Maybe it’s not the most intricate and mind-blowing fantasy ever but I had fun.  The synopsis may be misleading for some people because, for example, there aren't dragons in the sense one might think of them. Despite all the talk about six queens, we have only two narrators, and there isn't very much backstabbing. 
The plot is simple, and to be honest, you will know where it's going from the start. However, that's not a bad thing because it consistently moves forward and remains interesting.
But in the characters department, for most of the book, I only liked Boleyn; she was the strongest, fully-fledged one, just like I would imagine Anne would be. Seymour was bland, sooo bland, I didn’t get her ambitions or her problems, I felt like she was hiding from the reader. Only at the end, I started to like her. 
For what it’s worth I can recommend this one because once again, it was a fun adventure.

Wow, this book devastated me at every turn.
The slow-burn of feminine rage within the two protagonists, Seymour and Boleyn, is palpable. It is an extraordinary narrative that showcases the many facets of womanhood, and the everyday villainy in which a patriarchy thrives.

You root for Boleyn and Seymour, to fight the injustices committed against them. Their character arcs are well plotted and written. And the world building is extraordinary and detailed, immersing you in the fantastical world of Elben.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me access in exchange for an honest review.

A wild fantasy that imagined a certain King with six wives, being married to them all simultaneously.
There are six Queens in six castles, they are needed to keep the borders of Elben, an ancient Kingdom free from invaders. The bordweal protects, and each Queen and her castle are part of the defence of the realm, they gain their power and authority from their husband.
Boleyn is the newest Queen, in the last twenty years, his other five wives have not provided a male heir.
Seymour is a wedding gift from Aragon, her job is to kill Boleyn before she becomes pregnant, but mild, gentle, naive and downtrodden Seymour has her own agenda, she wants freedom from her overbearing brother, and to find true love and affection.
Boleyn finds ancient documents that suggests there is a great fallacy about Elben, perhaps women are the key to protecting this Kingdom, and they are suffering a terrible price with a King in charge. The magic that protects is more powerful with a network of women working together.
What is a Queen to do? Incite rebellion, and try to create a sisterhood of Queens to protect Elben and save their lives. Will they succeed?
This book is magical, thoughtful and very well written. There are spells, prophecies and dragons to contend with, sapphic longings, this scenario of a King being married to six Queens and visiting each in turn might have been an ideal solution.
A very spirited adventure, very enjoyable and so imaginative. I loved the freshness of this novel, definitely one to recommend to my book group.
I have given this a four star rating.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers Little, Brown Book group for my advanced copy, freely given in exchange for my honest review. I will leave this review to Goodreads and Amazon UK upon publication.

I’m a self-proclaimed history nerd, and one of my biggest historical obsessions is the Tudor period. I also love fantasy (especially dragons), so this book felt like it was written just for me.

The story is set in the kingdom of Elben, where King Henry VIII has been blessed with divine magic. That magic takes the form of a protective dome surrounding the kingdom. To maintain it, he must marry six queens and channel his magic through each of them. Every queen lives in her own castle on the outer edges of the realm. That’s all I’ll say about the plot, because I went in fairly blind and found it all the more enjoyable for it.

The character work and worldbuilding are genuinely excellent. It would have been easy for the six queens to blur together, but each one stands out as a fully distinct character. We get point-of-view chapters from both Boleyn and Seymour, and their arcs are brilliant. Howard and Cleves really stood out to me as well. I also loved spotting familiar names from Tudor history like Wolsey, Cromwell, and Wyatt.

Exploring the different parts of Elben was such a treat. Although it’s a fantasy world, it feels grounded and believable (well, as believable as a world with dragons can be).

For me, the book really hits its stride in Parts Two and Three, when the court politics, intrigue, and mystery come into full force.

And that ending? Absolutely spectacular. I need the next book as soon as possible.

Overall, this is a clever and captivating reimagining of Tudor history, set in a richly imagined fantasy world.

Huge thanks to the author and publisher for allowing me to read an eARC of this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for this eCopy to review

When I picked up Six Wild Crowns, I was intrigued by the premise: a fantasy reimagining of Henry VIII and his six wives, set in a world of dragons, ancient magic, and political intrigue. As someone who enjoys both historical fiction and epic fantasy, I was curious to see how Holly Race would blend these elements. The result? A mixed bag—ambitious, atmospheric, but uneven.

The story is set in the kingdom of Elben, where King Henry must marry six queens to maintain a magical barrier called the bordweal, which protects the realm from outside threats. Each queen is chosen not just for beauty or politics, but for the magical power she brings to the king’s cause. The novel opens with Boleyn’s wedding, and from there, we’re plunged into a court full of secrets, rivalries, and dangerous magic.

Boleyn is clever, ambitious, and determined to be the king’s favourite. Seymour, initially introduced as an assassin gifted to Boleyn, becomes a central figure as her loyalty shifts and her relationship with Boleyn deepens into something more intimate and powerful. Their alliance becomes the heart of the story, challenging the patriarchal system that keeps the queens isolated and controlled.

I appreciated the feminist themes and the sapphic romance, which added emotional depth. The world-building is rich, with dragons, crones, and a decaying magical system that hints at deeper lore. However, the pacing falters in the middle. There’s a lot of exposition and political manoeuvring that slows the momentum, and at times, the characters felt more like archetypes than fully fleshed-out individuals.

The ending picks up again with a dramatic twist, setting the stage for future books in the series. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that the novel was trying to do too much at once, retelling history, building a fantasy world, and delivering a message about power and resistance.

Overall, Six Wild Crowns is a bold and imaginative debut in the Queens of Elben series.

3.5 stars
This was such an interesting and intriguing historical fantasy, and I really enjoyed the premise of this and the magic system that Holly Race has created.

I really liked our main characters, with Boleyn coming out as a clear favourite despite how unlikable she can be at times. She's clever and won't let anyone stand in her way. She's a fascinating character who you can't help but root for. Seymour is a quiet and somewhat timid character at the beginning, so it was really nice to see her grow into herself as the book progressed.

I do have to admit though that I struggled to get into this one but once I separated it from the original source of Henry VIII and his wives, I felt like I began to enjoy the story more. Other than the names of these characters, the story is its own entity. I also feel like I expected more dragons based on the blurb, and while we did get dragons, they were not what I was expecting.

Overall, this was a good read, with captivating characters and a gripping storyline full of twists and turns. I'm interested in seeing how this story continues in the next book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a moody political fantasy rooted in Tudor,inspired court intrigue and sapphic tension. It opens with Queen Boleyn becoming the sixth wife to a power hungry king, while Seymour, a first daughter sent as a gift from another queen, arrives as a handmaiden with secrets of her own. From the very beginning, the atmosphere is rich, layered with court politics, veiled threats, and slow-burning tension between characters.

The writing is lush and immersive, with a sapphic one sided yearning undercurrent that suits the slow unraveling of power plays and hidden agendas. Boleyn, in particular, stands out as a character torn between survival and self determination, and the dynamic between her and Seymour had a compelling push and pull. If you enjoy slow burn stories that simmer with mistrust and quiet rebellion, this delivers on mood and character driven tension.

That said, while the premise hints at dragons, magic, and high fantasy elements, these aspects take more of a background role. The fantastical elements like lapdragons and the hinted magic felt a little underused, and I went in expecting them to take center stage. This one leaned more heavily into the political and emotional threads, so it’s worth tapering your expectations if you’re looking for a fast paced, fantasy forward ride.

I wanted to love this. The concept was so intriguing, but the execution (pun intended) felt scattered, overly drawn out, and lacking the sharp edge the synopsis teased. A unique idea, but not one that worked for me in the end. If you’re expecting romantasy or dragon fueled drama, temper those hopes. But if you liked The Jasmine Throne and want something slower, darker, and atmospheric, this might still hit.

Still, for readers who enjoy tales about power, identity, and resistance, especially in a court full of secrets, Six Wild Crowns has a lot to offer. It’s thoughtful, atmospheric, and full of potential for those who appreciate the slow unspooling of a carefully built world.

Six Wild Crowns is a fabulous read, but really nothing at all to do with the Tudor Queens, except for the mildest links between their names and their King. But it was excellent!
King Henry must maintain six wives - one in each of the border castles of Elben - in order to maintain the magical protections of the bordweal (a sort of Northern lights protection around the country that repels invaders). He channels his Godly powers through the Queens and their palaces, protecting the country. When new Queen Boleyn takes over the palace of Brynd, though, it begins a chain of events that will forever change Elben and its rulers.

Filled with political intrigue and fantastical creatures, Six Wild Crowns was a story of unlikely friendships, the bonds of sisterhood, and the balance between love and morality.
It was nothing like I expected, but made for a compelling read, with plenty of exciting twists. I can't wait to see where book 2 leads us!

Thanks to @orbitbooks_uk, @netgalley and Holly Race for a chance to read ahead of release.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC!

Disclaimer: I know basically nothing about the Tudors and cannot say how similar or dissimilar this book is to the history.

As far as I can tell, there isn't much in common here with actual Tudor history, aside from Henry having six wives? The setting also didn't feel much like England, but that's fine, that's not a critique.

There are two PoV characters, Boleyn and Seymour. They initially appear to be one way: Boleyn is cold and calculating, while Seymour is timid and insecure. However, over the course of this book both of them reveal themselves to be much more complex than they initially seemed, with satisfying and well-written character arcs. I also love their interactions and the way their relationship developed. This is kind of spoilery (sorry), but while their relationship is not romantic, there is a certain tension and yearning between them that is so much fun to read. I am a little disappointed that they did not end up together, but like, that's not a dealbreaker or anything.

I like how Henry isn't portrayed as a straight-up villain. We see him from both Boleyn and Seymour's eyes: Boleyn is in love with him and only sees the good in him while deliberately ignoring his flaws, while Seymour is more objective and can see his flaws while still acknowledging his positive traits.

While I liked the characters, I did find the plot as a whole to be a little... formulaic? I have read a lot of feminist fantasy retellings, and this one doesn't stray too far from the format, making it pretty easy to predict all the twists. Which isn't inherently a bad thing, it's just that the plot didn't wow me.

The worldbuilding turned out to be pretty different from what I expected. The kingdom of Elben is supposed to be a fantasy version of Tudor England, but it differs a lot in the queernorm worldbuilding. This might sound like a contradiction, given that misogyny is a big theme, but I think it makes sense in this case. While queer and poly marriages are the norm here, there is an element of classism that results in firstborn daughters being expected to marry men of higher social standing (plus produce offspring) in order to boost their families' position on the social hierarchy.

This is the first book of a series, so a lot of this book is spent setting things up, establishing the lore etc. etc. for the sequel, but honestly I think, if you are fine with not knowing what happens next, this can be read as a standalone.

In this book, loosely inspired by Tudor history, we follow the six queens of Elben as they discover more about the origins of their role.

I have very mixed feelings about this book! On the one hand, I liked the Tudor inspiration. The author mentions that she did a lot of research, including reading historians such as Alison Weir, and I do think it showed in the character of Boleyn who seemed as complex and nuanced as I believe the real person to have been. That said, the Tudor inspiration only goes so far and the other queens seem less true to character or less developed. The initial plot is intriguing albeit slightly conventional, but either I didn't understand the ending or this is intended as the first book in a series, as the core issues did not appear to have been resolved. I did enjoy the world-building with the different provinces and palaces, and the alternation of the POVs of Boleyn and Seymour (the queens are always referred to by their last names as this is how firstborn children are named in this universe - presumably a bid by the author to avoid confusion between both Annes and Katherine/Catherine).

A recommended read for fans of historical fantasy focusing on themes of sisterhood and the subversion of patriarchal structures.

Thank you to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating- 3 stars
(E-ARC)
Many thanks to Little Brown Group, the author and NetGalley for letting me have an E-ARC of this book

I really wanted to love this book, but it was not the cause. I adored the world building- I thought it was executed really well and really painted a vivid picture of the world in the book. .At times thought I did feel like it went on for too much and I did find skimming parts because it did often repeat in the world building. I always love to read a retelling of the Tudors and was super excited to dive in especially with sapphic reprensation too. Although it was not historically accurate, it was nice to see a retelling in a fantasy world which was filled with dragons, magic etc.

However, this book was not advertised as it was shown. The author really highlighted and emphasises the dragons a lot but when reading the book, there was only lap dragons. I honestly thought that they would have become more into the story but it seemed like it was not the case at all. The sapphic represnation felt off too and felt like it had been added as a tick box. rather than fleshing it out and incrpating into the story.. This book was just not for me and I will not be carrying on with the series.

A new twist on the old tale we all know, Henry and his 6 wives.

Although the wives in this tale are all in existence at the same time and are positioned under ancient law to give the King the power to protect his country.

The Queens are all kept seperate in their own designated castle and Boleyn has fallen for the King as a love match, not like some of the other wives.

Seymour is sent to spy on Boleyn by another jealous Queen and no one expected the two to become allies of sorts.

As Boleyn and Seymour grow closer and start asking questions, maybes the history they know isn't as true as they are led to believe....

I really enjoyed this book, the Tudor vibes intertwined with the magic system was so fun to me. I always loved Boleyn in the other tales, and this book made me love her more!

Would definitely recommend! Out June 10 so not long to wait if this sounds like your kind of thing!

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for the review copy, all opinions my own.

i'm not sure if it was because i was expecting something too high (i saw the words sapphic yearning, court politics, and TPOTOT being mentioned, of course my expectations were high), but this was just okay to me.

so let me start with the pros first. the finale really sets up for the sequel which i liked, and i did really enjoy the court politics aspect that they promised were in this book. also i'm a fan of detailed and descriptive writing in my fantasy, so i also actually don't have an issue with the writing.

however. this book also lacks a lot in my opinion. the pacing, to me, especially in the first half was awful especially when setting up the relationship between seymour and boleyn. the characterizations of the characters as well could've been better? i thought this book would be filled with cunning women but i didn't really see that in this book. also the sapphic yearning in question?? i honestly felt baited because can you really call it that? i will give it benefit of the doubt though for now because this isn't a stand alone.

i do still think this series has potential, especially with how it ended so i might still look out for the sequel when it comes out!

thank you to Orbit UK and Netgalley for the e-ARC.

I’m so excited to have received an ARC of Six Wild Crowns by Holly Race via NetGalley — thank you so much to Holly Race, NetGalley and Little Brown Group UK for the early copy! 🖤

This one had me instantly curious — a blend of historical fiction and fantasy set in a Tudor-inspired world filled with magic, dragons, and political tension? Yes please. 👑🐉

The story reimagines the six wives of a king bound by an ancient magical rule to marry six queens — and these women are anything but passive. It’s female-empowering, intense, and layered with quiet moments of vulnerability and strength. You can expect rivalries, alliances, morally grey characters, and slow-burning tension that keeps you turning the pages.

✨ Tropes I loved:
– enemies to reluctant allies
– sapphic undertones
– court politics
– found purpose
– dragons (did I mention dragons?)

As someone who loves history but hasn’t read much historical fiction, this was such a refreshing crossover. If you’re into atmospheric reads with stakes, strong female leads, and Tudor court vibes… this one’s for you.

📖 Releases June 10th!

Thank you to NetGalley, Orbit and author Holly Race for this eARC

In the beginning I kept on looking for parallels to King Henry the VIII and his six wives (a la The Other Boleyn Girl, but with magic), however except for the names there aren’t any parallels to be found. So whether you are interested in the Tudors or not, will not matter for this book as it’s a completely original story.

And oh I loved this story!
It starts off kinda slow. Instead of diving right into the plot Race takes her time to really develop her characters and her world while giving us little a little trail of breadcrumbs leading to the main plot/conflict.
Once the plot really gets going it just gets even better!
If you want well developed, diverse characters, strong women and a good story you will love this!
I devoured it in a single day and can not wait to read what is next for our Queens!
4.25 stars

Thanks for the opportunity to read and review. Unfortunately I DNF'd this book quite early, likely due to a mismatch between what I thought the book was about and what it actually was. I had assumed this was a historical fantasy novel actually set in Tudor-era England, rather than just adapting the names of Henry's wives to a new story. The start of the world-building also felt very superficial and didn't make much sense - why just transpose so much of the Tudor era when the unique things we learn about this new kingdom actively clash with the original?

Sadly, this book was not for me. I really struggled to get through it. I am obsessed with Six The Musical and it's given me an unhealthy obsession with the Six Queens. This book sounds amazing - the Queens AND dragons???? Sold. But unfortunately this fell really flat. I felt it was very slow and nothing was really happening. I'm so disappointed I didn't love it. Just because I didn't rate it, doesn't mean you won't.

I love a period drama, and I love a herstory retelling where the female figures from our male centred histories are given their time to shine. One can only imagine the lives of Henry’s wives, because history fails to do them any justice beyond their role in his rule, and so I eagerly devour any media about them, jumping at the chance to puzzle them out. Six Wild Crowns is by no means a faithful telling of their potential story, nor does it profess to be, but it is fiendishly entertaining with a lot to say about power, and how it is so often stolen by parasitic men. Boleyn and Seymour are sharp, cutting, and fierce; their attraction to one another, their power dynamic and quick wit makes for a tantalising read as they verbally spar with one another within the confines of court etiquette and then work to establish their own power. The way that Race writes is cinematic and evocative; I can practically feel the stones of the castle and the spray of the surf at Brynd, and quickly empathise with these two women in the tangled webs that have been woven for them. Six Wild Crowns serves as a feminist statement, a bending and embellishment of history which serves to amplify the suffering of women throughout the ages whose shine has been dimmed by the men who subjugate them. Race cherry picks from all of my favourite genres, and in blending them together with her own magical prose creates something totally unique.

I really wanted to love this book. I’m obsessed with this time period and was really intrigued about the way this story was going to unfold with the twist of dragons and assassins but I just couldn’t get into it.

Overall, I enjoyed Six Wild Crowns and did find the story more intriguing from about halfway in. I look forward to learning more about the other Queens (other than Boleyn and Seymour) as I feel they weren't fleshed out enough but I guess this is to set up the overall story for the next book.
I disliked how much Seymour called herself stupid. Clearly, this was a product of how she has grown up, but it was grating.
I know it is supposed to be a fantasy reimagining of Henry XIII and his 6 wives, but other than the names used, it doesn't really scream that to me. Of course, there are some parallels with history, but overall, it's just another story.
I think anyone coming in as a hard-core tudor fan wanting a fantasy reimagining is going to be disappointed. But separating it from that, it's actually OK. Although there are elements that seemingly come out of nowhere and then disappear again. It is an easy read.
The magic and the dragons aren't fully explored in this book, but hopefully, more in the next book.