The easiest way I could describe this book is Wolf Hall meets Game of Thrones, an intriguing premise that did not disappoint. A fabulously written story that was a pleasure to read. I would absolutely recommend this book, it was brilliant, cannot wait for the next book

I really liked the idea of the premise – tudors and fantasy is a combination of two of my favourite interests but it ended up being too adult for me and i had to DNF.
I read up until 14% but I had already encountered several open door sex scenes, several sexual innuendos and animal sacrifice which became a bit much for me personally. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy a more adult read because this is a definite 18+ and a really interesting premise. So while personally this book was not for me the writing style the premise and the direction that it was going to go are all things that a lot of readers would enjoy and I would recommend it if you don’t mind sexual content and crudity as well as an underlying violence.

First of all I wanted to thank Netgalley and the publisher Little Brown UK for the opportunity to read this book in preview! Thank you so much!

But let's talk about Sex Wild Crown! What is this book about:
- Release: June 10
- Historically inspired fantasy
- The Tudors and Henry VIII's wives
- court intrigues, plots, dragons and magic (and wives)
- sapphic romance sub plot
- for who loved My Lady Jane

Let's talk about this book that won me over for the plot, being a fantasy reinterpretation of the facts regarding Henry VIII's wives.
I must say that I was drawn into reading it above all for this reason, because I love this historical period and all the court gossip that concerns this period of English history that I find extremely fascinating.

What's going on? Henry VIII is always THE rat in the story too, even if he is cute and cuddly, since here he marries all his wives at the same time, also making them compete with each other. The main characters of the book are in particular (Anne) Boleyn and (Jane) Seymour, whose POVs we read during the narration.
I must say that the book transported me, because the timing is very dynamic and fast, which helps considerably to proceed with the reading; I certainly appreciated that despite the changes, since we are in a retelling, all the figures of the period are there, including Wyatt, who usually never appears in this type of narration!
I must say that overall I found it cute even if a little too stiff, rigid in what is the narration, especially the initial one but also in general. The book is nice but in my opinion if it had had a little more character from a narrative point of view and for the fact that perhaps the story did not stand out much outside of what we know about what really happened. In short, nice, a pleasant read but it could have definitely been a TOP!

I am so glad that I got to read this! It was incredible from the start. The prose, the characters, everything about this book was amazing and I can't wait to read the second book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I heard about a fantasy inspired by the wives of Henry VIII I squealed and then immediately pre-ordered it. My bread + butter books as a teenager were feminist historical fiction novels (a lot of Philippa Gregory) and my all time favourite genre is fantasy so this book felt like it was written specifically for me. And it somehow still managed to be even better than I expected it to be.

Set in a kingdom called Elben, ruled by a King who must have six wives through whom he can channel his power and maintain the magical border that protects the kingdom, the world of this book was a delight to discover. The lap dragons, the castles, the magic; it was all delicious and so easy for me to imagine. Having a bit of knowledge about the key players in Henry VIII's court definitely helped me to settle into this world but I do feel like Race still gives you plenty to go on if you don't have any prior knowledge of this period. Having said that, she also doesn't restrict herself, the plot or the characters just for the sake of historical accuracy. I honestly felt like she balanced this perfectly.

The pacing of the book was great, starting a little slower to let you settle in but quickly getting into the thick of it. Another author might have dragged out the events of the first half of this book into a whole book on its own, and that would have been fine, but Race doesn't and I found that refreshing; she has a destination in mind and my goodness was it a hell of a journey to get there. SO MUCH HAPPENS IN THIS BOOK! I devoured it. I loved every second. I am already desperate for book 2 and the first one isn't even out yet. Send help.

My favourite part of this book though was the characters so I am going to gush a little bit.

'She had thought she would be the exception'

Boleyn is lively, confident, and driven; she flouts rules and etiquette in a way that Henry finds alluring and charming. She refuses to be put in a box, she does exactly what she wants to do, damn the consequences, because she does not know how to exist any other way. She is also selfish, and can be mean at times, which made her feel like a real person to me. And she is CLEVER; everytime I found myself thinking 'surely she wouldn't fall for this' or 'surely she wouldn't be stuck on this' - she proves me right and that was refreshing as well as compelling. She is too clever for her own good, and it is this cleverness, as well as her determination, that drives much of this plot. Her development throughout this story is beautiful and satisfying to read.

'We're on your side, sister'
'That doesn't mean you can't be on their's too'

And Seymour, my beloved Seymour. Oh my god, FINALLY a 30 year old queer female main character in a fantasy. Seymour is subdued, overlooked and painfully lacking in self belief, and this leads people to mistake her for someone who is easily manipulated, without thoughts of her own. But she has a strength of character that is absent in many of those around her, and she learns to use their perceptions of her as an advantage in a world where women, even queens, do not have much power over their own lives. Seeing her come into her own, and take charge of her own life, was a joy to read.

'all the ways she has steered her ship into stormier waters through her refusal to take the wheel, through her own blind acceptance. Well, her eyes are open now'

I haven't even talked about the plot, because I don't know how to without spoiling it. But it is such a good one; this is a story about women coming together in the face of a society that tries to set them against each other for its own gain. I cannot wait for the next installment, I cannot wait to get hold of a physical copy, thank you Holly Race for writing this book. I deeply needed to read it.

With thanks to netgalley for giving me the chance to review this book.

I got about 40 pages into the book but it became a DNF, nothing about it held my interest and I was put off a little about Anna's brother being able to smell her 'period'. Not for me.

Six Wild Crowns is an enchanting tale told through the eyes of two notorious figures of history reimagined in a vibrant fantasy world. The ending is incredibly done - so beautiful and poignant, but also kinda sad at the same time.

*Instagram review will be published in the next two weeks & in the days surrounding publication*

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher Little Brown Book Group UK and the author Holly Race for providing me with this E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Sacrificing a dragon on your wedding day? Bold choice! Wouldn’t have been my first thought, but hey, different times, I guess?

This book is what happens when you take the drama of Tudor history, sprinkle in some magic, throw in a menagerie of dragons (more on them in a second), and let the chaos unfold. It takes a minute to get going, but once Boleyn and Seymour are locked in their deliciously petty rivalry—between each other or perhaps more with Henry—I was hooked. And then you have Sir Wyatt strolling in, all charm and bad decisions, throwing Boleyn off her game? Yeah, I get it girl! Meanwhile, Henry and Seymour initially seemed like a healthier match, but by the end, I was ready to throw Henry into a dragon pit myself. What a stupid little prick.

Speaking of dragons—oh my GOD, the dragons. There are lampdragons (not to be confused with lapdragons, which, as the name suggests, are meant to lounge on your lap like little winged cats). Then we’ve got honey dragons, which are tiny, buzzing dragons. I was CACKLING at how casually they were just there, as if it’s completely normal to have your royal court swarming with tiny chaos lizards.

And of course, the book serves up some absolute bangers of quotes. “What’s the point of the hunt unless there’s a little death at the end?”—chilling, iconic, love it. And then there’s “There’s something distressing about the thought of ruining a book, isn’t there?”—YES. Finally, someone understands the horror of a cracked spine!

Overall, Six Wild Crowns is an absolute ride. It blends history and fantasy so seamlessly that I almost believed Queen Seymour did have a pet panther (which, let’s be real, she totally should have). If you love political intrigue, dragons galore, and just a touch of unhinged Tudor drama, you need this book on your TBR!

Keep your eye on this Tudor-inspired fantasy coming in the beginning of JUNE this year!!

Thank you to Orbit Books and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

How do you even begin to write a review for a book you never knew you needed but turned out to be everything you’ve ever wanted? Well I will do my best but I don’t think that my words will be able to do the justice of Six Wild Crowns the justice It truly deserves.

A historical fantasy based around the tudors, Henry the IV’s time to be specific. And you might be thinking how can a gout ridden murderous king be the subject of such a beautiful fantasy book? Well… its because he’s not. This is the story of two complex, beautifully flawed, contrasting, charismatic and divine female main characters; Boelyn & Seymour. Set in a world were the reigning monarch must always have 6 wives, each holding their own seat at one of the 6 castles through the Kingdom of Elben in order to keep the bordweal magic encircling the Kingdom thriving. Keep their enemies out and the people safe. But what happens when the true monsters may lurk within?

Holly Race has crafted two female protagonists who will make you feel like they are apart of your own Soul. I saw myself and so many other women and girls in my life inside so many of the women in this book and not just our main two protagonists; It’s a book filled with the struggles, the strengths and the sheer beauty of the myriad of things it means to be a woman and not just a woman but a woman in a man’s world…This world just happens to be filled to the brim with wondrous magic and dragons (including lap dragons YES LAP DRAGONS).

A tale of women and the beauty in how strong they truly are especially when they’re not isolated from one another, competing and comparing against one another. A sisterhood of heart, souls and minds and the power that they can collectively hold; how that said power, of women joined in unity rather than separated by hate, jealousy and disdain typically seeded by any patriarchal system can be the very thing that threatens that separating authority, be it in physical form or in the “ideals” that are romanticised and subconsciously absorbed by the masses.

I felt beyond protective of these characters for different reasons and as much as I wish I could delve into that in this review, I don’t feel like I would be giving them what they are due. The complexity and depths to these characters is some of the best I have come across and can only urge you to pick this up to explore them, this stunning world with its unique magic system and a plot that had me on the edge of my seat and Holly’s ingenious writing.

Lies, deceit, betrayals, sacrifices, love, friendship and the bond of womanhood. Holly, thank you so much for writing this book it took a piece of my soul with it when I closed it. I will scream from every rooftop in England about it if I have to. Keep your eyes peeled for this marvel of a fantasy book JUNE 2025.

I did finally finish it! The Henry VIII/Tudor setting never stopped being jarring. It's really interesting period in English history but this weird isolated 'England' with magic and dragons and whatnot ignored why it was interesting. Henry as part of some unbroken line from Aethelred? Was there no War of the Roses? How does Scotland fit into the magical barrier (Or Wales?) Or the Norman Conquest?
The book would've been stronger if it were just another magical universe, which would have also given Rice a little more freedom. The 'sapphic longing' remains just longing which felt very 90s.
Overall, it was a very frustrating read.

When you take one of the most famous Kings in British history, and all six of his wives, and put them in a fantasy setting, you get a wonderful story that is compelling in a way that you will find hard to put down until you have finished. And then once it is done, it will leave you wanting more.

Henry is the King of Elben, an island nation that has fought off conquests for centuries because of the power of the King. He has six wives, and each wife controls one of the six castles around the island's edges. Each wife bonds to the castle, and that helps the magic that keeps the island secure and the King powerful. Henry is happy, he has a wife to suit each mood, and most are loved by their people. All except Queen Boleyn. Her people do not like her, she is ambitious and strong-willed and acts too much like a man. And then there is Seymour; a former lady in waiting to Boleyn, who was sent to her with a mission, but soon becomes a Queen herself.

But what happens when the Queens start to bond? Will the power dynamic on the island change, and what does that mean for the King?

I loved this book, I loved that it was based on Tudor history, but the fantasy element was brilliant. A must-read!

A fresh and unmissable take on a classic tale of historical fiction, Six Wild Crowns is the story of the wives of Henry, and what they could have done together. This is packed with strong characters, female friendships, and the perfect bit of fantasy. I absolutely loved seeing Boleyn's plots unfold, and her relationships with the other queens and herself grow, throughout this novel. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys feminist historical fiction retellings, with some fantasy mixed in.

Six Wild Crowns offers a fabulous new twist on a well-known part of history, bringing a fresh and creative perspective to a familiar backdrop. The author’s ability to blend historical elements with fantasy aspects was one of the highlights of this book. I loved how Holly Race took a well-established historical framework and twisted it into something new and exciting. It felt like a refreshing take on the genre. The world-building was imaginative, and the incorporation of fantastical elements into historical events added an intriguing layer to the narrative.

The writing itself was easy to follow, which made for an engaging reading experience overall. However, while I thoroughly enjoyed the concept and the overall world the author created, there were moments when the plot felt like it lacked momentum and began to drag. There were sections in the middle where the story seemed to slow down, and almost halt, and I found myself wishing for more forward movement or excitement.

Overall, Six Wild Crowns has a lot of potential, and I think readers who enjoy historical fantasy with a unique twist will find much to love here.

This was a bold and brave take on the history of Henry and his six queens, set in the mythical land of elben rather than each bride being sequential, Henry takes six queens to fill each of the castles as legend states the king needs six wives to uphold the bordweal - a magical barrier that keeps elben secure from invasion.

Chaos and rebellion is the fuel for the six wild crowns in this book, from polyamory being normalised, sapphic affairs, and a foundation of twisted religion that may not be as it all seems. Boleyn and Seymour are the main focus and protagonists in this novel, and through untangling lies that have twisted their way around true history, power struggles and betrayal become a duo I came to love, which was a surprise as they begin at odds with each other but grow into something else entirely.

This is the beginning to an unbeatable fantasy world that I cannot wait to see grow and will surely be a series that becomes a top fantasy with readers hooked for years to come. Personally, i found the initial world-building a bit dreary and dense which had me feeling unconfident in my final review, but once we saw discoveries of truth and sparks of rebellion I felt much more engaged. Knowing going into this it was about all six queens i was initially shocked it may just be one book, but with that ending I am confident that this will grow into a series of jaw-dropping, strong women, kicking ass, putting a more feminist lense on the true tragedies that our real tudor queens experienced.

I do think Six Wild Crowns was a little slow to start, still when it got going - it really got going. The wives being called by their historical surnames was a little hard for me to take seriously at times but I still enjoyed Boleyn as a character a lot, though I'm glad it didn't necessarily go down the same route as blaming Rochford for everything because that's overdone in Tudor related media. I am intrigued by what the sequel will bring.

WOW Holly Race what an incredible book you have written I loved it so much My love for Anne Boleyn is even stronger after reading about her in this fantasy world I loved that all six queens had their own palace at the same time
I also now really want a dragon
Can't wait for the next book to see what Jane
Seymour does next

Thank you very much for this eARC.

A sapphic, female rage filled fantasy spin on Henry VIII and his six wives.

It took me a little while to settle into this book—I think the tone of the narration is different to the usual sorts of books I like, and I slightly struggled with how characters fell in love with each other so rapidly, their emotions less mature than I might expect from an adult novel. It also felt like Seymour, one of our two main characters, was a bit unstable in her goals. But as the plot unfolded, and as Seymour finally made active choices, I was drawn into the story.

I enjoyed a lot of the original ideas in the narrative—King Henry marrying six wives at once to protect the magical boundaries of his kingdom is a cool concept that made me want to read this book—and from this starting point, I could not possibly have guessed where the story was headed. There are garnets that are red from the blood of a massacre. There are magical mirrors allowing the Queens to see each other.

At points, the worldbuilding was a bit chaotic—the world is simultaneously queer-normative and polyamory-accepting, but deeply patriarchal and sexist. Dragons exist, but not in a particularly plot-relevant way, and magical super-fast roads connect the 6 castles to the centre of the Kingdom, presumably because otherwise the book would be full of awkward time-skips. As I got into the book, I accepted that the world was not going to be totally logical, and decided to just enjoy the ride.

I enjoyed the exploration of how Henry’s wives were put into boxes, or else assumed to be rivals of each ofher—mirroring the historical narratives often told today about his six wives. The subsequent challenging of these ‘boxes’ in the narrative itself was also clever—the confident Boleyn is full of insecurity and vulnerability, where the so-called ‘blank page’ Seymour is full of surprises and cunning of her own. And more, when Boleyn and Seymour begin to realise that pitting the queens against each other helps no one, and that they were more powerful forming alliances, I thought this was a really neat way of turning common historical narrative on its head.

The book had its dark moments, and I enjoyed that it did not shy away from the violence the Queens faced—but it was also exciting and hopeful, as the Queens began to realise how much power they did have. I’ll be reading the sequel when it comes out and recommending to anyone who enjoys romantasy!

Six Wild Crowns by Holly Race - what a wild ride this was. Historical characters we all know but not as we know them. Throw in a fantasy world with dragons and magic and you have an awesome mix. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope for more in the same world.

this was a good time!! i'm never sure going into historical fantasies if i'm going to like them or not, but as soon as i read the synopsis for this, i was intrigued so much (even if most of my knowledge comes from six the musical lol). i loved the premise, the narrative, and that even though the chapters were only told from boleyn and seymour's perspectives, we still got to see the other queens. i'm guessing from the fact this this is going to be a trilogy (and from the events of the penultimate chapter 😭) that the pov's will be from different queens next time, and i cannot wait!! i'll definitely be looking out for the other two releases when they come out!!

thank you to netgalley and little brown book group for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

Incredibly assured and seductive writing that draws you in from the very first line, Race will have you spellbound until the breathless end. This is Philippa Gregory with dragons and you’re going to want to tell all your friends about it!