A review by iamqueenfal
Tarnish by Katherine Longshore
5.0
I was thrilled when an ARC of "Tarnish" made it's way into my hands. After loving "Gilt," I couldn't wait to read the second novel—especially when I found out it followed Anne Boleyn's story. She's my favorite of Henry VIII's wives. As soon as I started "Tarnish," I was hooked. You may think you know the story of Anne Boleyn, but before she lost her head at the hands of her tyrannical husband, she was a girl who was determined to make a bright future for herself.
In the second book in Katherine Longshore's "Royal Circle" series, Anne Boleyn is the new girl. Since she's been away in France, everything about her is different—from her clothes to her sharp tongue to her unwillingness to blend in with the rest of the ladies in the Tudor court. She doesn't know how to keep silent and fall in step with a society that revolves around gossip and expects women to be seen and not heard. But when Anne makes a life-altering bet with charismatic poet Thomas Wyatt to escape a loveless, arranged marriage, how she's seen could lead to her demise or rise. She could end up as nothing or she could finally become something.
Katherine brilliantly captures Anne's voice in her teenage years. Often seen as a manipulating home-wrecker, Katherine throws away these labels to give Anne a fresh start with new ones: a dreamer and an optimist with a desire for her words to be heard, for them to have meaning. In the midst of tragedy, Katherine Longshore offers hope—not just for Anne, but for us all. Our voices matter. Our words have meaning. Don't settle for less than you deserve. In the end, yes, it lead to Anne's downfall, but it also, in a way, lead to her immortality.
In the second book in Katherine Longshore's "Royal Circle" series, Anne Boleyn is the new girl. Since she's been away in France, everything about her is different—from her clothes to her sharp tongue to her unwillingness to blend in with the rest of the ladies in the Tudor court. She doesn't know how to keep silent and fall in step with a society that revolves around gossip and expects women to be seen and not heard. But when Anne makes a life-altering bet with charismatic poet Thomas Wyatt to escape a loveless, arranged marriage, how she's seen could lead to her demise or rise. She could end up as nothing or she could finally become something.
Katherine brilliantly captures Anne's voice in her teenage years. Often seen as a manipulating home-wrecker, Katherine throws away these labels to give Anne a fresh start with new ones: a dreamer and an optimist with a desire for her words to be heard, for them to have meaning. In the midst of tragedy, Katherine Longshore offers hope—not just for Anne, but for us all. Our voices matter. Our words have meaning. Don't settle for less than you deserve. In the end, yes, it lead to Anne's downfall, but it also, in a way, lead to her immortality.