Six Wild Crowns

Queens of Elben #1

by Holly Race

The king has been appointed by god to marry six queens. Those six queens are all that stand between the kingdom of Elben and ruin. Or so we have been told.

Each queen vies for attention. Clever, ambitious Boleyn is determined to be Henry's favourite. And if she must incite a war to win Henry over? So be it.

Seymour acts as spy and assassin in a court teeming with dragons, backstabbing courtiers and strange magic. But when she and Boleyn become the unlikeliest of things - allies - the balance of power begins to shift. Together they will discover an ancient, rotting magic at Elben's heart. A magic that their king will do anything to protect.

A captivating epic fantasy filled with dragons, court politics and sapphic yearning, perfect for fans of The Priory of the Orange Tree and House of the Dragon.

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Lesbian, Adult, Historical, Queer, Historical Fantasy

416 pages, Hardcover

First published June 10, 2025

Reviews

[MagretFume · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good story, and I liked it a lot, but I feel like the blurb can be misleading. 
Except for some of the characters' names, this has not much to do with Henry VIII or history. It is purely a fantasy tale, and is great in its own right. 
In the same way, you will find sapphic yearning but dragons are not what you might expect, and that's ok for me. 

As I said, I really liked this book. The story is original and interesting, the characters are strong and diverse, and the world is rich. It's a very good standalone in a semi historical setting and I'm glad I got to read it. 
I only wished for a more definitive ending, but it might be part of a series.

Thank you Orbit books for this ARC!

[sassafrass · Rating 1 out of 5]

a common problem a lot of writers have when converting their fanfiction into original fiction is the sudden need to fill in context that previously was not required. in fanfiction, even in the most far-flung AU, character and world building can be sparse as the audience is already familiar with the source material and able to provide a lot of heavy lifting through that prior understanding. without that context, characters become meaningless and the world becomes incomprehensible. this is one of the core issues at the heart of six wild crowns.

right at the start of the book holly professes this novel is inspired by, but not based on accurate historical information. she's just having fun!!! its not serious!!!! (side note, a terrible way to begin your book is to essentially say you aren't taking any of it that seriously) however, she then proceeds to insist you HAVE historical knowledge by just throwing an absolute clusterfuck of names drawn out the boleyn drama with 0 context other than that name.

i asked all the self professed 'tudor fans' in my life if they knew who mark smeaton and thomas wyatt were. none of them recognised mark, and only one of them said thomas wyatt was 'the poet who hung around with the rat looking gay guy on showtimes the tudors.' (shout out to showtimes 'the tudors', i know you loved it too holly. i read this damn book and its pretty fuckin obvious)

having the knowledge of who these people are did not assist either, as everyone is so vastly different and performing entirely different roles that it was unclear why this had to be based on the tudors at all.

this was only the beginning of the problems.

i don't know holly, i don't know her life. i have to assume however, judging by the fact that at no point did anyone stop her from using the words 'cnorgleo town', that she is surrounded by false friends and enemies.

every single name in this book, every single one, sounds like either she was dared to put it in there (a charitable option) or she went on fantasynamegenerator.com and hoped no one would notice. in case you don't believe me, here is a list of names. three of them are ones i generated off of the aforementioned website, and the rest are allllllll holly baby:

- cnothan
- ezzonid
- seplia
- alpich
- swuystan
- thawodest
- quisto
- vathyae
- hleaw
- gkontai*

look at that list. look at it long and hard. can you honestly spot the difference? if you say 'yes' i know you are the judas in holly's circle. (seriously, holly. real friends would tell you 'cnorgleo town' was going to get you laughed off the stage. howwwww did no one stop you if they didn't actively wish for your downfall)

the other major problem with these places, linking onto my first point, is that not only do they sound deeply fake and stupid, but that there is 0 context for where the fuck anything is in relation to anything else. i managed to piece together a couple (and i can't say which ones without spoiling the end of my fun game) but let me tell you i am still unclear on if some of these were cities, nations, on elben, outside of elben....and the worst part is, i don't think holly would be able to help me out much there either.

another issue i had was that holly is both afraid and hugely disinterested in the source of the material she is lifting (oh hey stupid intro to the book telling me none of this is serious!!) she is not only afraid of getting into the whole 'wars of religion' issue, but also...not interested at all in faith as a concept. people in this novel can be radical anti-monarchists, agnostic, and fervant fantasy catholics and none of it really matters. theres one god and he is REAL but only like, actively protects england with the magical polygamy bubble (sucks for you other nations!)

(side note again, not entirely sure how the concept of a 'witch' holds up in this world given that the queens are endowed with magical powers but that's what anne was accused of so we are going to use it even though it makes no sense!!! she chooses the WEIRDEST times to be stringently accurate to the source material!!)

there is no faith in this book! only absolute certainty, which is BORING. and also means that its a total protestant victory i guess according to this novel as they have the TRUE GOD so if you are wondering where the one star came from its cuz of that (shout out to my boy tommy c and the luther squad!!! #toomanycatholicsgettingcomfyatm)

finally, i understand what holly is attempting to do with the whole 'only surnames, because the women belong to their FATHERS' thing but....in their OWN narration holly? it kind of undermines the whole 'i am a FREE WOMAN, and NO MAN ENSNARES ME' message if even in her OWN HEAD anne boleyn is referring to herself EXCLUSIVELY as 'boleyn.' i thought for sure this was going to be building to something with jane and anne where one of them in a final moment of tragic love would use the first name but nO. EVEN WHEN ANNE JUMPS OFF A CLIFF JANE REFERS TO HER AS 'BOLEYN'

this book is a masterpiece, in the sense that if you know about tudor history (or any british history) you are going to be confused and angry, and if you know nothing, you are going to be confused and angry. truly, a book made for holly alone and her love of women sweeping into rooms in beautiful gowns.

*seplia, swuystan and vathyae were the fakes by the way. thank you so much for playing!!! GOODNIGHT EVERYBODY!!

[dathomira]

i can't rate this because i got about half way before realizing i was trying to break a reading slump not entrench it further and so finally called it quits. that sounds pretty damning and really it is, but i genuinely found this book fascinating. there was a bit early on where i thought to myself that if holly race got a few more books under her belt and she cared about being a good fantasist, there was something really there to work with. but as with a lot of authors currently working in this category she’s hampered by at best apathy towards the history of her genre and at worse gleeful ignorance.

now, i can already hear the indignant cries of ‘so she has to read tolkien?’ and actually no she does not. but she does have to read legitimate historians of women’s history of the tudor era (and alison weir, god bless her, does not qualify), as well as any fantasy or sf novel under the relatively broad umbrella of ‘feminist fiction’ published in the last eighty years. there is quite a lot of depth to both categories and i don’t know that she’s read the latter, but she lists quite a diverse list of the former and though one of them is a tiktok influencer (?) and another is alison weir, there’s a handful of really strong trained historians she cites whose work seems to have had no influence on her writing.

anyway. i’ll start with the good/neutral. the prose really clips along. i have tried some clunkers recently, but race—if not poetic—at least understands both sentence variance and rhythm. the castles also were fascinating and she clearly put a lot of thought into what they looked like and what they ought to represent. the gay and straight romances were equally boring—which sounds flippant but is me being serious. there’s a certain kind of relief that happens when you realize an author is not homophobic, romance is simply not their strong suit.

so. there are those at least.

the novel has two primary sin’s in my eyes: geography and women/history of women. the two are weirdly entangled so i’ll just go from the easiest problems and work my way out.

the book has a map of the kingdom of elben at its beginning with all the towns and castles which come up in the book labeled, and then some arrows pointing beyond the borders of the map to all the other countries and empires with which elben has relationships. this is representative of the kind of thinking that undergirds (and undermines) the book and sets up a weird orientalism which i dont think is deliberate or malicious, but is what naturally happens when you take elben/england as the center of your world (both literally in the map sense and figuratively) and don’t follow what that means to its logical conclusion.

i could not for the life of me figure out where everything was in relation to elben which was hampered first by my trying to graft real world politics she was drawing on onto the fantasy countries, and then by the realization that she had maybe? gotten rid of most of the world? i am still not entirely sure but i’m relatively sure quisto includes africa and parts of asia. which is insane. all of this would be fine (maybe) except for in the absence of my trying to logic out what country was which, the tensions and relations between elben and the rest of the world rang hollow. i know quisto is large and voracious, i know capaccia resents elben’s hard proof that the one true god chose them. but all of the economic and religious differences which drove relationships between monarchs in this era are absent because race either expects you to fill them in (and i could not because i could not figure who was who!) or she thought she had done enough (which she didn’t).

the flattening of the map has two pretty significant repercussions: the disappearance of muslims/arabs and the disappearance of the entrenched, by this point, rising tide of protestantism. ill get to the muslims and arabs in a bit, but i will be frank with you dear reader: i am not a tudor girlie but i know just enough of this time period, these monarchs, and the general politics of europe (which were very much driven by religion) to be dangerous lmao. there is a kind of reader and more importantly here a kind of writer who views religiosity and the religious person as one part myth and two parts village idiot. you do not have to believe in god or the angels, you do not even have to believe in an organizing principle in the universe. you do have to believe that even now, in this day and age, a person who believes in god understands empirical evidence and that faith is not empirically based. i know, again, the modern person has lost the ability to hold two contradicting things in their heart at the same time, but belief in god (whatever god that may be) was a cornerstone of medieval english life. race says that she is using history as inspiration and not as edict and that’s fine. but i can still see her condescension for people who have faith bubbling under the text. and i don’t really care if she thinks religious people are idiots so much as i care that because she thinks that and because she doesn’t understand the urgency with which it shaped medieval life, the basis of the inner lives of her characters and the conflicts she is attempting to graft onto elben ring hollow. there’s no wonder to the magic, no fervor driving the people of elben who have concrete proof that not only is god real but they’re his very special children. instead, bizarrely, you get jane and anne at alternate points using the word ‘patriotism’ to describe their relationship to their country. i don’t object to the word, but henry is literally divinely selected, the evidence is writ on his skin and on his country and everyone is super chill about this.

pope urban ii didn’t need the body of christ to whip all of europe into a fervor and start the first crusade, and you are telling me the stag god’s church has divine proof and nothing? has been done? with this? never make your gods real, man. (i’m sure the trilogy, if not the book, will end with god is not real. i, unlike race, have read in this genre god bless.)

my understanding is that anne was very dangerously visibly involved in discussions of catholic reformation, that this was one of the markers of her intelligence and her bravery, and that her stance could not be uncoupled from the catholicism which catherine of aragon represented, or from again the turbulent political and religious waters that was moving through europe. but because the topography of the world in which elben is situated is unclear and because race has decided to make it one religion and strip out the nuance, and because race can’t write a person of faith and her condescension peeks through, the rich tapestry of this era is never actually fully transported to a fantasy space. there’s not really any interesting interpretations—it almost feels as if the castles came first, then anne boleyn, and then everything else (however little that ‘else’ may be).

that is to say nothing of what lies beyond europe which is: the rest of the world.

i will add one last thing re the map etc and it is that one of the fascinations which drove europe to greedy wars and then horrifying colonialism (aside from the bad personalities of their monarchs) was an absence of luxury as a resource or export. the taxes levied on european monarchs by the various islamic empires that controlled the mediterranean and the silk route were heavy and had to be paid because they did not have spices, silk, gems, incense, and so on. i don’t even think race really thought about the weird bewildering optics of giving elben its own gem mine for The Best Gem In The World and then giving elben an isolationism bubble. and this is again, one of those things that doesn’t read as malicious to me in the least and is a product of an author who is not curious enough to expand the breadth of her knowledge to support her world building.

but i digress.

i think, in a world of globalized entertainment everyone should watch a single harem drama. if you do not want to read the many books on roxalina, or abassid era concubinage, or whatever secret third thing there is, you could tune in to one three-hour episode of magnificent century, or its sequel series magnificent century: kosem, you could also watch the chinese drama legend of zhen huan or ruyi’s royal love in the palace. if you are going to write about polygamy you should read or watch any single piece of media from a country that had a history of either before deciding to write about it.

england does not have a history of polygamy. i dont think even pre-christian england had a history of polygamy. which is not me saying you cannot do a fantasy world where they have polygamy because clearly you can and for money! but if you are writing a fantasy based on 16th-century england, where the two religious juggernauts are christianity and islam and one of the key dividing factors between (about which the english are particularly obsessed and terrified of) is the harem, you do have to do a little more lifting than ‘god said to take 6 wives’. you certainly have to do more lifting than ‘god said to take six wives and those wives were not in the habit of talking to one another.’ you also cannot address this cultural tension by disappearing away the main political powers which did historically actually engage in this practice.

i dont even think that race did it wrong perse—it is just another example of a thing done of which she has no literacy and so there is nothing new or interesting or engaging.

i had a point about history of women which i thought i was going to belabor but my document is now three pages long. suffice to say i don’t find feminist retellings that are modern very compelling. im less interested in the fantasy of what a person might do with all the sensibilities of 2025 if catapulted into 1509 and more interested in what women had to do then and what they did do, whether those actions are to their detriment or their benefit. when boleyn calls seymour a gender traitor essentially for pretending to be stupid (poor seymour lmao) i was like, i don’t know that gender solidarity as a coalition or an idea had really crystallized and moreover, this moment aside, boleyn doesn’t really exemplify it. she’s loud and brave. that’s not really the same as class conscious.

anyway. really the great sin of this novel is that it’s ya fantasy that should have been published in 2002. it would not have fared very well a few years later (circa 2012). and ya fantasy is pretty much dead right now so that leaves adult fantasy and the vultures of adult sff publishing who, lacking the curiosity and passion which drove early pioneers in the genre, now peddle stick figures to us and tell us its the mona lisa. and it is truly demoralizing to know that this is not the worst out there and in fact may number in that wide category of middling to good because it does not get very much better.

[Maeghan 🦋 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC!

I have to start off by saying that I don’t think the premise of this book was an accurate representation of what happens. I really thought we’d get a cunning court and absolutely villainous women (which I was hoping for)… but I wasn’t served.

I think the premise of a book really sets you up for the kind of atmosphere you’re going to get and this was beside the point.

The only character that had a personality was Boleyn, and even she was absolutely blinded by Henry and wasn’t the clever and cunning person that was described in the premise.

And Seymour… Assassin? Really? She was so fickle that I just couldn’t get along with this storyline. And I’m sorry but a relationship between a Queen and her servant needs to be properly set up to be okay. Or else it just becomes an authoritative relationship. I believe Seymour was in admiration for Boleyn. But in love?

I’m slumping really bad this week so this might be partially my fault. I really liked the premise and thought this would be something I’d enjoy but it unfortunately didn’t work for me. The dragons and magic were barely explored. I think the execution could’ve been handled differently. It was easy to read though.

[Jamedi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review originally on JamReads

Six Wild Crowns is the first book in the historical fantasy series Queens of Elben, a Tudor inspired proposal written by Holly Race, published by Orbit Books. An excellent and possibly unique take that lifts from the inspiration of Henry VIII's wives to weave a complex epic fantasy that puts the focus on the political intrigue, in a plot that is an absolute ride built around two memorable female main characters.

Boleyn has always been driven by ambition; her defiance and boldness attracted King Henry to marry him, thinking she might be the one that gives him a son. He thinks she will be the Queen he really loves, even if all six wives are needed to maintain the bordweal around Elben.
On the other side, we have Seymour, gifted as lady-in-waiting to Queen Boleyn by other of the rival queens; not a position she desired, but her proximity to Boleyn also ends drawing Henry's attention, even if the flame that really attracts her is the one the own Boleyn's project. Eventually, we will see how Seymour is also risen to one of the six wives of Henry.
Two characters that act as the foundations and main POVs for a complex and ambitious story that will untangle the secrets behind the island and the own King's magic, the religion behind Cerunnos and how the Queens are important by themselves, with a role that is being usurped and drained in the name of Elben.

Holly Race's characters are nothing short of marvelous, complex and well-fleshed. Queen Boleyn herself is ambitious, but also brave; she's definitely in love with Henry, but also is fiercely protective of those close to her. A bit more free-spirited than other women due to her raising; we can see her going far from what she believes is correct, even sometimes taking big gambles that can backfire her.
Interestingly, Queen Seymour might start being a bit of the opposite: self-deprecating, with little trust in herself as a result of how her family always treated her as non-more than a mare that should be used to secure their position in Elben; however, we can also see how through her interactions with Boleyn, how that flame ignites Seymour's own inside, bringing change and liberating her from the chains that society put over her. Her own love for Boleyn moves her to risk all for the Queen, even if her feelings are not corresponded.
The rest of the queens have a more secondary role, however, playing key roles in a movement that is only being hinted at the ending of this novel; there's much potential in the background, especially on Queen Howard. Henry himself is ambitious, trying to secure his legacy, obsessed with having a male sibling; draining the power to fuel the expansionist dreams that will also put his name into history.

Six Wild Crowns is told using a dual POV, emphatizing the differences between Boleyn and Seymour, but also highlighting the parallels that will eventually draw them together. The setting itself is great, inspired by England but drawing also from Celtic mythology to create Elben and its customs; the whole novel takes the opportunity to examine how women are forced into roles by the society and how they are stripped of their individuality (especially in the case of the first daughters of each house, having to take the name of the house), all in order to fulfill the expectations set by men. Seeing how our characters go against those roles and unearth the truth behind Cerunnos and the bordweal is simply amazing.
Race's prose lands a bit on the purple side, with detailed descriptions, that however, makes submerging yourself into Elben extremely smooth. The pacing is a bit of a slowburn, using the first half to set up the pieces in the chessboard, but trust me, the pay-off deserves it totally.

Six Wild Crowns is an excellent novel, that takes its inspiration on the wives of Henry VIII to deliver an amazingly rich story about empowerment and breaking the mold, how collaboration is vital for it; a book that will delight those that like character driven political fantasy. A starter that leaves me longing for more of those Crowns, whose story I hope to hear next!

[Sam (FallingBooks)]

HELLO Tudors, court intrigue and sapphic yearning!

31/01/25
Thank you Orbit for the early review copy! Collecting my thoughts and will add a review close to the release date.

[Fadwa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I so desperately wanted to enjoy this but go girl give us nothing!

I was bored and deeply disappointed. Every element of the story was very superficial. What made me reading experience all the more frustrating is just the wasted potential because they story has some strong elements that could have made it brilliant had they been explored properly instead of just shoved together and somehow hoping for the best. The court intrigue and politics were extremely surface level, everything that happened felt convenient and predictable, and I was just deeply let down by the sapphic component that was so teased, but that's just me, I think yearning for the straight bestie is old and tired. The feminist under(over?)tones could have been revolutionary in 2010 but in today's day and age they bring nothing to the table.

I was sooo excited about this story and convinced I would love it. But oh well.

[Elise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown/Orbit for this early copy of Six Wild Crowns.

If you’re picking up Six Wild Crowns for “a court teeming with dragons” and "Seymour acts as spy and assassin" within all the juicy intrigue promised in the synopsis, let me save you some time: those things are barely in the book. The premise makes it sound action-packed and full of magic and backstabbing, but honestly, it’s way more low-key than that.

Since this was an ARC, I expected a few errors, and there were four spelling mistakes in the first six chapters. After that, I didn’t notice any more, so hopefully, those will be cleaned up in the final version.

About the whole Henry VIII and his six wives thing, it sounded like such a fun idea, right? But it felt like a gimmick. The wives are definitely there, but they don’t really have the personality or defining traits that made their historical counterparts so interesting. If you’re a history enjoyer like me, you’ll probably agree that it barely scratches the surface of what it could have been. Honestly, it feels like the whole Henry VIII connection was thrown in to grab attention, it's a great marketing tool, but it doesn't go beyond much more than that.

Holly Race could definitely improve when it comes to writing emotions and interpersonal relationships. Characters' feelings would shift out of nowhere, and I was often confused about why certain people were suddenly close or in love. Love is thrown around a lot, but there’s not much to back it up. The only emotion that sort of was written well enough was fear, but even that wasn’t enough to explain the characters' motivations.

Oh, and can we talk about Henry VIII being portrayed as handsome? I couldn’t stop laughing. All I could picture was the famous painting of him, overweight, wearing male-pantyhose, not exactly a heartthrob. It’s such a weird image to overwrite.

Overall, the idea was cool, but the execution was just meh. It didn’t live up to what it promised. I won’t be picking up the rest of the series.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is probably the most original and creative fantasy/historical/retelling I have read in so long it’s difficult to even categorise it, but it was so stunningly done.

Holly Race crafts a perfect fantasy world around the Tudor dynasty, bringing all of Henry VIII’s queens together at once to battle for his affections and their status while an incredible amount of world building takes them on a different journey all together.

The book follows Boleyn and Seymour as they grapple with their places in society and the sacrifices they make for it and whether or not King Henry really cares for his queens at all. This is a story of dragons and kelpies and gods and horrific creatures, but it explores what marriage means for women, what choices mean for women, and how the patriarchy limits true potential.

As well as an original and beautiful idea Race has crafted a compelling and intriguing voice. It was difficult to turn myself away from the book, I had planned to read it alongside a few others but couldn’t concentrate on anything but Elden and its queens.

This book is perfect for fans of Priory of the Orange Tree but also for anyone who appreciates a well woven tale and clever nods to history.

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: Loved It, 4.5 stars

This was such a delightful surprise! I feel like I tend to go in to historical fantasy a little bit hesitant, expecting it to be slow to hit, but I was very immersed in this one pretty quickly! I feel like it has the potential to be a full 5 stars either on reread, or as I sit with it more. I feel like this one might stick with me for a little longer than usual!

This is a reimagining of King Henry VIII in a fantasy world in which he must marry 6 queens to keep alive the magical shields that are protecting the island nation of Elben. We follow Boleyn, an intelligent and fiercely independent woman, who makes a love match with the king. We also follow Seymour, a quiet unassuming girl whom many assume is rather silly. She enters into Boleyn's service as a would-be assassin, but leaves as a new queen of Elben who is in love with Boleyn. We follow these queens as they navigate a deeply misogynistic world and push back on the boundaries that have been imposed on them. Together, they uncover a dark secret at the heart of the empire that may cause either their undoing, or the empire's.

I honestly loved our two main characters a lot. It was a situation where I didn't realize quite how invested I had become over time until I was driving around, listening to the audiobook, and crying for them. They were both so well-crafted and really felt like individuals. Honestly, all the characters did. I would very much love to get to know the other 4 queens a little bit better in the next installment, but all of the women felt very much distinct. I loved Boleyn's tenacity and spirit. Watching her grown and mature as the book progressed was a lot of fun. And I also loved Seymour's disaster pansexual energy that she brought to the table. She is definitely a quiet character with a lot of trauma, and I loved getting to know her over the course of the story.

There is definitely a plot to this, but it is a very character driven story. There is a lot of courtly political maneuvering over a period of several years. There is certainly magic, but it's a bit more subtle. It's also somewhat unknown because in Elben, it is the king who wields magic. That sort of leads to the misogynistic world. There are a number of dark, upsetting things that take place over the course of the book, so definitely check content warnings if you need them. However, despite living in such a dark world for them as women, I loved seeing how the women each pushed back in their own way. It felt very authentic and believable.

Once the plot of this got going, it moved very quickly and I had a hard time putting it down. The narrator is Olivia Dawd, and she was excellent. She did a fantastic job with the different voices and accents, and she was able to infuse a lot of emotion into her delivery. It definitely elevated the reading experience, and I highly recommend the audiobook.

Overall, I highly recommend this book, and I am looking forward to seeing how things progress in the next book after that ending!

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit/Hachette Audio for an eARC and ALC. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Six Wild Crowns releases on June 10, 2025.

[Natasha Leighton · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars
Magic, political intrigue and female empowerment abounds in Holly Race’s vividly lush, historical fantasy that loosely reimagines Henry VIII’s six wives. It was such a unique take on the Tudor Queens and I genuinely couldn’t put it down!

I do have to warn that, if you’re looking for historical accuracy, you’re gonna be disappointed. This is first and foremost a fantasy, and though the names are the same as historical figures, the journeys they take (and events that unfold) aren’t necessarily following any historical reality. So do take into consideration before picking up.

That being said, the historical elements were elegantly woven into Race’s gorgeously crafted fantasy world. That read like House of The Dragon, if it had been written by Samantha Shannon and Alison Weir. The intrigues were delicious, the courtiers almost impossible to trust and the Queens endlessly compelling.

Their depth and emotional complexity was soo good, (particularly POV characters Boleyn and Seymour) but it was in their quieter more introspective scenes as they tried to thrive (and survive) that made them both really shine.

For Boleyn, it was her slow transformation from the ambitious and sharply witty Queen (willing to do anything for her King), into a caring, more outwardly protective figure, finally realising everything she’s been taught (about her homeland, her husband and her own position as Queen) was a lie. It’s a slow and rather emotional unravelling, but a necessary one, plot-wise. And I was utterly invested!

Likewise, Seymour, (when we first meet her) is a timid character bullied into submission by her brothers (and unable to stand up for herself in any real capacity.) But her time in Boleyn’s presence really emboldens her, and inspires a confidence that had me cheering for her like a proud parent.

I don’t won’t to spoil any of the good stuff, so I’ll just say this is a fiercely feminist and immersive read, that focuses on sisterhood, and taking back power (in a system built to keep people women powerless.) I’m still processing my emotions after THAT ending, but I’ll definitely be grabbing the sequel as soon as it releases. 🔥😍❤️

Also, some the scenes/events can be brutal at times (especially for our FMCs) so do check TWs beforehand.

And thanks to Nazia and Orbit Books UK for the stunning finished copy.

[Hayley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was completely swept up in SIX WILD CROWNS. It’s a beautifully written, feminist retelling of the wives of Henry VIII, and I loved how it brought these historical women to life. The writing is lush and atmospheric, and while it’s not super fast-paced, I was totally hooked by the characters and their journeys.

The queens—especially protagonists Boleyn and Seymour—are complex, and that’s what makes them so compelling. They’re flawed, sometimes unlikeable, but all the more relatable because of it. Their individual arcs are powerful, but what really stood out to me was their growing awareness of the strength they hold—not just alone, but together. Their journey to finding that power, both personal and collective, is one of the strongest parts of the book.

While magic is central to the premise, it’s not heavy on-page, which makes this a really accessible read even if you don’t usually go for fantasy. The focus is on character, relationships, and reclaiming voice and agency.

If you’re into Tudor history, character-driven stories, or just love reading about powerful, complicated women, I highly recommend SIX WILD CROWNS!

[Hannah Locke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Firstly, this is literally my idea of a favourite book. Historical fiction x Fantasy is an elite genre, and this didn't disappoint.
This is a story about the Six Tudor Queens like you've never seen before.

What to expect:

⭐️ Dragons and other beasts
⭐️ Epic worldbuilding
⭐️ Powerful females
⭐️ Political strife
⭐️ Magic
⭐️ Sapphic and Heterosexual romance

This was a love letter to the Tudor Queens, rewritten into this epic tale. But as a huge fan of the Queens and having read many books on them, their essence felt authentic here. Their personalities from what we know were written really well, and I loved the focus on the dynamic of Boleyn and Seymour. I could immediately tell the author was going to keep the Queens as true to themselves as possible as she is a mutual fan of a lot of great historical fiction writers, including my favourite, Alison Weir. But in this, she gave them a voice and a way to become something more than just Henry's wives.

I loved the idea of them all being alive at the same time and being married to Henry together, each defending and living in separate castles to help strengthen a magical border along their island, which is under the constant threat of invasion and war.

The world building isn't overall dense but very descriptive, and I can't wait to get my hands on a map and a finished copy of this book on its release.

What I loved most about it is that I did not know how it was going to unfold. The story was new and imaginative. I couldn't guess the ending, and this kept up the mystery and excitement for me. I can't wait for the next one after the ending!

Highly recommend for fans of the Tudors, Historical fiction and Fantasy. It's a completely unique book, and I loved it.

[Denise Ruttan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited about the idea of this book because I love historical fantasy, all things Tudor, and I'm going to see the musical Six in May, so I thought an alternate past in which Henry is a bisexual polyamorous husband who needs marriages to six very different queens to bind his magic? Sapphic longing between Seymour and Boleyn? What can go wrong?

But for the first half of the book I had to laugh at the portrayal of Henry as a handsome, generous, kind Lothario, until he flips without warning after the queens learn the truth of his magic and becomes the misogynist Henry who is obsessed with breeding a male heir. The history was so completely wrong that it drove me nuts. I think it would have worked better as its own universe without any nods to real history. The idea of the worldbuilding was fascinating to me without the Tudor references; the Tudor element just got in the way.

Then the sapphic longing was perhaps the most disappointing of all for spoilery reasons. I could buy Seymour having a crush on Boleyn but then she leaps to love and I could not see what she saw in a woman who treated her with indifference. The whole time it seemed like the futility of crushing on a straight girl, a completely unrequited slow burn painful longing that made me want to throttle Seymour.

The story was also boring without much going on. The magic and the pet dragons could too often seem like window dressing. I fully admit after the 66% mark I found the story so tedious and was so annoyed by the characters that I skimmed the rest just to get it over with.

Such a disappointment!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up! Not quite what I was anticipating, but with some intriguing concepts which kept me reading.

thank you to Orbit Books UK and NetGalley for the e-arc! All thoughts are my own

I came for the myth-inspired magic system, Men Being Terrible and No Good, repressed magic and a rebellious queen? Sign me up! And given that the book of my heart is Priory of the Orange Tree, this should have been an absolute win for me!

But… the reality was different.

The historical element was jarring, and ended up being a little superfluous. The concept was interesting enough, with a cultural collective memory fed a lie and warped into a religion which oppresses women; of course I’m going to stick around and want to see that toppled! But having the queens be (very very loosely) inspired by Henry VIII’s six wives, and the gallant king being Henry himself felt more like a tenuous link rather than necessary for this plot to work. It wasn’t necessary at all, I was interested enough in the women written as they were without a reference to historical figures. I also found the inclusion of some history by the omission of a lot similarly jarring - better to make this a more tangible reimagining, or remove the inspirational names entirely to keep it separate from the source material. I’ve read a few killer reimaginings of cultural myths inspired by history, and this felt like it fell foul of trying to keep the most obvious trappings of this historical period to gain interest while being caught in all the logistics of making this directly inspired by/taken from history, and… not having the history. I, of course, am not a history buff, but being enough of a knowledge seeker and with a mother who devours historical fiction, I am cautious of fantastical reimaginings which have the skin of history but none of its guts, flesh and bones.

However, that said, I enjoyed Boleyn as a character - fierce, unruly and reckless, she is everything I wanted my rebellious queen to be! I found her resilience beguiling, her determination well written, and her cunning unmatched by anyone in the novel. Now, I need to know what happens to her given the ending! Is it part of a series, who knows?? It’s not definitive, certainly not in a way that would be satisfying if this was a standalone…

Despite her guileless beginnings, Seymour really grew on me as a character. I think her introduction to court was rushed, and her relationship with the King too hasty, but I enjoyed her journey through cutthroat political intrigue and the tangled web she is ensnared in. I do however wish we’d got a little more clarity on the finer plot points, especially regarding her mission as a spy/assassin for Queen Aragon, the additional spy nestled in the grounds (though this might be me not connecting a plot point which was revealed, just not to Seymour). I found her growth compelling, and found myself enjoying the “good for you” elements to her actions. Especially when they involve pet panthers and stupid abusive brothers.

We don’t speak of the sapphic yearning that was apparently in here. There was not nearly enough angst for this to qualify as sapphic yearning, and it felt one-sided throughout, with no real pay off for either woman. It felt like a crush from our dear Seymour that got taken wildly out of hand and which was never really commented on or properly acknowledged by Boleyn. Seymour rushed headlong into a crush, and wound up in some Deep Shit because of it, and there is no real conformation that Boleyn could ever feel the same. Unrequited love can be masterfully done, when, done right. This needed a few more of those bones in order to stand up and count as sapphic yearning.

Another element I enjoyed however was the worldbuilding, which was interesting and well thought-through, and the premise of the magic system also similarly intriguing. There were certainly parts that piqued my interest, when our Queen Boleyn began realising that things are Not What They Seem when it comes to the requirement of king Henry to have six wives in order to keep the protective enchantments around Elben in place. Elements of plot which really drove me sense of “yes good for you burn it all down”, but which ultimately were overshadowed by slightly clumsy character dynamics and a plot that felt more machinated than I’d have liked. I did however enjoy the normalised dragons as pets.

Henry himself seemed fairly two dimensional, with a complete character switch when it became clear that Boleyn was going to expose the ruse that had hoodwinked a nation about the true source of the magic that kept their lands safe. Again, this is where the historical connection waned, when many of the characters bore the name of their real life counterpart but did not bear any resemblance to the figure known in history. He could have been any king, with any name, as many of our queens could be, and I think that could have let the premise stand on its own two feet much more steadily.

There was enough to like, not enough to write home about - came for the sapphic yearning and the Tudor inspired fantasy, and ended up being a little disappointed in both.

[Luke Lucas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great.
I loved the Tudor court politics and the spin on the story we already know.
The addition of magic was superb.
I will say that I would have preferred more dragons, or bigger dragons but they weren’t pivotal to the story and I think they’d be too chaotic for this world.
The romance aspect was written well, the relationships between friends and family was also really well done.
It really kicked off from part 2 with the politics, betrayal and scheming.
I was NOT ready for the ending and I’m praying this isn’t the end of the story.

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and LittleBrownUK for letting me read an ARC of this highly anticipated book.

Six Wild Crowns transports Henry VIII and his six wives into a fantasy world and tells a story of female friendship and empowerment.
In the fantastical world of Elben, the king possesses protective magic that forms a dome over his land, preventing enemies from attacking. He is able to channel his magic through the six castles located on each edge of the territory – as long as each one is inhabited by one of his wives. The story begins with Henry's wedding to Boleyn. Henry's wives only meet once a year at a ball; the rest of the time, they live in their territories and are visited only by Henry. Boleyn is the first ambitious to make more of her position and to question the status quo of the queens. The story is told alternately from Boleyn's and Seymour's perspectives in third-person POV.

The story is perfect for anyone who enjoys fantasy with politics and intrigue. Don't expect a lot of action though. The plot only really picks up towards the end. We encounter fantastic creatures like dragons, and I found it special that in this story, there are different types and sizes of dragons that aren't used for riding, as is the case in so many other fantasy stories. I'm very fascinated by English history, and even though it's obviously not historically accurate, I loved being able to give deeper character to the extraordinary women through this story.

The language of the book was sometimes a little difficult for me, as a non-native speaker, as it often used words coming from the old English which I was not familiar with, though Definitely fitting for the historical vibe. It's not a book you can just breeze through. It's one where you have to read every sentence carefully so you don't miss any details, and it gives you a lot to think about. What I didn't like so much was the rather detached narrative style. While this fits the historical style of the book, as it reads almost like a history book, it made it difficult for me to get into and warm up to the main characters.

When the book is officially released, I'm really looking forward to seeing fan art of the Crone, because I have no idea how to imagine it.

[AnneMarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heaps of fun! This ticked a lot of boxes for me - goddess-led paganism, wild magic, female archetypes. I loved Boleyn, of course, but appreciated all the complexities of the relationships between the queens and Henry. I would have liked to have seen more of Wyatt and their relationship, it felt underdeveloped.

This was more a 4.5 but rounded up due to being a debut adult title and also I wanted to. Critiques were it was a bit too obvious at times: every object mentioned would go on to be an important plot point and the themes were often spoken out loud, which felt a little YA and made them less impactful. I also saw the ending coming a mile off but despite this was still heavily invested. Looking forward to the next one!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

[Katherine Hardeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Her wedding dress was the colour of the massacre of Pilvreen.” Ok, Holly Race, you had me completely roped in with just the first sentence.

This book has strong female lead characters, LGBTQ+ rep, and lap dragons, need I say more?? The world was described beautifully and the magic system is quite unique. The book is a bit slow moving for a while, but about half way through it really starts ramping up and the last 10% is absolutely insane! Everything really comes to an explosion of emotions and rage! I cannot wait to see where the story goes after this book, I need it NOW!

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit Books for giving me the opportunity to read an eARC of this book and provide my honest feedback.

[TheReadingStray · Rating 1 out of 5]

Great idea, but such an awful execution.

I think the author has more of the plot in her head but can't put it on paper.

Sometimes I asked myself, if I missed a page or two, because of the plot holes.

The characters are so superficial, as the rest of the book, and forget from time to time their own character.

In my opinion Orbit publishes a lot of books which haven't been edited for a while now. Won't buy orbit books for a while now (besides for the authors I enjoyed in the past).

[Krissi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free e-audio arc in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I will be DNFing this one. The premise seems to be completely different than what is occurring in the book. It is taking way too long for anything exciting to occur, and the political intrigue is basic and disengaging. You would think that you would get more fantastical elements that were promised in the premise, but unfortunately, there is some mention of dragons, and that is about it. Not for me, but give it a try if you find it interesting as you may like it.

[Anna Makowska · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oof, I did not vibe with this one at all, proven by the fact it sat on my pile of ARCs since November 2024 and I've tried to start it multiple times and just couldn't get into it.

Basically, the prose is overly descriptive making all the scenes drag and it takes ages for anything to happen.

No, really, it opens with Boleyn about to marry the king and it takes 3 chapters until she actually marries him. And except Seymour becoming her lady in waiting, nothing else happened within those 3 chapters. Just descriptions and infodumps about political relationships.

Also I wasn't a fan of Seymour being "the stupid girl" so she can be used as a plot device to explain everything to the reader extra thick.

Life is too short to force myself to read a book that failed to captivate me.

If you like immersive, atmospheric, ornate bordering on overwrought writing style, you might like this book. Also if you're a fan of Tudor era in vibes, because this isn't really a historical fantasy, it's in its own world, but there's plenty of descriptions of dresses, interiors and even "old language" (I don't know is it faithful to Old English, I barely know modern English).

Thank you Netgalley, Orbit and Little, Brown Book Group for the ARC.

P.S. I blame the Publishing Rodeo podcast for baiting me into this one. It has proven that publishing is full of "fake it till you make it" authors who invent hooky one-liners and then deliver a total nothingburger, but still cash in 6-figure checks. Can I have some of what they're smoking? This book promised 1. a retelling 2. sapphic romance 3. dragons 4. Tudor historical setting, and underwhelmed on all fronts.

[Ashli Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

“the smallest amount of hope is more precious than none at all”

look i failed history GCSE, can i tell you if any of this is accurate whatsoever? no. I didn’t even know the names of henrys wives before reading this so everything genuinely was a plot twist and surprise to me which probably contributed heavily to my four star rating.

all I know is this book was essentially 400 pages of gossip and drama with feminist elements of reclaiming power, sisterhood and fighting back against the patriarchy that tries to kill you. I genuinely had so much fun with this, so fast paced and entertaining despite not being like my usual type in books.

[briar ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ · Rating 3 out of 5]

✧₊‧˚⁀➷ 3.90/5 .ᐟ

ʚɞ ⁺˖ plot • not really a whole lot of action, more just characters plotting and stumbling into scenarios. i found that annoying for the first half of the book, but by that point, i was super invested in the characters themselves and didn't care about the specific plot so much.

ʚɞ ⁺˖ characters • i both love and hate boleyn and seymour, depending on the day, but they redeemed themselves in the final chapters. regardless of my personal feelings, however, they were vivid, fully realized characters, with their ambitions and flaws and love for each other jumping off the pages.

ʚɞ ⁺˖ worldbuilding • my only problem with this book. the "bigotry" in this book, supposedly the theme it revolves around, is so... sanitized? very weirdly executed. this world is so misogynistic, they were calling boleyn an uppity whore for wearing her hair loose at her wedding and for getting "a man's education" and somehow in this same universe, the president of misogyny henry has a bisexual sister with a harem of twelve girlfriends whose lifestyle he and the taxpayers are funding. this isn't like a "rich women aren't as affected by misogyny" thing either. they explain it in the story as younger daughters are allowed to be gay and choose who they marry and get jobs, but violent misogyny (forced marriages, etc) only impacts firstborn daughters. there's a full conversation in the book with boleyn talking about how mary tudor will be sold to some country as a child bride, but elizabeth can be an asexual lesbian and no one will gaf. and even if this makes a lick of sense, the concept of 1600s britain being this pro-queer is bizarre. boleyn's brother has a husband and a wife, and he's also the most popular nobleman. like alright. it's just not a very good exploration of sexist oppression at all and completely ruins the story at times.

➺ overall, i actually enjoyed it very much, which you probably can't tell based on the above rant, but anyway. thank you to netgalley for the advanced copy.

[LauraReadsALot · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

I really enjoyed Six Wild Crowns. Like most books, I went into it blind, solely based on some of my favorite authors' recommendations. This was a slower paced, darker, atmospheric fantasy with some romance, but definitely a back burner to the main story line.

Six Wild Crowns follows Boleyn and Seymour, both first daughters, and given their father's surname as their first name. The story starts out as Boleyn is marrying, King Henry becoming his new sixth queen, and Seymour is sent as a gift from a fellow Queen as a handmaiden and spy.

I think readers going into this expecting a full on romantasy might be disappointed, but if you enjoyed books like The Gilded Crown and The Jasmine Throne, this should be right up your alley!

I listened to the audiobook, and Olivia Dowd has a beautiful, rich voice that fit the darker vibes of the book. She alternated her style between the two characters' POVs perfectly.

Thank you, NetGalley and Hachette Audio, for an early audiobook copy in exchange for this honest review.

[aeris is reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

JE SAVAIS QUE ÇA ALLAIT ÊTRE UN BANGER ET JE NE SUIS PAS DÉÇUE......... Comment dire que le roman m’a fait plonger dans un plot hole historique, je suis en train de saigner The Great sur Netflix et j’adore (oui je sais, ce n’est pas du tout la même période ni rien à voir, RIP)...
Dès le début, j’ai été vraiment plongée dans le roman, je suis tombée amoureuse de Boleyn et Seymour, du système de magie qui est hyper complet et surtout de la sororité dans le roman. Ce serait mentir que de dire que c’était inattendu parce que je savais pertinemment que ce roman serait un coup de cœur, mais je suis heureuse que cela se soit avéré vrai. Impossible de le reposer, l’intrigue nous prend aux tripes et toutes les histoires de magie et de politique sont vraiment passionnantes, je n’ai pas vu les pages passer, ET MAINTENANT JE SUIS OBSESSÉE PAR LES TUDOR. Faut que je regarde la série. Et que je lise le tome 2. Et que je regarde Reign. JE SUIS OBSESSÉE.

[Bookish Martina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the chance to read this highly-anticipated novel in advance! It was a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Six Wild Crowns instantly called to me with mentions of sapphic yearning, Tudor Queens and ancient magic. The dragon-filled halls and Seymour's role as spy and assassin mentioned in the blurb were also big points that caught my attention, but weren't as explored as I hoped in the actual book.

Generally, I found that the blurb can be a bit misleading, as the story is less action-packed than it suggests and the historical elements are very limited, aside from characters' names, BUT... A very important "but"... As soon as I set aside the expectations from the blurb, I found myself really enjoying this story full of political intrigue, magic, love and betrayal, and would recommend it to all (historical) fantasy lovers!

Boleyn is a force to be reckoned with - a character that isn't 100% likeable, and I believe intentionally so, but one the reader can't help but root for from start to end. She is full of ideas, courage and pride, and she won't let anyone stand in her way. It was very interesting to see her character development, as well as how her relationships with others around evolved throughout the book. On the other hand, Seymour begins as a quiet, placid woman who doesn't stand up for herself... and grows into herself beautifully chapter after chapter. Her friendship with Clarice and her yearning for a love she can't have were written so well.

There were some other great characters here, but not overly fleshed out - I would have loved to know more about Queen Cleves, and hope the sequels bring more of her to the forefront! Her animals were brilliant, with the panther she gifted Seymour being so very cool!

The pacing of the story was a little slow in the first third or so of the book, but once it picked up it really kept the interest going. I enjoyed the twists, even when I saw some coming, and was certainly horrified by certain discoveries. The world-building was intriguing, too, and I'm hoping to see even more of it in the sequels!

I look forward to reading the rest of the trilogy!

[Michelle (Bamamele.reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many thanks to NetGalley and Orbit for the preview. All opinions are my own.

This book is absolutely remarkable. I have loved Anne Boleyn for decades. And at the same time, looked down on the other queens. But WHY?! This book turns our perceptions on their head, because who is the real enemy of our understanding of these women? It’s the men! It’s the patriarchy! This is such a gloriously feminist take that made me question my own internalized misogyny.

I think it’s best to ignore the blurb on this one because it’s a bit misleading. Yes there are dragons, there is magic, but this at its heart is a character exploration and an examination of power, who wields it, and who tells the stories we build our world around. You cannot get tied into knots on “historical accuracy” here; that got thrown out the window when we added dragons.
I want you to read this, and I want you to sit with WHY you perceive any of these queens the way you do; why you perceive any woman the way you do. This book, like Boleyn is revolutionary and I love them both for it.

I felt a lot of emotions while reading, especially at the end. The climax of the book is SHOWSTOPPING—absolutely transcendent. And the end….i won’t soon recover.
I’m eager to see where the next book goes. I’d love too to get more backstory on how Henry chose a few of his wives and who they were before. We definitely focus on Boleyn and Seymour here, and now I’m so curious about Howard and Parr especially.

Anyway, HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

[Mar Que]

Holly Race "Six Wild Crowns"- 18% (DNF)

Я большая фанатка периода правления Генриха Восьмого. Когда-то мы с сестрой с упоением смотрели серию документальных фильмов про его жен перед школой на канале Viasat History. Потом у меня случилась любовь с мюзиклом "The Six". Поэтому естественно, что мой глаз зацепился за фэнтези-ретеллинг, где между женами Генриха мутятся гаремные разборки, а Анна Болейн и Джейн Сеймур влюбятся друг в друга.

Но это какой-то атас, друзья мои.

Первое, что хочется отметить так это то, что в Элбене всем старшим дочерям дают фамилию семьи в качестве имени. В целом, данное решение можно оправдать тем, что читатель несомненно начал бы путаться между двумя Аннами (Болейн и Клевской) и тремя Екатеринами (Арагонской, Говард и Парр), но все равно выглядит как-то дико. То есть представьте, у Томаса Болейна в этом мире трое детей: сын Джордж Болейн, а также дочери Мэри Болейн и Болейн Болейн.

Автор пытается мутить голимый средневековый патриархат, от которого дико страдает местная Сеймур, но в тоже время здесь разрешены полиаморные брачные союзы с любым количеством участников, однополые браки и многомужество для женщин. И мне не совсем понятно, как это все вместе работать должно. Изначально я думала, что только у короля было такое право по указанию пророчество, но это, очевидно, не так. Тогда какой уж тут патриархат?

Героини тоже особо не цепляют. Сеймур ужасно затюканное существо, которое хочет забиться в дальний угол, дабы ее никто не трогал, но все чего-то от нее хотят. Арагонская хочет, чтобы она убила Болейн, братья хотят, чтобы она легла под короля. Первое, что мы узнаем про отношения в данной семейной ячейке: братья утверждают, что месячные Сеймур настолько вонючие, что сильнее воняют только сточные канавы. Всю первую главу Сеймур течет буквально, описывая кровавые ошметки у себя между ног, и фигурально от вида распушенных волос Болейн (хорошо хоть не зеленых рукавов). Я прочитала совсем немного, но месячные Сеймур упоминались хотя бы по два раза в каждой главе от ее лица из прочитанных.

Про Болейн можно сказать еще меньше. Она по самое не балуйся влюблена в Генриха, а тот навешал ей лапши на уши, что с ней он по любви, а на других пяти женах женился лишь из чувства долга. В начале книги она выходит за него замуж, потом они решают, что их первый раз должен быть вдали от посторонних глаз, поэтому занимаются сексом в придорожных кустах. Потом им все равно пришлось сделать это еще раз, но уже при свидетелях.

Мне было тяжело продираться через эти 18%-ов. Автор пыталась немного объяснить глобальную политику своего мира, но если читатель не знаком с реальной историей, то он ничего не поймет. А это очень плохо. Читатель не обязан гуглить, дабы понимать, что у тебя в книге происходит, при том, что твоя книга крайне мало общего имеет с реальной историей.

Немного порассуждав о характерах местных Болейн и Сеймур, между которыми автор потом замутить любовную линию, я внезапно пришла к выводу, что изначально это задумывалось как фанфик про Рейниру Таргариен и Алисенту Хайтауэр.

[Aliya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I kind of loved this. Fantasy with political intrigue and sapphics is basically what I live for. The prose is beautiful, the two POV characters were distinctive and compelling, and the climax was exciting and definitely hooked me for the sequel. I will say that a lot of this felt more like laying the groundwork for future books/plot machinations, but the plot we got still intrigued me, and wow that ending. It might not have been necessary to have the Tudor inspiration be so obvious, but I still had fun with it, and I looked forward to seeing how the character arcs developed compared to history. Does Seymour die in childbirth? Will Boleyn be executed? What role will Thomas More play?

The sapphic yearning wasn't quite what I was hoping for. Obviously I wanted sister wives in love. Instead of that, queer Seymour is in love with straight Boleyn, and their friendship (maybe friendship isn't a fitting word... they're allies? loyal to one another and their dream of the future? a complicated relationship) is a key part of the book. It's heavily implied we could have a sister wife romance in the sequel (love me a muscular lesbian farmer queen Cleves), so there's that to look forward to.

Cannot wait to get my GSFF edition of this.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for the ARC!