We are so incredibly, over-the-top, crazy-in-love with Lady Hotspur, Tessa Gratton’s next book. It’s set in the same magical, mysterious world as her most recent book, The Queens of Innis Lear, but this one takes place one hundred years later.
Noticed something about the titles? Yep, both The Queens of Innis Lear and Lady Hotspur are adaptations of Shakespeare plays. We’ve already seen what Tessa Gratton can do to the wild and vicious world of King Lear―now it’s time to step into her beautiful, powerful, gender-swapped, and queer Henry IV Part I. That’s right: gender-swapped *and* queer. We could not get any more hyped for these fierce warrior women falling in love with each other.
Like every epic fantasy and Shakespeare play, keeping all those characters straight can be a lot. Here’s a breakdown of how the major characters of Henry IV Part I have been reimagined: who they were in the original play, and who they’ve been turned into at the beginning of Lady Hotspur. Don’t worry, it’s spoiler-free. We’re not monsters.
Character Transformations: King Henry IV Part I → Lady Hotspur
The current king who deposed his cousin Richard II with the help of the Percy family, after being banished for flimsy reasons is turned into Queen Celedrix of Aremoria, an exiled noble who returned from unjust banishment to depose King Rovassos, with the help of the Persy family
Henry IV’s heir who hangs out with drunks and thieves, but says it’s part of a plan to stun people with how kingly and capable he is later is turned into Hal Bolinbroke, a lady knight known for playing tricks and causing scandals, who is suddenly made heir to the kingdom when the mother she has not seen since childhood wins the crown.
The famous knight, and leader of the English rebel forces against King Henry, with very poor impulse control is turned into Lady Hotspur, a famous knight with a hot temper, and part of Celeda’s rebellion. She is heir to the earldom of Perseria.
The man who was heir to the deposed Richard II is turned into Banna Mora, a young woman who was heir to the overthrown King Rovassos, and the former leader of the Lady Knights. Her mother was Innis Lear nobility, and her father was Aremoria nobility. Banna Mora and Hal have been close friends since childhood.
Prince Hal’s surrogate father in the tavern world, a big-time drunk, cheat, thief, and scoundrel is turned into Lady Ianta Oldcastle, the mentor to the Lady Knights and best friend of the former King Rovassos. Ianta is widely known to enjoy partying a bit too much.
The Earl of Worcester, Hotspur’s uncle and fellow rebel leader is turned into Duke Vindomata of Mercia, Lady Hotspur’s aunt and a part of Celeda’s rebellion. Vindomata is known as the King-Killer.
The leader of Welsh rebels, father of Lady Mortimer is turned into the Earl Glennadoer, Innis Lear nobility. It is said that he can transform into a bear.
Owyn Glyndwr’s daughter is turned into Prince Rowan, nephew and heir to Queen Solas of Innis Lear, and Owyn Glennadoer’s son. Rowan is known as the Poison Prince.
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