My Review (spoiler-free):
Pavane offers an alternate history of the world after the imagined assassination of Elizabeth I. With England without a powerful Protestant leader, the Spanish Armada is successful and Spain - and the Catholic Church - are unchecked. Centuries of minimal progress pass, and the book picks up in the 1900s.

I initially read about Pavane on io9. The author of the post offered some great insight into the novel and made me want to explore this alternate timeline on my own. Unfortunately, I wasn’t a big fan of what I found. Pavane was very, very difficult to get through. I would pick this book up and read a bit, then get bored or annoyed and set it down for months on end. I just couldn’t get drawn into the stories or characters. As interesting as the premise was, it simply wasn’t my cup of tea. Perhaps I’ll try again later.

The Bottom Line:
An alternate history that promises more than it delivers.