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Rating: 
Summary: Being a princess isn't always easy...
Review: "Isabel: Jewel of Castilla" was another good book in the "Royal Diaries" series, telling the difficult life of this teenage princess, who later sent Columbus to America.Isabel lives in fear of marriage betrothals constantly broken, renewed, and thought up, mainly for political reasons. Living in the castle that her brother sent her to for safety, she plots to find a good marriage, and to get out of her "prison"... This book was very interesting, but I only gave it four stars because it was pretty dull until the middle of it. It gets exciting towards the end, however! You may also enjoy the other "Royal Diaries" books, and also "Mary, Bloody Mary".
Rating: 
Summary: One of the best historical fiction of Isabel
Review: Carolyn Meyer does the best fictionalized version of Isabel of Castilla I have seen yet. Out of many of the Royal Diaries, this is one of the most action packed. Isabel of Castilla is daughter of King Juan II of Castilla and Leon, and Princess Isabel of Portugal, second wife of Juan II. After her father's death long ago, Isabel's half brother Enrique has taken the throne. He condemns Isabel to Segovia with his wanton wife, Queen Juana and his six year old daughter, Princess Juana. Isabel lacks freedom and is separated from her mother and her brother, Alfonso. Enrique is afraid the rebels will get Isabel on their side. The rebel grandes (nobels of Castilla and Leon) disapprove of Enrique and has made Isabel's younger brother, Alfonso the King. Isabel tries to be neutral but is severly angered by Enrique when he forces her to marry without her permission and by breaking a peace agreement after her brother's death. Isabel takes things into her own hands and marries in secret with Prince Ferdinand of Aragon. The novel moved along quickly since Isabel had alot of twists in her young life at the age of 15. She had many marriage proposals but she wanted Ferindand in the end. I found her extremely brave at times but deeply religious. It showcased many exciting events to make sure the reader was not bored. Isabel was on disguise some parts, ran away to at times and risked her life throughout the book by disobeying Enrique. Meyer did a great job showcasing all the events and I learned alot in the end. Other than Isabel's misguided 'projects' such as The Spanish Inquisition and reclaim of Granada from the Moors. Isabel, Queen of the future España led many great achievements. She has been nicknamed, 'Queen of the Americas' for funding of Christopher Columbus and making Spain, one of the most powerful, admired and cultured of that time.
Rating: 
Summary: boring
Review: I am a huge fan of YA historical fiction, especially international historical fiction. Having lived in the lands that Isabel once ruled (Castilla y León), the novel was a pleasant reminder of the many castles, monasteries and medieval buildings I visited while living in northern Spain (Burgos). When I attended the Universidad de Burgos I took Spanish history as a requirement, and we learned about many of the events covered in this novel: the Moorish conquest in 711, the centuries of the Reconquista (the attempt to retake Spain and drive out the infidels), the final victory at Granada in January 1492, the later expulsion of Jews and Moors that year, and most fateful, Cristobál Colon's discovery of America, as well as the political intrigue surrounding Alfonso and Enrique, Juana La Beltraneja, and later Juana La Loca. Isabel strives to follow the instruction of her confessor (later the head of the brutal Spanish Inquisition) Tomás de Torquemada, but is spirited, not content with the answers she is given. With her father dead and her mother having lost her senses, Isabel is left to fend for herself and to follow her heart. Isabel's diary reads like exactly that: a diary, with long stretches of time glossed over, full of the tedious details that filled her confined life until her marriage. The extended cast of characters numbers near forty, and at times the book feels like a memory exercise. However, the author makes a brave attempt to bring to life a lost period of time when Spain was divided between Christian and Moor, and the Christian provinces were dangerous, full of outlaws and warring factions, each ruled by a separate king. Isabel's life is constantly at risk, caught in a war between her brothers, and it is her marriage to Fernando of Aragón that finally produces the beginnings of a unified España. Although some information is inaccurate, "Isabel: Jewel of Castilla" is full of historical details about life in Spain, the political climate of the time, popular beliefs, court life and more, and various Spanish names/phrases are used (there is a handy glossary in the back). There is an abridged family tree, photocopies of maps, engravings and statues, and a list of characters provided at the end of the book.
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Summary: One of the Best
Review: I feel as though I must correct all the bad reviews that I read about this book. People are saying that Carolyn Meyer has Isabel be very mean, and domineering, and even whiny. However, that isn't true at all. And they also say they had her go to church too much. Back then, Catholics were always in chapel! Obviously the people who stated those things have no concept of a true Spanish background. (Although born in the US, I am spanish, and am proud of it.) They also said that Isabel and Ferdinand were very cruel (not part of diary, but is discussed later) to the Jews. You have to understand that although it seems cruel to us now, back then it was normal justice, and she thought she was doing the right thing. So all you out there, watch what you say about my ancestor! And for those of you who have no idea of what I'm talking about, I reccomend this book. It is very historical, and fun.
Rating: 
Summary: Isabel : Jewel of Castilla
Review: I read "Isabel : Jewel of Castilla" after reading the first three books in the Royal Diaries series. When I compared "Isabel" with the others, I was a little dissatisfied. This book didn't give as many details about Isabel's day-to-day life as the other books gave about the everyday lives of their respective heroines. Also, there are extremely long gaps between certain entries -- anywhere from a few months to nearly a year. This book also centered too much on Isabel's feelings against Queen Juana (one of the main antagonists in this volume). As far as I could discern, Queen Juana was actually quite friendly to Isabel. I could understand part of her loathing toward the Queen for having attempted to murder Alfonso, but her constant tirades against Queen Juana quickly became boring, as do her monotonous complaints about her six ladies-in-waiting and her successive critiques of Enrique's clothing. Isabel goes a little too far in complaining about "La Beltraneja," or Princess Juana. For God's sake, Princess Juana is a four-year-old child! How could she possibly be a part of her mother's schemes to seat her on the Castillan throne? The section toward the end of the book when Fernando finally manages to broach the borders of Castilla and meet Isabel was, to me, inadequately written and difficult to understand, as were the entries about important events such as the liberation of Segovia. Overall, this book wasn't VERY poorly written, but it isn't up to par with the other books in the series. However, since most people seemed to like it, it wouldn't hurt to give this book a try.
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Summary: FABULOUS!
Review: I should revisit whatever i learned in school about Isabel la Católica. Much of what i remember is not what this book explains. I understand that history goes through many phases of revisionism, but i have a feeling that the author dwelled a bit too much on those parts that portray Isabel as a fanatic. This book then opens for me a lot of windows, as i am now more curious about history than i was in fifth grade. Hooray!
Rating:
Summary: Isabel, Jewel of the Castilla
Review: This book is a diary about a young teen princess who is sent to live with her brother, Enrique. He takes Isabel away from their mother after their father died, because he thought this would be a bad way to raise the children. They lived in a palace where Enrique was king. Later, his brother Alfonso takes his own Palace. Since they are now separated, they have conficts. This disrupts the family. I liked the book because many teens can relate to it. Isabel wasn't spoiled or anything, that's why i admire her. Even though she hads quite a few sins, she wrote them down, and recognized them. She was a great friend to all of the people in the Castilla, and most people liked her. Even though Queen Juana, Enrique's wife, wanted Isabel to get married to her husband, she didnt go off on her, she kept calm. I think she is a great person. My favorite part of the book is when Isabel meets Catalina. She is beautiful in every way and her father is the keeper of the treasury. Catalina is very inspirational. Not because of her looks, but because of the fact she has a mishappen foot. This causes her to walk with a limp. No one wants to marry her becuase of this, but she still has faith and wants to become a nun. Isabel envies Catalina becuase she doesn't have to get married, and Isabel has to get married to King Afonso, or better known as El Escorpion (the scorpion).
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Summary: Great Book
Review: Very interesting book! I enjoyed learning more about Isabel and her history. The story takes place when Isabel is 15 years old. Her father has been dead for several years, so her half-brother Enrique claims the throne. However, there are some who believe that Isabel's younger brother Alfonso should be king. So during this time of political unrest, Isabel is growing up and thinking of the future. Isabel receives a total of six different marriage proposals from different countries. Enrique promises that he will not force her to marry, so long as he approves her choice. Again, his promise is broken, as it is many times during this book, and Isabel decides to make her own plans, despite her brother's wrath.
Rating:
Summary: boring
Review: When I first got this book, I was really excited because I love almost all of the Royal Diary books. Once I read this though, I was sorely disapointed. It was a very boring read which talked only about the people Isabel was going to marry and how she had to go to church everyday. I found myself skipping pages at a time and not missing anything important. The book could have been interesting but I think Carolyn Meyer did a poor job portraying the Spanish royalty culture. I wouldn't buy this book unless you wanted to have all the RD, because there's always the library to borrow it from.
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