3.5 Stars
Not for the Tudor history buff, but an excellent introduction to this tumultuous chapter in English history for a teen reader.
The alternating authors are wonderful and really help delineate one queen from the next by providing a unique voice and style.

I have always loved this period of English history and I was very excited to see this book from the perspective of all 6 wives. Great for fans of historical fiction!

Fatal Throne is a fascinating piece of historical fiction that comes alive through the perspective of Henry VIII’s wives. I have read many books about the life of Henry VIII. But nothing like this. It was interesting to read about his demeanor through the eyes of the women he married, divorced, or beheaded. However, Henry’s perspective was also told following each wife’s story. I think this part took away from the wives’ narratives, but I can understand why it was included. Overall, a great read and highly recommended.

I am a serious Tudor Era nerd. I have researched, studied, read and researched some more. All things King Henry VIII and his wives, plus their various family members, I read thoroughly and happily. So when I received 'Fatal Throne' for review, I was both excited and apprehensive. I was curious to see how these authors gave voice to the wives, but worried that they wouldn't do them justice.

My worries were for naught.

What a BRILLIANT book. I could seriously hug each of the authors breathless, for the beautiful, sensitive way in which each presented the six wives of Henry. Catherine of Aragorn is my favorite wife, and I knew after crying my way through her story that this book was going to be amazing. Each wife was fleshed out so incredibly, and given such an authentic voice, that I feel that I have met these women personally. 'Fatal Throne' has haunted me since I turned the last page. A definite treasure for this reader.

Fatal Throne is perfect for those just beginning to read about Henry VIII and his six wives. Each queen details and summarizes important periods in their life and individual downfalls. The accounts are simplistic and easy to read. After telling their stories, Henry has to get the last word and plays the victim in some form each time.

For those who are already well read on the Tudors, this book offers nothing new. What I did like, however, is that unlike some of the run-of-the-mill Tudor books—we get to see the importance of religion (whether Catholic or Protestant) was to women like Katharine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, and Kateryn Parr. It’s often overlooked for the more seedier happenings of the time. These women were more well-rounded, complicated individuals and not mere stereotypes to be boxed in.

The best perspective, I think, in this book was Anna (or Anne) of Cleves. She is often one of the more ignored ones aside from the whole ‘ugly’ business. Her story stood out to me above the others. I’m nitpicky about Katharine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, but they were passable for what this collection is supposed to be.

I enjoyed reading this book very much. Each of the six wives told her own story, and Henry told his.

I teach British Literature. Henry, his wives, and children are a large chuck of our study. I think this book could help to understand the period.

This unbiased review is in exchange for an ARC from NetGalley.

"Fatal Throne" is a multi-author narrative of the wives of Henry VIII (as well as Henry himself). Here's what is good about it: It is *exactly* the book teenage me would've gobbled up--a solidly written YA historical novel. It is well founded in fact (within reasonable allowance for being a novel) and my heart rejoices at the bibliography at the end.

What's not so good: Honestly, I may be dinging the book for something that isn't its fault--it doesn't feel like it brings anything new to the genre of Henry VIII-era historical fiction. The characters of the wives--the devout Katherine, defiant Anne, mild Jane, wise Anna, hormonal Catherine, and adroit Catherine--are met in much greater depth in other books, without a lot of new insight here. In addition, the pieces in Henry's voice don't really register--even now, looking back on the book, I couldn't give you much of a description of Henry's character from his points of view.

A handpicked crew of YA authors offer first person narratives from the six wives of Henry VIII, tied together by a version from Henry himself. This is notable for using the most recent (20 years) of research on Anne of Cleves and Katherine Parr, so they're not the Flanders Mare and Matronly Nurse of standard histories.