Lilia’s Comments (group member since Oct 21, 2020)

Lilia’s comments from the YHS Class of 2023 group.

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory is an extraordinary novel about the famous Anne Boleyn's little known sister, Mary Boleyn. The story follows Mary as she falls in love with Henry the VIII of England, only have her life dictated by her Father and Uncle. It also follows the rise and fall of Anne Boleyn, Mary's rival and sister. The Other Boleyn Girl gives a well-written window into the life of 16th century England, and shows how much women were used as pawns to elevate their family's status. I especially loved the complexity of the characters and how Gregory wrote the evolution of each character with care. It was very interesting to see the way Anne is developed and seen through Mary's eyes. Anne is a brutal and seemingly power-hungry person throughout the book, but you also see glimpses of her reasons behind it and her modern views on the role of women and religion. I also liked how Gregory chose to include the dates as titles of the chapters because it helps the reader know the time period and see how much time has passed. I can honestly say there was nothing I didn't like about this book because it was wonderfully written, the characters were developed like real people and you were able to read about a very interesting time in history in an engaging way. These are all reasons why I rate this book a five out of five stars. This book would appeal to anyone who loves historical fiction, especially about power struggles and corrupt monarchies.



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American Royals
American Royals is a very intriguing book about if George Washington became king instead of president. This book has four perspectives, the future first Queen, Beatrice, Beatrice's younger sister, Samantha, Samantha's best friend, Nina, and Daphne, an aristocratic girl who dated Samantha's twin brother, Jeff. I love the different perspectives in the book because it seems to fill out this world. It felt more real to read about different characters and read about their experiences in the same situations. One thing I didn't like about this book was the fact that that the different perspectives were so far apart, so it took a minute to remember what was going on. Overall I really loved this book. This book will appeal to people who like drama, fantasy, love, and coming of age stories.