Pursued, bedded and betrayed by her husband the King, Anne Boleyn's story is equally as complex as it is tragic. Anne through both whim and circumstance comes to possess exactly the same ambitions as her bullish husband - to rule absolute, and to provide an heir to the English throne.

Prince Henry has been raised with the inherited expectation that he will be one day be King and also, that he will never be denied. Anne Boleyn has little affection for the young King, though she absolutely recognizes and respects his singular determination to succeed. With the support of her ambitious family, young Anne is tasked with securing the success of the Boleyns. In the time of such masterminds as Thomas Cromwell, a woman needs to have her wits about her in order to survive the constant plots and dalliances that are part of daily life in the English court. Anne Boleyn has served in foreign courts, and eventually comes to serve the Queen of Henry VIII. Not a great beauty and not even the eldest in her family, Anne is however soon in the sights of a young monarch who does not take no for an answer.

The charm with having also read the first "Queen" book in this series (about Katharine of Aragon) is that the timelines do cross over. Each Queen has knowledge of the next so we will be receiving their own individual viewpoints in each subsequent book; the events that lead to their downfalls are relayed via their own interactions and also via those of their supporters. It is fascinating to see what each Queen might have thought of the other, and also of the various affairs that King Henry VIII carried on with whilst married to each of them.
Of course there seems to be a cast of thousands, each with their own alliances and family entanglements so the reader will need to keep sharp on this throughout the various court intrigues. Henry VIII's flailing attempts to satisfy his own desires and ambitions are quite astonishing and the cruelty shown to almost all women of this time still sits heavy, hundreds of years later.

Author Alison Weir has delivered an accessible piece of historical fiction that both educates and entertains. This brutal time in English history relates as fresh and new as if it all had just occurred and every character is sketched in such a way that we are quick to feel sympathy or disgust. You don't need to be full bottle on the Tudors to enjoy this book as the historical facts are all story interwoven and given weight by the knowledge that real historical figures were involved. Weir's writing style is relatively economical and you do get the sense this is because of the huge amount of content needed to be inserted into the narrative whilst not causing the reader's eyes to glaze over from the factual overload.

You might be a English history buff, a fan of regency drama fiction or just into the chaotic stories of Henry VIII and his doomed queens. SIX TUDOR QUEENS; ANNE BOLEYN, A KINGS OBSESSION will comfortably satisfy all of these reader requirements and give you a fresh take on what we thought was a well known period of English royal history.

i’m not going to lie, i had a lot of mixed feelings about this book. i think the biggest issue i had with this book was how katherine was demonised (which is kind of understandable, seeing as this story is being told from anne’s pov). in doing this, it made me dislike anne boleyn. i’m not really a big tudor fan. i can’t stand henry viii. reading katherine of aragon: the true queen showed me a side of katherine that i didn’t know. through reading the first book, i went on to do my own research, which was extremely interesting and enlightening.

but i didn’t feel the same when reading about anne. instead, it made me hate her even more. i’m not saying katherine was some kind of saint (i mean, i haven’t done that much research into her so i wouldn’t know), but damn i can’t stand anne. no matter how many fictional books that try to glorify her, i still resent the bitch.

and don’t get me started on that ass of a man, henry. i actually kind of liked him in the true queen. like, towards the beginning, before all the anne stuff. he’s such a possessive, controlling ass.

as for the plot, much like the true queen, the king’s obsession dragged on, and on. it took me forever to read. at some point, i was counting the pages, willing it to end faster. i’m not sure if it’s the author’s writing style or what, but the king’s obsession (like the true queen) read a lot like a historical-biography thing rather than a historical fiction book. it went into all these tiny little details of anne’s life, even the ones that had no relation to the plot. although, i suppose the all round plot(/idea) of the series is their lives … it was just really boring. there was no need for this book to be 500+ pages.

i have no idea how historically accurate this book is, but i’ve been informed by hachette nz that alison weir is “one of the uk’s top historians”. although, just because someone is well known doesn’t mean they’re accurate. based on the amount of work that she’s done, i can assume that alison weir knows what she’s talking about.

if you like history, then this book is for you. if you don’t like history, then you probably should stay away. it reads too much like a biography and not enough like a fiction novel. in saying this, it was very insightful to the english court (ps, the french court is better).

I love reading novels about the Tudors, particularly Henry VIII and his constant striving to combine his lustful desires with begetting a male heir to the English throne. This book is the usual tale of the wooing of Anne Boleyn by King Henry VIII and the 'Great Matter' that consumed England during the 1500s, but with a different slant.

Anne is portrayed as a young woman who initially loves Queen Katherine and is tries to discourage Henry's attention and affection. Only later does she become the avaricious, vindictive woman striving for the crown at any expense. Henry is portrayed as a man who seems filled with fear - of God, the Pope, his advisors and even of the women in his life - Katherine, Anne and even his daughter, Mary. Although Henry impulsively follows his desires, he is also portrayed as a prevaricator, easily influenced by those around him and not wanting to offend or lose the good favour of the people he loves, likes or respects. Katherine remains regal and dignified throughout.

The novel is filled with a cast of interesting characters, each with a unique relationship to Henry, Anne or Katherine, and each playing a vital part in how the story unfolds. While the fate of Anne Boleyn is well known and expected, this novel portrays Anne's last days masterfully and evocatively. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. Thanks to Hachette Australia and NetGalley for the ARC.

An intense, refreshing and intriguing account of life as Anne Boleyn

Expected publication: 18 May 2017

Anne Boleyn: A King’s Obsession takes on a new intense, sympathetic perspective on Anne Boleyn’s life. In particular, the author explored a refreshing feminist perspective where Anne was a heroine in her own right – using her powers to influence social policies of the day and using her charm and wit to gain the favour of Henry VIII. What I enjoyed most about this novel is that whilst the story is overall sympathetic to Anne Boleyn, it was told in a believable way. The author added layers to her personality by showing that Anne Boleyn was an imperfect, ambitious woman who is also fragile and insecure throughout her life as mistress and then Queen of Henry VIII. This book chronologically accounts Anne Boleyn’s life from the glamorous French Court where she served as lady in waiting, to her time in the English Court where she ensnared the lust and obsession of Henry VIII. It accounts all her struggles against Queen Katherine (Henry VIII’s first wife) and daughter Mary, the harrowing path to become the new but much hated Queen of England, and ending with her well-known downfall. Overall, it’s a long but intriguing read about what life would have been like as Anne Boleyn who was portrayed as a progressive and spirited woman. A woman who had to choose between love and power, faith and desire, passion and duty. There was substantial research done by the author to make this book an authentic read. I recommend this book for historical fiction lovers!

To be published on our blog and Twitter tomorrow 17 May 2017.

I will literally read anything that Alison Weir writes. This was a lengthy, detailed piece of historical fiction - and I trust in the wide berth of knowledge from Alison - that captivated me from start to finish.

Growing up, I was immensely obsessed with all things Tudors, and read countless books, watched countless films, tv shows and documentaries about them. So of course, as soon as I saw this book here I had to request it. And I wasn't disappointed!