I think this graphic novel suffers a bit from trying totalk about so much stuff in the span of so many years. As someone that is not terribly well versed on the story of England during that century I often found myself taking my phone to search for stuff. Some people might find that enjoyable as it kind of promotes learning to fill the gaps, but as the comic is already quite long I wish it focused on a more concrete time period/situation and explained a bit more about that.

Historical graphic novels are an interesting genre, and I think this one did it well. I liked the art style and the information the book contained was enough to be interesting without being too much.

I became a Tudor girly almost out of nowhere. I decided to pick up The Other Boleyn Girl and suddenly I needed to read and watch everything regarding this period in time. That obsession has loosened its grip over the years, but I still tend to pay attention to things about that era, almost like I need to make sure I can still spout off useless knowledge at random intervals.

This is a REALLY fun way to take in Tudor history. Especially for someone who, like me, stumbled upon the era and decided they needed to absorb every bit of knowledge. I appreciate that the art style is...like this for a reason, but I will admit, some of it was....too interesting to the point of distraction.

Even so, I admire the work and research that went into making this graphic novel. I hope it inspires incoming generations to learn more about this absolute soap opera of a time period.

Wow, that was intense. I know nothing about England Monarch, but damn the title, Bloody Mary, was so fitting.
Since this is an autobiography, I can't say much about her life and the story around her before, during, and after her being The Queen of England. She was, in fact, the first English queen ever.
However, I am really glad I didn't live at that time. Because just reading into it, life back then seemed so hard.
I always love graphic novels, and with this book, the history that could be hard to read was surprisingly easy to read and easy to understand. For me, the easiest way to learn history is indeed by graphic novels. Because I find that long, thick historical books are somehow boring. Again, it's my preference since my brain capacity might not be good with formal history books.
The illustrations in this book, for me, were really good. They were somehow captured the details of historical background really well but still in funny and easy to absorb even in my mushy of brain.
This book piqued my interest in history, I definitely will read other graphic novels with history themes.

Thank you to Kristina Gehrmann, Andrews McMeel Publishing, and NetGalley for the ARC.

As a lifelong fan of Tudor history and the incredible drama of their dynastic line, I found Bloody Mary to be an engaging graphic novel that presented the historical facts in an interesting way for children. I would suggest this book is more of a preteen to teen level of reading, but there was nothing I viewed that I would have found objectionable for elementary aged children given it discusses adultery and executions. I also feel the book would have benefitted from chapter breaks, as without them it felt like the tale was jumping forward. I would personally prefer them as “Time” breaks to follow along with the historical timeline, potentially just each as a year of a major event or broken down into several years throughout Mary’s life.

Very interesting read. I was not familiar with the life/history of Mary Tudor and her family so I learned a lot of things with the book. The fact that it is in a graphic novel format helps me a lot to retain this kind of information and make learning about history easier. I am not a fan of the art style but it can probably be more appreciated by other people as it is really a subjective matter.

I'm not an avid reader of English history, but I do love the musical <i>Six</i> and was delighted that this dramatization dispelled some of my ignorance about the real events that inspired that wonderful show.

Mary Tudor is the oldest living child of Henry VIII and finds herself buffeted by all the divorce and succession drama that he creates with his many marriages, divorces, and beheadings. A devout Catholic, she is also hurt by her father's fallout with Rome and his pressure on her to renounce her religion.

Mary is somewhat sympathetic, if mostly ineffectual for much of the book, so it is sad that when she finally has a chance to take control of her life, she lashes out at other devout people as she persecutes and executes Protestants who stand in the way of her reestablishing the Catholic church in England.

History can be such a bummer. Bring on the singing ladies, please.


Disclosure: I received access to a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.com.

I enjoyed this read. It was a unique and interesting way to learn more about Queen Mary. From a child all I really ever heard was “Bloody Mary” and there was even a game made off of it. I never really learned much about her background or what led up to her receiving that moniker. The graphic novel was done in such a way that I understood more of Mary’s situation while also still not agreeing with the persecution’s she carried out.

A great graphic novel on Queen Mary I from the author Kristina Gehrmann. The pacing was well done it did not leave out any large parts, which could be hard to do with the graphic novel medium (the watercolors are well done!). I especially enjoyed the footnotes the author used because I needed the context to distinguish the historical figures and the rebellions. Overall, a good entry level history book for graphic novel enjoyers.

Wow, this was a fascinating look at Mary Tudor's life, from young childhood through the very end of her life. It showed how she was shaped and why she made the choices she did.

I didn’t know the story behind Bloody Mary before reading this graphic biography. The story was surprising and fascinating. It has a good pace, great artwork, and representation of that time period. It’s a fun history book that transports readers to the horrors of kings and queens brutal decisions and turbulent years in England. Also, the power of religious leaders.

The only reason I didn’t gave it 5 star is that I would have liked a bit more at the end about Mary’s following years and more understanding on how people living situation during that time in general.

This graphic novel about Queen Mary of England and her father King Henry VIII was SO wild! This story is so crazy that often times you forget you’re reading actual history instead of some historical fiction story that is majorly exaggerated.

I mean, Henry VIII and his escapades with all of his wives, the battle between Catholicism and Protestantism, people being beheaded left and right after suddenly getting accused of heresy, adultery or conspiracy out of the blue, politicians switching sides in the blink of an eye, Mary being in the middle of it all trying to fight for what she believes is right. I mean, it is WILD!

This graphic novel was so well structured, the story was clear and very educational, the drawings were beautiful and engaging. I really enjoyed reading it and I was hooked from page one until the end.

My only comment is that the ending was very abrupt. It went from everything going on at a full 100% to …and she’s dead, the end. 🙈😂
I did like the section at the end where they gave some context to what happened to all of the main characters in the book so you could get a handy and clear overview of history.

Thank you NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for letting me read an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion!

Choppy storytelling, and dry at times, reciting dates and events. The art was similarly stolid and static, without much flow. I didn't feel compelled to finish it, as I wasn't involved with any of the characters.

Bloody Mary: A Graphic Biography of Mary Tudor by Kristina Gehrmann from Andrews McMeel Publishing is a beautiful visual of a true story. This graphic novel makes it accessible for readers to access a biography about Tudor history in a way that isn’t intimidating. The watercolor style panels are beautiful, and there is a good balance between text description, speech bubbles, and image panels to propel the narrative. That is also true for more of the action or dramatic scenes. I don’t think a reader needs much context about Tudor history to understand the graphic novel, although if you enjoy history from this era like me, it is more enriching. That said, there is some extra information about the historical figures at the conclusion of the book.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. I read about King Henry the 8th, Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth but this was a nice refresher. The drawings were great and I liked that in the back, it tells what happened to several of the key players in Mary’s life. Now people can worship however they want but back then,at least in England, you had to worship with how the monarchy worshipped.

This biography in graphic novel was a pretty solid read. It gave me a lot of information on Mary Tudor’s life, things I didn’t know before, as I feel like a lot of material covering the time skips over her, focused on her father and his wives or Elizabeth. Overall an interesting historical read.

3.75 ⭐️
Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for sending me a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this blind, not even knowing what it was about.
Bloody Mary is the life story of Mary Tudor, also known as Bloody Mary. It is told in graphic novel format with events somewhat sensationalized.
I think this is highly accessible for people (me) wanting to dip their toes into history in which they have no knowledge of.

This had me on the edge of my seat during the last 100 pages.

~3 stars

'Bloody Mary' is a graphic novel chronicling the life of Mary Tudor, the fourth Tudor monarch.

I studied a lot of Tudor history in school, but Mary Tudor was never really covered in great detail so it was really interesting to learn about her life through the medium of a graphic novel. That being said I found that the story lacked flow and although I understand why the time jumps were necessary, they definitely made the plot feel quite choppy. I also found the pacing to be quite weird and I thought the second half was a little tedious. However, I think that a lot of people will find this a fun way to learn about history.

Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book via NetGalley.

Before reading this, I knew nothing about "Bloody Mary" other than her name and the legend about spinning around three times and seeing her in a dark mirror. I found myself really fascinated by this biography though. The artwork was beautiful. Gehrmann did a great job of assuming the reader had no prior knowledge without coming across as condescending. I appreciated how much suspense was written into the story with the way that Mary's uncertainties about her and her mother's exiles and then her eventual return to her father's somewhat good graces were portrayed. Mary Tudor really did live in an important and tumultuous time in English history and I'm so glad I got to learn a bit about it in this graphic novel.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange of an honest published review.*
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Okay, I’ll admit it—*Bloody Mary* by Kristina Gehrmann totally pulled me in, even though I’m a die-hard Anne Boleyn fan and it was *painful* to watch all the shade thrown her way (even if, let’s be honest, it made complete sense for the story being told).

This graphic novel focuses on young Mary Tudor, and it does a great job of showing how she became the person history loves to hate. You see her go through some really rough stuff—family betrayal, religious pressure, political whiplash—and it’s all presented in a way that actually makes you feel for her. Like, really feel for her. It’s not every day a book can take someone nicknamed *Bloody Mary* and make you want to give her a hug.

The art is beautiful and really helps carry the emotional weight. You can practically feel the tension in the room when Henry VIII is around (big yikes). The pacing is solid, though I will say some of the dialogue felt a little stiff or overly explanatory at times—like someone trying to cram a full history lesson into casual conversation. Still, I get it. There’s a lot of context to squeeze in.

Overall, this was a surprisingly emotional and thoughtful read. Even if it bruised my Anne-loving heart a bit, it was worth it to see Mary get her moment. Just be ready to root for someone you didn’t expect—and maybe groan a little when your favorite queen gets roasted.