‘The Queen’s Rising’: Author Rebecca Ross is a 21st century Brontë

The opening pages of The Queen’s Rising bring to mind something the Brontë sisters might have written over a century ago – a genteel period piece about a young lady called Brienna who blossoms into womanhood through her studies, all under the tutelage of a master and a dowager.

The languid pacing at the start allows the book to envelop you in its charms. It never hurries but moves along with quiet urgency. As the pages turn, it becomes the kind of novel that invites the reader to reflect on each chapter as it’s completed.