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!

A large part of me wishes this had nothing to do with King Henry or his 6 wives, and this author had just used that as a template instead but chosen completely different names. Since this reimagined England really had nothing to do with reality, given the magic and mythological creatures, I don't feel like it would have been that much of a stretch. Otherwise the author relies too heavily on readers already knowing and understanding the women these characters were based on.

The FMC (Boleyn and Seymour) were decent as leads. I think it took way too long for Seymour to grow a spine. I liked that Boleyn was a bit humbled by the end - she wasn't as clever as she thought she was. I didn't like the relationship between the two; it felt forced and inauthentic.

Overall, this went on for far too long with little action to be had. The bits that could have had a lot of tension were minimized.

A couple of my favorite genre to read are fantasy and historical fiction, I have a soft spot for dragons within the former and especially enjoy history of the Tudor court from Wars of the Roses to the reign of Elizabeth I within the latter so the premise here caught my notice. I would not say there was a dominance of dragons here (and no mother of dragons on the throne) nor was there a strong connection to the history of the six wives of Henry VIII, but once those expectations dropped and I settled into this story, it became an entertaining read. The author does name her characters after the historical queens and several members of the court (i.e. Cromwell, Wolsey) but the marriages are not in the same order as the history moreover they are more a harem since they were all married to Henry at the same time in this fictional land whereas England got a new religion and heads literally rolled before the next bride. There is an underlying magic in this world and it is tied to 6 queens in their 6 castles. Though all 6 appear as characters, the narration comes from the viewpoints of two, Boleyn and Seymour. There is court intrigue, and romance, and a power struggle. Overall, it was an interesting fantasy about the wives of a polygamous king. Readers that are able to distance themselves from the history and let a new story unfold may find that they enjoy this creative tale. I'm looking forward to seeing where this series goes. (3.5/5)
I received access to this eARC thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Orbit Books) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

What an incredible read! A totally original take on Henry VIII with a fantasy twist. The author’s writing style is beautiful and I was drawn in from page one. I can’t wait for her future books! Thanks so much for the opportunity to read in advance.