Take a rollicking tale near the end of the War of the Roses in Britain, add an intriguing group of supporters for Henry. Now combine it with magic in the air and then introduce a quirky love story and you have a story to enjoy!!

You will soon be introduced to symbols engraved in jewelry and messages designed to keep Henry in the game. Will Henry's supporters get to him in time to help him win? Will the message be received and understood? How did the symbol maker's daughter get into this predicament and will she succeed? And who are these people helping her and can she trust them?

Read this one when you want to escape into a different age and if you enjoy a well researched historical background. You will enjoy crossing Britain and sailing over the oceans as the "Henry Team" tries to beat the clock and turn the tide in his favor.

Interesting read that I couldn't put down. A little predictable at times, but still a very pleasurable book. The characters were intense and exciting. I wish this was a series because I would love to go back into the books world!

Historical fiction at its finest. Learned a lot while I was engrossed in the story. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

The Symbol Maker's Daughter will fill in some of the gaps a reader may have with regard to Henry Tudor (King Henry VII) and his ascension to the throne of Medieval England. The road was a difficult one with intrigue, lies and double-crossing at their heights. Henry Tudor? Richard? Everyone is taking sides before the bloodbath at Bosworth which will determine England's future.

Within this scenario we meet a young woman, Nicola Weldon, who has been given a number of symbols from her father which affirm the rightful ascension to the throne. Nicola must travel to get the symbols to those who need this information. Accompanying Nicola is Drue Veneto, a prince in disguise, who will demonstrate many times over his loyalty to the winning side along with his desire for Nicola.

While the reader is able to follow the main events of the novel, much of the plot moves too quickly without careful thought and planning by the characters. Much of the dialogue is said in haste, then needs to be rethought and resaid. Also, romantic alliances such as Nicola's companion Lizzie and Lord Braccio are at work much too quickly without any chance to grow and develop over time.

The Symbol Maker's Daughter allows for a mix of historical fact with the fictionalized addition of the symbols.

I’m giving this book five stars for the depth of research and the comprehensive nature of the story. I found the plot fascinating, and though I’m not a history buff, I seem to remember some of this from high school so I’m assuming it was accurate, though some of the characters were fictional.

For the most part, it was well-written and enjoyable. However, at times I found the internal dialogue confusing because the POV switched so often. Because it was told in third-person, I felt like, instead of having the character think something in italics, it would have been less jarring if the narrator simply said what they were thinking. Much of the dialogue was internal, and more of the book was descriptive rather than dialogue-driven. Normally, I might criticize a book for having too much telling and not enough showing, but in this case, it worked. There was much to tell.

Finally, the last thing that bothered me was the romance. It felt forced in the case of Lizzie and Braggio because I felt there was little time for them to fall so deeply in love. On the other hand, the romance between Drue and Nicola felt inevitable. However, Drue’s internal dialogue really bothered me. He was prideful and vindictive. When Nicola told him they could not be together because she didn’t have a high enough social standing, and it was clear that she was fighting back tears, he responded by dismissing her and then plotting how he’d get even with her for hurting him. It’s not the only time he responded to her insecurities by making her feel worse. Meanwhile, he told her he would always protect her. One moment, he admired her for her strength and bravery, but the next, he wanted to subjugate her and bend her to his will. In my opinion, he was a tyrant. Due to external factors, Nicola had little choice when it came to being with him, so it’s lucky for her that she loved him.

As with most historical fiction I read, I reach the end and find myself thankful to have been born during a more progressive time in history. Despite those who wish to drag us back to a time when women were openly disdained and subjugated, I’m hopeful future readers will look back on this time period and be thankful for where they’ve landed.

I thought the premise of Symbol Maker's Daughter was very interesting as I am a huge fan of the timeframe around the Tudors and The War of the Roses. However, I found that the pacing of the story was a bit too slow and plodding. For a time period filled with action and adventure there was a lot of time that the book was just traveling from one place to another. I think the story had promise but could have done with a bit more editing.

I enjoyed this book a lot, however, at times it felt a little slow. An element that I loved was the symbol maker and I thought it was really clever. I really enjoy reading historical fiction because it feels atmospheric and this book wasn’t the exception. Overall I would recommend this novel to anyone looking for a well written, fascinating tale set in England.

Thank you Net Galley for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest review.

I am not a fan of books containing witches. Characters are strong but story is slow. Has alot of details,so for those that enjoy this type of story it is perfect for them.

I was most impressed by the expansive scope of history packed into Symbol Maker's Daughter. Having a general understanding of Henry Tudor's claim to the throne and characters involved helped me better stay on track. However, when so many women were named Elizabeth or Margaret and you add in some fictional characters it can be tricky to follow. This would be a good book to have a list of characters available for quick reference. Overall I thought Nicola and Drue's relationship was well developed and the mysticism/foretelling was masterfully woven in through core of the book. I appreciated how this added a new layer to an often told story during the War of the Roses. -I was provided a copy of this book to review by Netgalley.

This could have been a very good book. The idea behind the plot was certainly intriguing. But, unfortunately, the book suffered from a lack of editing. The writing was wordy, there was a lot of repetition, details at times were confused and it was just way too long.

My copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to the the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review it.

A tale of 15th century England where the king has died and there are factions working to put their person in power. A young woman's father is tortured and killed and the daughter escapes with the help of her father's allies. But others are looking for her.

This was an interesting historical fiction book set around the tumultuous period of time between the death of King Edward IV and the crowning of King Henry VII. The author weaves in a fictional character with ties to the occult to create a very broad and ambitious story that covers the two years between Edward's death and Henry's rise as the King and first Tudor monarch.

I don't know a ton about that particular time in England, but was fascinated by the amount of research that appeared to go into the story with the descriptions of the people, clothing, fighting styles, weapons, and political intrigue.

My chief criticisms of the book were the fact that there were so many different perspectives - made it really convoluted, the sometimes overly coincidental plot points (everyone knew someone at the exactly right time to help the main character), and there also was a great deal of telling rather than showing which dragged the flow of the story down. But overall it is not a bad book, just not really my preference.

3.5 stars/5 stars

I received a free advance reader copy from NetGalley and am freely leaving my honest opinion.

The focus of The Symbol Maker's Daughter is the rise of Henry VII in fifteenth-century England. As a former British History major with a specialization in the Tudor -Stuart eras, this topic was the proverbial catnip to me. I did love how the author wove the historical events with a fictional story. She brought it all to life through extensive descriptions of battles, palace intrigues, and romantic liaisons.

However, the book was just too long. It felt like the book could have ended after Nicola completed her quest, then continued in a second book. It might have helped to have fewer characters as well as a narrower focus on key events, rather than trying to capture everything that happened. It was challenging to keep all the people and characters straight.

Additionally, there were some disappointing stereotypes. The heroine is impetuous and unthinking, causing men to repeatedly need to rescue her. Not only did this get tedious, but it also sent the message that women need to be disciplined and tamed by wiser men. While this might have been in accordance with the times, it will rankle contemporary readers. Besides, that stereotype might well be false. Recent research on Viking women shows how strong, self-sufficient and vital they actually were. I suspect that medieval women were similarly self-sufficient. Another bothersome stereotype was the reference to an older, wise woman as an "old crone". This character was instrumental in guiding the protagonist and her eventual husband to successfully influencing history. She should have been given a more respectful name.

The writing was just okay. This was definitely a plot-driven story, so the events were central. However, this meant that the writing was not elegantly structured and was pretty episodic - particularly at the end, which seemed rushed with trying to tie things up. Also, sometimes the point of view changes within a chapter. This was confusing to me as a reader.

Accuracy in describing historical events was very good. This author definitely did her research.

Richard of York, Henry Tudor, the princes, who will take the English throne? The symbol maker has had visions that seem to predict the ascendancy of Henry Tudor but in 1400s England this is treason. Nicola, the symbol maker's daughter, who is now having visions, seeks to complete her father's task. She must deliver symbols to Henry Tudor and his mother, Margaret Beaufort. Of course, visions, particularly visions of Tudor as king are treasonous and smack of witchcraft. Dangerous for Nicola and the man, an assassin, who comes to her aid.
It is an interesting premise - the visions and danger of being called a witch. I found some of the timelines with the historical figures, particularly Elisabeth Woodville, to be a bit confusing.

A different take on the War of the Roses which places a prescient young lady at the heart of Henry Tudor’s success as she seeks to relay her father’s own premonition. Lots of intrigue and adventure for interesting characters will keep you generally engaged despite several implausible moments, awkward dialogue, and somewhat repetitive descriptions.

Thank you to Greenleaf Book Group, River Grove Books, the author, and Netgalley for access to an early version of this book.

The Symbol Maker’s Daughter by Clare Gutierrez is historical fiction set in England. It has political intrigue, a little bit of romance, some mysticism and plenty of action. The characters are well developed and the book kept me engaged. I enjoyed reading it and thank the publisher for the opportunity of reading it in exchange for me honest review.

I love historical fiction, especially when it is about the kings and queens of England back in the day. The battle scenes were so well written, I felt as if I were standing there watching them happen. (I am glad I was not...) Being a woman in those days were hard and you could easily be found guilty of being a witch. The only negative I have is that I wish a family tree would have been included for reference. Overall, thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book,

I enjoyed Symbol Maker's Daughter very much. It was quite long and got to be more wordy than necessary toward the end. However, the author's research and attention detail is exemplary. This is not a particularly easy part of British history to read about as there are countless Annes, Elizabeths, Henrys and Richards. Ms. Gutierrez found a way to make it possible to keep track of them, especially in the beginning. For that I am most thankful. I would recommend this book.
Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of Symbol Maker's Daughter.

The story and main characters, Nicola and Drue, are engaging although I sometimes wanted to shake Nicola for her determination to put herself in danger. I am very familiar with the period of the War between the Roses and felt most of the history to be accurate. My only fault with the book were the skipped incidents. Many times things occurred outside of the contents of the book and we are just told they occurred. Richard's wife Anne dies, but we don't see that, just are told; Cicero the King dies so Drue can become King but again we don't see that, just are told. This skipping of details happened too much to make me happy with the plotline of the story. Maybe the book tried to cover too much time and history, but I'd rather SEE the events than simply be told about them. Also, it was a deadly book with the body count higher than most books I have read, although I'm sure the period was, indeed, a lawless one. Is it really that easy to decapitate a human being? I was torn between a "3" and a "4" but decided to go with the higher number as the book did keep me reading. I received an ARC from NetGalley and my comment are my own.

I love historical fiction. And I do not know a lot about this period in history so was excited to get this ARC from Netgalley. I must admit, I was not immediately drawn in and almost stopped reading. But I journeyed on and was soon drawn into the worlds of Nicola, Drue, Henry Tudor, King Richard, and the entire cast of characters. Interspersed with the political drama is a love story that at times had me pulling out my hair at the stupidity of the two main characters yet I couldn’t top reading. Just as an aside, I felt the ending was satisfying and the epilogue added nothing and was totally unnecessary. Overall a satisfying read which made me want to learn more about this historical period. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.