Fatal Throne by M. T. Anderson, Jennifer Donnelly, Candace Fleming, Stephanie Hemphill, Deborah Hopkinson, Linda Sue Park, Lisa Ann Sandell: A Book Review

Fatal Throne: The Wives of Henry VIII Tell All
Authors: M. T. Anderson, Jennifer Donnelly, Candace Fleming, Stephanie Hemphill, Deborah Hopkinson, Linda Sue Park, Lisa Ann Sandell
Genre: YA, Historical Fiction
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade
Release Date: May 1, 2018
Pages: 388
Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis: Perfect for anyone fascinated by the Royal Wedding, Netflix's The Crown, or Wolf Hall, this is a pitch-perfect reimagining of the romance and tragedy of Henry VIII and his six wives, told from multiple points of view by some of your favorite authors.

     If you were one of King Henry VIII's six wives, who would you be? Would you be Anne Boleyn, who literally lost her head? Would you be the subject of rumor and scandal like Catherine Howard? Or would you get away and survive like Anna of Cleves?

     Meet them and Henry's other queens--each bound for divorce or death--in this epic and thrilling novel that reads like fantasy but really happened. Watch spellbound as each of these women attempts to survive their unpredictable king as he grows more and more obsessed with producing a male heir. And discover how the power-hungry court fanned the flames of Henry's passions . . . and his most horrible impulses.

     Whether you're a huge fan of all things Tudor or new to this jaw-dropping saga, you won't be able to get the unique voices of Henry and his wives--all brought to life by seven award-winning and bestselling authors--out of your head. 

     This is an intimate look at the royals during one of the most treacherous times in history. Who will you root for and who will you love to hate?
  
      My Review: Fatal Throne reimagines the wives of Henry VIII. Each queen tells their side of the story of what it was like to be the wife of Henry VIII. Most of these queens met a tragic fate. Only two of his queens outlived him. Two of his queens were beheaded. One died in abandonment, the other died in childbirth. 

    As big fan of anything Tudor, I was drawn to this young adult novel. There have not been many books that focus on each of Henry VIII’s six wives. The only author who has taken upon this burdensome task is Alison Weir. Thus, while I was waiting for the next novel in the Six Tudor Queens series, I was thrilled to hear that there is a young adult novel that covered the lives of these queens.

     Fatal Throne had everything that I had craved in a Tudor novel. It stayed mostly faithful to history. It also portrayed these queens in a sympathetic light. Each of them is a victim under Henry VIII. Some of them had a feminist twist to their stories. One example is Anne of Cleves. Anne claims that the reason why she displeased Henry was not because she was ugly, but because she saw his true self. I also thought that it was cool and quite snarky that after each wife told their tale, Henry gave his own impression about what he thought of his wife. He tells us his motivation about why he gave a few of his wives a bad ending.

     Overall, Fatal Throne is a fun retelling of Henry VIII’s wives. The story that I thought was the most well-written is Anne of Cleves. Her story is portrayed as the victor rather than the victim. The story I did not like as well as the others was Anne Boleyn. Anne Boleyn was an undeveloped character. My favorite tale was Catherine of Aragon that chronicles the long years of being married to Henry. Still, it was a short and fast-paced read! I highly recommend this to any Tudor fan who is looking for a bit of light reading!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars