I received an ARC though NetGalley for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF @ 25% for me.

I am absolutely not saying this is bad by any means.

It's very informative and were I to be doing a school project on Mary this would make for wonderful reading.

The issue is, I'm an adult with severe ADHD, a rudimentary understanding of Tudor fuckery, and only so much time and spoons to spend on things that don't grip me.

Unfortunately, I found the script to be somewhat dull and lifeless and the artwork to be be little too much on the textbook illustration side for my tastes.

This is a bit of you, bit of me DNF, and certainly not a condemnation.

I found this book very informative, and it is great information for reluctant readers since it is in a graphic novel format.

As a person that love history this was a very delightful way to get informative.
The graphics were so good done and it delivered the feelings of the time period.
The necessary informations of her life were there without getting in depth which I think is suitable for this way of telling the story.

Bloody Mary is an in depth graphic novel about the Life of Mary, Henry the 8th's first child who eventually became queen. The illustrations are amazing and really convey the difficulties and happinesses of the time. It spans her entire life and where the book shines is the historical accuracy. The whole Tudor period is well known to many with all of Henry's wives being mentioned as well as the reign's of Edward, Jane and Mary after his death. It is not the most in depth book about their history but it does a good job for what it is. It only took me a couple of hours to get through and I enjoyed those hours. I'd definitely be interested in future graphic novels by Kristina Gehrmann.

Thank you Netgally and the publisher for giving me an early copy of this book.

History has always fascinated me so receiving this copy was a true joy. I loved how this book focused on Mary but also showed bigger events that led to the decisions others made for her. Since I’m nowhere near a historic expert i can’t vouch on what the accuracy of everything. But i somehow have faith that it’s all correct. The story was fast pasted and used very easy language and put extra info where needed. This resulted in the story being easy to understand for someone with zero knowledge. I also loved seeing what became of some the important side characters and seeing the proces of making the comic.

I would highly recommend this graphic novel for everyone who wants to know more about this misunderstood queen.

As an English major, I think this is a briliant way how to present a story of a perhaps less known monarch in a fun and engaging way. The graphic novel format is far more digestible for all readers - kids, teens, adults looking to learn something new - than if it was a simple non-fiction text. It presents the history clearly with incredible art and it is quite easy to remember details about Mary's life when her story is accompanied by illustrations.

The artwork in this book is simple yet delicate and beautiful. The story is a well known one from 1800's England with it's ruler king Henry. His daughter Mary, the bloody Tudor, has her own opinions and ideas for England. It was surely interesting to read about her story for once and to dive into the messy family that was created. The story is paced really well and discusses important time based events in the history of England. I enjoyed this one! Would recommend it if you are interested in history and the tale of Henry the 8th.

After I finished this, I had to do some confirmatory Googling, because I knew less about this Mary than about either her father (who is depicted as the creep he was) and her half-sister Elizabeth (who gets very little time on-page). While this graphic novel was a simplification, and to me seemed very YA, it manages to cover a lot of ground, and manages to capture some of the nuance of her life and motives. Is it entirely accurate? There are certainly some liberties taken, but I'm not familiar enough with the period to have identified them all on my own.

Also man, this is why we don't have kings anymore. What an absolute cluster of a time to be alive.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. The art in particular was terrific.

Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for an copy of the ARC.

This is a really cool way to present the history of Queen Mary I "Bloody Mary" and the many traumas in her life that led to her reign. I found this graphic novel both informative and entertaining (and a fast read!)

Bloody Mary is the graphic novel retelling of King Henry the VII first daughter. I absolutely loved this story because there was so much that I didn’t know about her. I literally read this and spiraled into watching #myladyjane and listening to #sixthemusical I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone

#netgalley #youngadult #thetudors #bloodymary #henrythevii

A good overview of Mary's life, but unfortunately the washed-out colors and the juvenile drawing style don't quite fit such an expansive, serious topic. It seems like the author wrote for an adult audience and drew for a children's audience.

I am a strong proponent of using graphic novels in the classroom and this book is a great example of why. Mary Tudor is not taught much in US schools but her life and time as Queen is such a huge part of history. This graphic novel does a fantastic job of bringing this time period to life for readers and gives a succinct yet comprehensive overview of her upbringing and what led to her actions that would result in her being referred to as 'Bloody Mary'. You can't help but wonder how she would have handled her time as Queen had her father made different/better decisions for her as she was growing up. History looks on her as a vicious ruler, but this book also presents the human side of her. When you are able to look at her life as a whole you can see her as the complicated person she was and acknowledge that she is actually a pretty tragic figure. This book would be a great supplement to any history curriculum that covers 16th century, especially Henry VIII. I was provided this as an e-book ARC but will definitely be purchasing a physical copy when it is released.

Thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the e-arc of this book.
Too excited to read this graphic novel because this is about bloody mary and I really love history. So, I waste no time and read it.

a wonderfully illustrated graphic novel on the history of the tudors, henry the 8th and how mary became known as "bloody"
a retelling of her infamous life and evolution, from her "earliest memories" to her death, the unfairness and horror of her position in royalty, and the religious zealous campaign that brutally struck europe
using inspiration of the tudors love for fine arts and dramatized historical documations and quotes, we are taken on a inspiring, dark and heartbreaking journey
*when i say inspiring removing religious bias, she was a 1st born daughter in an extremely sexist world and fought to take her throne, as bad as her dark and murderous ways were, would she have succeeded without bloodshed while her father was murdering women for the sake of a son*

I had a hard time getting into this graphic novel. It is a historical biography told from the perspective of Princess (later Queen) Mary. However, I didn't feel that we were given as much of a glimpse behind the history as I would have liked. I found it difficult to connect with Mary. I wanted to see more of her humanity rather than a dry retelling of events I am already familiar with.

I did enjoy the art style. It reminded me of Erica Henderson's work. I especially appreciated the use of color linking page spreads together to signify scene/setting changes.

Perhaps someone with less familiarity of the time period and events would enjoy this book more.

I was familiar with Henry VIII and Mary Stuart story before but it was a messy mix of the movies and tv shows I’ve seen (Mary Queen of Scots, The Tudors, Another Boleyn Girl and that CW tv show Reign???). I’ve never studied this in school because I’m not British but I’ve always been intrigued by Mary as a historical figure.

This graphic novel has turned out to be so engrossing, a real page-turner. I’ve put on The Tudors soundtrack on Spotify and found myself transported into this world of court intrigues and Mary’s perseverance. Something about Kristina Gehrmann adaptation of this story made it very immersive — we see the common folk’s reaction to different events as the main story unfolds and I found it to be a nice touch.

The art style is easy to digest and is quite eye-pleasing.

As I was close to the end of the story, I found many parallels with Game of Thrones, especially the tv series, and I think that the writers definitely used Mary Stuart as a prototype of Daenerys Targaryen. So many things in common!

This graphic novel raised my interest in British history of the era and made me want to research this period even further.

I thank NetGalley and Andrews McMeel publishing for providing a digital copy of the graphic novel in exchange for an unbiased review!

Thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This graphic novel/biography of Mary Tudor, also known as Bloody Mary, was very well done. The illustrations look like they could have come from the Tudor period itself. Hans Holbein would be impressed! The text is easy to read and understand and does a good job of explaining how Henry VIII screwed over Mary’s mother because she didn’t provide him with a son.

The graphic novel also does a good job of showing how devout and important the Roman Catholic faith was to Mary and her mother, Catherine. They clung to it as the king defied the pope and created his own church in order to marry Anne Boleyn.

The one part that I thought the book lacked was when Mary actually became queen and earned her famous nickname, Bloody Mary. I don’t think that part of the book was sufficient to explain the terror and horror people felt as she took retribution against plotting Protestants. While nearly 300 people were put to death under Queen Mary’s reign, it’s important to note that under her father, Henry VIII, 37,000 people were executed.

This graphic biography a great way to introduce younger people to the Tudor reign. Highly recommend!

3.5
This graphic novel is essentially a biography of Mary Tudor from birth until death. It is good for giving a broad overview of the major events throughout her life, as tumultuous as it was. It also gives some insight into what her point of view may have been when it came to her father, Henry the Eighth. This graphic novel doesn't go too deeply into any of the events that made up Mary Tudors life, but rather gives a brief look into it before briskly moving on. This novel would honestly work well for teaching history. The graphic novel format would likely help students stay engaged while being brief enough that it could be read in an hour. I also liked the art! The art was well done, and it was clear that whoever did the art made sure to do their research into historical fashion. Everything worn by all of the characters was appropriate for the time period they were in.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Rating: 2/5 stars

Thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

This is marketed as a graphic novel, but honestly, it’s not. At best, it’s an illustrated book. The visuals don’t carry the story—they just accompany it, and not in a particularly meaningful way. There’s very little “graphic novel” about it beyond the format.

The story itself is essentially a first-person historical recap: “this happened, then that happened,” with little depth or engagement. It feels more like a heavily condensed biography than a creative retelling. And that’s fine for what it is, but as a graphic novel it really misses the mark.

Too much telling, not enough showing—and that’s especially disappointing in a visual medium. Ultimately, it didn’t leave a strong impression, and I didn’t feel the need to finish it.

I really enjoyed this portrait of Mary! The book was incredibly well done and kept me engaged. The format was intriguing and I thought it was well executed. Would recommend to any history lover!