“Elizabeth I is one of the most popular figures in history, but this stunning portrayal gives us vivid and compelling new insight into the real woman behind the public image. Told with all of the author’s characteristic verve and eye for fascinating period detail, the story of the Virgin Queen’s turbulent path to the throne is at once surprising, revealing and utterly irresistible. This is Elizabeth I as you have never seen her before.”

– Tracy Borman, author of Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I

“Sparkling, pacey and page-turning, Nicola Tallis’s brilliant new study of the early life of Elizabeth I is an outstanding achievement. Combining new research with an engaging style, it ticks every box. Highly recommended!”

– Alison Weir, author of The Lady in the Tower

“Tallis has all the skill of a Tudor portrait painter, imbuing her study with immense detail, striking realism and vibrant colour. Her Elizabeth is so perfectly captured, she peers out from the pages at you with steely dark eyes. Taken as a whole, it is a comprehensive and captivating picture of Gloriana’s upbringing.”

– Joanne Paul, author of The House of Dudley

“The key to the legend of Elizabeth I lies in the violence, tragedy and heady danger of her first twenty-five years. She lost her parents, siblings, freedom and innocence far too soon, but emerged as one of the most iconic rulers in English history. Nicola Tallis charts this extraordinary story with sensitivity, scholarship and compassion, shedding light not only on Elizabeth’s apprentice years, but also her complete character.”

– Jessie Childs, author of The Siege of Loyalty House

“An insightful biography. Tallis builds a thorough, credible recreation of the queen’s formative decades, providing insight into the proud, determined, insecure, and singular ruler she became. Tudor enthusiasts won’t want to miss this.”

– Publishers Weekly

“Empathetic, thoughtful, and well-written. In this story of the Virgin Queen’s rise to power, Tallis has proved again why she is fast emerging as one of Britain’s most popular historians.”

– Gareth Russell, author of The Palace: From the Tudors to the Windsors, 500 Years of British History at Hampton Court

"The future Elizabeth I served one of the most dramatic apprenticeships of any queen of England, with her life subject to the twists and turns of the unstable politics of her day. In Young Elizabeth, Nicola Tallis takes a forensic view of the princess’s difficult early life, using her considerable expertise as an historian to paint a dramatic and believable portrait of a girl whose future never seemed certain. Nicola Tallis brings to life the girl who would later become England’s most iconic ruler.”

– Dr. Elizabeth Norton, author of The Lives of Tudor Women

"A remarkable achievement. Tallis brings to life the glowing girl behind the iconic mask of the later Virgin Queen. With a wealth of detail unfamiliar even to Elizabethan scholars, it represents a vital contribution to our understanding of the woman and her age. Fresh, vibrant, and scholarly, this is history at its very best.”

– Sarah Gristwood, author of The Tudors in Love

“You cannot fully comprehend Queen Elizabeth I without understanding her hardship and struggles before rising to power. Nicola Tallis’s Young Elizabeth is the biography we needed on these years before Elizabeth was crowned Queen. Compelling, well-researched, and illuminating, this is a must-read for any Tudor lovers.”

– Dr. Estelle Paranque, author of Blood, Fire and Gold: The Story of Elizabeth I & Catherine de Medici

“Tallis serves up as a full banquet. So little primary source material exists; nevertheless, Tallis perseveres, presenting Jane as 'a spirited girl who demonstrated character, passion, talent and strength,' a serious bookworm who grew up in a household where new ideas flourished.”

– The New York Times Book Review

"This sparkling study of the youth of England’s most famous queen is firmly based on a wealth of original sources. It will delight readers who think they know Elizabeth and those who have yet to become acquainted with her perilous path to the throne."

– Linda Porter, PhD, author of The Myth of "Bloody Mary" and Crown of Thistles: The Fatal Inheritance of Mary Queen of Scots

“This is a stunning debut from a young historian who deserves to be recognized as a major talent in her field. It's history as it should be written, vivid, colorful, pacy and evocative, but above all authentic and based on sound and innovative research. It's an outstanding contribution to our knowledge of Lady Jane Grey. Most warmly recommended!”

– Alison Weir, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“Tallis brings this tragic teen to vivid life in her perceptive and thoughtful new book.”

– Christian Science Monitor

“Through meticulous research, Nicola Tallis pieces Lady Jane Grey’s fascinating story together, and in so doing brings this extraordinary young woman vividly to life. Engagingly written and utterly compelling throughout. A stunning debut.”

– Tracy Borman, author of The Private Lives of the Tudors and Thomas Cromwell

Praise for Crown of Blood: The Deadly Inheritance of Lady Jane Grey:

“In her first book, Tallis makes an energetic case that Grey deserves more attention. Almost all existing documents cover only her final months, but Tallis does an admirable job turning up sources on her subject’s early life which concentrate on her high-ranking parents and Jane's intense religious education.”

– Kirkus Reviews

“The tragic life and short (nine-day) reign of Lady Jane Grey is eloquently explored. Ably guiding readers through the complex maze of familial connections and Tudor politics, the author presents an engaging portrait of a young woman whose sole crime was having had the misfortune to be born the great-niece of Henry VIII. Highly recommended for readers interested in British history or the Tudor era.”

– Library Journal

“Tallis humanizes Grey, showing her willfulness as well as her desperation to please her remarkably unwise parents. Popular myths and earlier historical interpretations of key events receive fresh analysis aided by diligent research. Tallis’s clear writing and well-paced narrative heighten the story’s climactic and tragic ending.”

– Publisher's Weekly (starred review)

“Tallis narrates these dramatic events with all the verve and excitement that they deserve. Her portrait of Jane as something of a feminist before her time carries complete conviction. Nicola Tallis combines Jane’s virtues as a scrupulous scholar herself, with a colorful background of how Tudor England looked, sounded and smelled. She has succeeded in drawing Jane out of the shadows.” - The Spectator

“Crown of Blood is authoritative, thoughtful, and elegantly written. Telling use of original sources makes fresh and vivid—as well as moving—the story of a girl too often dismissed as a mere blank canvas onto which others could write. A genuinely impressive debut.”

– Sarah Gristwood, author of Blood Sisters and Game of Queens

“This is a wonderful investigation of Lady Jane Grey, enlightening and gripping, full of superb research and beautifully written. Nicola Tallis gives the tragic nine day queen brilliant and fascinating life.” - Kate Williams, author of the New York Times bestselling Becoming Queen Victoria

"A nuanced and realistic portrait of a formidable and multi-faceted woman.”

– Tudor Times