Six Wild Crowns by Holly Race Review

The king has been appointed by god to marry six queens. Those six queens are all that stand between the kingdom of Elben and ruin. Or so we have been told.
 

Each queen vies for attention. Clever, ambitious Boleyn is determined to be Henry's favourite. And if she must incite a war to win Henry over? So be it.
 

Seymour acts as spy and assassin in a court teeming with dragons, backstabbing courtiers and strange magic. But when she and Boleyn become the unlikeliest of things - allies - the balance of power begins to shift. Together they will discover an ancient, rotting magic at Elben's heart. A magic that their king will do anything to protect.
 

A captivating epic fantasy filled with dragons, court politics and sapphic yearning, perfect for fans of The Priory of the Orange Tree and House of the Dragon.

In the Kingdom of Elben, there is a legend of a god bestowing magical power to a king along with a surrounding barrier that protects the land from invading forces. In order to maintain the barrier, the king is told he must marry and court six queens who each reside over a castle and land. Boleyn, his newest queen of Brynd is enamored by King Henry and is determined to become his favorite Queen and to leave a lasting impression across the kingdom. However, as she settles into her new role and investigates new ways to increase the King and Elben’s magical powers, she uncovers clues that suggest the historic arrangement may not be as it seems. Meanwhile, originally planted as a spy by another Queen under the guise of a lady-in-waiting to Boleyn, Seymour finds herself torn between the familial and royal obligations she’s been tasked with vs her fascination and interest with her new mistress. As Boleyn and Seymour find themselves swept up in the power struggle between the Queens, the trusted associates, and the king himself who’s obsessed with producing a male heir, the two women find themselves in an unexpected alliance as they navigate the political landscape and discover the true purpose of Elben’s Queens. A fantasy-set political slow burn, Holly Race’s Six Wild Crowns is a fascinating read that pulls inspiration from the historic King Henry VIII and his iconic six wives. Although marketed as a fantasy take on the Tudor Queens, Six Wild Crowns is largely an original story that features great character work paired with an elegant prose. While very far from my preferred narrative content and interest, I found this novel to be a refreshingly different fantasy story that while low on action, is high on political strategizing while infused with feminist values.

Before diving into my review of Six Wild Crowns, there’s a few recurring negative points of criticisms I see in other reviews that I’d like to touch on for those potentially picking this book to read. Firstly, although it is loosely inspired by the real Queens of Tudor, this is only vaguely a historical fiction novel and is not an accurate retelling of past events. I’ll go into the historic inspirations later in this review, but it is important to understand that the Queens of Elben should be considered a fictional fantasy series that tells its own original story. Unlike most typical historical fiction novels, Six Wild Crowns takes place in its own fantasy kingdom in an unspecified time setting that feels 16th century without ever being explicitly set then. Obviously King Henry VIII did NOT have six simultaneous marriages and queens and Holly Race’s own preface in the book identifies and acknowledges where history stops and fictional adjustments occur for narrative purpose. Secondly, the book’s blurb and synopsis give a pretty inaccurate idea of the story’s tone without technically being wrong. The marketing, book cover, and blurb highlight an epic fantasy story filled with dragons, court politics, sapphic yearning, spies, assassins and inciting war. These elements are technically in the story but are severely overblown for how little they have to do with the main story and feel like misguided marking hooks. Yes, this Kingdom has magic and dragons, but they provide more flavor for the setting rather than being key elements to the story (a pet panther has more presence in the story than all the minor dragon appearances combined). Seymour is tasked with being a spy and assassin but as a matter of convenience, she’s not a thrilling expert in either area and both are minor storylines only prominent early in the story. Yes, there’s references of war but they happen all off the page and are only referenced in conversation. And yes, Six Wild Crowns features sapphic yearning and has a good amount of queer LGBTQ+ representation, but it is certainly NOT a lesbian queen romance story some people are hyping it to be nor is it romantasy (one of my biggest when I started reading this book). There is sex and adult content but it’s dark and completely anti-spice, featured for political narrative purpose only. There’s also talks of romance, but it is also not the focus of the story either. I only mention these points because nearly all the negative reviews I’ve seen for this novel are due to being misled and disappointed due to the book’s marketing and social influencers.

Getting back on topic, on paper Six Wild Crowns is the type of book I ordinarily would not want any part of. It is a story about royal power struggle, court politics, and 16th century women. Additionally, once the novel introduces King Henry the VIII and his intense desire for his queens to produce an elusive male heir, it becomes a story about wifery, motherhood, and female gender roles. As a cis male reader, these are important topics that are creatively infused with fantasy flair but aren’t quite my cup of tea. That said, I was constantly surprised by how fast the pages and chapters would go by and the way the quiet and initially unassuming story draws you in. By the end of its nearly 400-page run, Race convinced me to be a Queens of Elben fan.

Six Wild Crowns technically is a high fantasy story due to the Kingdom of Elben’s well-established history, lore, and its contentious relationship with its neighboring kingdoms. The story’s base premise is focused on a magical protective barrier and the source of King Henry’s powers, not to mention the presence of faeries, dragons, kelpies, crones, and other fantasy creatures. Yet ultimately most of these fantasy genre elements feel like decorative embellishments meant to add color and aesthetic to a story that is almost entirely one of court politics and power. While this may sound like a negative mark against Race’s work, I assure you that it’s not. Rather, it’s to highlight the extensive political turmoil and commentary on traditional female gender roles that are the main focus of the story. Race’s story is one that has its male oppressors and society repeatedly throwing rocks at its two female main characters but showing how their internal strength and intellect allows them to rise above each challenge.

Initially starting slow and featuring Boleyn as Henry’s newest bride to-be in a subservient traditional womanly role, Boleyn’s character arc involves her confident and fiery presence constantly pushing the limits and expectations of the queen’s traditional role, causing intentional waves for better or for worse. On the other hand, Seymour’s character story is one of quiet survival, molding her presence to the audience and keeping a low-profile to avoid the attention or wraith of men. As these two seemingly opposite women find themselves suddenly thrown into the power play of Queens and their respective castles, both women find unusual support in each other against a world that expects them to be content with settling and following the demands of men. The story is slow, meticulous, but well-crafted and very ambitious, not to mention often surprising with its plot twists. While one would expect action or a swordfight akin to Game of Thrones, instead Six Wild Crowns uses low-key compelling battles of wit and strategy, one that Race has done a commendable job at writing.

Generally alternating perspectives between the two women, Boleyn and Seymour serve as perfect foils for each other and the difference in energy and dynamics back-to-back often keeps the read from growing repetitive or stale. And while the Race’s plot is ambitious, the character work is the true draw for the novel. Historical context and influence on the story means that I don’t consider it a spoiler that motherhood and children are involved, but Boleyn’s character arc from a queen of status and glory to a mother seeking to ensure her child’s future is done smoothly and without overly rosy or glamorized portrayals of motherhood (partly due to the Queen not being able to act like a regular mother). Meanwhile, Seymour’s slow growth in confidence, assurance and self-worth is possibly even more effective and by the end of the story, her decisive resolution and long overdue silencing of entitlement men is great to experience.

As a side note previously mentioned, Six Wild Crowns has a good amount of queer representation that earns its LGBTQ+ label. Seymour’s most notable servant Clarice is non-binary, at least one of Queens of Elben is far from being straight, and Boleyn’s brother George is an open and happily married bisexual in a thruple; the Kingdom of Elben is certainly a rainbow-tinted fantasy version of the 16th century. As mentioned in the book blurb, there is also sapphic yearning and interest that is certainly a draw for the book, though notably this is not an HEA nor a lesbian love story. I’m more inclined to refer to this novel simply as a historic political story rather than specifically queer literature or an epic fantasy as some have labeled it, though there’s enough of both elements to entertain as long as they’re not the primary reason for reading this book.

Another notable trademark of the book is its often-discussed feminist tone and approach to the story. I’ve seen more reviews than I would’ve liked, negatively critiquing the novel as basic, boring, or worse, reinforcing traditional gender roles rather than overhauling them. Again, you can take it as a grain of salt coming from a male reader, but I found Race to be quite smart and effective with her approach with the “her story” concept. I sometimes find that younger or more modern communities associate feminist reads as only those that are loud, strong, and full-on empowering by sticking to the man and dragging him through the dirt. Evaluated against that criteria, Six Wild Crowns will certainly disappoint. At a first glance, the story sees its women at the mercy of numerous gross traditions designed to fetishize, humiliate, or knock the queens to a lower level than their king. However, the difference is all about Race’s tone and intention behind their inclusion. A required consummation of marriage witnessed by a room full of notable court officials (all men of course) is meant to highlight what Boleyn and Seymour find themselves fighting against and every disturbing or dark tradition of the queens are meant to showcase how a patriarchal society twists and corrupts society to the male benefit. But on a different note, these frankly aren’t far from how disturbing past historic events have been. But beneath the unspoken horrors of the queens, Race’s underlying intention is clear as the story shifts to its second and third sections. Additionally, Race’s prose is beautiful and visual, balancing the burdens of the queen with poetic notes and reflective moments. On top of that, Race’s visual portrayals of Elben’s diverse locals are a treat. One of the best elements of Race’s visual descriptions are the imaginative castles that each Queen inhabits that reflect aspects of the surrounding landscape and the queens themselves (Boleyn’s abrasive personality represented by Brynd’s castle’s lightning rod tower is a bit on the nose but others like the Queen of Hyde’s haunting underwater castle to match its withdrawn and isolated queen is far more eloquent). And despite being written in a 3rd person tense, the characters’ introspection and internal thoughts are portrayed very well, particularly their feelings of entrapment and drive to survive.

While the story is largely an original fantasy one rather than a faithful historical fiction one, there are quite a number of historical details and references incorporated on a closer look. All the Queens of Tudor are represented in the story by name, including some of their most prominent features, despite many of their ages and backgrounds being adjusted for narrative purposes. Seymour was indeed Queen Boleyn’s mistress and Race’s version of Seymour roughly follows her historical counterpart’s movements. Boleyn’s siblings are also represented more or less in-tact and the inevitable conflict between certain queens and Henry, as well as Boleyn’s volatile connection to the Queen of Aragon, loosely follows history. Most notable though is Boleyn’s character. The real Anne Boleyn came from an unusually educated and refined upbringing despite which was believed to be one of the contributing factors for her disconnect with Henry. Anne Boleyn refused to take a submissive role in marriage, was highly opinionated and intellectual, and too independent for both the King and popular opinion. These characteristics are all perfectly represented in Race’s version of Boleyn and Anne Boleyn’s opposition to Henry’s religious policies are no doubt the inspiration for Six Wild Crown’s Boleyn’s pursuit of magical knowledge, alternative historical lore, and rejection of the established Elden hierarchy. At this point I may be rambling, but all this to say that Six Wild Crowns has a healthy amount of historic detail and references, they’re just adapted very liberally within the context of a heavily reimagined world.

Beautifully written, ambitiously plotted, and imaginative with its historical source material, Six Wild Crowns is an incredibly original and unique story that has powerful yet very understated thematic values. A carefully balanced compromise between feminist and liberal commentary set within a traditionally patriarchal framework and era, this is a polished and smart novel that is sure to impress and entertain sophisticated readers looking for substance. If not for the high fantasy setting, the narrative content could even be considered a crossover into literary fiction. The story takes time to grow but once the full picture starts to take shape, it keeps on going. Given this is the first entry in a series, the book ends on a rather dramatic note, but I am fascinated to see the direction Race goes and how many of the remaining historical events are retained moving forward. I was not familiar with her past works nor had this book been on my upcoming release radar having received this book as part of a book subscription service, but I was pleasantly surprised and pleased by what this read ended up being (I was far less interested in the book’s story described in the blurb compared to the actual book’s material itself). While its themes and overall story are not necessarily to my taste, Six Wild Crowns is a solid and compelling read that I have little regrets receiving!

Note: As previously mentioned, I received Six Wild Crowns as my first official book box received after joining Goldsboro Book’s Sci-fi & Fantasy Fellowship due to my actual first box containing Joe Abercrombie’s The Devils going MIA in shipping. I wasn’t particularly thrilled when it was announced that this novel would be Goldsboro SFF’s June book pick given the blurb and questioned this seemingly random selection. Having finished reading and reviewing this book, I am thrilled and impressed by this selection. Not only is this a well-written and creative book, it’s one that I would’ve never read on my own and certainly never would’ve purchased despite its elegant dusk jacket design and the Goldsboro edition’s stunning digital page edges. The digital mockup and photos do not do the design justice and the detailing and foil outlines on the dust jacket and the stylish hardcover foil is so classy. It was a great under the radar subscription pick and such a wonderful first impression of the subscription. I will be reviewing more of my adventures with Goldsboro SFF (+other subscriptions and special edition books) soon!