I really tries to like this book. I read half of it before I gave up. I never finished. I believe it had too much filler than storyline.

Henry VIII is favoured fodder for historical fiction writers, readers, and watchers. His story, and that of his ill-fated queens, is rife with lust and betrayal, murder and manipulation, heartache, and tragedy. I’ve consumed more than my fair share of Tudor drama. I wasn’t sure Fatal Throne would add to my already extensive knowledge of and appreciation for the story of Henry, his wives, and children. I was delighted, nonetheless, to reacquaint myself with this complex dynasty with a creative retelling.

This book is a collaborative reimagining of the Henry VIII saga. Each wife, written by a different author, is given a section of the book to tell her side of the story. Of course, all roads lead to Henry and so Henry’s perspective is given following each section. The women’s stories are all told memoir style as they face their fate; divorce, execution, tenuous survival. This book is rich, enlightening, and entertaining with enough of a feminist critical voice to make it appealing to a modern reader.

Anne Boleyn has always been my favourite; to love and hate. She doesn’t disappoint in this text. Her influence is far reaching and indelible. With a craftiness trumped only by impulsivity, Anne is written with a deeper understanding of her tenuous and desperate situation than I’ve encountered in the past. The dark horse story of the collection is that of Anna of Cleves written by Jennifer Donnelly. As an arranged, political connection, the marriage of Anna of Cleves and Henry VIII hasn’t held the same appeal for me as others. Their awkward first encounter notwithstanding, the foundational storytelling elements aren’t as obvious. Donnelly’s imaginative method for revealing Anna’s tale was as intriguing as the tale itself. And perhaps I have a new favourite in Anna of Cleves, a woman who, in this reimagining at least, managed to find happiness on her own terms.

Despite the voice given to these women, it’s still made abundantly clear: “Henry may be a powerful king, but he is also a man, and like all men, he requires only two things of a woman: that she keep her legs open and her mouth shut.” Each woman is used and abused by a temperamental king, who, sadly enough never quite found what he was looking for: unconditional love and a son. We already know how this ends, so I don’t feel I’m spoiling the story. The irony of ironies of course, that Henry’s greatest achievement was his daughter Elizabeth whose rallying cry is written, “I know I have the body of a woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king”. It leads me to believe that fate may have a feminist sensibility as well as a wry sense of humour.

I enjoyed this book, though is not my usual type of read. However, being a pretty big Anglophile (can't help it, I grew up with an English Nana--it's in my blood, literally), I find myself always having been very interested in the lives of Henry VIII and his many wives (and actually, in real life, I've been in the cathedral in which Henry VIII is buried!). I've read a few other books on the subject, though most of them have been from the pov of Mary or Elizabeth (Henry's daughters, for those not in The Know), so it was quite different for me to see povs directly of Henry and the Wives.
I also very much enjoyed seeing how the lives of the wives intermingled before Henry was involved. Most texts, I find, rely on either the narrative of Catherine of Aragon or Anne Boleyn, so it was refreshing and interesting to to see/learn more about the other 4 wives.
We additionally get to see a bit about each wife from Henry's pov, which, though interesting, gave me an even lowered opinion of him. Guy was a douchebro. And his "motto"? "Sir Loyal Heart"?! Don't even get me started about how *not* true it is.
I think my favorite section of the book was that of Anne of Cleves. She was one of the few wives/ex wives that survived Henry, and her section was told through memories/hallucinations as her cancer kills her. Morbid, yes, but also very vivid and imaginative, which broke up the other wives' more monotonous, "Here's what's happening/ what happened" storylines.
There's also a really cool bit at the end from Elizabeth's pov, which really "sticks it to the man", since Henry's last dying entry in the book mentions how glad he is to have a son who will be a great King, and that neither of his daughters will ever be on the throne.
I also liked Catherine Parr's section. Since she survived Henry while still married to him, it was interesting to see how exactly she managed to *stay* his wife, even though he tried to do away with her.

Overall, I really liked seeing the process of a not necessarily powerful woman suddenly being thrust into the Top Female Spot and seeing how each woman dealt with it, as well as dealing with Henry and his terrible conduct and eventually failing health. There's definitely something regal and yet sort of sad about this book, much like the queens themselves. It's a modern-day obituary that brings to light the feelings, hopes, and dreams of the deceased.

There is something that always drives my curiosity when it comes to Henry VIII. This was a great way of telling the stories of each wife, and tales of his madness are always interesting to read albeit pretty grim. I enjoyed this one!

I could not put down this book! I was in a slump and decided to pick this one up. This makes students become interested in historical fiction in a gripping way! It is a great example of how a short story collection can be successful. These stories melt right into each other and will get students super excited about different authors.

****Thank you to Random House Children’s for sending me this ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review****

This review is going to be a lot shorter than usual since this is an anthology and it’s a retelling of historical figures and events. There isn’t really a whole lot to discuss!

This was an okay book, not terribly bad but not terribly good either.I did enjoy reading it, just not as much as I originally thought I would. I don’t think I’m a big enough “Tudor fan” for this book, however, if you are very interested in Tudor history (especially Henry VIII and his wives) then you might enjoy this one!

There isn’t much to say about the plot since the plot is ….well history! We follow the 6 different POVs of Henry VIII’s wives: Katharine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Kateryn Parr. Then we also see some POVs from Henry VIII and Elizabeth I as well. Each POV is also written by a different YA author:

M. T. Anderson – Henry VIII
Candace Fleming – Katharine of Aragon
Stephanie Hemphill – Anne Boleyn
Lisa Ann Sandell – Jane Seymour
Jennifer Donnelly – Anna of Cleves
Linda Sue Park – Catherine Howard
Deborah Hopkinson – Kateryn Parr

There wasn’t too terribly much revealed in each POV that I didn’t already know, but the writing was fantastic and I enjoyed reading through each perspective. My personal favorites were Fleming’s, Hemphill’s, and Park’s stories a.k.a. the tales of Katharine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, and Catherine Howard. I also liked the added POV of Henry VIII after each of the wives’s POVs, I just thought it was an interesting touch to see how he played the victim in each marriage even though he obviously was not.

Overall this was an enjoyable enough book and one that I definitely recommend checking out if you’re a fan of Tudor history. If you aren’t terribly keen on Tudor history I’d pass on this one though.

This is one of the best historical novels about Henry VIII's wives I've ever read. It gives a good and incredibly accurate rendition, while doing well to give each wife her own voice. The use of multiple authors paid off, while not being a jarring experience. There was a fluidity I did not anticipate, perhaps helped by Henry's interludes between each queen. There was a good amount of research put into this book, and it pays off.

Divorced, Beheaded, Died, Divorced, Beheaded, SURVIVED....

To be the wife of the King is an envious position, unless that position is to be married to Henry VIII. Each wife went into the marriage hoping for the best, but Henry was never satisfied. His best loved wife, was the one that gave him his longed for son, and she died from it. She did not live long enough to disappoint him.

The wives of Henry VIII come together to tell their stories. The heartbreak, the highs, the lows, and the infidelities - all are laid out here as their stories come to light. Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Katherine Parr. Each of these ladies hoped for the best - they gambled with their lives and their positions - and many of them lost the ultimate wager.

Interesting read, and very good book! I enjoyed it immensely. A little bit of graphic writing, so mature audiences only!

**I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

Words cannot express how excited I was to get this book! I am a huge historical fiction junkie and love anything to deal with the Tudor period! Getting this book was like Christmas and my birthday thrown into one big amazing gift!

Excitement aside, I really enjoyed this book and I think others will enjoy it as well. I appreciated that each author involved took on an individual wife of Henry VIII, it made the book read more like individual short stories about each wife, versus one long dragging narrative. I felt better about taking a little break in between each wife, rather than feeling like I needed to keep plodding along in the book. I think it also livened up an almost over-discussed part of history, to have each author give their take on the individual wife. Overall I think that this book was amazing and will appeal to readers of all ages! Middle school kids to teens to older adults will all love it! **I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

Words cannot express how excited I was to get this book! I am a huge historical fiction junkie and love anything to deal with the Tudor period! Getting this book was like Christmas and my birthday thrown into one big amazing gift!

Excitement aside, I really enjoyed this book and I think others will enjoy it as well. I appreciated that each author involved took on an individual wife of Henry VIII, it made the book read more like individual short stories about each wife, versus one long dragging narrative. I felt better about taking a little break in between each wife, rather than feeling like I needed to keep plodding along in the book. I think it also livened up an almost over-discussed part of history, to have each author give their take on the individual wife. Overall I think that this book was amazing and will appeal to readers of all ages! Middle school kids to teens to older adults will all love it!

“Fatal Throne” chronicles the six wives of England’s King Henry VIII. Each queen had a part narrating in first person point of view. Right after each queens’ parts are King Henry’s sort of rebuttal thoughts about each queen. Full disclosure: I didn’t know much about Henry VIII and his wives until I read this book. Paying attention in history classes is not my strong suit ever. Also, I do not read a lot of historical fiction. So bear in mind that the following opinions are coming from no history aficionado.

So, about the book. I was mildly surprised that I found it engrossing. The politics, the intrigues, the royal drama! Each of the queen’s story is like a dark fairy tale. They enter the palace with the hopes of a happy marriage only to end up in differing levels of tragedy. And what’s shocking here is these stories are actually not entirely fictional. I know so because I did a lot of looking up on Wikipedia right after finishing the book because I somehow seem to can’t get enough of these people.

The book is mainly about these six queens and the patriarchal pressures that lead them to their doomed fates. These women have their own strength and intelligence but because they are from the times when women have little rights, they suffer greatly when they attempt to become their own person. Their scheming fathers, uncles, or brothers treat them as pawns in their political power plays. After marriage, they were mostly reduced as mere vessels of the heir to the crown. And when they couldn’t serve their purpose anymore or if they fell out of the king’s favor, they were discarded like old toys. All women were deeply flawed and/or morally gray but despite that, I have nothing but utter respect for their grace and resilience under such oppressive times.

Each point of view is written by a different author and the book benefited a lot from it because you can really feel the uniqueness in their voices. The weakest link is King Henry’s parts in-between. He seemed one-dimensional, portrayed solely from a bad light. But I think that’s intentional so that the reader could really hate on him. And the book is not about him anyways, it’s about his six queens. My favorite part would be that of Anna of Cleves for two reasons. First, because its the most fairy tale that this book can get. Anna of Cleves got the closest to a happily ever after ending among all the king’s wives —she became “free” from a combination of her cleverness and luck. Second is because I felt that her character spoke to me while she is talking to fictional young servant girl named Alice. I gained a lot of insight through their conversation.

What I really like about the book is that it does not feel academic, therefore it’s so easy to read. Sure there are dates, names and events but the thoughts and feelings of the queens are what’s front and center. The book humanized these women in history for me. It gave them voices so they can impart their queenly wisdom to us. I cannot speak for hard core readers of historical fiction but as a genre novice, “Fatal Throne” comes highly recommend.

I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
That being said, oh my gosh is this a good book!!! With a different author for each narrator, I was unsure how smoothly this novel would flow. The answer? Seamlessly. I am not expert on the lives of Henry VIII or his six wives, however I certainly know a great book when I read one! I eagerly absorbed every morbidly reaslistic detail of this tragedy and will likely reread it before cracking open another book.

This novel was definitely interesting- especially since so many authors had their voice in it. It follows the lives of King Henry VIII’s wives, as they married and died. Some of the voices seem more authentic than others. My favorite was the voice of Kateryn Parr, who was the only one of his wives that managed to outlive him aside from his “sister.”

My Highly Caffeinated Thought: A candid glimpse into the lives and minds of the Queens who passed through Henry VIII’s life.

History is doomed to repeat itself and in Henry VIII’s case, this statement could not be more true. FATAL THRONE is the stories of the women who were in and out of the King’s bed throughout the course of his life.

What is so great about this book is the reader gets the women’s perspective. I greedily collected all the juicy tidbits, the impressions each Queen had of the other wives, and the struggles each dealt with having to prove themselves to Henry and those around him. As an added bonus, the reader is treated to a few moments from Henry’s perspective. Though I didn’t need this in the collection, it was a nice break to see what the man who tied all these women together would have been thinking.

Each of the authors who depicted the one of the six wives did a wonderful job at embodying a different voice from the woman who came before her. Having seven authors write this book enhanced the experience. It is just my humble opinion, but if one author would have written this, I don’t think I would have gotten such a sense of the individuality within these historic figures.

Now, this is a young adult title, so for those who are looking for something like WOLF HALL or an exact representation of the language at the time during Henry’s rule, this may not be your book. It is however, a great read for adults as well as teens. In fact, I think this is a perfect way to get young girls (and boys too) interested in this time period. By creating relatable voices for these women, the authors made them come alive in the pages. Their hopes, dreams, and emotions are all wonderfully displayed in this collection.

I'd like to start this review off by saying that I am absolutely obsessed with the Tudor era and especially with the wives of Henry VIII. Therefore, this book was an automatic must read for me. Overall, I was impressed by the different perspective this book gave me on the wives. I think that was because they a different author writing each wife's story and adding their own spin to it. I was a bit disappointed with the first story about Katherine of Aragon. The depiction of Henry in this story was very one dimensional, and I thought Katherine deserved a little more depth for her own character. The other stories, however, including M.T. Anderson's Henry VIII were very well done. I especially appreciated Jennifer Donnelly's story about Anna of Cleves, one of the lesser known wives, but one that I admire greatly, especially after reading this story. Donnelly understood Anna's cleverness and the hard, but smart, decision that she was forced to make at the end of her marriage to Henry.

Overall, a excellent book for historical fiction readers, one that has offered new perspective on the subject, even for one who has exhausted much of Tudor historical fiction. If you enjoy this book try Katherine Longshore's Royal Circle series, focused on the same characters.

Though there have been many books written about King Henry VIII's wives, there has not been one directed to YA readers that spans all 6 wives. This was an enjoyable read, and I will recommend it to students of mine who are interested in King Henry.

This is not a book, it’s a diary!

You must read this book! Even if you have no desire to learn about history, you must read this book! Forget for a minute this is about Henry VIII and his wives. This is a story that involves princes and princesses from far-away lands. It involves arranged marriages and those done in secrecy. It involves spies, deception, love, adultery, narcissism, kings and queens, royal decrees and royal deceit. And the best part? This is a story told in first-person based on true accounts.

It is about a powerful man who ends up destroying those who love him most because his own narcissism forces him to never accept responsibility for his failures, of which he has many. The women are quick-witted and strong, but under the thumb of a ruler who can never truly love them and in a society in which a woman, even a queen, has no real power.

At first, I feared it would be more like a college textbook, but that is the last thing it really reminds me of. Instead, it reads like a diary! You get to climb into the minds of each of Henry the VIII’s wives and inside his own deranged mind. The stories immediately pull you into what they are going through and you will not want to put this book down!

This read is not only fun, but educational. But most important, it will make you see the wives of Henry VIII in a completely different light. They are no longer caricatures, but become real women: mothers, sisters, daughters, rulers, who still have a voice even after all this time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an advanced copy to read. All opinions are my own.

Wow. You know what? This was really well done historical fiction. I liked the chapters and how they alternated with King Henry VIII, giving two sides to the story instead of just one. (Often, many more sides considering how he always seemed to have his next wife in place before ditching the previous one.) If you are interesting in this topic, it's a great read. I'm not sure of the historical accuracy, but it sure was entertaining. My only issue is that it got to be very long due to Henry's extensive list of wives. I found myself skimming towards the end because it all felt very similar by that point: he's not happy because his wife isn't giving him sons, he finds a new woman, sometimes she loves him, sometimes she doesn't, etc. However, the quality of writing is superb. I would recommend this to any of my students who are interested in royalty, historical fiction, or the history of England.

I loved this book. When I read the description of Fatal Throne: The Wives of Henry VII Tell All, I was a bit apprehensive. The book is written by several different authors in short story form, and I'm not usually a fan of short stories. Although there are exceptions--and this book is definitely one of those.

When you look at the list of authors (M. T. Anderson, Candace Fleming, Stephanie Hemphill, Lisa Ann Sandell, Jennifer Donnelly, Linda Sue Park, Deborah Hopkinson), it's no surprise that this book is a success. Anderson takes Henry VIII and each of the other authors takes a queen. They are introduced in chronological order, and between each of the queens, we get the perspective of Henry.

At first, I didn't like Henry's interruptions. I felt like the story was being told twice, but I then realized that Henry's thoughts are important and tie everything together.

Fatal Throne is a fiction book. The stories have been embellished and some holes filled in. But the authors did their research and these tales seem authentic. And they read like fiction -- which is a good thing. Even though we are learning a lot of history here, the stories are fascinating and really kept my interest. Which is why historical fiction is my favorite genre!

Fatal Thrones will go on the top of my list so far for books I've read in 2108. Give it a chance--it is really quite interesting and a fairly quick read.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House for the eARC of this book! All opinions are my own.
I had the opportunity to visit London many years ago, and remember learning about Anne Boleyn in the Tower of London, and seeing King Henry VIII’s enormous suit of armor, but that was about the extent of my knowledge of Tudor England.
This book tells the stories of Henry’s 6 Queens, each story is written by a different author, which really helps bring out their individual personalities and perspectives. After each Queen gets her say, Henry VIII gets his own (often infuriating! chapter). This is a YA novel, not a nonfiction book, but it felt like a great, accessible, entry point into Henry VIII’s reign. I definitely recommend to anyone interested in a lighter book about the Tudor King and Queens.

Fatal Throne: The Wives of Henry VIII Tell All is a collection of historical fiction short stories told through the eyes of the six wives of the infamous monarch Henry VIII. There are all kinds of books out there about his first three wives, so it was nice to pick up a book that dedicated a decent number of pages to his other three wives. The stories themselves are told by different authors, so readers are also treated to different approaches to writing about these very different women. This also introduced some good creativity. The authors didn't tell the entire life story of each woman. They elected to focus on key aspects of their lives with King Henry VIII. There was also an inner connectivity among the women in that the authors would refer to the other women in their respective stories to emphasize how they influenced not just the king, but each others' lives as well. I especially liked the author's approach to the story about Anna of Cleves. I found the ones about Catherine Howard and Kateryn Parr a bit lacking. Good introduction to all these ladies who played vital roles in the history of the English monarchy.