I enjoyed the audiobook narration but I did have a hard time getting into this one. I liked the overall story and I enjoyed the characters. But I feel like the world and magic could be explored more.


Tropes:
Rivals to Friends
Court Politics
Folklore Magic
LGBTQIA+ Rep
Love Pentagon
Tudor Easter Eggs
One Bed Sapphic Yearning

When I saw the summary of this book, I knew I had to give it a read. This a unique and fun way to represent the wives of Henry VIII in a brand new and exciting light. The story was engaging albeit slow in points just due to the political machinations that were occurring. This only lost a star for me due to this very descriptive focus on one thing in the first couple chapters that felt excessive and the is never mentioned again. I think this was a good set up for a series and I am excited to see what develops for our Queens.

The narration was well done and really embodied the different characters. It felt as if you were sitting in the room the entire time listening to the conversation around you. I look forward to the next audio book for this series.

“Queens must be friendly but never friends.”

This book is a wild ride. It’s a fantasy reimagining of the Tudor Queens, but it’s also an intricate web of magic, myth, and worldbuilding in its own right. Snippets of actual history do pop up throughout the book, but those elements have been bent and reshaped into something new. I found the overall story to be fascinating. Boleyn and Seymour are both Queens of Elben, but their methods and reasons for gaining those titles are wildly different. Both women have flaws, but they also have particular strengths. It was fascinating to see these women interact with each other and the rest of their world.

I’ve seen several reviews that say this is basically SIX the musical in book form, but I disagree. SIX has a certain amount of lightheartedness and fun even though it does touch on some heavy topics. This book has a more serious historical fantasy feel. Yes, it is a feminist twist on the historical wives of Henry VIII, but that’s where the similarities end. With all the court intrigue, intricate magical legacy, the existence of (small) dragons, and secret sapphic (and non-sapphic) romantic entanglements, I would say it’s closer to The Priory of the Orange Tree.

The audiobook is narrated by Olivia Dowd. She did a great job, but I wish there had been a second narrator to help distinguish between chapters through Boleyn’s POV versus Seymour’s. The author voiced the dedication and author’s note. This brief moment felt like a peek behind the curtain, which I enjoyed.

Check triggers before reading.

Note: This is the first book in the Queens of Elben series. The next book has not yet been announced.

Let me start by saying this was a highly anticipated read for me. I have an odd obsession with the Tudor dynasty. So when I saw Henry VIII and his six wives with dragons, I was immediately intrigued. However this story didn’t live up to its blurb. The dragons could have been an afterthought. This doesn’t read like an epic fantasy. The world building was lackluster and I found I never truly understood the magic system. Regarding the romance, it was less sapphic yearning and more unrequited love. I truly felt bad for Seymour as Boleyn was a mean girl through and through. While this story was entertaining, it was t what I expected based on the blurb.

Six Wild Crowns is loosely inspired by Henry VIII and his 6 wives, but beyond their shared names, there are few similarities. The synopsis is a bit misleading and the elements of court scheming and assassination make up only a small part of the story.

Unfortunately, I had a bit of a hard time getting through this book as I found it quite slowly paced. There was a lot of time spent setting up plot points before the story began to pick up in the later half. On the other hand, the concept of the story and the magic surrounding the Queens was interesting and felt original. I also enjoyed the dragons being similar to dogs.

The dual POV of Boleyn and Seymour worked well to explore the kingdom and the worldbuilding, but unfortunately none of the characters were very likeable. We are told that Boleyn is smart and her intelligence sets her apart from the other Queens, but her unfailing love for Henry makes it hard to believe her. Especially when, towards the end of the book, she keeps making excuses for Henry even after he shows his true colours.

Seymour does have character growth, but it’s limited and surface-level since even towards the end of the book, she still has to be told what to do. While this isn’t a romance novel, the romance felt very superficial with nothing to back up the characters’ feelings, and the sapphic-yearning plot line was completely one-sided with no pay off.

Olivia Dowd’s narration was great and her voice blended seamlessly with the Tudor-inspired world.

Thank you NetGalley for the ALC!

A reimagining of our famous Henrys 6 wives. But in this story, they’re all alive and married to him at the same time. We get a dual pov between two of the wives.

I had a hard time with this one only because sometimes it’s hard for me to “reimagine” history when we’ve changed so much while trying to keep it sorta to the truth? The premise was super intriguing but it just fell a little flat.

I need the rest of this series immediately. Characters were amazing, the sapphic romance was delicious, the world building was amazing. The narrator choice was also amazing! So well done!

This book reimagines the infamous tale of Henry VIII and his wives in a fantasy setting. It's great for fans of court and political intrigue fantasy. The story is dual POV focusing on two of Henry's wives, Boleyn and Seymour. It's very character-driven, with much of the story focused on the political scheming and inner lives of these characters. The plot, which follows the source of magic and power within this world and the ways in which it may have been warped to disenfranchise women, picks up more in the second half of the story. The fantasy setting provided interested worldbuilding that tied directly into the story. The LGBTQ+ tag and description of "sapphic yearning" are accurate, although I personally expected something a little different. Seymour is a sapphic queer woman whose close companion is nonbinary. Boleyn may best be described as bi. I expected a little more to come of this, but "sapphic yearning" is a tidy and complete summary of the dynamics. The audio narrator was enjoyable.

Divorced, beheaded and died
Divorced, beheaded, survived

That's how we know the six wives of Henry VIII.

In this fantasy tale though, you'll see them in a very different setting - and with dragons!

The story draws on actual history, but mostly purely by naming the characters and giving them some historically known traits.

I didn't mind though, as I was still enamoured by the depiction of free-willed, ambitious Anne Boleyn.
It's a dual POV with Jane Seymour, while the other four wives play minor (and yet very important) roles. All of them are needed to keep the land of Elben in balance - but there's more to legend and myth than meets the eye.

We have a lot of sapphic yearning (yay!) but not enough of dragons (sad). But we do have some smashing the patriarchy so double yay.

The ending picks up in pace and action, and I'll surely continue the series.

The narration is really good, I enjoyed the audiobook a lot. It gave a courtly, royal vibe for sure.

4/5 stars

Thank you @netgalley and @hachetteaudio for the eARC!

#SixWildCrowns #Netgalley #Bookstagram

The blurb of this book was so intriguing. I loved the fantasy world given to a story we’ve grown up with. The world building was cleverly balanced between the fantasy elements of magic and dragons with familiar characters and elements from history. This helped the reader settle into Boleyn and Seymour’s world.
Sometimes the pace felt a little slow for my liking and I struggled to keep my interest in the middle of the book. I wanted more details about the other queens. However. the last part of the book really picked up and I enjoyed it a lot. The narrator is brilliant and really helped to engage me and familiarise myself with the world.
I would definitely recommend this audiobook to fans of fantasy and historical fiction.
Thanks for the author, publisher and NetGalley for a chance to review an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

(Slight spoilers for the first 10% of the book.) Unfortunately, this is not for me and I will not be finishing the book. I'm 100% here for adding dragons to Tudor history. What I'm NOT here for is making Henry VIII sexy...ick. Especially right after knocking a man unconscious at best and killing him at worst. And all the queens being alive at the same time is also throwing me off. I've heard the sapphic pining isn't as good as it should be too, which is a sad.

STUNNING

One of my favorite fantasy reads to date! This is such a beautiful show of women's bravery and their need to fight TOGETHER to counter the patriarchy. I also really loved the way love in all its shapes is shown in this book, especially the types of love that are not entirely understood.

Henry VIII but make it polyamorous so he marries all 6 wives at once and set in a completely fantastical world with lap dragons. I liked this one and I’m interested to see where the story is gonna take us… justice for Boleyn!

Audience: Adult
Plot: 4 out of 5
Characters: 4 out of 5
Spice: 1 out of 5

Keywords: Romance, Historical, Fantasy, Tudor, Alternate History, LGBTQIA, Sapphic, Found Family, Queens as Rulers, Court Intrigue
Tea Pairing: Tower of London Blend by Harney & Sons

Favorite Quotes:
“The notion that any book could be dangerous is preposterous to her. People are dangerous. Swords and cannons are dangerous. Books can only ever be sustenance.” – (Chapter 14)
“Then pick up your own lantern, my angry, angry queen, and shine.” – (Chapter 37)

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley from Orbit / Hachette; and the audiobook from Hachette Audio. Thank you! All opinions are my own.

Inspired by Tudor England, Six Wild Crowns is an epic fantasy novel which centers around the six queens, but mostly focuses on Boleyn and Seymour, as they all navigate courtly life in Henry’s Tudor court. Henry is king of Elben, and according to myth and tradition, must marry six wives to keep the magical barrier that keeps Elben strong and secure. But there is more to this magic than meets the eye. The novel follows the queens as they discover who they are, find their places, and what that means for Elben.

This novel has some of the best world-building that I have read in a long time. But because of the history and added fantasy, the pacing took a little longer, but honestly, I was okay with that. With something this epic, world-building is essential, and once the setting and world was established, the story definitely picked up. This was a dual-POV between Seymour and Boleyn, and I very much enjoyed the back-and-forth POV between the two queens. I was pleased to see the other queens also represented throughout the novel as well.

The audiobook performance was brilliant! I have to say that Olivia Dowd did an amazing job at her portrayal of all the characters. There was tone, expression, and overall performance was very entertaining and made the novel a joy to listen to. When I listen to audiobooks, I do tend to increase the listening speed, which I did to 1.5, and even at that pace the narration was very clear and easy to listen to.

I would highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys Tudor history and epic fantasy, with a dash of dragons, magic, and feminine rage. This is an absolute epic book that I couldn’t put down. Once I started it, I had to finish it. I’m very eager to find out if there will be a continuation of the story, since the last three chapters left me wanting more – what happens next?

I ended up DNF’ing this one at 36%. In my opinion, the magic was undeveloped for how far I was into the story, the plot was doing a bit too much but also not enough at the same time, the war and politics lacked context and left me confused, and it was overall not catching my interest. I think this book has great potential and I can see a lot of people really enjoying it!! The historical elements with Henry VIII and his wives were really interesting! I might pick this one back up in the future, but I’ll be stopping for now.

I enjoyed this - I loved the historical aspect of it being Henry the 8th and his six wives. I really enjoyed the magic system as well and the characters. I didn’t love though the story it just felt a bit slow and meandering and I was more invested in some characters POV than others, I probably will keep going with the series though!

In terms of the narrator - I loved her I thought her voice and tone was great and I loved the differences she made between the different voices!

Thank you so much to Netgalley & Orbit Books for an advanced copy!

Six Wild Crowns is the highly anticipated epic fantasy from Holly Race that brings us into a world “of dragons, courtly intrigue, sapphic yearning, and the wives of Henry VIII as you've never seen them before.”

We primarily follow two of King Henry’s six queens, Boleyn & Seymour, as they become reluctant allies and unlikely friends. Seymour is described as an assassin in the blurb but I didn’t find her a very believable assassin, she comes across too timid and almost distracted to begin with. She does lose the timid nature slowly but surely but still not quite enough to see her as a capable assassin.

I think this book might have been better as a straight up epic fantasy, the story of Henry VIII doesn’t have as much bearing on the book as is implied by the blurb. I thought the plot would be more grounded in the Tudor world so perhaps that’s my misunderstanding. It makes for a rather jarring listen at times which I thought would fade the further I got into the book but I think I was over the 70% mark before I really settled into it.

A reader with no knowledge of Tudor history would likely get on better and wouldn’t be distracted trying to marry the characters with the real life people they’re inspired by. I found the Tudor influence took away from the world building and I had to re-listen to some sections to fully grasp the kingdoms, creatures, families and magic system.

That being said however, I did enjoy the book once I hit the last 30% or so, the plot finally hit its stride and I realized I’d become invested in the characters almost without realizing. I’m not sure how many books the series will be in total (struggled to find info beyond the first book for some reason) but the next, Six Savage Thrones, is due next year and I’m looking forward to seeing how the story progresses 💗

Review: Six Wild Crowns - A Promising Premise That Falters in Execution
(2 Stars)

The Premise: "Six Wild Crowns" by Holly Race presents a fascinating high-concept: an alternate Tudor England infused with fantasy elements like dragons and magical creatures, reimagining Henry VIII's infamous marital saga. Instead of beheading his wives, this Henry must keep all six alive to magically protect six crucial castles. Marketed heavily as a Sapphic romance filled with dragons, political intrigue, and assassins (specifically mentioning Seymour as a spy/assassin), the setup promises a thrilling blend of history and fantasy.

The Reality: Unfortunately, the book significantly misses the mark on its marketed promises and struggles to deliver on its own intriguing premise.

Misleading Marketing: If you're picking this up expecting the "court teaming with dragons" and thrilling action promised, prepare for disappointment. Dragons and fantasy creatures are largely relegated to background elements, and the promised espionage/assassin angle involving Seymour is barely present. The action is far more subdued than the synopsis suggests.

The "Sapphic Romance" Misfire: While a Sapphic unrequited love story between Boleyn and Seymour exists and runs through much of the narrative, it's not a romance in the fulfilling sense. Expect yearning and tension, but don't expect mutual affection, payoff, or the central focus suggested. It adds a layer of melancholy rather than passion.

The Henry VIII Gimmick: The Tudor wife connection feels underdeveloped. Beyond the basic premise of six wives needed for castles, the characters lack the depth, distinct personalities, and captivating intrigue of their historical inspirations. The core idea is brilliant, but it feels like a superficial hook rather than a deeply explored foundation. As a history enjoyer, I found this aspect frustratingly shallow.

Problematic Focus & Skin-Crawling Elements: The narrative places a heavy, uncomfortable emphasis on births, pregnancies, and the wives' biological functions. Even within a fantasy setting, this focus feels relentless and reinforces a grim reality where women's bodies and reproductive roles are central to their value and suffering. It's a pervasive element that detracts significantly from the enjoyment for me.

Character & Relationship Development: Holly Race's handling of emotions and interpersonal dynamics is a major weakness. Character motivations often feel unclear, relationships shift abruptly without sufficient development (characters suddenly declare love or closeness with little foundation), and emotional beats frequently fall flat. Fear is somewhat conveyed, but it's not enough to anchor the characters' actions convincingly.

The Handsome Henry Hurdle: The portrayal of Henry as handsome was a jarring and unintentionally humorous distraction. It actively clashed with the indelible historical image, making suspension of disbelief difficult during his scenes.

Conclusion: "Six Wild Crowns" has a genuinely fantastic premise brimming with potential. The core idea of a fantasy Henry VIII bound to six wives for magical protection is inspired. However, the execution is lackluster. Misleading marketing, underdeveloped characters (especially the wives), a superficial use of the historical hook, an uncomfortable focus on reproduction, weak emotional writing, and the bafflingly handsome Henry all contribute to a reading experience that feels like a missed opportunity. While I see potential in the world and concept for future installments, this first book didn't deliver on its promises or fully engage me. I won't be continuing with the series.

Acknowledgement: Thank you to NetGalley, Holly Race, and Hachette Audio for providing an early ALC (Audiobook Listening Copy) in exchange for my honest review.

Six Wild Crowns by Holly Race is a beautifu ly written five-star read that reimagines the Tudor court as a realm of dragons and sorcery, weaving real-world history into an immersive fantasy world. Race’s prose is at once lyrical and precise, drawing readers into a kingdom where the balance of power hinges on the coexistence of six queens, each of whom are vital to the king’s dominion.

Set in an alternate universe, the novel unfolds through the dual perspectives of Boleyn and Seymour (an inventive twist on Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour), whose lives become inextricably linked by courtly schemes. When King Henry’s first queen, Aragon, dispatches Seymour to spy upon and eliminate the up-and-coming Boleyn, a deadly game of political intrigue ignites. From clandestine alliances to magical storms, Race created a plot that never falters in pacing or payoff.

What truly elevates Six Wild Crowns is its vivid cast of queens and other femske characters. Aragon, Parr, Cleves, Blount, Howard, and Boleyn each presented distinct strengths, ambitions, and vulnerabilities. Race tackles the trope of women in competition with nuance, illustrating how their personal goals both bind and divide them. The result is a study of female relationships that feels authentic and resonant, unflinchingly honest about rivalries yet hopeful for solidarity.

Elements of Tudor history are seamlessly blended with fantastical world-building: dragons symbolize the volatile power, magic reflects the shifting loyalties of court, and historical figures’ true personalities - like Boleyn’s intelligence and generosity - shine through more accurately than in many traditional retellings. For fans of epic fantasy and historical drama alike, Six Wild Crowns delivers the best of both worlds. Think A Song of Ice and Fire meets The Tudors, with fresh depth and nuance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Six Wild Crowns by Holly Race is a dark, atmospheric, and imaginative fantasy that completely drew me in. The premise is fresh and intriguing, with a deadly game of power, loyalty, and betrayal playing out in a vividly crafted world. I loved the layered politics, complex characters, and slow-burn tension that built beautifully throughout the story.

The audiobook narration was excellent — the narrator brought each character to life with distinct voices and emotions that added real depth to the listening experience. The pacing of the audio felt perfect for the story’s darker, intricate tone, and I found myself eager to return to it every chance I got.

The only reason I’m giving this four stars instead of five is that there were a few moments where the plot felt a little dense, and I would have loved a bit more clarity in certain character motivations. That said, it’s a richly told, clever story that will absolutely appeal to fans of court intrigue, deadly alliances, and morally gray characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review — I’ll definitely be watching for what Holly Race writes next!