Henry Tudor Must Die by Jillian Laine

Blurb:

One queen exiled. Another headed for the gallows. Both hungry for revenge. England’s most infamous queens unite in vengeance against Henry VIII.

Anne Boleyn is going to die, and neither her cleverness nor her witchery can save her. So when her late rival, Catalina de Aragón, miraculously appears in her cell at the Tower of London on the eve of her execution, very much alive and offering a daring escape plan, no one is more surprised than Anne.

Lina doesn’t have Anne’s magic—but she has just as much hate for England’s wretched king. Severed from her daughter and stripped of all her influence, Lina breathes only for the Hellebore Sisterhood, a clandestine and powerful society with a vested interest in keeping both queens alive . . . and using their particular skills to advance womankind.

Anne and Lina’s old rivalries pale in comparison to a common enemy. And they're not alone. Anna von Kleve, Kat Howard, and even Catherine Parr all have their own bones to pick with the king. One by one, they capture their pawns, infiltrating the court and eliminating the men who plotted against them. Always inching closer to their true target . . .

And they want his head.

Review:

Anne Boleyn is destined for death, and neither her cleverness or her witchery can hinder her impending doom. It’s with this in mind that when her late rival, Catalina de Aragon, appears in her cell at the Tower of London on the eve of her would-be demise, somehow alive, that she takes her offer to escape. The plan? A daring jail break-out at her side, one that surprises even Anne.

Lina (Catalina) doesn’t possess magic line Anne does, but she hates England’s domineering king just as much as Anne. Torn apart from her family and stripped of her titles and influence, Lina works for the Hellebore Sisterhood in order to survive. A clandestine and powerful society with extreme interest in keeping the queens alive, and using their particular skills to advance womankind and their power as a group.

Anne and Lina’s old rivalries pale in comparison to an enemy that arises to confront them: the king and his monarchy. Joined by a series of women desperate for justice, including Anna von Kleve, Kat Howard, and Catherine Parr, who all have grievances against the king and his government, they hatch a plan. One by one, they infiltrate the king’s royal, corrupted court and capture the men who plotted their downfalls. All the while, they draw nearer to their target, the king.

And they all want him dead.

An intriguing mix of history and fantasy realism, Henry Tudor Must Die is a fascinating genre-crossover that readers will obsess over. Homing in on the power of women, especially united, it truly was a story that has a raw, beating heart that touched my own. With extensive themes of injustices that women face in modern (and old) society, it makes a compelling read for anyone who enjoys history, fantasy, and a whopping heap of revenge plots.

I don’t know about other readers, but I’ve always loved reading women’s revenge stories. There’s something so captivating about how different women approach their vengeance, especially when it’s a type of revenge that is well deserved, but extremely so when it’s a revenge that might not be well-founded.

While the corruption of the courts is inexcusable, I do think there’s an interesting them of “rose-tinted glasses” in that we as readers only get one half of the story: the women’s. These men who sabotaged the women highlighted in the novel (who are rightfully putting them in place—in the grave, or elsewhere) don’t get as much perspective as the women. Yet their wrongful actions speak for themselves, and their fates are SO compelling to read.

The womanhood explored in the narrative is exceptional and compelling and I fell in love with each character introduced. This novel shows just how much of an impact or a change women can make if they put their minds to it, and if they work together rather than against each other.

Jillian writes a fabulous narrative packed with political intrigue, falsity, deception, corruption, and so much more. It’s a well-crafted novel with just enough of everything to be stellar: plot, pacing, characterization, even plot twists. 

I loved this novel, I loved how it was written, and I can’t wait for more readers to pick it up!