With thanks to netgalley for allowing me review this book.

From what I can remember of this book, I did enjoy it and it was good to see the Tudor court from the two different points of view.

A good book

Katherine Carey, daughter of Mary Boleyn wants nothing more than to leave her impoverished family home in the countryside and join her Aunt Nan at court. When her mother and stepfather finally agree to let Kate go, Aunt Nan, also known as Queen Anne welcomes young Kate with open arms. However, court life is not all fun and games as Kate imagined. Danger, lies and secrets are what Kate finds instead. Queen Anne has already fell out of favor with the King, Kate is unable to walk alone through the castle and everyone but Kate seems to know the secret behind her and her brother Henry's true parentage. After Queen Anne has an unsuccessful pregnancy and fails to give the King a male heir, conditions at court turn worse for the Boleyn family and Kate chooses to stay with her Aunt through her final days.

Written for a young adult audience, The Light in the Labyrinth was also a pleasant read as an adult. From the unique point of view of Mary Boleyn and King Henry's daughter, Kate, a character is created that sees Queen Anne in only a positive light. Kate's character is younger and naive to court life, everything that she discovers is new and different. She handles herself well, but not without some mistakes along the way. What I loved most about her character was that Kate was not afraid to speak up to her father, the King. Kate also discovers love for the first time with an age-appropriate romance with Francis Knollys. Since this is a young adult book there is not as much court intrigue, deception and plotting adult books; however, the main historical events portrayed are accurate. Overall, this is a Tudor book I would have have enjoyed reading when I was a teen.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

A historical fiction from a teens point of view that isn't pandering is hard to find, but I think this pulls it off well. The snapshots of Anne Boleyn's life mixed in with this loyal young cousin in the 1500s are incredibly interesting. This can be a bit rich for some people, but having a passing background knowledge of the Tudors I feel really helped me with this. Not my favourite book but one I still do recommend as it was enjoyable.

I'm always excited to see young adult books with historical settings. So many very young people were at the heart of major events in history, and I think it's an underrepresented genre.

Book feature to appear on my blog in March.

All that glitters is not gold ... as 14yo Kate Carey, daughter of Mary Boleyn will soon discover as she arrives at the court of her aunt Anne in 1535. What she will find is a viper's nest of secrets and scandal that will force her to grow up very quickly if she is to survive.

Told from the perspective of Kate, whose loyalty to her kin is remarkable in these last few months of Anne's life - a loyalty that could see her own downfall.

As the saying goes, sometimes the grass is not always greener on the other side.

Almost Exclusively Plot

First off, let me say I love just about any book that is Tudor related, so this book was right up my alley. Kate Carey is the niece of Anne Boleyn. She is unhappy with her life with her mother, her new (and in Kate’s opinion) beneath her husband Will Stafford, and her step brother and sister. She finally get permission to go to court to serve her aunt Anne, who is Queen of England. Upon arriving, however, she quickly learns just how perilous court life can be with treachery and lies available at every turn. One wrong move or one slip of the tongue could spell disaster. Kate also learns that Anne is also in a very dangerous position, having thus far failed to produce a male heir.
Kate witnesses the last 5 months of Anne’s rule, and her ultimate downfall.


In Conclusion

I loved this book. What else is there for me to say?

For several years, I had an extreme fascination with Tudor history and read anything I could get my hands on. While there have been many periods where I did not read a book about that time in history, I do occasionally read something set during the reign of Henry VIII.

The Light in the Labyrinth called to me and did not disappoint. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the time proceeding the death of Anne Boleyn through the eyes of her teenaged niece. While much is conjecture on the part of Ms. Dunn, the story does present an interesting take on what led to the demise of Anne Boleyn. The author also integrates a rumored paternity of the main protagonist.

Overall, this was definitely an interesting read and one I'd recommend to any teen or young adult studying the time period.

Most books set in the Tudor era either take place far from the palace, or with the main players in the drama. This gives us a rare glimpse into what life must have been like for a young woman just arriving at court, totally unprepared for what awaits her. I've seen the story from the POV of the king and the queen, and this was a refreshing perspective that I absolutely loved.

I’m a big fan of Tudor history so I jumped at the chance to read this novel — especially with it coming from such a fresh perspective. Anne Boleyn’s life and time as queen remains one of the most fascinating aspects of Tudor reign and this volume of work didn’t disappoint. It allows us to imagine a different side of her and her family. We see more humanity and some humility. This quickly coming of age story is a constant reminder of how life around us helps to shape who we are as Cate grows through the truth of her past and the uncertainty and fear for her and her family’s future. The attention that Cate pays to her aunt is in short intoxicating as my love for Anne was my first reason for choosing this novel.

I felt going into this was going to be like Phillipa Gregory and i was not disappointed. It was interesting to see a story from Catherine Carey's point of view. I liked the way the story was set up and how it progressed and it made me want too continue on with it. I liked the characters and the way that Dunn wrote the characters really made them come alive. The way that she wrote was enjoyable to and it helped build up my connection to the story.

"Then she was a different person, an innocent cast into a dark labyrinth. Time had rendered it less dark, but only for the light to reveal fearful paths of hate, jealousy and suspicion. She was no longer the innocent girl who had arrived at court five months ago." – my favourite quote from the ARC of "The Light in the Labyrinth"

The novel "The Light in the Labyrinth" tells the history of Anne Boleyn’s demise from the perspective of her niece, Katherine Carey. Katherine was a daughter of Mary Boleyn, who was famous for her dalliance with King of France and later with Henry VIII Tudor – King of England. Her life was beautifully described in Philippa Gregory’s novel “The Other Boleyn Girl”. Mary Boleyn’s life was fascinating, but so was the life of Anne Boleyn.

At the beginning of the book Katherine was thirteen years old. She was considered a maiden by the Tudor standards, but behaved like a typical modern teenager. She fought with her mother, her stepfather and hated her younger siblings. She considered herself to be misunderstood, lonely and unloved. She was also ready to give her heart to a first handsome boy, that showed her some interest :)

What more can be said? "The Light in the Labyrinth" is interesting historical fiction for young adults. It presents historical figures in empathic light and makes it easy to imagine life in the Tudor’s court. The main character Katherine loved and idealised her aunt Anne Boleyn and painted a very touching portrait of her. There is some romance, court intrigues, dark secrets, dreadful feeling of impending doom, litres of tears and a gruesome execution at the end.

I enjoyed the book, but I was a little disappointed by the simple picture of Anne Boleyn, that emerged from the story. In real life she must be a fascinating, complex woman, but in the novel I found her one-dimensional. I also felt that the villains of the story – Thomas Cromwell and Henry VIII were too simplified. After watching “The Tudors” and reading “Wolf Hall” by Hilary Mantel it was hard for me to treat them as simple villains. Of course from the perspective of a thirteen year old girl they might appear this way.

I would recommend this book for all history lovers, especially for readers interested in the Tudors and Anne Boleyn's life.

I received "The Light in the Labyrinth" from the publisher via NetGalley. I would like to thank the author and the publisher for providing me with the advance reader copy of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wendy J Dunn for allowing me to read and review this book. What can I say other than that I love a good, well-written historical novel? I enjoyed this book. 5/5

My thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book for review. This one I picked because it was set in Tudor England, Henry VIII’s court to be specific, and told through the eyes of young Catherine ‘Kate’ Carey, daughter of Mary Boleyn, and Anne’s niece.
Kate Carey is disgruntled with her life at home with her mother and stepfather, Will Stafford, perplexed at why her mother married so much beneath her, and why she has to stay home with her new step brother and sister while her brother Henry is at court. When finally, she gets permission to go to court, she finds life there completely unlike what she had expected. Danger and treachery lie at every step, every unguarded word, every friendship even, can in the blink of an eye spell doom. For a young girl like Kate, despite her position, the court isn’t the safest of places either (this wasn’t something I’d realised from the other books I’ve read set in Tudor England). Life isn’t much rosier for her aunt the Queen, as Kate also finds for Anne hasn’t yet given the King his heir, and her past ally Cromwell is now her enemy awaiting his chance to bring her down for they no longer see eye to eye. As she navigates through the court in the last five months of Anne’s life, Kate has to grow up all too soon, facing truths of her own life, and supporting her aunt, who she loves very much, and who loves her in turn through the very heavy trials that lie ahead, the very heaviest one among them.

I thought the author did a great job of telling Anne’s tale from Kate Carey’s perspective, and gives us a credible portrayal of the world of Henry’s court through the eyes of a naive fourteen-year-old. Kate is really only a child when she first arrives―a typical adolescent with dreams and also her share of tantrums (of a kind) but once at court she must already start facing truths she had been protected from so far, and face the often ugly reality of life. But on the positive side for her is her love story with her future husband Francis Knollys, who she also meets at court.

Cromwell in this story is also the villain of the piece, certainly like some portrayals I’ve read of him (unlike the more positive image that Hilary Mantel has painted in her books) – but one realises in this as in so much historical fiction (or even non-fiction, for that matter), so much depends on perspective―the same person can well be a hero or a villain, depending on whose story is being told.

I also enjoyed the author’s take on Anne Boleyn herself. We see her as a strong, and courageous woman who may have been arrogant, and certainly ambitious but as one who did love her husband, and who wanted really to do something for the country once she was Queen. I also liked the somewhat “feminist” interpretation that the author gave to Anne’s character which was as much responsible for her downfall as were the conspirators plotting to bring her down.

This was a really enjoyable read for me. I wonder why it is classed as YA though―besides of course the fact that it is written from the perspective of a young adult. The fact that it spares us some of the gore (all it cannot), and leaves some things in the shadows didn’t for me necessarily make it YA. Anyone who enjoys historical fiction generally, and fiction set in the Tudor period in particular would enjoy this one. Great read.

The writing was simply not for me on this one. Dragged with a lot of unnecessary descriptions.

The Light in the Labyrinth is the story of Katherine "Kate" Carey, daughter of Mary Boleyn and niece to Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII. Young Kate is 14, impulsive, self absorbed, in other words, a typical 14 year old. Kate wants nothing more than to go to court and serve her "aunt Nan", the Queen of England, rather than remain in the home which she views as impoverished and backwater. But Henry's court is a perilous place, especially for a naive teenager, and especially at this time, when Henry is anxious for a son and his marriage is beginning to show cracks. Every friend is a potential enemy and it's impossible to know who to trust. Everyone has taken a side, and it's hard to predict just whose side has been taken. Kate's time at the court covers aunt Nan's miscarriage, the rise of Jane Seymour and the fall of Anne Boleyn, including her farce of a trial, and right up to Queen Anne's very end. The book is well researched, well written, and a wonderful read especially for young adults who will relate quite easily to Kate.

Kate Carey is the daughter of Mary (Carey) Stafford, and niece to the queen of England. While she chaffs under her mothers care, angry at the world, she longs more than anything to be at court with her aunt, where she is sure that she will be more loved than she is at home.
Mary Stafford wants nothing more to protect her daughter from the intrigue at court, but she is holding secrets of her own, that Kate knows nothing about.
When Kate finally gets to court, she is blown away by the secrets and the scandal that seem to run rampant through the court. Her aunt is unhappy, and seems preoccupied with everything but her niece. Kate begins to wonder if coming to court was a good idea.
As life in the palace begins to calm to a norm, there are more issues that arise, and her aunt, Queen Anne begins to fear for her life. Factions at court are working to bring her aunt down, and Kate finds that her loyalty is pushed to new heights, defending and comforting her aunt.
As the road for leads to the Tower for Anne Boleyn, Kate is more determined than ever to stick next to her aunt - until whatever the end might bring.

Great read, and very enjoyable! This is one that will keep you engaged from page one. Definitely worth the read. While I am not a fan of the Tudor's, I enjoyed this book told from the perspective of a fourteen year old girl, while learning an entirely new way of life.


**I received an ARC from NetGalley for a fair and impartial review**Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book.

„The Light in the Labyrinth“, a novel by Wendy J. Dunn, first published in 2014, tells the well-known tragic story of Anne Boleyn, second wife to King Henry VIII. In contrast to other novels concerning the same subject, this narration is presented from the perspective of Anne´s fourteen-year-old niece Katherine Carey, daughter of Anne´s „infamous“ sister Mary Boleyn, herself a former mistress of the king.
Katherine is an immature and naive young girl when she comes to the Tudor court in the autumn of 1535. She joins her aunt, Queen Anne, to become a lady-in-waiting. Having come to spite her mother and her stepfather, she soon develops into a mature young woman, a strong personality and proves loyal to her aunt, who – as she discovers - finds herself in dire straits as she has failed to give the king a long-hoped-for son. Henry has already chosen another woman as a successor for Anne and with the help of Thomas Cromwell he is busy planning her downfall.
The characters are well developed, especially the description of Henry VIII matches the characterization found in other novels and biographies. Katherine Carey is shown with good and less amenable character traits, only Queen Anne seems to be a bit idealized.
The story unfolds in a well-researched context and presents a lot of information about Tudor history. Although the novel was written for young adults, it makes for enjoyable reading for older readers as well.
It can be recommended for any reader with a keen interest in Tudor history.

Fans of Philippa Gregory/Tudor Historical Fictional books will love this book.

By wanting to escape her family home , Catherine Carey becomes the attendant of her queen and aunt, Anne Boleyn, and witness her aunt's fall from grace..

Although I enjoy these type of genres of books, the characters in this book could use a little "fleshing" out and show more emotion than what was in the book.

This book is excellent for fans of Phillippa Gregory's works. It's historical fiction from the viewpoint of a barely mentioned bystander, in this case Katherine Carey, niece of Anne Boleyn, who was with her at the tower and there at her execution.

After reading The Other Boleyn Girl, I believed Katherine and her brother were the illegitimate children of Henry VIII. It makes sense. So I was really interested to read a book from her point of view that also followed that belief.

I was disappointed, unfortunately. For one thing, Kate spends the majority of this book being a dreadful spoiled brat and pain in the ass. Thou art high and mighty and need a kick in the bottom.

Add to that, there is an awful lot of scenery chewing going on in here, including the regular appearances of Kate's dreadful poetry. And don't get me started on her falling in love with Francis Knollys. If that's how people fell in love in the 16th century, it explains a lot.

There is definitely an audience for this book. I do not think it's YA in the strictest of terms, at least not any of the YA readers I know. But there is an audience.

When I saw this book in the Read Now section of NetGalley, I just had to get it! I am a sucker for a Tudor historical fiction, and I have been very interested in Young Adult historical fiction lately, it's a subgenre I haven't read much of, but I really like it!

This is the story of the fall of Anne Boleyn, told by the point of view of Kate Carey, daughter of Anne Boleyn's sister, Mary. Raised in the countryside by her mom and her stepfather, Kate dreams of going to court with her aunt, the Queen of England, her image so full of glamour and majesty. When she finally gets the chance to do that, Kate finds herself immersed in the political drama and all the gossip of court, a labyrinth of fake smiles, strict rules and secretive plots. 

This book was very entertaining! Kate starts out as an innocent, very spoiled and angsty girl who resents her mother for having re-married low and not be living at court with her glamorous aunt. As the book goes on, she matures quickly, as the court demands that she turns from girl to a careful woman. I was mad sometimes at how innocent she was, but she was thirteen and living in the country, so I was not surprised by that at all. It felt to me that the other characters were done in a black-and-white manner, without as much complexity and grey character and I would expect from a Tudor story. Cromwell was basically a caricature villain and Anne Boleyn and sweet woman who wanted nothing else than to be loved by her husband. That I thought was too simplistic for a woman who was surely a victim of circumstances but I also believe was very intelligent and scheming - we didn't get to see that side of her, really.

All in all, I really enjoyed the book! Kate is not a very common character to show so much in Tudor stories, so it was nice to see her side of the story. The story does get gruesome at some parts, as it builds tension.

Spoiler: Well, it's history so I don't know if it's a spoiler, but... I wish the ending would have involved telling a little of what happens with Kate after the event of  take place. She goes on to become a maid for Henry's other wives and to Elizabeth, and she and her husband go on to have 14 kids! They fled to Germany when Mary was in power because they were protestants and came back once Elizabeth was in power and invited them back.