Author: G. Lawrence
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: G. Lawrence
Book Release Date: April 19, 2026
Pages: 345
Source: Borrowed
Synopsis: The world would make her a survivor... Destiny would make her a Queen.
England, 1525.
Born into a time of religious upheaval and political turmoil, Katherine Parr grows up in a loving family. Sheltered yet never kept ignorant of the dangers which surround her, Katherine secretly dreams of a life at court and a love such as the King possesses for the magnetic Anne Boleyn.
Sent north to become a bride at the age of sixteen, Katherine enters a household alien to the one she grew up in, where the overbearing personality of her new father-in-law holds sway, terrifying others into submission. Yet Katherine refuses to be intimidated and a curious friendship is born, exposing Katherine to new thought on religion which is entering England... new thought which could place her in grave danger.
Through trials of marriage, faith and death, Katherine Parr will journey, seeking to understand her heart and her soul as about her the world is transformed as the King breaks from Rome to take Anne Boleyn as his wife, dividing England and its people, opening the way for bloodshed and betrayal.
In Darkness Born is Book One of The Breaking Wheel, The Story of Katherine Parr, by G. Lawrence.
My Review: Katherine Parr was Henry VIII’s last queen. She is most famously known as the one who survived. This historical novel follows the early life of Queen Katherine Parr. It not only tells the story of Katherine’s childhood but also her unhappy first marriage to Edward Borough. During Katherine’s first marriage, Katharine starts to develop her Reformist ideas.
Katharine Parr is one of my favorite English queens. However, I did not care for Ms. Lawrence’s depiction of Katharine Parr. Katherine is intelligent and tends to think deeply about her faith in God. However, Katherine in this novel is very gossipy. She loves listening to court drama. She also has a deep obsession with Anne Boleyn and fangirls over her throughout the novel. Therefore, this Katharine Parr was very unconvincing. I did not think she was in actuality a fan girl of Anne Boleyn. I think that Katherine needed more development because I could not care about her difficulties. I was very indifferent to her.
Overall, this book is about religion, duty, and marriage. The characters were flat and needed more development. I was also disappointed that this novel rarely focuses on Katherine. Instead, it mostly focused on the King’s Great Matter. Katherine seems like a background character in her own story. Because the novel focuses so much on King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, I had forgotten this novel was about Katherine Parr. Because the novel rarely focuses on Katherine, it seemed drawn out and repetitive. I found reading this novel to be a chore. I finished it to get it over with rather than to enjoy it. I was deeply saddened because I have enjoyed a few of Ms. Lawrence’s work. However, this was a very weak novel about Katherine Parr. The only thing that I liked about the book was its setting and that it was meticulously researched. If you are someone who wants to read everything about Katherine Parr, then you may want to read this. I will still read the sequel when it comes out because I hope that there will be more character development to Katherine Parr. However, there are more superior novels about Katherine Parr out there. Some of them are Katherine Parr: The Sixth Wife, Queen’s Gambit, and The Sixth Wife! I suggest that you skip this book and read those novels instead! You will not be missing anything!
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
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