area and era.

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ReadabilityWriting styleStory flowHistorical accuracyResearch qualityCharacter developmentFunctionality
29 customers mention "Readability"26 positive3 negative

Customers find the book to be a wonderful read, describing it as a great first novel that captures the reader's imagination, with one customer noting it provides an enjoyable account of the time period.

"...Kelly Evans knows her history and is a gifted storyteller." Read more

"...Highly recommended as I’ve read a lot of these books & this keeps you reading!!!!" Read more

"...Other than that wonderful novel. If you are familiar with the era, buy it!..." Read more

"...However, I did enjoy reading the book and noted that the end is when Harold, Canute's and Aelfgifu's son, comes to the throne and takes back the..." Read more

12 customers mention "Writing style"12 positive0 negative

Customers praise the writing style of the book, finding it extremely well written and easy to read.

"...This is a fine debut novel, very well written and a smooth read." Read more

"...It was an easy read but the storytelling itself would undoubtedly have been much better in the hands of an Elizabeth Chadwick or Patricia Finney...." Read more

"...She adored the writing style and the meticulous research. She said that she not only was entertained, but learned a lot as well...." Read more

"...interest but there was plenty of political intrigue and marriage of convenience, betrayal and outstanding loyalty, not much peace but battles galore...." Read more

11 customers mention "Story flow"11 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the story flow of the book, describing it as a compelling and moving narrative about a strong woman, with one customer highlighting the engaging twists and turns of the plot.

"...This book has it all...heroines, villains, battles, love and hate! Adventures and political scheming abound!..." Read more

"...Such a compelling story here bringing these characters to life in a way that boring historical narration never comes close to...." Read more

"This was an interesting retelling of the story of Canute and his two wives, Emma and Aelfgifu...." Read more

"...This is a story about bravery, sacrifice and love during a time when Christianity was taking hold of western Europe...." Read more

10 customers mention "Historical accuracy"10 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the historical accuracy of the book, with one customer noting the author's knowledge of the area and era, while another mentions there are no anachronisms.

"...Adventures and political scheming abound! And, importantly for me, no anachronisms. Kelly Evans knows her history and is a gifted storyteller." Read more

"...and looked most of them up online and the author’s grasp of this history is excellent...." Read more

"...I love that this is from an earlier era...." Read more

"...Evans follows the historical record closely and the treachery, doubledealing, and warfare are realistic. The everyday life is fairly well described...." Read more

10 customers mention "Research quality"10 positive0 negative

Customers praise the book's meticulous research and find it informative, with one customer particularly appreciating how it provides an opposing viewpoint.

"...I truly appreciated the research behind the story and the author's choice of a unique point of view character. A great read." Read more

"...influence of Denmark over the leadership of England is profound and interesting. A worthy and educational read." Read more

"...She adored the writing style and the meticulous research. She said that she not only was entertained, but learned a lot as well...." Read more

"It's interesting to read about less familiar people for once...." Read more

5 customers mention "Character development"5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, with one customer noting the unique point of view character and another mentioning the well-portrayed villains.

"...This book has it all...heroines, villains, battles, love and hate! Adventures and political scheming abound!..." Read more

"...Overall, I think Aelfgifu was nicely portrayed in this novel, rounding out the usual one-dimensional descriptions given by historians...." Read more

"...the research behind the story and the author's choice of a unique point of view character. A great read." Read more

"...The characters are fully developed and believable. The story keeps you on the edge of your seat and is hard to put down...." Read more

3 customers mention "Functionality"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the functionality of the book positive, with one mentioning it worked well.

"...Later contemporary writings lean towards Emma but this version worked well...." Read more

"...The author knew the history of the area / era and used it well, held my interest right to the end ( which I liked)" Read more

"It was fine." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Lily E-M
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Northern Queen
    Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I went into this book a little prejudiced...I had always read books where Emma was the heroine and Aefgifu the villain. But, I was curious to see if the author could pull it off. She did...magnificently! This is the story of Aelfgifu, first wife of Canute, King of England, Denmark and Norway. Her family had a very rough existence under Aethelred the Unready. Her father killed and her brothers blinded. Her family had been a powerful force in Northumbria so she was considered a politically appropriate match for Canute. In The Northern Queen it is a love match, as well.We get to tag along as Aelfgifu goes through all the trials and tribulations of being a medieval queen. From being terrified for her children's lives to ruling territories in her husband's name. She had to deal with a jealous second wife, Emma, who came from a very powerful family, herself. A family that got Emma crowned as queen, while Aelfgifu was pushed into the background, or was she? This book has it all...heroines, villains, battles, love and hate! Adventures and political scheming abound! And, importantly for me, no anachronisms. Kelly Evans knows her history and is a gifted storyteller.
    23 people found this helpful
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  • Mercedes Rochelle
    4.0 out of 5 stars A woman of spirit in an impossible situation
    Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    In the early days of the Viking conquest, Canute took a wife. She was a daughter of the pro-Danish northern aristocracy, where Swegn Forkbeard and his son could rely on strong support. This could certainly have been a love match, and so it was in The Northern Queen. For a while, at least, Aelfgifu basked in Canute’s glory. Although they were married More Danico (in the Danish way), their union was recognized even after he became king. Alas, Aelfgifu had no reason to suppose she would be other than Canute’s queen, so she was in for a big shock when Canute announced he would marry Aethelred’s widow, the Norman Emma, in a Christian ceremony. It was all for reasons of state. By way of compensation, Canute set Aelfgifu up to rule the north as his “deputy”, so to speak. Small compensation it proved, nonetheless. What we see in this novel is a lot of frustration, a lot of waiting, and much rancor.

    Queen Emma is portrayed as an incorrigible villain, able to strike from a long distance away; I think this is a little over the top but it does add tension to the plot. Emma was as jealous of Aelfgifu as the other way around, and the venomous contention between them plagued Aelfgifu for the rest of her days. This competition was passed on to their sons, and Canute’s inheritance was bitterly fought.

    There’s plenty of evidence that Canute did not put aside his first wife when he took the second. He even sent her and his first son Swegn to rule as his regents in Norway, though they were eventually ousted in a bloody coup. Did Canute misinterpret Aelfgifu’s capacity to rule, or was she doomed from the start? It’s hard to say. She tries her best without much help from his end aside from a few words of encouragement. She must have felt pretty much abandoned by this point.

    I was curious to know how Kelly was going to handle her son’s reign, for Harold Harefoot has not been treated kindly by historians. However, in this novel it was his mother who took the reins of government into her own hands, at least initially, relieving him of responsibility. The sequence of events is a bit jumbled, and we don’t get a good feel for Harold as king. How deeply implicated was he in the torture and murder of Alfred Aetheling? Alas, we are not to know, for the most damning accusation normally laid against Harold—and Godwine—was deflected to Emma. Aelfgifu’s rival knew no bounds.

    Overall, I think Aelfgifu was nicely portrayed in this novel, rounding out the usual one-dimensional descriptions given by historians. She is very much a flesh-and-blood character, and the author did a good job describing how a woman of her spirit could deal with the impossible position Canute put her in. This is a fine debut novel, very well written and a smooth read.
    11 people found this helpful
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  • Margaret C. Jacob
    5.0 out of 5 stars Aelfgifu 1st wife or Emma 2cd wife, who influenced Canute the Great the most????
    Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    A reviewer here mentioned that there were a lot of characters mentioned in the book to try to keep track of. I had heard of most of them from genealogy and looked most of them up online and the author’s grasp of this history is excellent. We know quite a lot about many of the Vikings thanks to historians & sagas. Such a compelling story here bringing these characters to life in a way that boring historical narration never comes close to. Highly recommended as I’ve read a lot of these books & this keeps you reading!!!!
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Melanie
    4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting book
    Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Overall I really like this book. I generally read more historical fiction from the 1500s on...pretty much because that's what you see more of. I love that this is from an earlier era. The only reason I did not give this book 5 stars is because I got so easily lost in the names and events happening. If I was more familiar with era I believe this would not be an issue. I do wish that I could have followed a little better. Other than that wonderful novel. If you are familiar with the era, buy it! If you are not familiar but have the time to track down what events happened and who the characters are from outside sources buy it! I love learning about history, and others would too. Overall, I'd recommend it.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Galla
    3.0 out of 5 stars An 11th century marital triangle
    Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    This was an interesting retelling of the story of Canute and his two wives, Emma and Aelfgifu. In this retelling, Emma is the bad queen and Aelfgifu is the good one, a change in the reputation they have today.(Although I always thought Emma was a bit too good to be true. Undoubtedly she was as ambitious and avaricious as her Norman kin.). Evans follows the historical record closely and the treachery, doubledealing, and warfare are realistic. The everyday life is fairly well described. Except for one or two scenes, the description of the violence is kept to a minimum. Aelfgifu's experience in Norway as regent and her escape from the rebelling Norwegians is the real highlight of the book. It was an easy read but the storytelling itself would undoubtedly have been much better in the hands of an Elizabeth Chadwick or Patricia Finney. The characterizations do not give real weight to the historical persons. Instead of a fierce and strong warrior, Canute comes across more as a very nice guy, when he was all but that! Emma is a spoiled and petulant high school Queen, and Aelfgifu is a capable, loving woman. Characterizations of Thorkell and Godwine are interesting, but they still sound a bit too modern. However, I did enjoy reading the book and noted that the end is when Harold, Canute's and Aelfgifu's son, comes to the throne and takes back the treasure Emma was hoarding. Aelfgifu is happy that she has won. I understand why the author would prefer to end on a happy note, but, sadly, that wasn't the real finale at all.
    5 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Danish King
    Reviewed in Canada on September 22, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    I had no idea there was a Dane as king of England. This story was interesting and intriguing. I couldn't put it down
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  • valkyrie1008
    5.0 out of 5 stars A new insight into a real Game of Thrones
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 14, 2017
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    This book was of great interest to me due to my great respect and admiration for Canute and Emma of Normandy. When I first learned their epic struggle and reign I of course perceived Aelgifu of Northampton as one of the few Villains of history.
    This book however has helped her become more of real person than the impression historical records have given. Indeed it poses the question that Canute may have favoured Aelgifu instead of Emma and does something to explain why Aelgifu and her son by Canute, Sweyn, were sent to rule Norway. Albeit not successfully.
    The book does land the reader in the middle of year long courtly conflict between Aelgifu's family and former King Aethelread and it does end also at one of the high points of Aelgifu's story, but not the genuine real end.
    Therefore I encourage all readers to read the full history of the period and figures to learn the full truth. But it does form a good introduction to an often forgotten period of English history that is as important as 1066 or Alfred vs the Vikings.
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  • GUISLAINE BULMAN
    5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting!
    Reviewed in Canada on February 22, 2016
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    This isn't a period of history I was very familiar with, and I was riveted!
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  • Jane Burton
    4.0 out of 5 stars Well researched and believable.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 16, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I enjoyed reading The Northern Queen, the characters were well developed and believable. It's got to be difficult writing about real people when there isn't enough evidence for their motives but I felt that the reasoning behind the historical events was well thought out. It's interesting to think of these from a different point of view, seeing Emma as the baddy and Harold as the rightful heir rather than the illegitimate child. I also liked the attention to detail with the description of things like clothing and jewellery. My only negative is that I found the ending a bit rushed, I would have liked to know more about what happened to Aelfgifu before Harold took power but overall it is a thoroughly good read.
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  • sandy
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Northern Queen.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 11, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    I loved everything about this book,I .can t say one bad thing.
    I don't often read a book that I don't want to fin ish, this is one of them.
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