I’m obsessed with anything Anne Boleyn so was mega excited to dive into this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommended it to my Tudor loving friends
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for allowing me to read this.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC. This book was so interesting. I was so excited to be able to see the people I have only read about before. It was a nice and new way to follow along with the story.

Roland Hui's "Anne Boleyn: An Illustrated Life of Henry VIII's Queen" offers readers a captivating and visually stunning exploration of one of history's most intriguing figures. Through a combination of meticulously researched text and striking illustrations, Hui brings to life the story of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's second wife, from her rise to power to her tragic end.

One of the book's standout features is its attention to detail. Hui delves into Anne Boleyn's early life, her education, her time at the courts of Europe, and her eventual ascent to the throne as queen consort. Drawing on primary sources and historical records, he paints a vivid portrait of Anne as a complex and multifaceted figure, challenging many of the myths and misconceptions that have surrounded her for centuries.

The illustrations in the book are equally impressive, ranging from portraits and sketches of Anne and her contemporaries to depictions of the palaces, costumes, and events of Tudor England. Each image is carefully selected to complement the text and enhance the reader's understanding of the period, making for an immersive and visually stunning reading experience.

Hui's writing is clear, engaging, and accessible, making the book suitable for both casual readers and history enthusiasts alike. He deftly navigates the intricacies of Tudor politics, religion, and society, providing readers with valuable context while never losing sight of the human drama at the heart of Anne Boleyn's story.

I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

I really enjoyed this
I am totally enthralled by all things Tudor so love to pick up something a bit different

Clearly, much has gone into this research wise and also managed to pick up new information

Would recommend to anyone interested in Tudors, history

I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher.
This book is focused more on the illustrations, using text to expand on and support them. The writing style also shows that this was not written by a historian due to the suppositions about feelings and other unknowns.

Along with Marie Antoinette and Mary, Queen of Scots, Anne Boleyn is in the unfortunate position of being more famous for being beheaded than anything else. Yet she undoubtedly changed the course of history, inspiring the English Reformation and giving birth to the future Queen Elizabeth I. On screen, she has been portrayed by Natalie Dormer, Claire Foy and Natalie Portman. This book provides an informative, fully illustrated guide to the doomed Tudor queen's life.

I have always loved the Tudor period and particularly Hebry and his wives. My favourite has always been Anne Boleyn, she is so fascinating and yet we dont know a huge amount about her compared to other notorious women in history.
There was some information and facts that I already knew, but I also learnt a lot from this book and I loved the inclusion of the illustrations.
A great book that is definiitely worth a read

I thoroughly enjoyed this addition to the biographies and narrative of Anne Boleyn. A much misunderstood and underestimated figure, this work added some additional details to her history and i loved the illustrations which added depth to the knowledge to be soaked up.

This was an interesting read. I enjoyed the use of pictures to give more context about Anne Boleyn’s life. I would have read a longer book.. I felt like I had learnt a lot about Anne Boleyn that I didn’t know by the end of the book. Yet the writer was very engaging so it was easy to digest.

Roland Hui’s Art history was from Concordia University and he has worked in Intereritive Media for Caiifornia State Parks, The U.S Forest Service,and The National Park, which is pretty cool.
The novel was well researched and a nice introduction to the Tudor’s and Anne Boyleyn. I enjoyed the content and my only negative, I would have enjoyed more images. Mainly, I liked how the autho created a timeline and Anne’s growth starting with her stay in France at the tender age of 7, next we follow her return to England in 1522.
The book was an Advanced Reader Copy which caused the images to be chopped into pieces, which made it difficult to enjoy the illustrations.I ended up Googling the images and I was able to connect the picture with the text. This would not be an issue with the finished copy, and I did not have this glitch negatively impact my review.
Mainly, I liked how the author timeline and how Anne evolved starting with Anne’s stay in France at the tender age of 7 following her return to England in 1522.
I was surprised that her facial features were described as unattractive. I always believed that Anne was pretty and pleasant to look at. I also admired Anne’s desire for knowledge and she enjoyed reading the banned manuscript ‘The Obedience of a Christian Man.
I’ve read many books both fiction and nonfiction featuring the Tudor’s and Anne Boylen. The difference between these books and Roland’s book, was the emotional connection, and saddness for Anne. She would have been a successful Queen and the history book would have had a different conclusion if Anne would have given birth to a boy.
Thank you Roland Hui, Pen and Sword History, and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this interesting book and I’ve written an honest review.

A biography about one of the most famous wives of Henry VIII, someone that was completely engulfed in the aristocracy machine of the time.
I loved the illustrations in the book, adding interesting details to a fascinating story. Although I was not surprised by the facts and ideas in this biography, I always enjoy reading more about this mysterious and strong woman.
In my opinion, the book is much more about Anne's life and interests than just pointing out the importance of being married to the king.
Overall, an enjoyable read.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. Loved this book and highly recommend for all Tudor fans out there. This book was insightful. I read a lot of books about Anne Boleyn and sometimes most of the books have the same information on her, so after a while it gets repetitive and boring hearing the historical information. This author surprised me with some different points of view and I really enjoyed it.

This fell a little short for me, but that's likely because I'm a superfan of Anne Boleyn already. Little to nothing new was discussed, but it's still a good book for people who are interested.

Anne Boleyn history is so interesting to me! The title is a bit misleading; I thought this more of an illustrated story of her life, but it was mostly pictures of art during her reign. This was a great synopsis of her life and easy to digest. The writer did a great job with details and even included some stories I haven’t heard yet.

While this book didn't give much new information on Anne Boleyn and her life, it was still an interesting combination of all the known and unknown things about her that the average person may not know. I thought the illustrations went well with the text and helped bring a visual element to the time period. Especially since certain buildings and portraits of people have been lost to history.

Disappointed. I thought 'An Illustrated Life...' would mean just that, an illustrated life story.

There are images relevant to the times and events of Anne's life but not illustrations/pictures in the sense that I inferred from the title. I thought this would have drawings/pictures to bring to life the details of Anne Boleyn's story.

Aside from my misconception regarding the imagery that would be inside the book, I found the writing to be simplistic, a little disjointed, and full of question.

I feel that if you are new to Anne Boleyn and have picked up a physical copy of this book, that you have flicked through and are aware of the 'illustrations' used, then this book would be an ok read.

The publisher really missed a trick here, a true illustrated life of any figure from the Tudor period would be fantastic, even with below par writing!!

This was a lovely biography, illustrating the short life of a woman caught in the middle of a royal machine. Sent as a child from England to France, Anne Boleyn has greater depth and meaning than simply being one of Henry's headless wives. Her story deserves a look into the woman herself, rather than her love life or who she married, and certainly she deserves more than how she died. This is a richly illustrated and highly digestible book about a 16th century royal figure, and a delightful read. You'll end this book knowing more, and having more compassion for the woman herself.

This book was given as an ARC from Net Galley.

Roland Hui revisits the life and legacy of Anne Boleyn in this book complemented by a variety of illustrations, portraits, mementos, and wood carvings. While the book does not engage in new speculation about Anne Boleyn’s life, the selection of illustrations provides an engaging visual companion to the text itself, allowing the reader to look at Anne Boleyn’s story as told through sixteenth century images. Hui’s prose style is strong, and she lays out the facts in an engaging way, providing some commentary on the life of this doomed queen’s rise and fall. Hui covers all facets of Anne Boleyn’s life -- her time in France and at Margaret of Austria’s court, her time at the English court, and her brief triumph as Queen of England -- paying careful attention to the important events and individuals of her story. The book is an accessible read for novice historians and an informative refresher for a more familiar reader. Hui’s attention to detail and clever organization (breaking the book into various sections) make this book straightforward and fact-filled. The images and the prose combine, bringing the reader fully into the Tudor court to witness the rise and fall of Anne Boleyn’s for themselves.

The wives of King Henry VIII have been discussed for centuries in length through novels and nonfiction books. Katherine of Aragon, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Catherine Parr are all very popular queens, but there is one that you have all been waiting for, the most famous Tudor queen, Anne Boleyn. Her story has been told so many different ways by historians and historical fiction authors for centuries, and now it is time for another historian to write their spin on her story. In his latest book, “Anne Boleyn, An Illustrated Life of Henry VIII’s Queen,” Roland Hui paints a picture of the tumultuous life, love life, and death of Anne Boleyn.

Thank you, Pen and Sword Books and Net Galley, for sending me a copy of this book. I am always looking for a new approach to the lives of the Tudors in books, and when I heard about this title, it caught my eye.

Like so many books about Anne Boleyn, this biography covers Anne’s childhood, her reign and rocky relationship with Henry VIII, her tragic downfall, and her gruesome execution. Hui begins with the origins of the Boleyn family and Anne Boleyn’s childhood. I am glad Hui decided to focus on Anne’s upbringing in the court of Margaret of Austria because this is the aspect that I was always curious about when it came to Anne. We often talk about how the French court shaped Anne’s upbringing, but Hui shows his readers that the Burgundian court was just as transformative and impacted her life.

This book focuses on the relationship between Anne and Henry VIII and how she helped influence his reign, especially regarding religious matters. With the Great Matter and the creation of the Church of England alongside the rise of the English Reformation, we see Anne Boleyn’s opinions on religious matters. Anne had books written by humanists and reformers like Jacques Lefevre d’Etaples, Johannes Brenz, Simon Fish, and William Tyndale. She also surrounded herself with men like Nicholas Bourbon, Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Shaxton, William Betts, William Latymer, and John Skip. Finally, Hui discusses how Anne Boleyn fell from her husband’s good favor and was executed.

This is an excellent book to introduce people to the story of Anne Boleyn, as you can easily read it in one sitting. I found some of the material in this book repetitive compared to other books about Anne Boleyn, but Hui does lift it with new facts and the images he includes in this book. Overall, I did enjoy the new information Hui had in his nonfiction book. If you are a fan of Anne Boleyn and want to learn new facts about her life, I suggest you check “Anne Boleyn, An Illustrated Life of Henry VIII’s Queen” by Roland Hui.

Anne Boleyn was much more than a murdered wife and the author has done an amazing job in demonstrating this. Setting the context of the time in which Boleyn lived, the author has researched her and the people around her to truly bring her story to the fore. An excellent account which will supplement the library of any Tudor history buff.