Six Wild Crowns delivers an intriguing mix of court politics, magic, and power struggles, crafting a story that feels both familiar and fresh. While it draws inspiration from history, it leans more into fantasy, focusing on the complex relationships between the queens rather than strict historical parallels. The world is compelling, though some of its magical elements feel more like decoration than a driving force. Still, the dynamic between Boleyn and Seymour adds plenty of intrigue, making for a tense, character-driven story. A solid, engaging read with plenty of political drama.

thank you so much for the approval- i cannot wait to dive in, this is one of my most anticipated reads of the year! i will be sure to leave a review on GR/retailers to come! 💞

I really wanted to love this story as the premise sounded so interesting but it feels slightly flat for me. I felt like the fact that it was loosely based of the six wives of Henry the 6th completely unnecessary as it was so loosely based of it that it could have been a completely different set of people without any changes to the story.
I also felt like there wasn't enough explanation in parts where we needed it but then too much in other parts. I can't get too far into it without being too spoilery.
I did like the two different POVs and the court intrigue.
I will be interested in seeing how this series matures but as it stands right now I wouldn't read the second book.

Holly Race’s Six Wild Crowns is an absolute amazing book, it is a breathtaking blend of adventure, intrigue, and stunning world-building. The story behind this idea is so cool to me, with her taking some idea of the Tudor queens with an imaginative spin!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Holly Race’s Six Wild Crowns offers a captivating blend of historical inspiration and fantasy elements. Set in the kingdom of Elben, the narrative reimagines the tales of King Henry and his six queens, weaving a story rich with court intrigue, magic, and complex character dynamics.

The novel primarily focuses on two queens: Boleyn, whose ambition and desire to be the king’s favorite lead her down a path fraught with challenges; and Seymour, initially introduced as a reluctant spy and assassin, who becomes entangled in the intricate politics of the court. Their evolving relationship—from rivals to unexpected allies—adds depth to the narrative and highlights themes of female solidarity and resilience.

Race’s world-building is both intricate and immersive, seamlessly integrating elements like dragons and ancient magic into the storyline. The depiction of the six queens, each vying for influence, adds layers to the plot, reflecting the complexities of power and ambition.

However, the novel’s pacing occasionally encounters challenges, with certain sections feeling overly detailed, which may momentarily slow the story’s momentum. Additionally, while the primary characters are well-developed, some secondary figures could benefit from further exploration to enrich the overall narrative.

Despite these minor issues, Six Wild Crowns stands as a remarkable entry into the epic fantasy genre, offering a fresh perspective on historical figures through a fantastical lens. Readers who appreciate stories of political intrigue, strong female leads, and richly woven fantasy settings will find much to admire in this novel. I eagerly anticipate the continuation of the Queens of Elben series and the further development of its characters and world.

this book tells an engaging fantasy story with strong, diverse characters and a rich world, but the marketing sets some misleading expectations.

the setting has a semi-historical feel but it falls short to do with henry viii or actual history. they also marketed it as sapphic, and sure there’s a lesbian in there but the sapphic romance doesn’t feel deeply explored or well-developed. dragons exist in abundance, but feel more like set dressing than a driving force in the story.

there are aspects of the plot that feel original and enjoyable, but there are also a lot of instances where it feel underdeveloped or predictable. some sentences feel forced, pulling away from the immersion. as a standalone, it works well, though the ending might leave some readers wanting more. overall, it's a solid romantasy with potential, but the way it's advertised could lead to disappointment.

Wildly engaging and deeply fascinating, this fantasy take on the story of Anne Boleyn is a must-read for both fantasy fans and historical fiction fans alike! Absolutely recommended to any and everyone! Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

What hooked me into requesting this ARC was the premise behind it - King Henry and his six wives meets the fantasy world. Sign me up! It didn't quite hit my expectations and I felt myself struggling to be invested in the plot at times. I stayed for the drama of the Tudor times, the female friendships, and the imagery of the kingdoms which is what earns this 3 stars! Definitely separate the history you may know from this tale - Six Wild Crowns is it's own work and I'm curious to see where Holly Race takes this alternate universe.

Thank you to Orbit Books and Netgalley for the chance to enjoy this and offer my honest review!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

Retelling or not the premise was super interesting to me- six queens, six castles/regions in the kingdom, each wife takes one.
The story starts strong and in the midst of a wedding- I did not need help getting pulled into this world, but it definitely slowed down a lot soon after for me.
I felt that the stronger aspects being advertised for this book were actually the least prevalent:
"Epic fantasy"? Missing the epic for me- more of a romantasy for sure.
"Sapphic"? There's a lesbian, but it takes two to tango...
"Filled with dragons"? Technically it does seem that dragons are as common as house pets- we sacrifice one in the first scene after we are gifted another one like a puppy. Are they relevant or flashy?

This book was not terrible, but the 'baity' marketing set's unobtainable expectations.
It does seem to be another more basic romantasy with a higher potential to be interesting, but this one was pretty predictable.
It kind of felt like a lot of interesting things were there to distract me from the lack of plot.
Some sentences felt pretty forced into scenes and really pulled me out of the story.
And relationship/character development was a bit weird- not sure if it felt rushed or not explained well.
Overall, it wasn't bad- but there were a lot of things that felt partly done and not fully finished.

This is a very good story, and I liked it a lot, but I feel like the blurb can be misleading.
Except for some of the characters' names, this has not much to do with Henry VIII or history. It is purely a fantasy tale, and is great in its own right.
In the same way, you will find sapphic yearning but dragons are not what you might expect, and that's ok for me.

As I said, I really liked this book. The story is original and interesting, the characters are strong and diverse, and the world is rich. It's a very good standalone in a semi historical setting and I'm glad I got to read it.
I only wished for a more definitive ending, but that's just me.

Thank you Orbit books for this ARC!

This book sounded so good! I unfortunately won’t be able to read it due to the trigger warnings. I really appreciate the author listing those at the beginning of the book.

Thank you so much NetGalley, Orbit Books and Holly for the E-ARC!

#NetGalley #SixWildCrowns

Publication Date: June 10th 2025

I thoroughly enjoyed Six Wild Crowns. The writing was wonderful and the world-building was beautifully done, fresh and unique. I loved these characters and can't wait for more.

This was so very good. I loved this fantastical world . The writing style, characters and everything was so well written and I can't wait to see more from this author. I loved this book with my whole heart.

Honestly better than expected! Everyone seems to be trying to copy ACOTAR these days, but this was a fresh, original piece of fiction.

Thank you to Orbit and to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book! Unfortunately I found myself struggling through it, and will be giving it 2 stars. Due to the low rating, I will not be posting a full review on other sites.

Six Wild Crowns felt more inspired.... by, well. Six. than it did history, and even then there was enough changed that it would have felt better to be divorced other than in inspiration. It's supposed to show other sides of the women, yet Aragon is portrayed fairly flatly: a stereotypical woman scorned who seeks to kill Boleyn for supplanting her (despite the fact that Boleyn is the *sixth* wife, and not her direct replacement). Once that is rather heavy-handedly forced to make her the secondary antagonist in sending Seymour to kill her (or the baby) and then hurting Seymour when Seymour fails to deliver and instead becomes a new wife, she is also revealed to be okay that Henry is killing her. For Religion. Because Catherine of Aragon was strong-willed and was Religious, right?

Howard and Boleyn are not related here, and Howard has been married to Henry already for a couple years by the time he and Boleyn marry. Henry Fitzroy's mother is a bride (and not a cousin to Boleyn.) Seymour's bullying brothers bully her by claiming they can smell when she's on her period because she bleeds so much. Boleyn is the Most Special Ever, chosen by gods and nature and spirits to bring everything back to not-England and let women rule again.

It felt fairly flat, and most of the attention for the Tudor 'inspiration' on which.... I'm not going to claim to be an expert, but really could have been left at that and not woven in as tightly. Then again, I guess it would miss its largest selling point if it didn't go directly for Tudors.

Holly Race delivers unforgettable characters and a world that feels both magical and deeply human. A beautifully crafted tale of strength, betrayal, and love.

When I had found out this was a reimagining of the six wives of Henry VIII filled with mythical creatures, magic, and even dragons- it was an immediate anticipated read for me. And I’m pleased to say it did not disappoint!
When dealing with historical figures that hold weight of so much significance like the wives of infamous King Henry VIII, the author perfectly characterizes each Queen authentically with what the public has learned to know of them—and how they even weaponize their deemed unsuitable traits to their advantage when striving for what they seek most. It was fun catching even the minorest of details within the story when unraveling each Queen. It showed how thorough Race is when morphing these monumental figures into her new world which I so appreciate. That, layered onto a world filled with enchantment and fables truly makes it a captivating read.
With dual POV’s switching between Boleyn and Seymour, you become enraptured with their own unique personalities and how their lone paths intertwine as the plot progresses. The world building is one I’d love to see even more of in the next installment, as it was fascinating to see how each of Henry’s six wives hold their own piece of the kingdom simultaneously to help protect it while all married to the King, compared to the true monogamy we have all learned to know of in that part of history.
My Tudor-loving heart is so full after reading this and I highly recommend you add it to your 2025 reads.

I started this and felt intrigued by the first few chapters, but then I started to get bored. The writing is ok but also kind of monotonous and info-dumpy. I liked the naming convention but also just wondered...why even the need to use the names of historical figures? Like, if you're going to go so far as to make up an entire alternate world map and culture—complete with ritualized ceremonies and religion, language, gender and sexuality, marriage practices, etc., then maybe you just go the full mile and change the character names, too, and create a completely original story. I couldn't help but constantly try to compare the real-world facts with the reworked fantasy because (when done well) I find that amusing. Here, I was just confused by the gimmick. DNF at 20%

This was a compelling story overall, but I think the initial draw of the Tudor queens and players also hindered the ability of the story to come into its own. As someone who loves Tudor history and has read numerous fictional retellings and nonfiction histories, I found myself looking to connect the historical facts and history I knew with the events in this book, and then falling short when they weren't a 1:1 representation. I relied on some of my background knowledge to infer things about the character's personalities and plot points (Boleyn's downfall, Seymour's pregnancy), as well as some of the background events going on (Boleyn's unpopularity, the wars Henry was fighting), which weren't really spelled out in the book.

That being said, I think the worldbuilding was great and fascinating, and I wish we had learned more about it. I think the characters Race has created are compelling. I really love that in comparison to the world and plot, the characters do not rely on their historical counterparts and are instead inspired by them and taken further to great effect. I do see that this is the first in a series, so I am curious to see what the next book will go!

☆ Fun Factor 2/5
☆ Writing Style 5/5
☆ Characters 4/5
☆ Plot 4/5
☆ Setting 4/5
☆ Feels 3/5
☆ Spiciness 1/5

If this were a movie it'd be rated: R for graphic depictions of births, miscarriages, etc

☆FOR FANS OF: The Tudors, English history, alternative history fans, House of the Dragon

Ultimate verdict: ☆☆☆☆/5

☆☆☆Best Character Award goes to:☆☆☆ I was rather fond of Boleyn all the way up to the end

Review: Oh, Henry!

Marketed as a Sapphic romance with dragons and lots of action kinda misses the mark when what it ACTUALLY is is alternative Henry VII in a fantasy/alt England with dragons and other fantasy creatures. Instead of beheading his wives, Henry has to have all six of them alive to protect six castles. There's a lot of stuff about births and pregnancies that made my skin crawl; even in a high fantasy setting, women just can't catch a break. There is a Sapphic unrequited love between Boleyn and Seymour that runs through a large chuck of the novel, but if you're expecting actual romance you'll be sorely disappointed.

I think this series has potential and I'm very interested to see where Holly Race can take it next.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this early ARC copy in exchange for my honest review!