Six Wild Crowns
A breathtaking novel of courtly intrigue, sapphic yearning, and the wives of Henry VIII as you've never seen them before. ★ "Combines the romantasy of Sarah J. Maas, the cutthroat political corruption of Game of Thrones, and the feminist/sapphic history and mythology revisionism of Madeline Miller’s Circe, set in a fantastically researched Tudor Court with all its machinations, à la Alison Weir." ―Library Journal (starred review) As tradition has it, the king of Elben must marry six queens and magically bind each of them to one of the island's palaces or the kingdom will fall. Clever, ambitious Boleyn is determined to be her beloved Henry's favorite queen.
She relishes the games at court and the political rivalries with his other wives. Seymour is the opposite―originally sent to Boleyn's court as a reluctant spy and assassin, she ends up catching Henry's eye and is forced into a loveless marriage with the king. But when the two queens become the unlikeliest of things―friends and allies―the balance of power begins to shift.
Together, they uncover a dark and deadly truth at the heart of the island's magic. Boleyn and Seymour's only hope of survival rests on uniting all six of the rival queens―but Henry will never let that happen. "A luscious and luminous read" ―Tasha Suri, author of The Jasmine Throne
- Pages
- 391
- First published
- June 10, 2025
- Language
- English
- Edition
- Ebook
- ISBN
- 9780316572941
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Shelved by 2 Litcadians
Reviews
Finished June 21, 2025
4.5 stars "Seymour wills Howard to stay on her feet, to hold the line, for they are women. They are used to pain." This book is unique. While there are names and instances of Tudor History, this book is not a retelling of such. It is a strong start to a series, the next installment will be released next year as far as I'm aware. The world is rich and compelling. I could picture the landscapes, the history, without feeling overwhelmed with description and prose. I do believe there is more to come regarding its magical system but for now, I feel satisfied with what was given. The main characters, I felt, took time to warm up to but never did I feel bored or frustrated by their POV, only intrigue. As the story developed, I was fully immersed in support for both and for their cause. Seymour's growth was just incredible. My only gripe was marketing. I first saw this book via a Waterstones email that described it as a sapphic Tudor fantasy. Sapphic in some respects yes but for me, I expected more than the little we had. There might well be eventually but alas, not in the first of its series. Nonetheless, I really loved the fluid acceptance of sexuality and gender in the book. To summarise, I loved this book. I am a fantasy and historical fiction lover. So this felt like a lovechild of the two. This book really was a welcome surprise and an absolute treat to read. If you have similar reading interests as me, I believe you will enjoy this book just as much. If you like court intrigue, plotting and scheming, magical systems in a medieval setting, women supporting women, I also think this book is for you.