addi_m's review
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
gabyelle97's review
4.0
When I first started reading this book, with only what I had read from other reviews in mind and a witty synopsis, I never thought I would actually end up really enjoying this novel. We have to bear in mind this book is not what we would call ‘factual and historical’ but rather a modern day retelling of the famous life of Henry VIII. We shouldn’t read this book as a historical novel but use the history as clues to what is going to happen throughout the book. I will admit, when I first started to read this book, I was sceptical. How could Henry VIII’s legacy be transformed into high-school drama? But when I actually thought about it wasn’t Henry VIII’s court anything but high-school drama?
I really did enjoy this novel. This was Hannah Capin’s debut novel, and she needs more praise for her planning and weaving of history. I loved all of the modern references, the fact that Cleves is very much a social media kid like the rest of us makes her feel more believable. Too often in YA novels, the internet is lacking. We must remember that it is so much more important and used in our lifetimes and to simply disregard it in contemporary books isn’t believable.
The characters throughout this novel are very true to what we believe (from an outsider perspective), i.e. if we were to put the six wives of Henry VIII into cliques Hannah Capin’s adaptation is exactly what we would get. Not only that, but each of the characters are likable in their own unique way. Cleves, the protagonist of this novel, is very witty, very snarky and sarcastic and I love the way she tells the story.
I highly recommend this book, and hopefully will reread it again in the near future!
I really did enjoy this novel. This was Hannah Capin’s debut novel, and she needs more praise for her planning and weaving of history. I loved all of the modern references, the fact that Cleves is very much a social media kid like the rest of us makes her feel more believable. Too often in YA novels, the internet is lacking. We must remember that it is so much more important and used in our lifetimes and to simply disregard it in contemporary books isn’t believable.
The characters throughout this novel are very true to what we believe (from an outsider perspective), i.e. if we were to put the six wives of Henry VIII into cliques Hannah Capin’s adaptation is exactly what we would get. Not only that, but each of the characters are likable in their own unique way. Cleves, the protagonist of this novel, is very witty, very snarky and sarcastic and I love the way she tells the story.
I highly recommend this book, and hopefully will reread it again in the near future!
riverbarret's review against another edition
3.0
I would like to preface this review by saying, I did really enjoy this book.
Two words: Pacing issues!
This story felt like everything took too long until the very end when it was super rushed.
It was also a bit predictable, but surprisingly, I didn't find that to be an issue. Maybe because I am so familiar with the story of Henry VIII and his wives, but I thought the way Capin included nods to history was very clever.
Capin has a charming writing style, and I did really like her story. I definitely want to check out her next books. I think she has the potential to be a big deal in the YA world. I would love to see more LGBT+ representation in her next story, but I'm pretty happy with this reading experience.
If you want a debut novel to check out full of feminism and wit, I would recommend this one.
Two words: Pacing issues!
This story felt like everything took too long until the very end when it was super rushed.
It was also a bit predictable, but surprisingly, I didn't find that to be an issue. Maybe because I am so familiar with the story of Henry VIII and his wives, but I thought the way Capin included nods to history was very clever.
Capin has a charming writing style, and I did really like her story. I definitely want to check out her next books. I think she has the potential to be a big deal in the YA world. I would love to see more LGBT+ representation in her next story, but I'm pretty happy with this reading experience.
If you want a debut novel to check out full of feminism and wit, I would recommend this one.
zeldasayre's review
3.0
This is a very frustrating book to rate, let alone review without spoiling because the problem(s) I had with the book are definitely spoiler-y for the ending. This had the opportunity to be a really, really good book but it’s just bogged down by the “quirky” main character (seriously, I love snark like anyone else but the MC was EXHAUSTING) and the fact that she was a self proclaimed feminist when her actions/words/thoughts were anything but.
However, I did appreciate the amount of actual Tudor history the author included. You could tell that the motivations and characteristics of each character were thoroughly researched so that was fun to read. There were a couple of laugh out loud moments, too. Unfortunately as a whole, this book just wasn’t my cup of tea.
However, I did appreciate the amount of actual Tudor history the author included. You could tell that the motivations and characteristics of each character were thoroughly researched so that was fun to read. There were a couple of laugh out loud moments, too. Unfortunately as a whole, this book just wasn’t my cup of tea.
greergreer's review
4.0
Listened to this on audio. Great narrator for this book. A modern day YA telling of Henry VIII and his wives but in this time frame they are high school boys and girls and the trials and deaths (yes deaths) of dating.
danys_reads's review
3.0
After reading Capin's most recent book (Foul is Fair) and truly despising it, I wanted to return to this one to see if my rating would still stand. It does. DQC is more successful in it's aims, and while it shares the girl power/historical/literary retelling element with Foul is Fair, it's inspiration is much better chosen and stays strong from start to finish. It's not a perfect book, but it was certainly a more enjoyable one.