Six Wild Crowns, written by Holly Race, is a fantastical (and queer) take on the lives of Henry VIII's six wives: Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr.

I would have read this one for Anne Boleyn alone — like, far from me to have a pet royal, but Anne is my girl —, but not even she was able to save this experience.

Is not that I disliked, per say, but there were some many things that didn’t work for me, in comparison to the things that did work for me. For example, the “sapphic yearning” that I thought I was getting? Well, I did get it, and it was completely one sided and I was not expecting that.

Overall, read it. It’s not a bad book by any means, I just expected to feel more strongly towards it. Also, Olivia Dowd slayed the narration. Her voice is so good, and eclectic.

A fantastical take on #henrythe8th and his six wives . I have to admit that the first half of this was really and although I was enjoying Boleyn’s chapters, I wasn’t enjoying Seymour’s as much . ⁣
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The second half of the book does get really exciting and hard to put down . I can’t wait to read the next books in the series ! ⁣
I don’t enjoy when historical fiction takes too much liberties with known history ; I think the author did an amazing job though of creating a fantasy world that stays true to some of the key elements of Tudor history and what we know of the personalities of Henry and his Queens while creating a diverse world and a great story ⁣
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Overall I enjoyed the narration of the story as well
𝗠𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 👑👑👑👑⁣
Audio rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Omg I feel so betrayed by this book where do I start?

This is marketed as a feminist/fantasy retelling of the Tudor court and queens where Henry has to have six queens to maintain the magic/safety of the realm. Meanwhile, they promised dragons and a sapphic romance between Boleyn and Seymour.

Every single element of this flopped. I wanted to love this so much I’m almost mad that it was such a flop. I considered DNFing but kept gaslighting myself into thinking it was okay and would get better 😭

I think the problem is that there were too many ideas and none with any depth. After all a jack of all trades is a master of none right? There was tokenistic magic that seemed pointless. The dragons could have been completely removed and made no difference. The Tudor part was so removed from any actual history that it didn’t work in that way either. And the sapphic element??? WHERE??? Seymour decides instantly she’s in love with a straight woman who showed her no interest and instantly turned her down. There is no romance. Zero.

Then the queens. Good god. For a retelling from the queens perspective I feel my gender has been betrayed. Seymour is flat and useless. Boleyn is marginally better but ultimately *loves Henry too much* to ever get over him (pass me a bucket ffs)

Ughhhhhhhhhh it’s so frustrating because I think there could have been a good story here but instead it was a confusing, seemingly pointless story that to add insult to injury was BORING all the way through too.

I just finished Six Wild Crowns and wow, this was a fierce, fiery ride. Think: Tudor court drama reimagined with six rival queens, deadly politics, and a dash of dragonfire. It’s sharp, ambitious, and absolutely addicting.

Now, I’ll admit the one thing that didn’t quite meet my expectations was the dragons. With a premise like this, I expected them to take center stage, but they felt more like set pieces than true characters in the story. I also went in thinking the sapphic romance would be stronger, but it leaned more toward a slow one-sided emotional build than a sweeping romance.

That said, I still loved this retelling. The courtly intrigue was top tier, the tension between Boleyn and Seymour was so well done, and the world had just the right amount of magic to keep things burning beneath the surface. If you enjoy fantasy that feels like a power play wrapped in silk and fire, this one’s for you.

✨4.5 stars rounded off to 5 ✨

A gripping historical fantasy with feminist undertones, dragons, and a political web worthy of any royal court 🐉👑

The story kicks off right at the wedding altar, plunging us into a world of palace intrigue, ambition, and betrayal. Told in dual POV — from Boleyn, the newest queen (King Henry has six spouses lucky him ! ), and Seymour, her new lady-in-waiting (and former member to another queen’s court) — the tension is just chef’s kiss.

If you loved the layered storytelling and mystery of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and the power plays of House of Dragons, this one’s for you.

✨ Dragons (yes, they’re real)
✨ Sharp political scheming
✨ Feminist themes & social commentary
✨ Solid world-building and character arcs
✨ Romance is light (major King Midas in Gild vibes from the MMC)

This isn’t your typical romantasy — it’s richer, slower, and more reflective. A thoughtful mix of history, magic, and power. Highly recommend for fans of political fantasy with bite.

The audio was very immersive I enjoyed the experience very much.

I'm grateful to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I want to start by saying that this really was such a unique story (which is hard to come by these days). I loved the historical inspiration mixed with the fantastical aspects. There were a lot of areas where the book felt really slow and hard to get through, and parts that did t work for me, but overall an interesting and unique read.

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing me an audio arc in exchange for my honest thoughts. I gave this book 3 stars. I have to agree with others on the front that the blurb is somewhat misleading. That said, if you go into this book without reading the blurb i think you'll find the story enjoyable. The narrator did a good job bringing the story to life, this was a long book and i feel that it would have taken me much longer to get through if i was reading instead of listening. At some parts it felt slightly long winded. I enjoyed the queens concept(some more than others, looking at you cleeves (spelling is probably off) but many of them felt very boring? Very little lady kept in her place without very many thoughts in their heads? maybe thats harsh. The magic system was interesting and i love a book that makes me root for someones down fall right from the beginning. There were a lot of moving pieces/characters in this book and the narrator really helped me keep them all straight. I was hoping for something a little deeper, adding a fresh take on history and this wasn't exactly that. That being said, it was enjoyable and i will probably take a look when the next book comes out but it wasn't something i would write home about.

DNF Review – Six Wild Crowns by Holly Race

I really tried to get into Six Wild Crowns, but the story just didn’t click with me. I had a hard time connecting with the plot and characters, and I found myself feeling uninterested as the book went on. It wasn’t the experience I was hoping for, especially after seeing so many rave reviews.

One thing I did enjoy was the narrator. The performance was engaging and well-done, and if the story had resonated with me more, I would have gladly continued for the narration alone.

As someone who can be a mood reader, I plan to come back to this title in the future when I might be in a better headspace for it. For now, I’ll be marking it as a DNF.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

I really enjoyed this audiobook! I already really love the history of Henry the VIII so this was right up my alley and I really enjoyed this take on his wives. Historical fantasy and dragons, yes!

In a magical kingdom called Elben, King Henry must be married to six Queens, each ruling a castle that powers the magical border protecting the realm—yet only through him do they wield this authority. When Boleyn, the newest Queen, uncovers ancient truths suggesting that women’s collective power—rather than patriarchal rule—is the true source of Elben’s magic, a quiet rebellion begins to stir. Amid spells, dragons, sapphic yearnings, and tangled loyalties, the Queens must decide whether to remain pawns or rise together to rewrite the fate of their kingdom.

First of all the narration of this book is technically excellent, clear and well paced. But I can’t quite tell if the reason I’d didn’t enjoy this book was that I couldn’t get into it because of the story or if I maybe wouldn’t found it easier to be sucked into the story if I had read it as a book.

On the basis of the synopsis I should’ve loved this book so much but it just felt like it was missing something, heart maybe? I didn’t really like any of the characters either so that might have been part of it. I also didn’t really like the magic system, it didn’t really interest me in the way magic usually does in fantasy books. All in all this book just wasn’t for me.

I love the idea of the book though a more fantastical and magical Tudor telling.

Boleyn and Seymore are definitely engaging characters, and keep you invested in the story.

Learning of how the king’s power is maintained and used. How it uses up the queens and kills them slowly and with much sacrifice on their parts. I love Boleyn's strength and her drive and how cunning she is in her plans and wishes. Her sacrifice in the end is brave and heartbreaking because of what she is giving up and her daughter but also feels like such a loss after everything she’s been through to get to this point. She’s so bold, and her demands, she is amazing.

This ends up being a wild ride full of so many emotions, and powerful women and their choices and how they all can make a stand or accept a fate that a man wants them to have. It took me some time to get into the story but it really does pick up and keep you into it once you are involved. The ending makes this book.

Thank you Hachette Audio, Orbit, and Netgalley for the ARC.

I had to think about this book for a few days to digest and gather my thoughts. I enjoyed it, the plot was interesting, there was a cool magic system, and overall it was a great story. I liked the characters of Jane and Anne, though I wish we got more depth into the queens. I really loved the way that Race included court politics and the struggles of them, showing how important it was for these women to play the game well. I also appreciated the queer representation and sapphic longing.

My only gripe is that it seems that Mary is going to be portrayed as the bad guy again, and I really hope the author doesn't do that.

However, I did think this was a stand alone book, and it isn't, and now I have to wait for book 2 and I AM IMPATIENT.

A magical historical fantasy. Unique twist and loosely based on Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII. Well written storyline and characters, beautiful world building. While it does not detract from the story and is perfectly aligned with the era in which this story occurred I would like to note for the sensitive among us that this story does include polygamy, underage marriage, abortion and suicide.

I am intrigued by the wives of Henry VIII, and this fantasy book was absolutely fabulous! I loved the magic system interweaved throughout as well as the revelations throughout. We see a couple POVs, and it is a wild ride! I felt this book was feminist in its views, and I absolutely devoured it. The way women were perceived vs. the way they were according to the goddess was a great revelation. I also enjoyed the representation in this book. An amazing read for fantasy and historical fiction lovers!

This book wasn’t at all what I expected when I read the book description. As a fan of anything related to Tudors or Henry VIII, I was looking forward to how this story would be interpreted with a fantasy twist. Henry is king and is tasked to marry six women to be queens, serving as queens all at the same time, of different areas of the kingdom. Henry uses his magic to keep his kingdom of Elben safe. However, a queen discovers the true secret to the magic and pushes back on everything they have known.

This story is very light fantasy (little magic and dragons are lap pets) and is told in third person through the lens of the characters Henry, Boleyn, and Seymour. The story mainly revolves around Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour. We don’t get much of the other wives povs or background stories. It’s too heavy on Anne and Jane. (SPOILER COMING) The surprising twist is that Jane falls in love with Anne and they have an attraction throughout the story. Jane has had previous love affairs with both men and women. This was an interesting take considering Jane is known to history as Henry’s favorite queen.

Court politics plays a HUGE role in this story and it was very well done with the secrets, who to trust, and the queens trying to get Henry’s attention.

READ IT IF:
- you like historical fiction
-enjoy fantasy elements
-like little world building
-LGBT romance/attraction
-slower paced books
-trapped women using what they can to survive and get ahead in life

Thank you Netgalley and Hachette Audio for this advanced audiobook in exchange for a review.

It took a min to really get into this, but I was so invested by the premise- This had SO MUCH court intrigue. Although, the lack of “epic fantasy of dragons” did kinda disappoint, the sapphic yearning & romance, mixed in with gossip & scandal kept me hooked on this audio.

Esp when it started getting real juicy, I’ll always stand by women’s rights & their wrongs ‘cause their wrongs are always caused by some gaslighting man!! I hated that for them fr, I was getting Plated Prisoner flashbacks to Midas x6 lmfao.

Oh, and the quotes did NOT disappoint.

“I love you Boleyn. I love you as the anvil loves the hammer, as the rock loves the waves, and the leaves love the autumn. You are destruction and promise, you are the storm and I’ve been lost in your tornado for so long now that I’ve no longer desire the sun.”

😭😭😭😭 THE KING WE DESERVED FR.

“When Boleyn is still, she is stunning. When she moves, she is a Goddess. For the cascade glances in the dragon light like lightning. She is the storm. She is the rich Earth. She is the bolt to tear the world asunder and make it fresh.”

BABYYYY- I want this type of yearning every time.
The way it ended though… The amount of betrayals & GASPS that came out of me… I was not ready. Even leading towards the end, jaw was on the floor. Now Holly, why would you do us like that 💔 I can’t.
Overall, this was the drama & I was here for it. Olivia Dowd & Queen Holly Race herself did a fab job narrating this- I was eating this up.

I’ll admit, Six Wild Crowns was a slow burn for me—very slow. From the start, I struggled to connect with the characters, often feeling more like an observer than a participant in their world. Despite the intriguing premise and beautiful writing, I kept turning the pages with the hope that something—anything—would finally spark the momentum. More often than not, I found myself holding my breath, waiting for a chapter to click or for the stakes to finally feel urgent.

That said, the payoff does come. The final stretch of the book redeems much of the early pacing, delivering a layered and emotionally charged ending that recontextualizes several earlier events and relationships. The plot tightens, the characters begin to shine with more depth, and suddenly, it all feels worth it.

While it didn’t hook me instantly, the ending has left me curious—invested, even—in how the story will unfold in the next installment. Here’s hoping the sequel picks up the pace and lets these wild crowns shine a little earlier.

Olivia Dowd does a spectacular job narrating this historical fiction by Holly Race, surrounding the love triangle (and more) between Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and Jane Seymour. In this reimagining, the King has magical powers maintained by six queens, who keep the land safe from intruders…but political posturing amongst the queens is set to cause total chaos for everyone. Replete with magical beasts and vivid feminist and Sapphic messages, this is a thrilling tale with a strong build, an exciting finish, and an ending that definitely leaves you wanting more.

Big thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this killer audiobook!

Thank you to Hachette audio and Orbit for the advance audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Six Wild Crowns weaves together themes of female power, politics, and magic in a world that feels both rich and volatile. The story centers on a group of queens contending with magic, betrayal, and power plays, all underpinned by a mild sapphic romance that adds a bit of emotional depth without overpowering the political intrigue.

The pacing is consistent and the narrative is tight from beginning to end. While I had hoped for a stronger connection to Henry VIII and historical events, the book leans more into fantasy than historical fiction. I wanted more personality, more historical insight, more of that missing point of view from our famed Tudor family. Unfortunately, that expectation was not met and in this aspect, the book fell short of what felt like a marketed promise. Maybe that will be corrected within the series? I hope so.

As I was sent the audio, I can confirm the audio production is incredibly well done. It kept me engaged and was full of emotion and enveloping incantations. The accents felt authentic and the character voices distinct. The read was also timed well without excessive need for speed corrections, which is the mark of a truly great recording.

In the end, Six Wild Crowns is an imaginative premise with a ton of series potential. If you’re looking for a Tudor fantasy or need more elements of history, maybe skip. However, if you’re looking for a new female powered fantasy series or you enjoy sapphic romance, you will enjoy this book.

This book definitely is a fantasy twist on tudor history, I did struggle a little bit with the first half, it was a little slow for me but the second half really picked up and overall I really enjoyed it.