Content levels
Trigger warnings
Hero archetypes
Heroine archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Tropes
Themes
Synopsis
Melisende was the oldest daughter of Baldwin of Jerusalem, a princess of the Franks and destined to become queen of the Crusader Kingdom. Edwin and his beloved queen, Morphia, had no sons, and so the crown of Outremer would go to the man who married Melisende and afterward to her son. She was wed to Count Fulk of France - a man of years, tried in battle, acceptable to the Knights Templar. Melisende was a strong woman; the law that forced her to marry instead of taking the crown in her own name was a thorn in her side. It was she who ruled in the city and who juggled the politics of church and court. The knights of Jerusalem fought in her honor, many of the best sworn to her personal service. She would not submit easily to Fulk's rule for long. From the court of Jerusalem to the battlefields of the Crusades to the glorious city of Byzantium, here are the the pageantry and danger of twelfth century Europe's great adventure.
Is Queen of Swords appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 16 and up.
Set during the Crusades with battle violence and political intrigue. Contains forced marriage dynamics and medieval power struggles between a strong-willed princess and her older husband over control of Jerusalem.
What to know going in
This book has moderate violence, mild sexual content, and mild language. Content notes include forced marriage, power imbalance, and political violence (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Teens will be drawn to Melisende's struggle to rule in her own right despite laws forcing her into marriage and submission to male authority.