An easy to follow examination of history, though the plot resolved rather quickly without a full examination of her change in mindset. I enjoyed the strategic use of color throughout.

Thank you to Andrew McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a review!

Bloody Mary is a great overview of the life of Mary Tudor, as well as the battle between Catholicism and Protestantism in 1500s England. I had always heard the name, "Bloody Mary" growing up, but never understood where it came from and now I do! This graphic novel is very informative, yet engaging, sharing Mary's story through a gripping narrative that keeps you in suspense. Even though I knew relatively what was going to happen next from history, I was still shocked like Mary in the story when things occurred. The art style is great and well done, but my only complaint is that it was difficult to distinguish from characters occasionally. Especially later in the book, I had a hard time identifying Mary versus her sister Elizabeth as they looked very similar. Other than that, I really enjoyed this novel and learned a lot! It definitely has a lot of religious themes throughout and it was neat to see history from a new perspective.

Overall, I would rate this book a 4/5 stars and recommend it to others!

Tudor era sparked my original love of history! This reminds me of the Young Royal series that Carolyn Meyer wrote. This works well as an addition to the Young Royal and Princess Diaries series and I think would be fun to use as a way to compare three different approaches on Mary Tudor's life. It is pretty comprehensive and I liked the use of primary sources in the graphic novel.

Bloody Mary is a great historical graphic novel for readers who are interested in the life of Mary Tudor. It certainly provides the context necessary to understand many of the events that happened, but this is not for those who are well-versed with the history of the Tudors or the time period. It is a very easy read and the illustrations are unique; not the typical style for a biographical/historical graphic novel. It is a bit more favorable (others have said compassionate in their reviews, which I can agree with) in terms of portraying Mary, but it is not an overwhelming perspective. It shows why she made the decisions she did and did not shy away from the truth.

Thank you Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC!

Very educational and generally well done, also recommended for younger readers who want a historically interesting story presented in a compact and simple way.

A huge thank you to Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

💭 My Thoughts

Overall, this was a great graphic novel. The art style was well executed, and the first half did a great job of laying out the six wives of King Henry VIII. However, I do wish it was longer so that there could be more time to flesh out the "Bloody Mary" aspect of Mary's story. It felt like it glossed over just how many Protestants were persecuted. As a whole, though, I think it did a great job of giving an overview of not just her life but the time in which she lived.

— 2.5 ✷


Not being well-versed in the history of the west, Queen Mary is merely a name to me. I didn’t know anything of what she did or who she was. So this was a really interesting read for me, albeit with no means to know if it’s factual to a tee or not. The storytelling was also precise and engaging, and I loved the watercolours in the art.

My interest waned a bit nearer to the end, so 2.5 stars for me.


Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve always been a fan of non-fiction graphic novels, so I was pretty ecstatic to start this one. Especially one of the most famous people in British royalty.

This book is mostly told on Anne’s POV, which is brilliant. Because we get to be informed and be connected to her as a “character”. While the art style isn’t what I usually vibe with, it is very detailed and colorful. I think this is a great way of introducing some people who are hesitant to read non-fiction books, especially biographies.

While I think this was an interesting and brief look into Mary Tudor's life, I never really feel like I got to know the real Mary. It felt like things were just happening to her and she went along with it in her way.

The art was interesting but it felt like Mary always had the same bored expression and Henry was always angry. I think this is a great book for beginnings of Tudor history.

This ambitious graphic novel covers the life of Mary Tudor, eldest child of Henry VIII, from her childhood until her death. This is quite a lot, including the drama of all of Henry VIII's six wives, the religious conflicts and uprisings in England at this time, the court intrigue, and Mary's marriage to Philip of Spain. As such, the reason why Mary was called "Bloody Mary" didn't get as much weight as it could have. The reader is made to sympathize with Mary, when in the end, during her brief time in power, she executed so many. I found this an interesting slice of history where most historical accounts focus on Henry VIII or Elizabeth I (Mary's younger half-sister).

I am a sucker for English history so this was right up my alley! I am not an expert in Tudor history but to me, this was clear and understandable and accurate. The paintings throughout the book were beautiful. Every page had been colored and painted by the artist and it is wonderful to see! There are additional pages in the back giving more information about the real people portrayed and how the art was created. A wonderful graphic biography!

https://www.goodreads.com/revBloody Mary is a graphic novel biography of Princess Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VIII (yes, the same Henry with six wives, which the Broadway show Six is based on!) and Catherine of Aragon. The story begins at the start of Mary’s life and follows her through to her final days, recounting everything she endured along the way.

What I enjoyed:
As a history lover, Bloody Mary was an exciting way to dive deeper into her life. The graphics and artwork worked well with the narrative and kept me engaged from start to finish. I appreciated how the book provided facts and clarifications throughout which never left me lost or confused.

The pacing of the graphic novel worked well, and the flow of the storyline had a good rhythm. I felt the length of the novel was perfect for the amount of information that was shared. I read this in about a day and a half which is really quick for me!

What could be stronger:
While I appreciated the facts and clarification throughout the story, I felt that some of the characters were drawn very similar in the way they were drawn so I often flipped back to remember who was who. However, this did not take away from my reading experience and what I learned from it.

Final thoughts:
This was a quick, enjoyable read that I’d definitely recommend to fans of nonfiction and/or graphic novels. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review Bloody Mary!iew/show/7462552933

A great read for those who love tudor history and especially Henry VIII.

This follows the life of his first daughter Mary and the trials she endures throughout her life at the hand of a tyrant. Very well done read and I loved the art!

I love all things Tudor period so I jumped at the chance to read this. Right away, I was drawn to the fully watercolored illustrations depicting courtly dress and life. I particularly enjoyed the way Henry VIII was depicted--his exaggerated features reminded me a bit of a Fernando Botero painting. Storywise, 'Bloody Mary' serves as a great history lesson, covering the six wives of Henry VIII, the English Reformation, and the succession crisis of the time. While this is an engaging way to learn about Tudor history, those well-versed in the topic may not find much new here. I've always thought Mary a tragic figure and felt this graphic novel did a great job chronicling her life, I only wish it explored her feelings and motivations a wee bit more.

Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing this book for review!

This graphic novel is a portrayal of Mary Tudor’s life from her own perspective. The narrative begins as child and tells her story through becoming the monarch of England, giving a deeper understanding of the personal and political challenges Mary faced throughout her reign. This graphic novel is detailed with full color artwork which gorgeously supports the narrative of the story. I was fully enthralled with this historical graphic novel, learning even more about the women of the Tudor era in a new and exciting way.

This was a very interesting book that gave the overall context to the Tudor era. The art was gorgeous and the way Mary Tudor’s life was laid out kept me intrigued.

Oh wow, those Tudors were messy! 😳

Knowing very little about the history of this period, other than a few tidbits here and there, and of course, the infamous rhyme of Henry VIII and his wives, I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this one. But I was pleased to find that this graphic novel was easily approachable, seemingly carefully considered and found it to be an engaging look into the life or Mary Tudor, aka Queen Mary I of England.

I found that the religious and political factors were made very easy to understand, thanks to the beautiful watercolour artwork and storytelling, making it super accessible and engaging. It was also great to learn about this historical figure from a more personal view point, not just via a barrage of facts and information. I had never really heard much of Mary’s life before, only of her simplified and almost caricatured reputation. But thanks to the dialogue, alongside real quotes and letters of the period, it really opened up a new understanding of the complexities of her story.

I thought it was a great insight also into the everyday lives of not just Mary, but everyone: the servants, the families involved, the church, the politicians, the subjects and so on. It made the story feel very alive and grounded in the time period, and it felt like everything was well researched, and drawn and written with great consideration. I also really appreciated the notes throughout explaining who everyone was and their connections to the story. The brief “what became of…” section was also a great addition.

If I had any negatives to add, it would probably be that there were some topics/events mentioned that I felt might require a bit more information or further reading. But, as I mentioned, I was pretty much new to this topic! And I can understand the limitations of that in this form of storytelling. So I’d say overall it was a clear, engaging and well structured story, and with beautiful illustrations that brought Mary’s history to life. I’d highly recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the early access in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book and the illustrations in it. It was heavy on history but it was well written and illustrated which made it an easy read. I would love to read more graphic novels like these and I am pretty sure, this will stay in my mind for a long time.

I received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

What I really enjoyed about this story was just the history, I do LOVE Tudor history and that was a quick, easy read. Even with me already knowing the history.

One thing I quite like about graphic novels is the art and the art for this one was....disappointing. The art seems very amateurish and everyone looks exactly the same. There were times where Mary and Elizabeth are in the same block speaking and you cannot tell the difference between who is who because of the art. That was rather disappointing.

Finally, through netgalley, this was only able to be read on the app which makes it SUPER inconvenient and very tight timeline. Makes me not want to read anything if that is the only option.

I am not generally a graphic novel fan, nor an English history buff, but I loved this!!

Bloody Mary tells the story of how Mary Tudor went from a loyal subject at her father's whim to a powerful tyrant whose name would echo through history. The reader gets to know Mary intimately and the author does a fantastic job of making the reader empathise with a figure who is often not seen favourably. Bloody Mary succeeds in its mission to provide context around Mary's tyranny and connect her hardships in life with her eventual abuse of power.

I absolutely LOVE the art in this graphic novel. I'm not art critic but I immediately recognised that the brushwork and colour palettes are reminiscent of royal portraits of the time, and I think this was such a clever touch. The movements between frames felt organic and there was clear 'light' and 'dark' eras shared by both the narrative and the illustrations.

I highly recommend to history buffs and novices alike. Most of this story was totally new information to me and it was delivered in a very accessible way, and I also think there might be some surprises for the aficionado as well.