luluzz's review against another edition
3.0
Es una linda novela romántica, pero el retelling estuvo flojo para mí. Algo superficial en todo lo que Anne cambia a Henry (porque digamos que lo cambia y mucho, al menos en la historia real, le cambia hasta la religión...). Henry VII fiel? Sin comentarios
greergreer's review against another edition
4.0
Love anything Tudorish (yes that is a made up word)
Hopefully you already know the story of this torrid real life love affair.
Well this YA book is that story, Henry Tudor dumping Catherine for Anne
then getting all fickle and then flirting with that Seymour girl. Except this story is set in the 20th century with private schools, college bound mean girls and boys and the same unfortunate events. I love a book that is fun to read and hard to put down. This was that kind of book for me.
Hopefully you already know the story of this torrid real life love affair.
Well this YA book is that story, Henry Tudor dumping Catherine for Anne
then getting all fickle and then flirting with that Seymour girl. Except this story is set in the 20th century with private schools, college bound mean girls and boys and the same unfortunate events. I love a book that is fun to read and hard to put down. This was that kind of book for me.
jena's review against another edition
3.0
I love the story of King Henry VIII & Anne Boleyn so I was all in for this retelling of their story in modern times. Unfortunately, this book did not capture my heart like I wanted it to. It was an entertaining read but was not for me.
inthelunaseas's review against another edition
2.0
What the hell?
No, really- what the hell? What did I just read?
I knew simply from the cover this would be a trashy read. I expected it. But this was bad.
It honestly had the makings to actually be something a bit fun. Hell, it could have even been a series, one for each wife. But this is just... not great. At all.
The plotting is weird. It's set in the US, just outside of Seattle (why not London? Why not England in general?). Henry Tudor is the son of a deceased politician, and his older brother died about a year or so ago. He attends a wealthy, private school and his life is set out for him.
Strangely his mother is still alive. This really bugged me. If he'd been under the care of his grandmother, I probably would have liked it just a little more. Margaret Beaufort had her wits about her- that's not to say Elizabeth of York wasn't smart, but she didn't make as many political moves as her mother-in-law.
There's no mention of Henry's sisters, nor is there any mention of George Boleyn. Mary Boleyn is in a psychiatric hospital. Thomas Boleyn is Anne's step-father, renamed Thomas Harris, and her biological father up and left the family.
Charles Brandon is Australian. Henry has a friend named Wyatt, another called John, and a third called... Rick. Is he meant to be Richard Riche? Probably not, I might be giving the author to much credence here.
Catherine (of Aragon) is blonde. This pissed me off. She's known to have been a redhead. Jane Seymour is also a brunette with dark eyes, when she's written time and time again to have been extremely pale, with pale hair and eyes. Holy crap.
Everyone hates Anne at face value, because she's clearly new money. She's a bit wild, a bit sexy, but it's never her fault. She's also very unmotivated and while she's shown to be somewhat educated (in the, she reads French novels and had a variety of interests growing up), she's nothing like the highly educated, highly focused Anne of history.
She also rides a motorbike named Clarice.
They have a mock trial at school, and Anne is expelled. Because a group of students have such power of these decisions. The beheading, so to speak, is her photo getting ripped in half at the neck.
Christ on cracker.
If I was going to write this as a teen series--
Book One
Katherine of Aragon would be a year or two older than Henry. Maybe a senior to his sophmore or a freshman in college. She would have maybe had a flirtation with Arthur in the past, but he died suddenly and tragically. She and Henry date for a year.
Book Two
Anne Boleyn. First made an appearance towards the end of book one. In Henry's junior year of school, Anne is a year behind him. He spends more time with her while Katherine is in college. He dumps Katherine for Anne.
Book Three
Enter Jane. She's been in Anne's extra-curriculars (maybe the high school UN or similar?), and he catches Henry's eye. She's in the same year as Anne. He grows tired of Anne's wild ways and goes for Jane softer spoken nature. She gets very sick, and while she mightn't die (that's pretty dark for a teen novel), perhaps she and her family move away so she can get treatment in a distant hospital. They slowly break up.
Book Four
Henry is enticed by foreign exchange student, Anna of Kleve. He thinks he really likes her, but he's actually really turned off by her German habits, foods, customs. He keeps her around for a little while because hey, she's new and interesting, but realises novelty doesn't make attraction.
Book Five
By now, Henry's is a senior. And here comes Anne's young cousin, darling little Katheryn Howard. She's a freshman. Yes, that's intentionally meant to be sketchy. The novel is all about Henry's manipulation of this fourteen-year-old girl. She thinks she's desperately in love with him, but doesn't understand she's being drawn into something awful. She's being taken down the same path as her older cousin, Anne, but at the last minute she realises she's being used. She takes a triumphant stand and reveals Henry's the one who's the asshole.
Book Six
At last, Henry is out of high school and at college. He meets Katharine Parr, a highly educated woman who is his own age. She's heard all about Henry, and doesn't want a bar of him, but he's convinced she's the one. She keeps him around for a little while as they share classes, and he slowly realises what a dick he's been. He tries to change. He makes amends. But before he can make a big declaration of love, Katharine... well, she doesn't dump him. They never dated. But she points out what a shit he is.
The end.
No, really- what the hell? What did I just read?
I knew simply from the cover this would be a trashy read. I expected it. But this was bad.
It honestly had the makings to actually be something a bit fun. Hell, it could have even been a series, one for each wife. But this is just... not great. At all.
The plotting is weird. It's set in the US, just outside of Seattle (why not London? Why not England in general?). Henry Tudor is the son of a deceased politician, and his older brother died about a year or so ago. He attends a wealthy, private school and his life is set out for him.
Strangely his mother is still alive. This really bugged me. If he'd been under the care of his grandmother, I probably would have liked it just a little more. Margaret Beaufort had her wits about her- that's not to say Elizabeth of York wasn't smart, but she didn't make as many political moves as her mother-in-law.
There's no mention of Henry's sisters, nor is there any mention of George Boleyn. Mary Boleyn is in a psychiatric hospital. Thomas Boleyn is Anne's step-father, renamed Thomas Harris, and her biological father up and left the family.
Charles Brandon is Australian. Henry has a friend named Wyatt, another called John, and a third called... Rick. Is he meant to be Richard Riche? Probably not, I might be giving the author to much credence here.
Catherine (of Aragon) is blonde. This pissed me off. She's known to have been a redhead. Jane Seymour is also a brunette with dark eyes, when she's written time and time again to have been extremely pale, with pale hair and eyes. Holy crap.
Everyone hates Anne at face value, because she's clearly new money. She's a bit wild, a bit sexy, but it's never her fault. She's also very unmotivated and while she's shown to be somewhat educated (in the, she reads French novels and had a variety of interests growing up), she's nothing like the highly educated, highly focused Anne of history.
She also rides a motorbike named Clarice.
They have a mock trial at school, and Anne is expelled. Because a group of students have such power of these decisions. The beheading, so to speak, is her photo getting ripped in half at the neck.
Christ on cracker.
If I was going to write this as a teen series--
Book One
Katherine of Aragon would be a year or two older than Henry. Maybe a senior to his sophmore or a freshman in college. She would have maybe had a flirtation with Arthur in the past, but he died suddenly and tragically. She and Henry date for a year.
Book Two
Anne Boleyn. First made an appearance towards the end of book one. In Henry's junior year of school, Anne is a year behind him. He spends more time with her while Katherine is in college. He dumps Katherine for Anne.
Book Three
Enter Jane. She's been in Anne's extra-curriculars (maybe the high school UN or similar?), and he catches Henry's eye. She's in the same year as Anne. He grows tired of Anne's wild ways and goes for Jane softer spoken nature. She gets very sick, and while she mightn't die (that's pretty dark for a teen novel), perhaps she and her family move away so she can get treatment in a distant hospital. They slowly break up.
Book Four
Henry is enticed by foreign exchange student, Anna of Kleve. He thinks he really likes her, but he's actually really turned off by her German habits, foods, customs. He keeps her around for a little while because hey, she's new and interesting, but realises novelty doesn't make attraction.
Book Five
By now, Henry's is a senior. And here comes Anne's young cousin, darling little Katheryn Howard. She's a freshman. Yes, that's intentionally meant to be sketchy. The novel is all about Henry's manipulation of this fourteen-year-old girl. She thinks she's desperately in love with him, but doesn't understand she's being drawn into something awful. She's being taken down the same path as her older cousin, Anne, but at the last minute she realises she's being used. She takes a triumphant stand and reveals Henry's the one who's the asshole.
Book Six
At last, Henry is out of high school and at college. He meets Katharine Parr, a highly educated woman who is his own age. She's heard all about Henry, and doesn't want a bar of him, but he's convinced she's the one. She keeps him around for a little while as they share classes, and he slowly realises what a dick he's been. He tries to change. He makes amends. But before he can make a big declaration of love, Katharine... well, she doesn't dump him. They never dated. But she points out what a shit he is.
The end.
capesandcovers's review against another edition
2.0
I absolutely love Anne Boleyn, and all of the ladies from Henry VII's time, but this just did her no justice.
valeriianavarr's review against another edition
4.0
Talk about a symbolic ending!
I was not disappointed by this book at all. However, I wanted to punch Henry most of the time >.>
It was a quick and easy read, I loved the book more for it xD
Anne was a total badass that I was half expecting her to burn down the school at one point but then I would remember her past, and its like... You go girl, kick everyones ass, they all deserve it. And made me want to wrap her up in a blanket and just hide her from the world.
Im weird.
I know.
No rAgrets.
Seriously though... That ending xD
I dont want to say anything else for fear that ill spoil the book xD
I was not disappointed by this book at all. However, I wanted to punch Henry most of the time >.>
It was a quick and easy read, I loved the book more for it xD
Anne was a total badass that I was half expecting her to burn down the school at one point but then I would remember her past, and its like... You go girl, kick everyones ass, they all deserve it. And made me want to wrap her up in a blanket and just hide her from the world.
Im weird.
I know.
No rAgrets.
Seriously though... That ending xD
I dont want to say anything else for fear that ill spoil the book xD
eccentricutie's review against another edition
2.0
This is just your typical high school set drama. There is nothing really that makes this a retelling other than the names being what they are. The story has been similarly told repeatedly, sometimes with a happy ending, sometimes without. Naturally, this is without.
deepower's review against another edition
1.0
Straight up, where were the GROWN UPS in that whole ending???