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There are currently 25 member reviews
for Henry Tudor Must Die
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Kathryn T. (Geneseo, NY)
An Alternate Tale of The Wives of Henry VIII
When I saw the title of the book, Henry Must Die, I wasn't too anxious to get started, as I had read so many other great historical fiction tales about the wives and had also studied the history of the Tudor period. I recently saw the Broadway musical Six, which is based on Henry's life from the point of view of his wives. I've read the books of well-respected authors Jean Plaidy, Alison Weir, and Philippa Gregory.
What else could someone tell me?
I was in for a pleasant surprise.
Thankfully, I read the Acknowledgment section first to see what the reader needs to know, which set the stage for my imagination to be released on a wonderful journey ahead, suspended in fact for some playful fantasy and fiction.
The strength of female characters is so important in this book, and I give a lot of credit to Laine for standing up for women's rights. The world she created in her sisterhood allowed women freedom, independence, and justice. They were advocates for the arts and education, and the author used that to make each of the wives a powerful woman in her own right, and even stronger with her fellow sisters of the cause.
Laine didn't lump all the wives together, and each had a specialness to her. They ended up as change agents in a world dominated by men. My favorite was Anne, as she had had quite a time as a Queen, only to be disappointing to Henry in childbirth, except for Elizabeth.
Using a narrator, Maugerite d'Angouleme, a princess herself who prided herself on collecting interesting friends, was a perfect way to move the story forward.
The book's strength was its uniqueness and originality, with enough factual background woven in.
Thank you, Jillian Laine, for such an entertaining book. I will recommend this one to all my book club friends.
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Linda M. (Ocala, FL)
A Better History
Henry VIII is probably the best-known English king whom we have all come to know and deplore. History tells us he was greedy, cruel, gluttonous and surely possessed of a most evil heart. He cast off wives without mercy or fear of reprisal from God, the church, the nobility or the common folk. What if his wives attempted to seek revenge and tried to even the score? Henry Tudor Must Die is a fantasy novel that reimagines of the king's marriages and the fates of his dead wives. It is a glorious retelling of royal history that has humor, suspense, magic spells and lots of action. You won't want to miss out on the fun!
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Janine S. (Wyoming, MI)
Fantasy and history meet
What a wonderful treat to bring Anne Boylen and Catherine of Aragon back to life - and restore their legacy to doing good for women! Both women have been vilified in history - men usually get to write the histories so is there any reason they don't come out nice - but maybe they had their own secrets and demons to resolve. This is a fun-filled historical fiction treat with magical realism, witchcraft, beautiful make-believe, and a feminist theme that is sure to delight a lot of readers.
We meet Anne on the day before her execution. She is being rescued by "Lina" AKA Catalina (Catherine of Aragon) and given magic to save her from beheading. It seems Anne already possessed this power, but she needed a boost. Lina had been sent by Marguerite of Angouleme who represents an order of medieval women, the Hellebore Sisters, she has assembled to fight misogyny and empower women. The two start of journey of building the sisterhood and meet others like the sister of Joan of Arc. But once Jane Seymour is dead, Lina and Anne return to England to complete their quest - as we know from history, Henry was a "bad" guy when it came to women. There they meet Anna of Kleves, Katherine Howard and Catherine Parr.
This story is pure make-believe of course but it's such fun to read. However, when it comes to actual historical events, the book is spot on. I've always detested the period of history of Henry VIII because of his greed, the terrible men he surrounded himself with, and his despicable treatment of women - especially Catherine of Aragon - so I was happy to enter the world of make-believe and see him get his comeuppance!
This is a book for lovers of historical fiction who like to see history twisted to see the bad guys thwarted. Highly recommend.
I'd like to thank BookBrowse/Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC.
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Jennifer H. (Mount Laurel, NJ)
Interesting Take on This Story
I have always been fascinated by the life of Henry VIII. I have watched the Tudors and seen Six on Broadway. This story was a good addition to the many versions of his life. I loved how mysticism was incorporated and the feminist aspect of it all. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in this era of English History.
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Susan U. (Waukesha, WI)
Witches and comeupins
Well written, great characters and a whole new spin on Henry VIII. Ann Boleyn and Catherine of Spain join forces, after their deaths, to take down the King and the evil men that surround him. Its an excellent story and also a good history lesson.
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Mary L. (Madison, MS)
Never underestimate women
This is the way I would've loved history to have turned out. I read every book I can grab written about the Tudor Dynasty. However, I've never read one quite like this. I don't wanna give away much but if you enjoy history and strong female characters, pick this book up. Don't fuss at me if you can't put it back down.
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Jamie K. (Berkeley, CA)
Killer Queens
If "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," just imagine what could happen when you multiply that number by six, (technically five), vindictive wives plotting revenge on the man who done them wrong — King Henry VIII.
Henry Tudor Must Die is a deep dive into feminist revisionist history; where women are changemakers and Anne Boleyn and Catherine of Aragon are not sworn enemies, but sisters in crime, meticulously plotting the death of the king, while paving the way for their daughters to inherit the throne.
Jillian Laine has developed her characters well, giving each one of the women just the right twist to make them powerful and likeable, while retaining the historical vileness of most of the men. Thankfully, she provided a list of characters, because the Tudor court changed as fast as the heads rolled.
Henry Tudor Must Die is full of love, magic, sisterhood, and blood, told through the eyes of the founder of the sisterhood. Although at times, it was a bit heavy-handed with feminist theory, the women were right. One day they would rule the empire, if not the world.
