Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book. A gorgeous 4 star read book from me. What an exciting plot, vivid storytelling and relatable, rich characters. I could put this book down – absolutely loved it.

Thank you for approving the request for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

Historical fiction and fantasy. Yes please.
To be honest, anything with Henry VIII wives and I'm going to thoroughly enjoy it!

Dragons, romance, fantasy, politics,
What more could you ask for??

This is was I would hope for in a fantasy land if they were all alive at the same time. The amount of world building great and wasn't too much where you spend the first 100 pages waiting for the action to start so I definitely appreciated that!

I'm so excited for this to be released so I can buy it- already recommended to a friend!

This book right here omg!!! So so good! I rated it 5 stars because I couldn't put it down for a bit. The characters are fantastic and the storyline is immaculate.

There are many positives about this fascinating blend of a book!

This is an incredibly well-written book filled with lush descriptions, political intrigue and detailed worldbuilding and magical elements. I fell in love with the hook immediately and anyone who's a history buff, or a gay Anne Boleyn lover like myself, will adore it. It gives us such interesting female characters, too.

However, I wasn't vibing with the pacing. I know historical books can have a slower pace. Still, I found myself drifting over pages sometimes as the action was minimal and the descriptions very heavy with exposition at times.

And as a personal preference, I don't particularly enjoy 3rd person present tense. It didn't work for me with this book, sadly.

I enjoyed the idea of this, Tudor queens with a more modern fantasy twist. I was instantly gripped and enjoyed most of this book.

As things progressed I found myself hoping for more well-developed characters and it started to fall a bit flat. The plot was interesting and the world building was promising but I don't think I will rush to read the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

SPOILER FREE Wow I absolutley loved this read. FORGET (almost) everything you know about the Tudors and imagine a world where Henry VII needs 6 wives at one time who live in different places for him to channel magic in to which the barrier/Magic border (bordweal) to protect the kingdom. there is Sapphic Romance, Dragons and magic, references to historical people and so much tension. HIGHLY reccomend if you fancy a toe dip into historical inspired fantasy! Thank you Netgalley and Holly Race for letting me have this ARC, all opinions my own

Wow, what amazing world-building skills Holly Race has! She effortlessly transplants the Queens we think we know from school history lessons into a fantasy landscape and somehow makes them more real in the process. Boleyn was a brilliant flawed narrator and Seymour has such a journey ahead of her - looking forward to seeing some of the other queens grow and develop too, especially Howard and Cleves. The six castles were also brilliantly conjured and I wish they were all real. Can't wait for book two!

Also, I may be setting up a Justice for the Dragons pressure group at some point :D

"Six Wild Crowns" is the first part in a fantasy series inspired by the six wives of Henry VIII.
I've always been interested in their lives and I love fantasy, so this novel really felt made for me.

I enjoyed the overall plot, but the timeline was a little unclear in places and some of the characters weren't all that well developed. Still, I really enjoyed this novel and can't wait for the next part in the series.

4,25/4,5⭐️

Six Wild Crowns by Holly Race is a fantasy retelling of the Six Tudor Queens and the first book in the Queens of Elben series.

I really enjoyed the story, especially the political intrigues and the world-building. I particularly appreciated the characters, especially Seymour, and the female rage was top-tier.

The ending truly left me speechless, and I definitely plan to read the next book when it comes out.

In general, I recommend this book to fantasy readers and history fans looking for a fresh, original spin on a story we all know.

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

TW

Miscarriage, violence, blood, sexual assault, sexual content, terminal illness, adult/minor relationship


POSSIBLE SPOILERS



Regarding the sapphic yearning, it was definitely present, though I interpreted it more as unrequited love. It didn’t ruin the reading experience for me, but it wasn’t quite what I had expected.

Six Wild Crowns is the third historical fantasy book that I have read recently, and you know what, I am really loving this genre. This book is a retelling of King Henry and his six wives, filled with deadly court politics and tons of sapphic yearning. Set in Elben, the story begins with the marriage of Boleyn (a fictionalized version of the renowned queen) and King Henry. We experience the story from two perspectives - Boleyn's and Seymour's - two women who could not be more different.

When we meet Boleyn at first, she is very proud and I would personally call her a tad bit haughty. Her marriage to the king is a love marriage and Boleyn feels very emboldened by that fact. She carries herself with confidence and truly deserves to be a queen. In contrast, Seymour appears as a spy-of-sports from one of Henry's older queens with a simple quest - kill off the heir that Boleyn is destined to give birth too. Seymour feels meek when you meet her, but she has great confidence of her own. And when the two women become allies, let me tell you, the story is immediately elevated. The yearning goes hard and there is no particular scene (no spoilers from me!) where you'll wanna scream in the best way possible.

As the story progresses and certain things come to light, Boleyn changes from who she was at first, and removes the rose colored glasses she wears when it came to Henry. With Seymour at her side, Boleyn begins a scheme of her own. And a scheme it is. I found myself completely hooked by this story - the way history has been woven into this world, the yearning (won't stop mentioning that) and the real story behind the magic, makes this a stand out retelling.

The ending is incredibly done - so beautiful and poignant, but also kinda sad at the same time. Holly Race has crafted a beautiful tale of strength, hope and love and though I haven't read anything written by her previously, I will definitely be reading her books now!

I enjoyed this fantasy re-imagining of the Tudor queens. The world building was great, the characters were well fleshed out and the writing was evocative. The plot was clever, and I - as a very firm fan of both Tudor history and fantasy books- was both intrigued and impressed at how the real Tudor history had been incorporated and adapted to the fantasy setting.

I would have liked to see more world building, for example I’d love to know about the dragons! I would also like to know what happens next, especially due to the cliff hanger and the plot twist that happened in the last 10 pages…

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.

4.75 ⭐️

Well that was an absolute delight!

Six Wild Crowns is a fantasy reimagining of the story of Henry VIII's wives. And it is glorious! The court intrigue, the sapphic yearning, the feminist rage, the pet panther - I'm a fan.

The Tudors are a little different this time around. Henry must have 6 living wives at all times, one per castle, to keep the magical protection on the county of Elben strong. Each queen carries this responsibly differently. The story starts when the king weds Boleyn, and focuses primarily on her and Seymour as they navigate their roles as wives and queens...

The characters are well-written and interesting across the board, the writing is captivating and atmospheric, and while the narrative may not exactly match the historical record, the six queen feel more fully fledged than ever before. This book is absolute mayhem in the best way, and somehow the reimagining of a very familiar story still managed to surprise me.

One note of warning: the king has 6 queens and is desperate for an heir, and the author does not shy away from the reality of this. If you have triggers surrounding fertility and reproduction, this book might be best skipped.

Six Wild Crowns is an incredible book, a mixture of historical and epic fantasy with a heavy focus on intrigue and court politics. It's one that will stay with me well after I've finished it, and I can't wait for the sequel!

Many thanks to Orbit and Netgalley for providing me with an e-arc.

I'd give this one 3.5 stars!

Six Wild Crowns is a captivating fantasy novel that takes readers on an exhilarating journey through a world of magic, intrigue, and power struggles. The story revolves around six heirs to a powerful kingdom, each vying for the throne and the magical crowns that bestow immense power.

The plot is filled with unexpected twists and turns, and the world Holly built is really in depth and interesting.

The characters are well-developed, and their interactions are both compelling and thought-provoking. The author does an excellent job of balancing action-packed scenes with moments of character development.

Overall, Six Wild Crowns is a must-read for fans of fantasy fiction. It offers a perfect blend of adventure, magic, and political intrigue, making it a highly engaging and enjoyable read. Whether you're a long-time fan of the genre or new to fantasy, this book is sure to leave a lasting impression.

I thought I would love this but it wasn't 😔
But I would recommend it to my friends that are history readers 😊