This is an original and engaging fantasy tale, but readers expecting a rich historical reimagining of Henry VIII’s court may be surprised. While the characters share names with historical figures, the Tudor connection is mostly surface-level, and the world operates by its own magical logic. Still, the story stands well on its own: a compelling exploration of rebellion, power, and political intrigue in a richly built world. Boleyn is a standout character—reckless, bold, and captivating—while Seymour’s arc offers satisfying growth amid courtly deception and hidden agendas. The magic system and cultural mythos are inventive, though some plot threads and character dynamics lack clarity or payoff. The sapphic themes felt underdeveloped, more like unrequited crushes than yearning romance. The ending is ambiguous, possibly hinting at a series. Overall, it’s an enjoyable fantasy read with intriguing ideas, but best approached without expectations of deep historical retelling.

I was able to read an ARC of this book thanks to Hatchette and Netgalley.

This book is based around Henry VIII and his 6 wives in a way I’ve never read before. I really enjoyed the new take on Henry and the relationship with his wives from a fantasy world.

It took me a little bit to fully get into the book because of the way it begun but once it hooked me I couldn’t put it down, the portrayal of Boleyn and Seymour was fantastic and I throughly enjoyed the way their relationship developed through the book. The political scheming and games they play throughout the book was thrilling to read. I was left wanting more and can’t wait for the next book to be released!

I will note that I feel the blurb of the book does it a disservice, it sets you up to expect a book teeming with dragons but the dragons are more a part of the scenery and not at the forefront of the book and the story. While I did pick up the book for the dragons I stayed for the fantastic historical fantasy and well written characters and plot. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves the Tudor history and political intrigue and wants a historical fantasy told in a completely different way.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Hachette ANZ for this ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Six Wild Crowns is a historical fantasy based around Henry VIII and his 6 wives. This is my first Tudor related story and I couldn't be more excited to dive into it. This story follows both Boleyn and Seymour as they struggle to fit into their role in society while uncovering secrets about the magic the King would rather remain unknown. I really enjoyed the development of the characters, with a slight preference leaning towards Boleyn and her chapters more. This book is heavy on political discourse and scheming, and quite light on the magic elements. We are however learning about it alongside the two FMCs, so I expect the world building and magic system to continue developing in the next book.

Something important to mention is that the blurb is somewhat misleading. While technically yes, the court is "teeming with dragons", it's not in the way you'd expect. There's no fighting or battles that we're privy to, in fact dragons aren't even worshipped creatures, some are actually eaten. If you can overlook this, and enjoy a good historical fantasy retelling, Six Wild Crowns is a fantastic story filled with politics, wit and betrayal. While I did find it quite hard to get into at first, once it picked up I really enjoyed it!

I do have to say, I found the descriptions of Seymour's monthly course in chapter 2 both distasteful and jarring. Something that is wholly unnecessary to the plot but detracted from the story so much that I had to put the book down and seriously consider if this was the right fit for me. Thankfully no such language continued in the book and I genuinely enjoyed the rest of the story, but given how close I came to not wanting to continue with this over language that didn't actually contribute anything to the story, I would seriously reconsider the necessity to include it.

If you enjoyed Priory of the Orange Tree, this book is perfect for you! I cannot wait to see where this story goes.

Anything related to Tudor history is an instant read for me so I was wildly excited to stumble across this fantasy reimagining of Henry and his six infamous Queens.

The writing style was possibly the most intriguing thing - at times I almost forgot the fantastical element of the story, getting lost in the historical aspect of the courts, but they gelled incredibly well together, creating a robust portrait of intrigue, subterfuge, forbidden love (aka sapphic pining in the most delicious, bittersweet of fashions) and hidden lore.

Boleyn and Seymour are wonderfully enjoyable characters as the forefront of the story, even though I would not claim Seymour as much of an assassin. The supporting cast of their courts and the other Queens were each unique and engrossing in their own way. Some of the minor characters carved out a special place in my heart.

While the heart pounding race to the finish line of this novel was phenomenal in its dazzlingly bold attempt to dismantle the patriarchy, I was left feeling a little underwhelmed with elements and am hoping there'll be a sequel to further explore the fates of the Queens.

I love anything Tudor related, and this is the first fantasy take I've seen on Henry VIII and his six wives!

I have always been a sucker for Anne Boleyn, so I don't think it would surprise anyone that Boleyn was my favourite character. I enjoyed her dynamic with Seymour and though I think others didn't like the one-sided nature of the romance, I actually thought it gave both of the characters more depth because romantic feelings are not always reciprocated.

The only thing I disliked was how the blurb didn't accurately convey some things. I wouldn't really have called Seymour an "assassin", and while there are dragons and other creatures present throughout the story, they didn't play as major or active a role as implied. I think we also could have done with a bit more depth on the characters' emotions as sometimes there's an emotional shift which isn't too well explained, but otherwise I thought the characters were well fleshed out.

I think we could have done with a little more explanation on the magic system itself, what it enables people to do and how it works, but I also do wonder if this was kept vague on purpose because of what the queens discover throughout the story.

The ending! I did have a sense of foreboding and genuinely believed toward the end that a prominent character death would occur because it actually added a lot to the narrative and the direction in which the plot needs to go. At no point did it feel forced or like it didn't belong, there was a purpose to it that I appreciated.