What readers think of The Beheading Game, plus links to write your own review.

I love British history though the period of Henry VIll is my least favorite and the story of Anne Boleyn is just too over done. But I was immediately attracted to this ARC (thank you NetGalley and Crown Publishing) offering a different picture of the woman who brought down a religion!

This is a delicious piece of speculative fiction. It's 1536 and Anne wakes up in her coffin finding her head severed from her body. She escapes, sews her head back on (remember this is speculative fiction) starts out to find Henry to kill him - though she is very concerned about Elizabeth and her well being, seeing her the heir to the throne and just as good as a male heir. Her journey takes her back in time to remember things from the past especially about her brother, George. During her flight, she meets up with interesting characters (Alice is a delight) and is talked about as a ghost. The ending was a surprise but I liked it.

This is a character-driven novel and I think the author did a fine job with Anne. While I'm no nearer to liking Anne Boleyn, this book presented an alternative glimpse in maybe how Anne may have seen herself. She does get vilified a lot, so it's good to remember that there may be some good elements to a person.

Historically the author's note gives highlight to what is true and what she added. That's helpful if you are a history nerd like me.

This is a great book for lovers of speculative historical fiction.