i was tempted to give this book a lower rating because i did not enjoy the first half at all, but the second half sort of made up for it.

i had many issues with six wild crowns, many of which could be solved if this was satire, which i don't think it's supposed to be.

firstly, i'm not the biggest fan of the "seemingly stupid but actually smart woman" trope, and the fact that it happened twice to characters (late 20's and 16) who genuinely believed they were. and it's just the cherry on top for me, but the fact that those two "stupid" characters were dark-skinned does not sit right with me.

secondly, i have an issue with the marketing of this book. i understand that dragons and sapphics are trendy right now, but do not go into this book expecting big, majestic, or terrifying dragons. for the few that were mentioned, they were no bigger than a large dog and serve more as pets.
as for the "sapphic romance", it would be lying to say it's not there, but where is it then? i counted multiple sexual encounters between man and woman, and only one slightly sensual scene including two women. there sure is yearning on one side but it never goes beyond that. it would do the author more justice to market this as a queernormative world. this is mismarketing in my opinion because i went into it expecting a sapphic romance between the sapphic main characters and her love interest.

i did enjoy how quick paced and relatively easy it was to get into this fantasy world, though. i would only recommend if you're looking for an easily digestible fantasy with some queer elements (but not enough to my taste).

This book was like nothing I have ever read before, I loved the unique premise. This book got me out of a reading slump and reminded me how it feels to read a truly great story.

I really really liked this one. I was drawn to this book as the blurb mentions Henry VIII and his six wives, but to be honest, I feel like this would make more sense if it was original characters and names, as the history has little bearing on the story at large. However, I did enjoy there being names I already recognised, and I thought the characterisation of the queens was pretty interesting.

At times it felt like the story was moving quite quick and I didn’t really get what was going on. The relationships between the characters, especially the queens, just seem to happen. It's completely possible that I just wasn't paying enough attention at these points and that's why it seemed like that - but honestly it didn't really impact my reading experience all that much. I will say that the language used is definitely different, and I'm glad I read this on my kindle so I could look up any words/phrases that I didn't recognise with ease.

Even with the gripes I had, I still really enjoyed this. I thought the magic system was pretty cool, and I love the whole concept of the magic flowing through the queens to protect the land. I’m glad we got the story from two different points of view as well, as I think that really helped show the different experiences of the queens.

I didn’t realise this was part one of a series (?) and so I was very disappointed by the end. It feels like so much is happening and then it just stops, and I’m not sure I even understand what’s going on. Saying that, I am very intrigued as to what could happen in a sequel and where the author is going to take this story. If you go into it knowing it's not a standalone, then you won't be wondering how everything is going to wrap up with like only 10 pages left like I did.

A well written historical fiction x fantasy book, the story is inspired by the Tudors but is an original story. Even though it took me a while to get into the story, the book pulled me in and I wanted to keep reading. The plot was interesting and well written. The characters were also well developed and I really liked them. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and LittleBrownUK for letting me read an ARC of this highly anticipated book.

Six Wild Crowns transports Henry VIII and his six wives into a fantasy world and tells a story of female friendship and empowerment.
In the fantastical world of Elben, the king possesses protective magic that forms a dome over his land, preventing enemies from attacking. He is able to channel his magic through the six castles located on each edge of the territory – as long as each one is inhabited by one of his wives. The story begins with Henry's wedding to Boleyn. Henry's wives only meet once a year at a ball; the rest of the time, they live in their territories and are visited only by Henry. Boleyn is the first ambitious to make more of her position and to question the status quo of the queens. The story is told alternately from Boleyn's and Seymour's perspectives in third-person POV.

The story is perfect for anyone who enjoys fantasy with politics and intrigue. Don't expect a lot of action though. The plot only really picks up towards the end. We encounter fantastic creatures like dragons, and I found it special that in this story, there are different types and sizes of dragons that aren't used for riding, as is the case in so many other fantasy stories. I'm very fascinated by English history, and even though it's obviously not historically accurate, I loved being able to give deeper character to the extraordinary women through this story.

The language of the book was sometimes a little difficult for me, as a non-native speaker, as it often used words coming from the old English which I was not familiar with, though Definitely fitting for the historical vibe. It's not a book you can just breeze through. It's one where you have to read every sentence carefully so you don't miss any details, and it gives you a lot to think about. What I didn't like so much was the rather detached narrative style. While this fits the historical style of the book, as it reads almost like a history book, it made it difficult for me to get into and warm up to the main characters.

When the book is officially released, I'm really looking forward to seeing fan art of the Crone, because I have no idea how to imagine it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this e-arc!

This book was interesting enough to hold my attention while I was reading but I didn’t immediately want to keep picking it up!

Overall it was a good read

3.5 rounded up! Not quite what I was anticipating, but with some intriguing concepts which kept me reading.

I came for the myth-inspired magic system, Men Being Terrible and No Good, repressed magic and a rebellious queen? Sign me up!

But… the reality was different. The historical element was jarring, and ended up being a little superfluous. The concept was interesting enough, with a cultural collective memory fed a lie and warped into a religion which oppresses women; of course I’m going to stick around and want to see that toppled! But having the queens be (very very loosely) inspired by Henry VIII’s six wives, and the gallant king being Henry himself felt more like a tenuous link rather than necessary for this plot to work. It wasn’t necessary at all, I was interested enough in the women written as they were without a reference to historical figures. I also found the inclusion of some history by the omission of a lot similarly jarring - better to make this a more tangible reimagining, or remove the inspirational names entirely to keep it separate from the source material. I’ve read a few killer reimaginings of cultural myths inspired by history, and this felt like it fell foul of trying to keep the most obvious trappings of this historical period to gain interest while being caught in all the logistics of making this directly inspired by/taken from history, and… not having the history. I, of course, am not a history buff, but being enough of a knowledge seeker and with a mother who devours historical fiction, I am cautious of fantastical reimaginings which have the skin of history but none of its guts, flesh and bones.

However, that said, I enjoyed Boleyn as a character - fierce, unruly and reckless, she is everything I wanted my rebellious queen to be! I found her resilience beguiling, her determination well written, and her cunning unmatched by anyone in the novel. Now, I need to know what happens to her given the ending! Is it part of a series, who knows?? It’s not definitive, certainly not in a way that would be satisfying if this was a standalone…

Despite her guileless beginnings, Seymour really grew on me as a character. I think her introduction to court was rushed, and her relationship with the King too hasty, but I enjoyed her journey through cutthroat political intrigue and the tangled web she is ensnared in. I do however wish we’d got a little more clarity on the finer plot points, especially regarding her mission as a spy/assassin for Queen Aragon, the additional spy nestled in the grounds (though this might be me not connecting a plot point which was revealed, just not to Seymour). I found her growth compelling, and found myself enjoying the “good for you” elements to her actions. Especially when they involve pet panthers and stupid abusive brothers.

We don’t speak of the sapphic yearning that was apparently in here. There was not nearly enough angst for this to qualify as sapphic yearning, and it felt one-sided throughout, with no real pay off for either woman. It felt like a crush from our dear Seymour that got taken wildly out of hand and which was never really commented on or properly acknowledged by Boleyn. Seymour rushed headlong into a crush, and wound up in some Deep Shit because of it, and there is no real conformation that Boleyn could ever feel the same. Unrequited love can be masterfully done, when, done right. This needed a few more of those bones in order to stand up and count as sapphic yearning.

Another element I enjoyed however was the worldbuilding, which was interesting and well thought-through, and the premise of the magic system also similarly intriguing. There were certainly parts that piqued my interest, when our Queen Boleyn began realising that things are Not What They Seem when it comes to the requirement of king Henry to have six wives in order to keep the protective enchantments around Elben in place. Elements of plot which really drove me sense of “yes good for you burn it all down”, but which ultimately were overshadowed by slightly clumsy character dynamics and a plot that felt more machinated than I’d have liked. I did however enjoy the normalised dragons as pets.

Henry himself seemed fairly two dimensional, with a complete character switch when it became clear that Boleyn was going to expose the ruse that had hoodwinked a nation about the true source of the magic that kept their lands safe. Again, this is where the historical connection waned, when many of the characters bore the name of their real life counterpart but did not bear any resemblance to the figure known in history. He could have been any king, with any name, as many of our queens could be, and I think that could have let the premise stand on its own two feet much more steadily.

There was enough to like, not enough to write home about - came for the sapphic yearning and the Tudor inspired fantasy, and ended up being a little disappointed in both. Really enjoyable elements, but some nuances and plot/pacing elements which just did not work for me.

Publication expected 10th Jun 2025 - thanks so much to NetGalley and Little Brown Group for the arc!

Wow!

So, I don't think it's a secret that I love reading about the Tudor period, I love sapphic books, and I love fantasy. All three in one?? Hell yeah!! Honestly, this book could have been written for me <3

In this fantasy version of Henry VIII's era, the King has to marry six different Queens, and that is what stands between the kingdom of Elben and its ruination. Well, that's what everyone has been told at least...

Each Queen has a different part of the realm to rule over, her own dominion, with her own palace and servants and personal customs. This dual PoV novel focuses on Boleyn and Seymour. (The Queens are simply known by their last names because *eye roll* - who needs them to actually be people? They are just there to stand between the whole realm and destruction, but why is that a big deal? Honestly...) Boleyn lives up to some of the Tudor-traditional stereotypes: she's feisty, a sexual being (and proud of it!), ambitious and always has her wits about her. Seymour prefers to stay in the background, cowed by her brothers, is amenable and gives others the benefit of the doubt... she's often called 'dull.' (Unfairly so!) The contrast of these two PoVs was fantastic; they have such different views on Henry and the world around them that it makes you question everything - which you should...

I've seen a few reviews bemoaning the historical accuracy, but - c'mon! - what were you expecting? There are dragons. Are you really worrying about whether the Norman invasion happened? I do love my Tudor history, but you have to know when to stop worrying!

That being said, there were a few plot points that needed more fleshing out for my liking, and I would have loved to see more of the other Queens. (And dragons! More dragons is always a good thing!) Hopefully, we'll get to see more of them in the sequels...

Fantastic, exciting read. I think it may be marketed slightly wrongly in my opinion; it doesn't have the vibes of Priory of the Orange Tree, so don't go on with those expectations. And don't go in expecting an Alison Weir level of historical accuracy either! Take this book as it is, and just enjoy it!

Looking forward to seeing this out in the wild!

(Oh, and the 'spice' level is good for me - ie, it wasn't particularly graphic, so if that's your thing, be aware. There's enough sapphic yearning and emotion that made it right for me.)

Unfortunately, after a few chapters I had to DNF. I love the Tudor era, but I think trying to merge it with a fantastical element just didn't quite work here. The problem is you have to suspend your disbelief so significantly to follow this, and yet the author is relying heavily on historical depictions of these Queens and other people within the period, so the line between 'real' and 'fantasy' gets blurred significantly. There is definitely a market for this book, but I just wasn't it. I feel like when one chapter opened with a lead character talking about how her brothers could smell her period, I checked out.

I thought I would love this book being a history buff but after the first few chapters I had to DNF. It would have been much better being separated from the real historical characters and being in their own world.
Will not be sharing this review publicly until after the release date.

We follow the six wives of Henry, mainly Boelyn as she discovers the truth and twists of everything she has ever known and grown up to believe. She wanta to start a rebellion. But can she?

Good GOD this was SO GOOD.

The world building was fantastic and I loved the premise of Tudors with magic. So brilliant. I'm looking forward to book 2!!

I actually really liked the premise of this book, the magic system and the characters but I felt like there was actually no need to make it related to any historical figures ie Henry and his wives and that the story would actually have stood up better on its own had it not been.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of Six Wild Crowns.

As a Tudor history nerd, I was beyond excited by the premise of this novel: Henry VIII and his six wives, alive and ruling at the same time, in a queernormative world with sapphic, pansexual, non-binary and poly representation.

The book's biggest strength is also one of its weaknesses: its loyalty to Tudor history. It was such a delight to read not just about the six Queens but also the historically accurate secondary characters, the character quirks and plot points that we know really did happen in Tudor times (Anne Boleyn's moment with the apples made me so happy). I think anyone who is also a Tudor history nerd will love this book if only for all the Easter eggs.

At the same time, I found some things less convincing. For example, in the Tudor period, Anne Boleyn was widely disliked by the public because she caused the divorce of Henry and Catherine of Aragon, as well as the religious changes she led. In this fantasy world where Henry was always supposed to have six wives, Anne Boleyn is still disliked. The narrative provides us with some reasons why, but I personally would have liked these reasons to be a bit stronger. Maybe it's because I was comparing it to the very compelling reasons in the real-world Tudor history, but it just didn't feel like there were strong enough reasons to justify the public's almost immediate universal dislike of her. The same goes for some other interactions between the queens at the start of the book.

It's also worth mentioning that although the Tudors are loyally represented, most of English history has been changed. The Norman invasion, the Wars of the Roses, etc., did not exist (but Aethelred did, and there's a fair amount of Old English words that weren't entirely necessary in my opinion).

However, this isn't just a book about the Tudors — so, moving onto the other points. By and large, I felt this was a very well-written book. I connected with and am rooting for several of the characters (but especially Seymour and Cleves and Howard, who I'm excited to read more about in book two).

Going into the book, having seen it described as including sapphic yearning for a straight woman, I was worried that I might feel a bit cheated by the wlw rep. However, there is a lot of different wlw rep, and my bi heart was fully satisfied by it.

Fantasy readers should bear in mind that although this is a fantasy book with magic and dragons, the fantasy elements take a back seat to the politics in this book, especially in the first half of the novel. However, I expect that might change in books two and three of the trilogy.

Gender politics and male violence against women was also always going to be a theme in this book — after all, it's about a king having six living wives in a time where men had complete control over their wives. And on top of that, it's a king modelled on Henry VIII. I'm hoping that books two and three will continue exploring this theme while also looking at some of the subtler and more intersectional elements of gender politics.

One final small criticism: I found some of the political manoeuvres a little too simplistic, while some elements of the magical world in the book felt just a little too convenient (e.g. bewitching six whole roads 100% of the time instead of the royal carriages).

Despite all that, I really did enjoy this book. I'm looking forward to picking up book two when it's published and seeing how my favourite characters continue to grow.

This is a very good story, and I liked it a lot, but I feel like the blurb can be misleading.
Except for some of the characters' names, this has not much to do with Henry VIII or history. It is purely a fantasy tale, and is great in its own right.
In the same way, you will find sapphic yearning but dragons are not what you might expect, and that's ok for me.
As I said, I really liked this book. The story is original and interesting, the characters are strong and diverse, and the world is rich. It's a very good standalone in a semi historical setting and I'm glad I got to read it.
I only wished for a more definitive ending, but it might be part of a series.

Holly Race’s Six Wild Crowns is an absolute amazing book, it is a breathtaking blend of adventure, intrigue, and stunning world-building. The story behind this idea is so cool to me, with her taking some idea of the Tudor queens with an imaginative spin!

I absolutely adored this book! Being a big fan of Tudor history and the 6 wives of Henry VIII I was totally drawn in by the blurb, and was delighted to receive an e-ARC.

Race weaves a truly magical tale sprinkled with historical inspiration, and creates very compelling characters. I also really loved the very progressive elements of the novel, and the female empowerment,

It was a truly original tale, and whilst some other reviews have made me laugh - with some readers being angry about the deviation from historical fact (sorry, but you did pick up a fantasy book with dragons referenced in the blurb.. :)) - I love that the novel was purely inspired by history, and wove such an original tale from some key components of Tudor history.

I really love a good novel that simmers with an undercurrent of feminine rage - and Race crafted this perfectly. I can't wait for the sequel that I hope will be coming!

A huge thank you to Holly Race, Little Brown Book Group UK | Orbit & NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for the honest review.

thank you to Holly Race and to Little Brown for giving me the chance to read this ARC.

i loved the dual pov between Boleyn and Seymour our polar opposite queens, especially since it’s in a fantasy setting. Six Wild Crowns is a sapphic historical fantasy that keeps you interested with every chapter, and it’s also full of political intrigue, prophecies and sisterhood.

definitely recommend!

Thanks to Netgalley and Orbit for the arc!

I requested this because of the historical inspiration – Henry VIII and his six wives but in a fantasy setting? Sign me up!

Six Wild Crowns is an interesting take on Henry VIII and his six wives and full of the intrigue that I always like in a fantasy book. While the historical inspiration was definitely there, it did take a minute to get used to seeing real world historical figures alongside dragons and magic. That said, once I got passed that, I really liked the world that Holly Race has created in this. While only small sections are explored in this book, I’m hoping we get to explore more of Elba in the sequel.

I’m also hoping we get to see a bit more of the other queens too – Six Wild Crowns is told mainly from the perspectives of Seymour and Boleyn. They are two completely opposite characters – Seymour is often described in the book as dull, while Boleyn is full of confidence and not afraid of it. It made for an interesting dynamic between the 2 and it was interesting to see how their views of the world (and Henry) differed so much. I loved seeing how both women learned from each other too.

There were a couple of plot points that I wished had been fleshed out a bit more, as they did feel a bit rushed or shoehorned in, but on the whole, I did like this and I’ll certainly be keeping an eye out for the sequel!

«Everyone has secrets. It’s what makes us humans»
This book wasn’t bad it just wasn’t what I was expecting.
It’s promoted as being perfect for fans of The Priory of the Orange Tree and of House of the Dragon and even though you may like this if you liked those you will probably feel disappointed if you are expecting it to be as enthralling, because although it does have dragons they are not an important part of the story and they are kind of just there. I also found the court politics to be quite simple, probably because I was hoping for something at Priory or HOTD level.
At the beginning I didn’t really connect with neither of our main characters. I found Boleyn to be blinded by her love for the king despite her cleverness and Seymour wasn’t the spy and assassin we were promised in the synopsis, she is actually neither of those things and has a very low self esteem being bullied by her brother since she was little, but I have to say I liked the development they had and I ended up liking them.
About their relationship, I could understand Seymour having a crush on Boleyn, but love? When they had had barely five conversations and Boleyn hadn’t been anything but indifferent toward her? that’s just not realistic, although I did enjoy the sapphic yearning I just wished it had been done differently.
I can’t say much about the historical aspect of this book since i know the basic about King Henry and the Tudor Queens but I did like the concept of the queens being married to him at the same time.
With that ending this book will probably have a sequel in which I hope we see more of the other queens especially Cleves who despite having few appearances made me really like her.
Huge thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this ARC

This was not what I was expecting because the blurb exaggerated, however it was an entertaining and engaging read.

Boleyn and Seymour's POVs are so opposite to one another but you still can't help but root for them both individually and the eventually, together.

There's only a small amount of fantasy and romance and the historical accuracy is limited too but I am looking forward to what book 2 will bring.