It's quite historical, but the main characters are very strong so it's still easy enough to follow what's going on. I don't know any of the history in the period this book is about so I don't know how accurate it is, but I loved Sigrid, who's actual name I don't know how to spell. She's quite strong and smart and daring but not inhumanly so, she doesn't officially have much power but plays the game really well to collect informal power for herself and her children, which was interesting to see. However, the book ends kind of abruptly. It's rather large already so I can see why the rest of the story didn't fit in this volume, but it's one of those books that is lovely while you're in it but quite daunting to pick up. For people who are much more into history than I am it's a definite recommendation though!