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In Darkness Born: Book One of The Breaking Wheel, The Story of Katherine Parr
345 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 19, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 4, 2026
Katherine Parr was Henry VIII’s last queen. She is most famously known as the one who survived. This historical novel follows the early life of Queen Katherine Parr. It not only tells the story of Katherine’s childhood but also her unhappy first marriage to Edward Borough. During Katherine’s first marriage, Katharine starts to develop her Reformist ideas.
Katharine Parr is one of my favorite English queens. However, I did not care for Ms. Lawrence’s depiction of Katharine Parr. Katherine is intelligent and tends to think deeply about her faith in God. However, Katherine in this novel is very gossipy. She loves listening to court drama. She also has a deep obsession with Anne Boleyn and fangirls over her throughout the novel. Therefore, this Katharine Parr was very unconvincing. I did not think she was in actuality a fan girl of Anne Boleyn. I think that Katherine needed more development because I could not care about her difficulties. I was very indifferent to her.
Overall, this book is about religion, duty, and marriage. The characters were flat and needed more development. I was also disappointed that this novel rarely focuses on Katherine. Instead, it mostly focused on the King’s Great Matter. Katherine seems like a background character in her own story. Because the novel focuses so much on King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, I had forgotten this novel was about Katherine Parr. Because the novel rarely focuses on Katherine, it seemed drawn out and repetitive. I found reading this novel to be a chore. I finished it to get it over with rather than to enjoy it. I was deeply saddened because I have enjoyed a few of Ms. Lawrence’s work. However, this was a very weak novel about Katherine Parr. The only thing that I liked about the book was its setting and that it was meticulously researched. If you are someone who wants to read everything about Katherine Parr, then you may want to read this. I will still read the sequel when it comes out because I hope that there will be more character development to Katherine Parr. However, there are more superior novels about Katherine Parr out there. Some of them are Katherine Parr: The Sixth Wife, Queen’s Gambit, and The Sixth Wife! I suggest that you skip this book and read those novels instead! You will not be missing anything!
Katharine Parr is one of my favorite English queens. However, I did not care for Ms. Lawrence’s depiction of Katharine Parr. Katherine is intelligent and tends to think deeply about her faith in God. However, Katherine in this novel is very gossipy. She loves listening to court drama. She also has a deep obsession with Anne Boleyn and fangirls over her throughout the novel. Therefore, this Katharine Parr was very unconvincing. I did not think she was in actuality a fan girl of Anne Boleyn. I think that Katherine needed more development because I could not care about her difficulties. I was very indifferent to her.
Overall, this book is about religion, duty, and marriage. The characters were flat and needed more development. I was also disappointed that this novel rarely focuses on Katherine. Instead, it mostly focused on the King’s Great Matter. Katherine seems like a background character in her own story. Because the novel focuses so much on King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, I had forgotten this novel was about Katherine Parr. Because the novel rarely focuses on Katherine, it seemed drawn out and repetitive. I found reading this novel to be a chore. I finished it to get it over with rather than to enjoy it. I was deeply saddened because I have enjoyed a few of Ms. Lawrence’s work. However, this was a very weak novel about Katherine Parr. The only thing that I liked about the book was its setting and that it was meticulously researched. If you are someone who wants to read everything about Katherine Parr, then you may want to read this. I will still read the sequel when it comes out because I hope that there will be more character development to Katherine Parr. However, there are more superior novels about Katherine Parr out there. Some of them are Katherine Parr: The Sixth Wife, Queen’s Gambit, and The Sixth Wife! I suggest that you skip this book and read those novels instead! You will not be missing anything!
May 6, 2026
sometimes boring
I enjoyed this book about Katherine Parr. Some of it was more religious history than her story. Now I need to read more of her life as Queen.
I enjoyed this book about Katherine Parr. Some of it was more religious history than her story. Now I need to read more of her life as Queen.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews