Bloody Mary is a graphic novel that details the life and death of Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VIII of England and Katherine of Aragon. It's a lovely illustrated tale and includes comprehensive details of Mary's life, as told through her perspective. It's resourceful and insightful.

Not great, not terrible, but not particularly bloody either. I think it's maybe harder to write a biography of someone when you want people to really empathise with her? Humans are complex, not good or bad, but rather a mixed bag of treats and surprises. I do feel like it was just glossed over the bloody part of Bloody Mary - although context is offered, so there's that.

Other than that, the art was okay, but no sparks.

Beautifully illustrated and interestingly told.

Would recommend for age 12 and above to read.

9/10

Over the years I've learned a lot about the wives of Henry VIII, but not so much about the children that came from those unions. This is a well-done, and obviously well researched look at Mary Tudor, Henry's first surviving child, born to Catherine of Aragon, his first wife. Her poor treatment at the hands of her father, and her struggle to claim her rightful place as Queen of England make up the bulk of the book, though we do get glimpses of how she earned her bloody nickname.

The author's art is very nice - I like how the color palette changes to match the mood of the story.

This would be fun for history buffs, or anyone looking to prove that theocracies are never a good idea.

With thanks to the author, publishers Andrews McMeel Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with a DRC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I am currently about a quarter of the way through Hilary Mantel's "The Mirror and the Light" as part of year-long readalong for which I have also read the previous 2 books in her Wolf Hall trilogy. This has sparked an interest for me in the Tudors so I was excited to read this graphic biography of Mary Tudor, whose mother Katherine of Aragon played such a central role in "Wolf Hall".

As a result of that readalong I was familiar with Mary's story up to the point when she returns to court with her sister Elizabeth after her father Henry VIII has married his third wife Jane Seymour. From that point onwards was all new to me but I felt that this book gave a good if a little rushed overview of the remainder of her life, all told through a sequence of beautiful watercolour illustrations.

All in all I think this would be a worthy introduction for anyone to the story of Mary Tudor, and I would love to see the author build on this to produce a series of biographical works of other well-known historical figures.

I've always been fascinated by the Tudors so this was definitely a compelling read that kept me engrossed from start to end! Very enjoyable and informative yet easy to follow, though probably not the most objective since it's told from Mary's POV. The art style is just okay but I like how expressive all the characters are.

Would love a separate book on Elizabeth next!

The broadening of historical perspectives on Mary I, including pushing back against her complete vilification, is one that I've been pleased to see over the years. This graphic novel, which incorporates Mary's own perspective, adds to this growing collection of literature. The book traces Mary's childhood and upbringing at the turbulent Tudor court, from her relationship with her beloved mother, Queen Catherine of Aragon, to the drama and trauma of King Henry VIII's "Great Matter" and its impact on her life, to her eventual and ascension to the throne as Queen of England.

This was an engrossing read, one that I finished with the span of a day. Author and illustrator Kristina Gehrmann does well in explaining the interconnected political and social issues of the time, many of which took place during Mary's teen years. The footnotes and explainers at the end of the book provide the right amount of research and don't detract from the overall nature of the text. Gehrmann succeeds in showing the reactions of the English people to the events taking place around them, and how they varied based off of social class, religion and proximity to court. The book captures the tension and daily uncertainty of Mary's circumstances, compounded by her experiencing the emotional changes of young adulthood, something that teen readers would be drawn to. I can see young readers drawing inspiration from Mary's firm and dignified response to her mistreatment, including insisting that she be called "Princess" and refusing to cower in the face of pressure.

Gehrmann provides a balanced yet sympathetic treatment of Mary's story, one that focuses on her deep intelligence and political skills (which is often downplayed in many other works about her) as well as her emotions. She never excuses all of Mary's actions; rather, she shows readers the "why" that led to the "what" of her decisions. The reality is that Henry VIII was a bully, and that Mary was one of his first victims and most frequent targets, despite being his own daughter. She never recovered from the initial heartbreak of being separated from her mother. All of the cruelties shown her are historically accurate; I knew about many of them but discovered some new ones here, which further deepened my sympathy for her. The author shows the intentional removal of people from her circle whom she cared about, and how they were supplanted with those who wished her harm. Moreover, Gehrmann shows the nuances of Mary's relationships with her half-siblings, how she actively tried to have good relationships with them, and how her complicated feelings towards them, Elizabeth in particular, were understandable given her circumstances.

The illustrations aren't the most historically accurate in terms of physical appearance, but they're well done and capture the atmosphere well; the fabric patterns and architecture are some of the best ones. The author uses shades of red in both the shadows and the backgrounds to show the increasing sense of danger. Sometimes the red glow is shown as coming from light sources, such as candlelight; other times it frames the figures to represent their emotional state. The drawings were a little too graphic in some places, which is why I wouldn't automatically recommend the book for younger readers (I wasn't expecting to see actual heads on pikes in detail) but these don't occur too frequently throughout. Prospective readers don't need to have extensive knowledge about the Tudor Era in order to understand the book. However, due to the hyper=focused perspective, I would recommend this to those who had at least some familiarity with the key figures in the story.


This is my first book from the author. I thoroughly enjoyed the notes at the end about her creative process, how she arranges and lays out the book panels and the scanning equipment that she uses. I'd love to hear more from her about her inspiration for writing the book, her personal thoughts about Mary and other Tudors, whether she prefers graphic novels, and so on. Her love for history and historical subjects is evident. I see that she previously illustrated a version of Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle" and am interested in seeing her approach to that story.



Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Andrews McMeel Publishing, for this DRC in exchange for a fair and honest review. The thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

As someone who has been obsessed with The Tudors for decades and a graphic novel aficionado, this was a no-brainer for me. And I'm so glad I picked it up because Mary Tudor is possibly the one I knew less about (Mary Stuart, yes - Anne Boleyn, yes - Elizabeth I, yes but Mary Tudor less so). Outside of the "Bloody Mary" aspect of her as an historical figure, I knew very little and reading this graphic memoir changed that. Also, the illustrations were great and I hope I can get my kids to read this book someday.

The art is beautiful in this graphic novel. This is a great introduction to Tudor England. The history doesn’t feel overwhelming while still providing a lot of background and historical facts. Highly recommend for anyone who wants a quick introduction to Queen Mary.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the copy!
A graphic novel biography of an important figure in the history of the kings and queens of England, Mary Tudor, infamously called Bloody Mary for her time. But here we go much further back to her childhood and development, and there's not much more to say. I found the illustrations and design style to be pleasant and pretty, and they chose the settings very well to represent the story. As for the text, I thought it summarized what they wanted to tell us well, all moving in the direction of understanding and seeing this character as a person and a human being.

Bloody Mary tells the lifelong story of Mary Tudor the first born of King Henry VIII in a stunning graphic novel.

The chronological story spans from her first memory at two as the daughter of a King and goes until her ultimate death. Her story is entwined with what she believed to be the one true faith: Catholicism, and how she never wavered even against her father's wishes and resulting in a bloody campaign once she became queen.

Told through beautiful watercolor illustrations, the Graphic novelist is able to depict a beautifully dark story. She also uses historical documents alongside the dramatizations of historic events, bringing the story all together. It's impressive how she is able to show so many years of history in a concise and clear way for the reader.

WOW, this is my favorite graphic novel I've EVER read. This was so cinematic. Every single frame was necessary and ideal. I didn't know a graphic novel could stick with me like this.

This would be a great book for kids to learn about history! This graphic novel follows the life of Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VIII, from childhood to her death and the rise of Elizabeth I. The art and storytelling make learning about this period of history both engaging and fun.

England 1516-1558

This nonfiction graphic biography depicts the life of Mary Tudor through comic-style artwork and a limited amount of text. The format made for a quick yet informative read. I appreciated the illustrations and the way they made the story feel more immersive. It was helpful to see how Mary and her contemporaries dressed, lived, and (in some cases) died. The story is mainly told through Mary’s point of view, but there are several sections that depict scenes where she isn’t present. I like the way gossip was depicted by showing a way array of people chatting together while going about their daily tasks.

Overall, I thought this was a good overview of the tragedy that was Mary Tudor’s life. The artwork was beautiful. I’m not sure what it is about the mainly red and gold color scheme, but I really like it.

The back of the book included a behind-the-scenes look at the artwork process. I thought it was a fun touch.

This is a short easy read that gives a basic overview of the life of Mary, the daughter of Katherine and Henry. If you’re very familiar with her life I don’t think you’ll learn anything new from this. Best for a younger reader who’s just learning about the tudors.

The life of Henry the VIII is an unsusally complicated one, so readers will be forgiven if they don't know who Mary Tudor was. Mary, the only child of Henry and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, was born into an England that was Catholic and raised to take over the throne. But when her father decided to remarry (several times,) he also decided to leave the church and created the Church of England. Mary became a pawn in her father's game, struggling to stay true to herself and her religion, and being wise enough to survive. This graphic biography lays out her complex story.

this graphic biography covers the life story of Mary Tudor's life since she's a little girl until her last moment on earth. it's not too detailed because of the book length limit, not to mention it's fully illustrated. so it's more like a summary really. but boy it's enough to mortify me... England's history is so scary and sickening I'm so sorry...

I wished the book would give more highlight about her reign, because I feel like King Henry VIII's reign is more dominating here despite the fact that this book should be mainly about Mary. but okay overall this gave me new insights and prompted me to google some things up.

This was an interesting way to learn [more, for me] about the Tudors, and ultimately, Mary Tudor and her reign [her nickname comes from the punishments she inflicted on her people for perceived heresy].

Everyone is covered here, from Mary's mother, Katharine of Aragon, through the rest of Henry the 8th's five wives [and their fates], the people who were closest to Mary [including a beloved governess, her confessor, and for a time, her half-brother Edward, and half-sister Elizabeth, to whom she was lady-in-waiting to when Mary falls out of favor with her unstable father], and those who worked tirelessly against King Henry, then against her, and ultimately [in my opinion], against England.

This was a delightful [and less gruesome] way to digest Tudor history [there is only one graphic showing of a beheading]. Filled with gorgeous, richly colored illustrations* and easy-to-follow text [the research here is just fantastic], this is an excellent way to introduce one to a very ::AHEM:: interesting time in English history.

*The author shows her process at the end of the book and that is such a great bonus. It was very interesting to see how this book fully came about.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kristina Gehrmann, Ivanka T. Hahnenberger - Translator, Elowyn Castle - Translator, and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Enjoyment: 4
Start: 5
Characters: 4
Setting: 5
Plot: 5
Ending: 5
Style: 5
Rating: 4.5 (4.71)

Bloody Mary is a unique way of looking at a time I've always admired since childhood. I'll fully admit I know very little about the time when Mary reigned, but this sheds light on some of that time. I agree with some of what I read in this beautifully drawn graphic novel, but I believe some of the actions/words were probably off. Once again, I'm no expert and greatly enjoyed the story overall. This book can be used to wet the appetite of any young historian into the life of a young girl in this time period and even a young girl who would become queen of such a major power holder.

Very informative and engaging read. I love Tudor history and this was a great take on Mary and some unknown to me history.