Holy Smokes Jeanne. I am in love with your bravery, courage, deep abiding love and your unholy need for vengeance. Really, this book was just so good. The writing style, the prose, dialogue, characters. Just nailed it! And Walter, omg in the background, but so not. Every character had their purpose.

Very nicely done and definitely an author to follow

#netgalley #TheLioness

The Lioness by Gigi Griffis is an engaging and fast-paced novel that offers a captivating look into the life of Jeanne de Clisson. While I found the beginning to be a bit choppy and felt that some of the relationships lacked depth, the story gained momentum as it progressed, becoming more and more compelling.

What stood out most to me was how Jeanne was portrayed—not just as a noble or a warrior, but as a multifaceted woman who was a leader, a mother, and a force to be reckoned with. Her complexity and resilience were inspiring, and I appreciated how Griffis balanced her many roles.

Despite its rough start, The Lioness delivers an unforgettable story of strength and determination, and I highly recommend it to readers who enjoy historical fiction centered on strong, dynamic women.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely love this book. It was very hard to put down. Very easy to follow and great storyline. I am very thankful I was picked to listen to this audiobook before it is published and will definitely buy a copy of the book. Will be highly recommending it!!

The Lioness by Gigi Griffis was narrated by Imani Jade Powers. I enjoyed this and not surprised that history left this courageous woman out of our history classes. The author wrote a compelling story about love, loss and revenge. I enjoyed all the characters and was satisfied with the ending. The narrator was an excellent choice for this novel and I think it was a great listen. This was a clean read.
Thanks Dreamscape Media via NetGalley.

This had all the makings of a book I’d devour—revenge, piracy, and a woman hellbent on wrecking a king’s entire existence. And don’t get me wrong, there were moments where I was fully onboard, ready to hoist the black flag and set sail with Jeanne de Clisson. But somewhere along the way, the wind died down, and I was left drifting.

The historical backdrop? Fantastic. The sheer audacity of Jeanne’s story? Love it. But the execution felt… muted. For a tale about a lady pirate slashing her way through 14th-century France, I expected more grit, more fire. Instead, some parts felt repetitive, and Jeanne’s character, while fascinating, never quite pulled me in emotionally the way I wanted.

That said, if you love historical fiction with a dash of revenge and don’t mind a slower, more introspective take on piracy, this might be your thing. I just wanted a bit more oomph—or at least one truly unhinged, cackling villain moment.

1343 and Jeanne de Clisson is about to change her life following the beheading of her second husband, without trial. Jeanne wants revenge and will become the Lioness, feared by many. She burns castles and takes to the sea destroying merchant ships. But the King will hunt her and her family.

Very well written and well narrated novel (I listened to the audiobook). Great characters in this novel based on history. Well paced and action packed. She was determined to succeed with the help of others who will all put their lives in danger. Great read.

This revenge tale is one that will have readers cheering one minute and seething the next as they follow the exploits of one of France’s most notorious lady pirates.

Jeanne de Clisson’s life splinters apart when French King Phillip VI arrests and beheads her beloved husband for treason without warning or a trial. The noble class is shocked, no more than Jeanne herself. Now left with her three young children, she makes a plan and finds allies as she is determined to seek her vengeance for the one she loved.

From burning down castles to destroying merchant ships on the high seas, Jeanne earns a reputation for her cunning and ruthless behavior in the name of retribution. “The Lioness” becomes something of myth and legend as she fights to destroy the French king all while he sends mercenaries to destroy her and the ones she holds dear.

Based on a true historical woman from the 14th century, Jeanne’s wrath is that of legend during France and England’s Hundred Years’ War. This is an era I knew little about, but Gigi Griffis touches on all the reasons that led to this conflict that dominated part of the Middle Ages. Jeanne is a fascinating character to be sure, and readers will find themselves rooting for her even when her moral boundaries get shaky.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and of course the author Gigi Griffis for the advanced copy of the audiobook. The Lioness is out on February 18th. All opinions are my own.

I listened to The Lioness as an audiobook. The author did a good job in arranging the story and explaining the way things happened. I thought the characters could have had more depth though. For instance, the main character was portrayed as a badass feminist with a take charge attitude. That was pretty much as far as it went though. There was not a lot of emotional depth as to who she was as a person. It was, however, a decent historical fiction piece about an event in history that I was unfamiliar with. And since it was an audiobook, I will mention that the narrator felt too forced in her storytelling. It did not feel like it was flowing naturally, which is also why I am giving it three stars.

Thanks to NetGalley, Gigi Griffis, and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to listen to an audio recording of The Lioness in the return of an honest review.

The Lioness is the story of Jeanne de Clisson, a badass French woman who vowed revenge on the French king for murdering her husband - and delivered vengeance on the high seas.

Jeanne is awaiting the return of her husband Olivier, and when he finally does, she joyfully goes to find him, only to see him executed by the king on made up charges and no trial. Devastated, Jeanne decides to avenge Olivier's death and becomes a pirate, hunting French ships and leaving only one crew member alive to spread her story.

This would be amazing enough if it was 100% fiction. We might even think it's 100% fictional, but in fact, Jeanne de Clisson is a real historical figure, whose bravery and determination was recognized by the English king, who named her an ally.

The narration was excellent and I feel like we can add The Lioness of Brittany to our pantheon of badass women who will resort to whatever it takes to get justice.

This is the first book that I have read by Ms. Griffis and I thought that it was a good read. In a story that was driven by grief and rage is the story of Jeanne de Clisson that takes place over many years. She stays true to her self and mission to avenge the wrongs that were committed against her family. In a tale of the true account (or as true as one can get from the time of events) of Jeanne de Clisson's fight for revenge. The story of loss and betrayal is quite the story that had me hooked. Jeanne de Clisson is one strong character throughout the story and at times I wished she was a little more 'human' and showed some more true emotions for some of the events that were taking place at the time. Overall, this was a good book that I did enjoy from start to finish.

Thank you Netgalley for providing my with the audiobook to listen to in exchange for an honest review.

I am dnf-ing at 40%. I was hoping the writing would get better but although I think Jeanne de Clisson is a great choice for a historical fiction novel, the execution fell extremely short. Jeanne read as a cliché and caricature of feminism due to shallow characterization and her motivations being reduce down to "I solve problems through fighting", "I loved my husband because he fought well", "if only my kids from my first husband saw their stepfather fight, then they would love him as a father also"...paraphrasing but you get the point.

I would have loved to see Jeanne portrayed with more nuance, her love for her husband and kids shown through her interactions/memories with them instead of just being told she loved them. We were only ever told about her emotions and relationships, never got to experience them as the reader. A female character that fights and brags about beating all the guys, does not count for writing a strong female character in my book.

As far as the narrator goes, I think they did a decent job. They didn't necessarily add to the story but nor did they take away from it.

Jeanne is avenging her husband beheading by the king without a trial. It is based on a true story which makes it even better.

However it read more like a checklist of events being covered then a story and the emotion range you would expect wasn't there.

It was an interesting story but it didn't quite make the mark

This isn't my typical genre but it sounded interesting.

I loved the portrayal of strong female characters in history. However, the writing made them seem pretty one-dimensional. (In my opinion) We really only see our characters guided by their rage. Even in places where they should be more emotional, it didn't really feel like they were.

I received an audio copy of the book, and I liked the narrator. There were multiple voiced characters and accents and it was easy to distinguish between them all. Also easy to decipher at an increased speed.

Jeanne is out to kill the King. He killed her husband without cause nor a fair trial. It's 1343 and this is based on a true story. She has to hide her children and then she sets out, with her men, to kill the King. And the king is trying to stop her. A great read, exciting from the start and an excellent narration!

While I really enjoyed the story of Jeanne and her band of revengeful pirates I felt this story lacked true emotion. I am most likely an outlier here as I see that this book is already receiving some wonderful reviews and not to say mine is bad but I didn't love it, although I did think it was well told and entertaining. I felt like the author told us what was happening instead of being in the thick of things. Like, oh we did this, we did that, we went here, this happened and I didn't feel as connected to the story as I should. So again, I did like the story but I didn't love it. I enjoyed the fact that this was based on history and this was not a story I had heard before and I was intrigued for sure.

I thought the audio narration done by Imani Jade Powers was great.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for access to the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I wish I was as brave as jeanne.
This is a true account of the wrath of a woman, her husband has been killed by the king without a trial, so she is out for revenge. She makes her way towards the king and on the way she annihilates the castles in which the kings men are residing. Loss of friends and family. How she soldiers on is heartfelt.

4.25/5. Thank you to Ms. Griffis, the publisher, and Netgalley for the ALC/audiobook ARC. The narrator, Imani Jade Powers, is becoming a quick favorite of mine, so I was glad to see another ALC offer that was from her. Fantastically done.

The Lioness is a wonderful example of a historical novel done right. Ms. Griffins has obviously done her historical research into Jeanne de Clisson’s life, taking into account the footnotes of history the Lioness of Brittany was included in. Even her added character (as stated in the author’s historical note at the end) felt like part of the story that was natural to the historical accuracy. And, I’m biased, I love anyone who loves ravens.

The novel follows Jeanne de Clisson after the beheading of her third husband. At 43, and as mother of young (and older) children, she has had enough and desires to avenge the unfair accusation of treason that was given to her husband – and her. She may as well make the claim true. In order to do so, she decides to strike King Phillip VI where he’s weak: the water. And to do that, she has to become a pirate.

From what little research I’ve done (very little), the story follows through some of the hardest times from the death of Olivier IV de Clisson (her husband) to when she is wed to her next husband. Ms. Griffis develops her version of Jeanne well, bringing her from the hurt wife to the feared Lioness with emotional growth that seems true to the character, even if a bit rushed at the end.

If you’re looking for an interesting historical fiction that follows an older woman (and mother) who proves that women are just as deadly as men, and don’t mind a bit of blood and violence, this certainly is something to consider adding to your TBR list!

This is different from what I usually read. The story was good.
I found the book well written and I liked the narration too.

Will I recommend it? Yes I have already recommended this

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of this book!

This story is pure female rage and I am here for it. What an amazing story. This book made me look up Jeanne de Clisson and study about her. She is the perfect balance between loving mother and ruthless pirate set for revenge. The narration was also wonderful! It was very fast paced and there was hardly any down time in this story. This book took me through the entire range of emotions and left me wanting another story of her after her pirate years. If I could rate this more than 5 stars, I would!

Jeanne de Clisson, Lioness of Brittany, is a fascinating historical character, a notorious woman pirate in 14th century France, and Gigi Griffis creates a compelling revenge story and character sketch out of Jeanne's life.

In 1343, Jeanne de Clisson's [third] husband Olivier de Clisson was executed by King Philip VI for treason, as a part of the conflict of the Breton War of Succession. Griffis picks up her story as Jeanne is out for full revenge on everyone who has wronged her husband and also her. A fierce warrior in her own right, Jeanne sold her land and raised an army to seek revenge. Griffis gives us the years that Jeanne spent at sea pirating and harassing the French crown, and a portrait of a strong and fierce woman who leverages her friends and allies to carry out her missions.

This is an era of history in France that I know little about. This story pre-dates the Black Death by a few years, and is a time of great political turmoil. As Griffis says in her author’s note, just because we don’t hear as much about the women who raised armies doesn’t mean they didn’t have fascinating stories, and it’s interesting to see that a woman who raised 400 soldiers could be considered a footnote in history. But the men who recorded history often didn’t know what to do with women who didn’t fit their mold. All of the women Griffis writes about in The Lioness, with the exception of the young Black astrologer who joined Jeanne’s crew, are real women from history (with some names changed because half of them are named Jeanne). Griffis is meticulous about historical details where she has them, and then choosing additional elements for good storytelling. Jeanne’s character shifts a little too abruptly at the end of the book, making it a little less satisfying of an arc overall, but still a genuinely interesting read about a compelling historical character.

If you need a book about a fierce 43-year-old woman who is out for revenge and gives no quarter, this is the book for you. It’s a sometimes harsh, and certainly bloody, story that pulls no punches when it comes to Jeanne de Clisson’s force of personality.

I picked this up initially because the concept looked interesting and because the audiobook is narrated by Imani Jade Powers, and have no regrets about learning more about this era in France.