Review on Tea and Tomes 
 *Thank you to netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.* 
 From Henry V to Henry VII, Dan Jones hits the highlights one of the most famous conflicts in English history. We are introduced to such famous characters as Henry VI, Margaret of Anjou, Edward IV, Elizabeth Woodville, the Duke of Clarence, Richard III, and more. Jones seeks to complicate the popular idea of the War of the Roses as the red rose of Tudor against the white rose of York, or even the idea of Lancaster against York. 
 Jones uses language that is active and exciting. This history moves quickly and hits the high points. It doesn't go into extreme depth anywhere, but it is also very accessible. As expected, I perked up about halfway through the narrative when the Woodvilles shows up because it added some personal drama into the mix. Seeing Warwick thrown off his high horse, even if we're only given a brief description of him, is still satisfying. 
 Still, I wish there's been more character building around those involved in the conflict. He does this excellently with Henry VI, Edward IV, and does a bit for Margaret of Anjou and others. With the use of quotes from primary sources throughout I'd hoped there'd be letters in collection somewhere that would give us an even closer look at the personalities of some of the big players. Additionally, I know that I have a harder time keeping track of people, especially when they're referred to as their titles, when I don't know basically anything about them. Jones gives us a lot; I'm just greedy and want even more. He's good at painting the picture of the action, and I want even more insight into the people behind those actions. 
 Jones doesn't necessarily take a stand on anything in the War of the Roses. His goal seems to be to offer a quick, cursory overview of the main events, and players of the War of the Roses. He succeeds at this. If I wish he had dug a little deeper. Or maybe provided a spin that answered that offered a fresh perspective, that does not necessarily fit the goal of the book. And the book is successful. Anything I want is being engaged enough by Jones to want more. I want to know what he thinks of all this. Does he think the Duke of Clarence was drowned in a barrel of wine? What exactly does he think went down during Henry VI death? But then he would be traversing into the lands of speculation and historical fiction, which is not where Jones seems to aim to be. 
 As a person who has read more about the women behind the War of the Roses, yes, especially the Philippa Gregory series, it was nice to fill in some of the blanks of the action. Still, with the popularity of such series I would have loved to see the history of the women at play included even more. They are not ignored, but are still kept toward the back, relegated as wives and mothers, with the distinct exception of Margaret of Anjou, and even here it could be further explored (for more focused biographies on some of these women also check out Women of the Cousins' War by Philippa Gregory, David Baldwin, and Michael Jones). 
 This book made a lot of the power struggles, in terms of the gentry and who had what to gain on what side, and battles more clear. Additionally, as a dramaturg, this book will be a wonderful source for Shakespeare's history plays. If you love Philippa Gregory or Shakespeare or the Game of Thrones series (still haven't gotten to it--Ah! I know--but I hear it's based on the War of the Roses?) this could be the read for you.