The Light in the Labyrinth

Content note: historical fiction, Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, beheading, illegitimate children, young adult fiction,

A fascinating fictional perspective on the last months of Queen Anne Boleyn from the viewpoint of her 13-14 year old niece, newly arrived at court. While the dangers to an innocent at court were hinted at, and sex is blandly acknowledged without fuss (but in non-descriptive details), the novel doesn't veer into bawdy territory. The violence felt stark by contrast (fitting given the story being told) but without excessive graphic details. I very much enjoyed reading this - and reading of the author's scholarship in researching for this work.

While most of the Boleyn hype usually centers around Anne, and her daughter, it's interesting to see a novel dedicated to Mary Boleyn and her own daughter. Kate provides the reader with enough information with her narrative to understand the basics of the time frame of the story, but still the book feels modern and approachable. A quick google will bring up the history of Kate's life, but the novel brings it to life, managing to spin drama and intrigue despite the reader knowing how the story will unfold. Fans of stories like The Other Boleyn Girl will find much to enjoy with this book.

We are all probably familiar with the story of Anne Boleyn. However, this a retelling if that story through the eyes of a young woman at court, Anne’s young niece Catherine Carey. We meet her at the young age of 13 and see her introduced to court life. The rich historical descriptions in this lovely novel transported me back to Tudor England. I became another lady in Henry the Eighths court. Our protagonist, Kat, learns the ways of the court and we see Anne Boleyn fall from grace, tragically. If you are a fan of Tudor history or just looking for a beautiful and touching story of familial love and loyalty in even the most desperate circumstances, please check this great book out.

Book: The Light in the Labyrinth
Author: Wendy J. Dunn
Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank Netgalley and Metropolis Ink for providing me with this ArC.

I must say that I have been on a Tudor kick for a few months now and when I saw this title on Netgalley, I thought it looked promising. I must admit that often times I don’t look at the read now choices and that is where I found this hidden gem. I thought it was a well written account of Anne Boleyn’s last days and the true corruption of King Henry VIII’s court.

I loved this book-as told from Catherine Carey, Anne Boleyn’s niece. Catherine is a strong and mature character who must quickly adapt to life in court. She learns that the world around her is really cut throat and things are a lot more complicated than she thought. Now, Catherine doesn’t start out as being mature; the news of her birth is what really sets it forward. She actually starts out like your normal teenager, but that quickly changes.

Anne Boleyn is well written, though maybe not as we all picture her. Keep in mind, she is being written from Catherine’s point of view. She is portrayed as she being a loving and caring woman. Not only that, but we get to see Anne’s strength. I mean, come on, think about Anne. She could not have been weak or anything to endure what she did with dignity. Granted, she did lose it at the end, but just think about what she had been through. I thought that Anne’s character in this book was a fresh view. Often times, in Tudor fiction, Anne is written as this terrible person. I don’t know, but it was kind of nice to read a book to see her painted as being human. Who knows what Anne was really like, but I thought this was maybe what Anne deserved-for once not to be painted as the villain and as the victim. I really do think Anne was innocent of the crimes she was charged with, but that’s not a discussion to have right now.

I loved how Wendy wrote Thomas Cromwell-one of the villains of the Tudor court. I actually have not read much about Cromwell, but I think Wendy did a wonderful job with writing him. Now, had I been more well read on Cromwell’s story, maybe I would think differently on this. Anyway, I just how he was written.

Anne’s execution scene was probably one of the best well written scene in the whole book. I could tell that Wendy had put a lot of research, thought, and planning into writing Anne’s last moment and I must say that she nailed it. It was so moving and so horrifying that I could not believe what I had just read. I think that it was this moment that made me realize just how much talent Wendy has.

So, why four stars? Well, I thought the first thirty or so percent of the book was kind drawn out. I loved the book, but it was that first little bit that made this drop down to a four star.

Again, a great read! I recommend this to all Tudor fans!

Navigating the labyrinth that is the court of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn is never easy, but perhaps even more difficult for 14-year-old Catherine, Anne's niece. Her mother is Aunt Nan's sister, Mary Carey, and it is Mary's secret that confronts Kate soon after her arrival at court.

Kate encounters more than her share of indiscretions and lies and plots and shame and sorrow and confusion, which are always the stuff of a good read. But seen through the eyes of a young girl on the verge of becoming a woman, these are positively engaging. They play a game similar to a chess, but one in which the Queen's power is limited.

I read this EARC courtesy of Books Go Social and Net Galley. pub date 10/17/17

„The Light in the Labyrinth“, a novel by Wendy J. Dunn, first published in 2014, tells the well-known tragic story of Anne Boleyn, second wife to King Henry VIII. In contrast to other novels concerning the same subject, this narration is presented from the perspective of Anne´s fourteen-year-old niece Katherine Carey, daughter of Anne´s „infamous“ sister Mary Boleyn, herself a former mistress of the king.
Katherine is an immature and naive young girl when she comes to the Tudor court in the autumn of 1535. She joins her aunt, Queen Anne, to become a lady-in-waiting. Having come to spite her mother and her stepfather, she soon develops into a mature young woman, a strong personality and proves loyal to her aunt, who – as she discovers - finds herself in dire straits as she has failed to give the king a long-hoped-for son. Henry has already chosen another woman as a successor for Anne and with the help of Thomas Cromwell he is busy planning her downfall.
The characters are well developed, especially the description of Henry VIII matches the characterization found in other novels and biographies. Katherine Carey is shown with good and less amenable character traits, only Queen Anne seems to be a bit idealized.
The story unfolds in a well-researched context and presents a lot of information about Tudor history. Although the novel was written for young adults, it makes for enjoyable reading for older readers as well.
It can be recommended for any reader with a keen interest in Tudor history.

Kate Carey is the daughter of Mary (Carey) Stafford, and niece to the queen of England. While she chaffs under her mothers care, angry at the world, she longs more than anything to be at court with her aunt, where she is sure that she will be more loved than she is at home.
Mary Stafford wants nothing more to protect her daughter from the intrigue at court, but she is holding secrets of her own, that Kate knows nothing about.
When Kate finally gets to court, she is blown away by the secrets and the scandal that seem to run rampant through the court. Her aunt is unhappy, and seems preoccupied with everything but her niece. Kate begins to wonder if coming to court was a good idea.
As life in the palace begins to calm to a norm, there are more issues that arise, and her aunt, Queen Anne begins to fear for her life. Factions at court are working to bring her aunt down, and Kate finds that her loyalty is pushed to new heights, defending and comforting her aunt.
As the road for leads to the Tower for Anne Boleyn, Kate is more determined than ever to stick next to her aunt - until whatever the end might bring.

Great read, and very enjoyable! This is one that will keep you engaged from page one. Definitely worth the read. While I am not a fan of the Tudor's, I enjoyed this book told from the perspective of a fourteen year old girl, while learning an entirely new way of life.


**I received an ARC from NetGalley for a fair and impartial review**Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book.

The Light in the Labyrinth is the story of Katherine "Kate" Carey, daughter of Mary Boleyn and niece to Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII. Young Kate is 14, impulsive, self absorbed, in other words, a typical 14 year old. Kate wants nothing more than to go to court and serve her "aunt Nan", the Queen of England, rather than remain in the home which she views as impoverished and backwater. But Henry's court is a perilous place, especially for a naive teenager, and especially at this time, when Henry is anxious for a son and his marriage is beginning to show cracks. Every friend is a potential enemy and it's impossible to know who to trust. Everyone has taken a side, and it's hard to predict just whose side has been taken. Kate's time at the court covers aunt Nan's miscarriage, the rise of Jane Seymour and the fall of Anne Boleyn, including her farce of a trial, and right up to Queen Anne's very end. The book is well researched, well written, and a wonderful read especially for young adults who will relate quite easily to Kate.

My thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book for review. This one I picked because it was set in Tudor England, Henry VIII’s court to be specific, and told through the eyes of young Catherine ‘Kate’ Carey, daughter of Mary Boleyn, and Anne’s niece.
Kate Carey is disgruntled with her life at home with her mother and stepfather, Will Stafford, perplexed at why her mother married so much beneath her, and why she has to stay home with her new step brother and sister while her brother Henry is at court. When finally, she gets permission to go to court, she finds life there completely unlike what she had expected. Danger and treachery lie at every step, every unguarded word, every friendship even, can in the blink of an eye spell doom. For a young girl like Kate, despite her position, the court isn’t the safest of places either (this wasn’t something I’d realised from the other books I’ve read set in Tudor England). Life isn’t much rosier for her aunt the Queen, as Kate also finds for Anne hasn’t yet given the King his heir, and her past ally Cromwell is now her enemy awaiting his chance to bring her down for they no longer see eye to eye. As she navigates through the court in the last five months of Anne’s life, Kate has to grow up all too soon, facing truths of her own life, and supporting her aunt, who she loves very much, and who loves her in turn through the very heavy trials that lie ahead, the very heaviest one among them.

I thought the author did a great job of telling Anne’s tale from Kate Carey’s perspective, and gives us a credible portrayal of the world of Henry’s court through the eyes of a naive fourteen-year-old. Kate is really only a child when she first arrives―a typical adolescent with dreams and also her share of tantrums (of a kind) but once at court she must already start facing truths she had been protected from so far, and face the often ugly reality of life. But on the positive side for her is her love story with her future husband Francis Knollys, who she also meets at court.

Cromwell in this story is also the villain of the piece, certainly like some portrayals I’ve read of him (unlike the more positive image that Hilary Mantel has painted in her books) – but one realises in this as in so much historical fiction (or even non-fiction, for that matter), so much depends on perspective―the same person can well be a hero or a villain, depending on whose story is being told.

I also enjoyed the author’s take on Anne Boleyn herself. We see her as a strong, and courageous woman who may have been arrogant, and certainly ambitious but as one who did love her husband, and who wanted really to do something for the country once she was Queen. I also liked the somewhat “feminist” interpretation that the author gave to Anne’s character which was as much responsible for her downfall as were the conspirators plotting to bring her down.

This was a really enjoyable read for me. I wonder why it is classed as YA though―besides of course the fact that it is written from the perspective of a young adult. The fact that it spares us some of the gore (all it cannot), and leaves some things in the shadows didn’t for me necessarily make it YA. Anyone who enjoys historical fiction generally, and fiction set in the Tudor period in particular would enjoy this one. Great read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wendy J Dunn for allowing me to read and review this book. What can I say other than that I love a good, well-written historical novel? I enjoyed this book. 5/5

Katherine "Kate" Carey, daughter of Mary Boleyn, joins the household of her aunt, Queen Anne, during the last few months of Anne Boleyn's life. Kate learns about her aunt's life, and her own, while watching Henry VIII destroy Anne's life. Can she navigate the labyrinth that is the Tudor Court and help her family members to cope with all that happens?

I enjoyed this book. It was a familiar story told thru different eyes. Some speculation is given in the book, but it is not unfamiliar speculation. I liked it very much, as I have other books written by Wendy J. Dunn.

"Then she was a different person, an innocent cast into a dark labyrinth. Time had rendered it less dark, but only for the light to reveal fearful paths of hate, jealousy and suspicion. She was no longer the innocent girl who had arrived at court five months ago." – my favourite quote from the ARC of "The Light in the Labyrinth"

The novel "The Light in the Labyrinth" tells the history of Anne Boleyn’s demise from the perspective of her niece, Katherine Carey. Katherine was a daughter of Mary Boleyn, who was famous for her dalliance with King of France and later with Henry VIII Tudor – King of England. Her life was beautifully described in Philippa Gregory’s novel “The Other Boleyn Girl”. Mary Boleyn’s life was fascinating, but so was the life of Anne Boleyn.

At the beginning of the book Katherine was thirteen years old. She was considered a maiden by the Tudor standards, but behaved like a typical modern teenager. She fought with her mother, her stepfather and hated her younger siblings. She considered herself to be misunderstood, lonely and unloved. She was also ready to give her heart to a first handsome boy, that showed her some interest :)

What more can be said? "The Light in the Labyrinth" is interesting historical fiction for young adults. It presents historical figures in empathic light and makes it easy to imagine life in the Tudor’s court. The main character Katherine loved and idealised her aunt Anne Boleyn and painted a very touching portrait of her. There is some romance, court intrigues, dark secrets, dreadful feeling of impending doom, litres of tears and a gruesome execution at the end.

I enjoyed the book, but I was a little disappointed by the simple picture of Anne Boleyn, that emerged from the story. In real life she must be a fascinating, complex woman, but in the novel I found her one-dimensional. I also felt that the villains of the story – Thomas Cromwell and Henry VIII were too simplified. After watching “The Tudors” and reading “Wolf Hall” by Hilary Mantel it was hard for me to treat them as simple villains. Of course from the perspective of a thirteen year old girl they might appear this way.

I would recommend this book for all history lovers, especially for readers interested in the Tudors and Anne Boleyn's life.

I received "The Light in the Labyrinth" from the publisher via NetGalley. I would like to thank the author and the publisher for providing me with the advance reader copy of the book.

I’m a big fan of Tudor history so I jumped at the chance to read this novel — especially with it coming from such a fresh perspective. Anne Boleyn’s life and time as queen remains one of the most fascinating aspects of Tudor reign and this volume of work didn’t disappoint. It allows us to imagine a different side of her and her family. We see more humanity and some humility. This quickly coming of age story is a constant reminder of how life around us helps to shape who we are as Cate grows through the truth of her past and the uncertainty and fear for her and her family’s future. The attention that Cate pays to her aunt is in short intoxicating as my love for Anne was my first reason for choosing this novel.

Most books set in the Tudor era either take place far from the palace, or with the main players in the drama. This gives us a rare glimpse into what life must have been like for a young woman just arriving at court, totally unprepared for what awaits her. I've seen the story from the POV of the king and the queen, and this was a refreshing perspective that I absolutely loved.

For several years, I had an extreme fascination with Tudor history and read anything I could get my hands on. While there have been many periods where I did not read a book about that time in history, I do occasionally read something set during the reign of Henry VIII.

The Light in the Labyrinth called to me and did not disappoint. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the time proceeding the death of Anne Boleyn through the eyes of her teenaged niece. While much is conjecture on the part of Ms. Dunn, the story does present an interesting take on what led to the demise of Anne Boleyn. The author also integrates a rumored paternity of the main protagonist.

Overall, this was definitely an interesting read and one I'd recommend to any teen or young adult studying the time period.

Almost Exclusively Plot

First off, let me say I love just about any book that is Tudor related, so this book was right up my alley. Kate Carey is the niece of Anne Boleyn. She is unhappy with her life with her mother, her new (and in Kate’s opinion) beneath her husband Will Stafford, and her step brother and sister. She finally get permission to go to court to serve her aunt Anne, who is Queen of England. Upon arriving, however, she quickly learns just how perilous court life can be with treachery and lies available at every turn. One wrong move or one slip of the tongue could spell disaster. Kate also learns that Anne is also in a very dangerous position, having thus far failed to produce a male heir.
Kate witnesses the last 5 months of Anne’s rule, and her ultimate downfall.


In Conclusion

I loved this book. What else is there for me to say?

I'm always excited to see young adult books with historical settings. So many very young people were at the heart of major events in history, and I think it's an underrepresented genre.

Book feature to appear on my blog in March.

Katherine Carey, daughter of Mary Boleyn wants nothing more than to leave her impoverished family home in the countryside and join her Aunt Nan at court. When her mother and stepfather finally agree to let Kate go, Aunt Nan, also known as Queen Anne welcomes young Kate with open arms. However, court life is not all fun and games as Kate imagined. Danger, lies and secrets are what Kate finds instead. Queen Anne has already fell out of favor with the King, Kate is unable to walk alone through the castle and everyone but Kate seems to know the secret behind her and her brother Henry's true parentage. After Queen Anne has an unsuccessful pregnancy and fails to give the King a male heir, conditions at court turn worse for the Boleyn family and Kate chooses to stay with her Aunt through her final days.

Written for a young adult audience, The Light in the Labyrinth was also a pleasant read as an adult. From the unique point of view of Mary Boleyn and King Henry's daughter, Kate, a character is created that sees Queen Anne in only a positive light. Kate's character is younger and naive to court life, everything that she discovers is new and different. She handles herself well, but not without some mistakes along the way. What I loved most about her character was that Kate was not afraid to speak up to her father, the King. Kate also discovers love for the first time with an age-appropriate romance with Francis Knollys. Since this is a young adult book there is not as much court intrigue, deception and plotting adult books; however, the main historical events portrayed are accurate. Overall, this is a Tudor book I would have have enjoyed reading when I was a teen.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.