The premise of this book sounded so good: historical elements and characters based on Henry VIII and his six wives, courts and politics, a spy and an assassin, dragons and dangerous magic… sign me up! But unfortunately the execution was lacking for me, and it ended up being a case of overpromised and under delivered 😩

I think there was so much more that could’ve been done with the historical components. Other than the character names and general timelines, there’s not much else there. And I completely understand that it’s a fantasy and that the author’s note even mentions wanting to give these women more nuance than the predominant historical narrative affords them; however, this was a major selling point for the book and I would’ve loved more than what felt very surface level.

Same thing with the assassin character and the dragons and dangerous magic. Those things are present, but not in the way we’re led to believe and it just all ended up falling flat. Now that said, there were some really good scenes and moments that I was like “okay, now we’re getting somewhere!” And those made me excited, but then we’d revert back to clunky middle sections that didn’t continue to hold my interest and left me feeling the pacing issues throughout.

Sadly, this is not one I’d recommend and I will not be continuing on with the series. I think it had a lot of potential and was very original, but as far as the execution went, it didn’t work for me. So far, it has a 3.75 on Goodreads though, so it’s working for some readers! I hope you'll enjoy it more than I did if you decide to pick it up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the ARC!

I was intrigued when I saw this book is a historical fantasy based on the Tudors. The world seems rich and the lore behind the magic is as also interesting. I found the prose to be a bit heavy at times. The plot is a bit slow in the beginning but then picked up.

Consider reading if you like historical fantasy rooted in English history and court politics!

This book rubbed me the wrong in so many different ways. It's basically taking a actual historical series of events, making a slight tweak, throwing in some fantasy elements with a dash of modern day issues and you get this??

She didn't change any of the names.. not a single one. Wolsey, Cromwell, Thomas.. I'll give it to her she created totally new names for the island and surrounding countries. I hated the first name of the eldest daughter is just their last name situation.

You can, as an author create an entire new world that can be BASED off a certain time period. I think what Holly did was lazy. Didn't want to take the time to create a new world and explain everything that comes with it. Landscape, religion, villages, towns, cities, continents, transportation, weather, what each people brought to this world etc. To where the fantasy elements she tried to fit in didn't work. What I just read... it felt like a copy and paste. Seriously I had to pick through a pile of needles to find the one, two or three things that were original to this story.

The parts that WERE original I actually enjoyed. If she had expanded on that, the lost queens, the cavern, the sea and the lore and history that encompasses that she would have HAD me! I was left with more questions than answers. Do all women contain magic that creates the protective boundary? Is it only those loyal, pure and true? Does the Goddess select who possess the magic? I wanted to know more about the Sunscrina and Bordweal. How does it react with regular traders, does it only stop those with malcontent on their minds? Or Ambassadors that come to bargain/negotiate who don't have a clear mind as to what will happen through discussions?

I felt like motherhood was brought up in a light that was not great honestly. Boleyn's moments with Elizabeth felt almost forced? Seymour's aversion to motherhood, when she was pregnant calling it a parasite? If worded better I could have understood Seymour's POV but the way it's brought up in the book is doesn't translate well. Again the slaughter of the English language, I had to mentally adjust each word... my eyes were burning by the end of the book.

Overall the way I pictured this book was how the Hunger Games arena was portrayed in the second movie. A Giant circle with a castle evenly spaced out, with different landscapes in each castle slice. High hall in Middle where the cornucopia would be. I was not impressed with this one.

3.75/5 rounded up.

Thank you to Orbit, Hachette Audio, and NetGalley for providing me with eARC and early audio for this title in exchange for an honest review. I want to shoutout the narrator Olivia Dowd early on as she did an excellent job bringing the story to life. She was able to effectively tell the story, provide unique voices for each character we encountered and convey the right emotion, especially towards the end of the story when things picked up.

I was really excited to get into this story as someone who found the story of the six wives of Henry the VIII compelling in school. I was also excited at the idea of a magical twist with sapphic components to the story. As other reviewers have stated, the bit about dragons is a bit unnecessary in the blurb, while dragons do exist, they aren’t the focus, but given that all other parts of the blurb were also interesting to me, I was still really happy I gave this story a chance.
Rather than this worlds Henry marrying each individual wife one at a time, he (and the other kings) instead needs six wives to maintain the protection of the country, and the story uses Henry the VIIIs wives as an entry point to help us get into the story.

The two main narrators we follow are Boleyn and Seymour, who are reinterpretations of Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour, as they enter into the courtly realm at the center of this story on the day of Boleyns wedding to Henry. We alternate between each of their perspectives as their relationships with Henry start, and as we begin to uncover that not everything is as it seems based on the old history of the world.

I found the idea of this world compelling, and the mystery that Boleyn begins to unravel fascinating. I think it’s become clear that this will be a part of the series and I am devastated at the ending but still interested to see how the rest of it plays out. At times it was predictable, but not in a bad way. I think anyone who knows more of the original relationships between the historical counterparts will see some of the twists coming, but I am glad I was not completely aware as they still felt rewarding. I enjoyed that the idea that this story was able to revisit our understanding of who the wives were. It was done in a powerful way, and, specific spoiler ahead, the idea that Boleyn is working to undo the way that Henry is stealing from his wives and using them for the magical power that they are entitled to, felt like a timely point.

I enjoyed it. Admittedly I requested the audio because I was having a hard time getting into the story just on the pages, but that is likely more a me thing as I couldn’t read on my walks. I do think that there was a lot going on, and some random points were said that I didn’t quite follow, but it may have just been lost on me. I think that now that the world is established, and we know the goal and how it will happen, the story is going to be intense. And (again spoiler ahead), now that Boleyn won’t be a main player, who our additional POV will be.

Thank you to @orbitbooks_us / @netgalley for the chance to review this book!

Six Wild Crowns is a feminist take on the six wives of Henry VIII, but make it sapphic and fantasy. Our focus is on Seymour and Boleyn as they navigate their position as Henry's newest queens, both as they compete against each other and also investigate the secrets of the fading magic long said to keep their kingdom together.

I adored this book. As a Tudor special-interest kid who hated Henry and wanted justice for his wives, this was right up my alley. It features a beautifully complex world that emphasizes the role of patriarchy and the ways in which women survive it. It is pro-choice and pro-woman yet maintains this realistic element of how these themes actually appear in a staunchly male dominated society. It is more than woman vs. woman, it is a commentary on how women can be pitted against each other for male gain, and the shifting power balances when women come together instead to overturn the status quo. There is a beautiful sapphic element to this, reminiscent of Priory of the Orange Tree, and that romance leaves you gasping at the end. The magic system and fantastical world are so fascinating, and the ways in which Race incorporates Tudor history is so unique, yet scratches my itch for all the historical easter eggs and references to the period. When I was reading I thought it was a standalone, and was devastated by the ending, but I'm DELIGHTED to know it's a trilogy. I absolutely cannot wait to see where she takes us throughout the rest of the series.

I'm ultimately fascinated by this, but also wish that it weren't so tied to the setting of Henry VIII and his six wives. There's plenty of worldbuilding on its own to make the six wives plausible, even though it does throw into stark contrast the queens with character and those without. Beyond using the names, there's really nothing tying the characters here and their historical counterparts together - I feel like this would have worked better as an "inspired by and then off into its own thing entirely", which would help mitigate any expectations based on other historical works. (and speaking of expectations, the dragons better play a much bigger role in the second book, because the biggest role they have now is looking interesting on the cover)

That said, this is really fun. At its heart, we've got an almost nostalgic plot, uncovering the true source of the magic that keeps Elben protected and why there must always be six queens, set against the court intrigue of the two queens who are doing the uncovering trying to stay alive and in power. There's prophecies and magic and secret underground chambers on top of traitor queens and mysterious wasting diseases.

I think it's wrong to go into this expecting any sort of romance - all of the relationships have a vicious bite to them, and while Seymour's yearning for Boleyn is unrequited, Boleyn's love for the king is equally destructive.

So I guess in the end, I have an issue with the summary giving false expectations about what the book will be, but the actual contents are engrossing, enough so that I'm eagerly looking forward to the next book.

Six Wild Crowns is an incredible fictional twist on one of the most well-known pieces of history. What if Henry VIII’s wives had dragons and banded together to overthrow a wrongful patriarchy? Apparently that gets you an imaginative tale of love, friendship, sacrifice, and EMPOWERMENT.

This book gives power to women in so many different forms. In a time when women were given so little autonomy, this fantasy has them reclaim everything they were told could never be theirs: their education, lands, and independence.

The progression of Boleyn and Seymour’s friendship felt completely relatable, while still maintaining that fantastical setting - I’ll never know what it is like to compete with 5 other wives, all working to keep one man happy and sated, but being wary of someone based on rumors? Judging without getting your own first-hand account? We’ve all been there.

The journey these women go through to stand up to the men who abuse their power, who take and take because they feel it is their gods-given right, was incredible. It was empowering to read this now, thinking of how much this story still rings true in 2025.

If you believe in the power of words, the power of friendship, and the power of WOMEN put this on your TBR. You will not regret

I was so intrigued by the premise of this book- I love historical fiction, historical fantasy, and the Tudors… but I just couldn’t get into this story. The pacing was off for me, and the attraction and loyalty Seymour felt toward Boleyn didn’t feel justified or earned to me. The bouncing back and forth between Boleyn and Seymour’s POV killed the flow and didn’t fully explain some of the character development that prompted the events that happened at the end- particularly with Seymour. The magic system was unique and interesting, and I would have liked to know more about the history of the queen’s magic, or more tie-ins to this story. I also loved the “pets” and would have liked to see more of them.

The ending was unsatisfying for me with a LOT of the plot threads left hanging without a resolution. I really wanted to be able to give this book a higher star rating, but in the end I just couldn’t.


**I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book, but all opinions are my own.

Henry, king of Elben, must tie six wives to six palaces to keep the country safe. When Queen Boleyn & Queen Seymour become friends, a truth of the kingdom’s magic long buried will be brought to light.

What a lush fantasy! This was a fantastical reimagining of history. Big fans of the musical SIX would find a lot to enjoy here. The power and the story is focused on the queens reclaiming themselves. And there was so much political intrigue. And you really get a great sense of the stakes while Boleyn plays the game at being Henry’s most favored wife.

And the sapphic pining. I do feel that the romance could have been developed more for me. I didn’t get a really good sense of why and when Seymour began loving Boleyn. And I would have liked more time with the other queens. We only get the barest of glimpses of Parr, and Cleves and Aragon were both so intriguing that I wanted to dive into both of their heads.

But I was enthralled the whole time. And if there ever is a sequel, I will grab it up immediately. Because while the story was adequately resolved, I do believe enough was left open to make a sequel really satisfying.

My thanks to both NetGalley and Orbit Books for the opportunity to review this arc.

From June Reads for the Rest of Us at Ms. magazine with Violet Pandya:
The first book in a spellbinding trilogy that retells the infamous story of the six wives of King Henry VIII. Set in a fantasy world full of magic, mystery and intrigue, this tale explores the power of women’s relationships and marriage as a tool of patriarchy.

4.5 ⭐️ Bring on the feminine rage!! This book started off a little slow for me and was, at times, uncomfortable. In retrospect though, I think that was intentional by the author. The patriarchal society these characters live in and the things they have to deal with on a daily basis ARE uncomfortable, so I felt like we were meant to feel that along with the characters. The storyline and the plot twists all came together in the end and I thought it ended beautifully while also setting up for future books in the series, and I can’t wait to see where it goes! There’s women’s rights representation, LGBTQ+ representation, SA representation, even learning disability representation! Definitely check your trigger warnings though.

This might be my first DNF of a book published by Orbit. I am always intrigued by how unique their titles are, and they almost always appeal to me in someway. This was still very interesting and unlike anything I’ve read. I seen a lot of reviews say this wasn’t like the synopsis. However, as someone who doesn’t read descriptions or know a single thing about Henry and his wives (or Tudor history in general), I enjoyed this aspect of it. My main issue was with the pacing and I was just bored for most of it. I enjoyed when the main characters were interacting but there wasn’t enough of it to keep my attention so I ultimately decided to DNF at 32%. I still would recommend this as a unique read on my page and I appreciate the free copy!

Six Wild Crowns is an epic fantasy set in the court of Henry VIII. If you are a fan of epic fantasy, dragons, and court intrigue this book is for you.

Rating: Loved It, 4.5 stars

This was such a delightful surprise! I feel like I tend to go in to historical fantasy a little bit hesitant, expecting it to be slow to hit, but I was very immersed in this one pretty quickly! I feel like it has the potential to be a full 5 stars either on reread, or as I sit with it more. I feel like this one might stick with me for a little longer than usual!

This is a reimagining of King Henry VIII in a fantasy world in which he must marry 6 queens to keep alive the magical shields that are protecting the island nation of Elben. We follow Boleyn, an intelligent and fiercely independent woman, who makes a love match with the king. We also follow Seymour, a quiet unassuming girl whom many assume is rather silly. She enters into Boleyn's service as a would-be assassin, but leaves as a new queen of Elben who is in love with Boleyn. We follow these queens as they navigate a deeply misogynistic world and push back on the boundaries that have been imposed on them. Together, they uncover a dark secret at the heart of the empire that may cause either their undoing, or the empire's.

I honestly loved our two main characters a lot. It was a situation where I didn't realize quite how invested I had become over time until I was driving around, listening to the audiobook, and crying for them. They were both so well-crafted and really felt like individuals. Honestly, all the characters did. I would very much love to get to know the other 4 queens a little bit better in the next installment, but all of the women felt very much distinct. I loved Boleyn's tenacity and spirit. Watching her grown and mature as the book progressed was a lot of fun. And I also loved Seymour's disaster pansexual energy that she brought to the table. She is definitely a quiet character with a lot of trauma, and I loved getting to know her over the course of the story.

There is definitely a plot to this, but it is a very character driven story. There is a lot of courtly political maneuvering over a period of several years. There is certainly magic, but it's a bit more subtle. It's also somewhat unknown because in Elben, it is the king who wields magic. That sort of leads to the misogynistic world. There are a number of dark, upsetting things that take place over the course of the book, so definitely check content warnings if you need them. However, despite living in such a dark world for them as women, I loved seeing how the women each pushed back in their own way. It felt very authentic and believable.

Once the plot of this got going, it moved very quickly and I had a hard time putting it down. The narrator is Olivia Dawd, and she was excellent. She did a fantastic job with the different voices and accents, and she was able to infuse a lot of emotion into her delivery. It definitely elevated the reading experience, and I highly recommend the audiobook.

Overall, I highly recommend this book, and I am looking forward to seeing how things progress in the next book after that ending!

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit/Hachette Audio for an eARC and ALC. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Six Wild Crowns releases on June 10, 2025.

I thought this would be either 5 stars or a huge disappointment, it was unfortunately the latter.

This was very character driven, which in the beginning I loved. But as the story progresses and the more the word “love” appeared, the less these characters and their motivations feel real. I could not understand them. Anyone, let alone the two main characters. Don’t even get me started on the advertised sapphic yearning… it’s embarrassing.

The plot was actually very interesting and this book would have gotten a higher rating if we were more focused on the world, magic, and politics. I think what it’s trying to say about the patriarchy is really thought provoking and i wish we knew more.

Good ideas but nothing done well. Unreal characters; confusing “romance”; underdeveloped world. AU Tudor fanfiction at best. Bummer

3.5 stars
Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for this arc, this is one of my most anticipated reads of the year and I’m so grateful to be able to read it early!

Overall I enjoyed this read. However it’s important to be aware that this is LOOSELY inspired by Henry VIII and his wives. There’s very little similarity other than a few plot points. This is first and foremost a unique fantasy novel, so don’t go in expecting any sort of historical accuracy.

That being said, the world is unique and well described. I also enjoyed the diversity given to the characters. The use of dragons throughout the story was also really interesting (ex. some of them being used in lanterns & some in place of cats/lapdogs). I feel the magic could’ve been explored in a more in-depth manner, perhaps this will be a focus of future books? In all, this was an interesting story and I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes next.

The concept of Six Wild Crowns was so cool and I was immediately intrigued. Henry VIII but make it magical where he's married to six wives at the same time? And that through these wives he channels the magic necessary to keep the kingdom thriving? AND IT WAS SAPPHIC?? The premise of this book was check mark after check mark. I was so ready to be completely swept away into my new favorite book.
And it's not a bad book. There is court intrigue and political rivalries as promised, there's sapphic yearning as promised, there are six queens as promised. There was a plot for a coup, there were dragons! At times it felt like there was too much packed into the story and not enough time to let the characters shine. Because Seymour and Boleyn fell flat to me as characters. I was rooting for them because their opponent wasn't just a man, it was Henry VIII and I've been primed my whole life to hate him (mild exaggeration). But I wasn't rooting for any of them because I cared about them, which was rough because so much of the book relied on caring about the characters.
I think this book fell victim to my high expectations. That if I hadn't gone into it certain it would be a five star read, I wouldn't have felt as disappointed that it fell so short of those expectations.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy.

Guys. A sapphic fantasy reimagining of Henry VIII and his wives with dragons!!! Hello?? Has any book ever piqued my interest more?

I absolutely adored the characters in this book. Boleyn, naturally, was my favorite. She's incredibly clever and knows exactly what she wants, and she isn't afraid to take it, no matter the cost. I love her ambition. Seymour was an interesting character too, especially in contrast to Boleyn, in that she considered herself to be very stupid. I don't think we really get a lot of fantasy protagonists who aren't really clever and super good at court politics and the like, so it was refreshing to see that.

The queer representation was actually great in this book. I loved that the sapphic aspect wasn't quite what I expected going into the book. It made Boleyn and Seymour's relationship even more complex. There was also a non-binary side character, and I really liked that. I think that aspect of this book was incredibly well done.

The worldbuilding was also very interesting. The religion was based around Cernunnos, which I really didn't expect. I love when fantasy worlds are based on different real-world mythologies, and this was no exception. But I loved that there were women being badass at the root of all the legends of this world. Honestly, I'm not really sure why there were randomly pet dragons and panthers, but I'm 1000% here for it. More of that, please.

I expected the polyamory aspect of the book to be limited to Henry and his wives, but that actually wasn't the case. Boleyn's brother was married to both a man and a woman. I think overall, Holly Chase did a lot of unexpected things with this book, and I always love to see that.

My only issues with this book were the timeline and the ending.

It was incredibly hard to tell how time was passing. At one point, I thought Seymour had been married to Henry for maybe two months, because it kind of seemed like that's how much time had passed. But then she dropped the bomb that it had been over a year? I didn't realize that the entire book took place over more than a year. To me, it felt like a maximum of a year, but that apparently was not true.

As for the ending... I don't know. I think I didn't realize this was a series, so that's on me. At the very least, it made me wishing I had the next book in my hands now, which is never a bad thing.

I really, really liked this book. I gave it 3 stars at first, and after some reflection, I realized I wanted to say nothing but good things about this book. So I bumped it up to 4 stars, and I will anxiously be awaiting more from Holly Chase.

Six Wild crowns

Six Wild Crowns by Holly Race
Rating: 3/5

Pitched as a fantasy retelling of Henry VIII and his six wives with dragons, sapphic yearning, and fierce women…this was much different than what I anticipated.

It was difficult to keep picking this book up because it felt very heavy handed in descriptive details that didn’t progress the story. While it did eventually get to a point that had me interested, it took about 80% of the book to get there. The unfolding story of where Henry’s magic comes from and how he must keep it was an interesting spin on an age old story…but it just didn’t hit the way I had hoped.

On a positive note, the main characters Boleyn and Seymour were fierce and strong in their own ways, with individual difficulties to overcome. We watch as Boleyn must tackle her love for Henry, the betrayal of a sister, and fear for her daughter’s future. I think that the general idea of this book had a lot of potential and perhaps as the series continues it could live up to it.

Anyone else here because of the musical SIX?

I was fairly excited to pick this one up and grateful to Holly Race and Hatchette Audio for providing me with an ARC. While I remain intrigued with the storyline and happy to dip my toes into historical fantasy, there was something missing from this. I think, for me, there was a bit too much dialogue and too little world building in the beginning. I sort of feel like I missed a lot of key details about the world and magic system that would have made me more interested in everything else that was going on. With that said, if you prefer books without depth in that area, this might be for you!