{"id":5101,"date":"2021-07-27T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-27T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/?p=5101"},"modified":"2025-06-18T18:21:45","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T22:21:45","slug":"review-fatal-throne","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/review-fatal-throne\/","title":{"rendered":"Review &#8211; Fatal Throne"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"bsf_rt_marker\"><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/book\/show\/36486799-fatal-throne\">Fatal Throne<\/a><\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>by Candace Fleming, M.T. Anderson, Stephanie Hemphill, Lisa Ann Sandell, Jennifer Donnelly, Linda Sue Park, and Deborah Hopkinson<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"231\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/fatalThrone.jpg?resize=231%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Fatal Throne\" class=\"wp-image-5106\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/fatalThrone.jpg?w=231&amp;ssl=1 231w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/fatalThrone.jpg?resize=116%2C150&amp;ssl=1 116w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 231px) 100vw, 231px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Genres:<\/strong> Historical Fiction, Biographical Fiction, Tudor, Young Adult<br \/><strong>Release Date:<\/strong> May 1, 2018<br \/><strong>Pages:<\/strong> 388<br \/><strong>Purchase from:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B076GPDT1X\">Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"display: inline-block; margin: 0;\"><b>My Rating:<\/b> \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606<\/p><div class=\"myAccordion\" style=\"display: inline;\"><i style=\"margin-left: 10px;\">View ratings overview<\/i><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"myPanel\"><p style=\"margin: 1em 0 0;\">\u2606\u2606\u2606\u2606\u2606 &#8211; Did not finish<br \/>\u2605\u2606\u2606\u2606\u2606 &#8211; Hated it<br \/>\u2605\u2605\u2606\u2606\u2606 &#8211; Disliked it<br \/>\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606\u2606 &#8211; Okay<br \/>\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2606 &#8211; Liked it<br \/>\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605 &#8211; Loved it<br \/>Read the <a href=\"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/rating-system\/\">full explanation<\/a> of my book rating system.<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>If you were one of King Henry VIII&#8217;s six wives, who would you be? Would you be Anne Boleyn, who literally lost her head? Would you be the subject of rumor and scandal like Catherine Howard? Or would you get away and survive like Anna of Cleves?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meet them and Henry&#8217;s other queens&#8211;each bound for divorce or death&#8211;in this epic and thrilling novel that reads like fantasy but really happened. Watch spellbound as each of these women attempts to survive their unpredictable king as he grows more and more obsessed with producing a male heir. And discover how the power-hungry court fanned the flames of Henry&#8217;s passions . . . and his most horrible impulses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether you&#8217;re a huge fan of all things Tudor or new to this jaw-dropping saga, you won&#8217;t be able to get the unique voices of Henry and his wives&#8211;all brought to life by seven award-winning and bestselling authors&#8211;out of your head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is an intimate look at the royals during one of the most treacherous times in history. Who will you root for and who will you love to hate?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Review<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>I enjoyed <em>Fatal Throne<\/em>. It was a fun \u2014 well, engaging, at least \u2014 retelling of Henry VIII&#8217;s six wives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Each wife&#8217;s story was told from her own perspective, followed by a short narrative from Henry&#8217;s point of view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We also got a short epilogue about Elizabeth I from a third person point of view. I don&#8217;t know why only Elizabeth got featured. I would have enjoyed seeing a short piece for each of Henry&#8217;s three legitimate children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This book seems, at times, to be not quite historically accurate, but it may be that, like with Catherine Howard, the authors were using a different &#8220;truth&#8221; than the one I&#8217;m most familiar with. We don&#8217;t know the real facts for all of the wives, often having several possible truths, each as valid as the others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Fatal Throne<\/em> was well-written, and the character voices fell true-to-life. However, at times, it seemed as though the different wives versions contradicted each other. I don&#8217;t mean in perspective, because of course they&#8217;d disagree there, but in actual &#8220;fact&#8221; of what happened. This made it feel like we were reading tellings of six different timelines, as opposed to six different tellings of the same timeline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But, other than that nitpicky \u2014 and potentially subjective \u2014 issue, <em>Fatal Throne<\/em> is great, and well worth a read. I leave with you with a few of my favorite quotes from the book:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>&#8220;Plain girls can prosper. We can make our lives our own.&#8221;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;Life deals the cards\u2014&#8221; &#8220;\u2014but it is up to us how we play them&#8221;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;I am not my breasts, my belly, my legs, or that which lies between them. I am my head and my heart. All that I know, all that I love, everything I hope for.&#8221;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;By changing a life, just one life, you can change the world. It is the only way anyone ever has.&#8221;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;Everyone told me I must accept what I cannot change. But I wished to change what I cannot accept, and that is where the trouble starts.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About the Authors<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Note: Because there are multiple authors, I am only including their names (in the order listed on Goodreads) and their easily-located links.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Candace Fleming<\/strong>:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.candacefleming.com\/\">Website<\/a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/author\/show\/46273.Candace_Fleming\">Goodreads<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>M.T. Anderson<\/strong>:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/author\/show\/31688.M_T_Anderson\">Goodreads<\/a>&nbsp;| <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/_MTAnderson\">Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Stephanie Hemphill<\/strong>:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/author\/show\/57242.Stephanie_Hemphill\">Goodreads<\/a>&nbsp;| <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Stephanie-Hemphill\/e\/B001HD0SXS\/\">Amazon Author Page<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Lisa Ann Sandell<\/strong>:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/lisaannsandell.com\/\">Website<\/a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/author\/show\/310364.Lisa_Ann_Sandell\">Goodreads<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Jennifer Donnelly<\/strong>:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jenniferdonnelly.com\/\">Website<\/a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/JenWritesBooks\/\">Facebook<\/a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/author\/show\/36346.Jennifer_Donnelly\">Goodreads<\/a>&nbsp;| <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/jenwritesbooks\/\">Instagram<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jenwritesbooks\">Twitter<\/a>&nbsp;| <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Jennifer-Donnelly\/e\/B001AVQPAC\">Amazon Author Page<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Linda Sue Park<\/strong>:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/lindasuepark.com\/\">Website<\/a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/author\/show\/61707.Linda_Sue_Park\">Goodreads<\/a>&nbsp;| <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Linda-Sue-Park\/e\/B001IGURB2\">Amazon Author Page<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Deborah Hopkinson<\/strong>:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.deborahhopkinson.com\/\">Website<\/a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/author\/show\/14256.Deborah_Hopkinson\">Goodreads<\/a>&nbsp;| <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/deborah_hopkinson\/\">Instagram<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/deborahopkinson\">Twitter<\/a>&nbsp;| <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Deborah-Hopkinson\/e\/B000APILCE\">Amazon Author Page<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Disclaimer: This review is based on an eBook I purchased from Amazon on June 17, 2021 .<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Fatal Throne is great, and well worth a read.&#8221;\u00a0Check out my review of *Fatal Throne* by Candace Fleming, M.T. Anderson, Stephanie Hemphill, Lisa Ann Sandell, Jennifer Donnelly, Linda Sue Park, and Deborah Hopkinson.<\/p>\n<div class=\"more-link-wrapper\"><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/review-fatal-throne\/\">Keep Reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Review &#8211; Fatal Throne<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5108,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[115],"tags":[87,71,39,156,160,96],"class_list":["post-5101","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-blogger","tag-4star","tag-book-review","tag-books","tag-historical-fiction","tag-tudor","tag-young-adult","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/fatalThrone-IGSm.jpg?fit=288%2C288&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Z77k-1kh","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5918,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/review-heart-impaler\/","url_meta":{"origin":5101,"position":0},"title":"Review &#8211; Heart of the Impaler","author":"Rachel","date":"December 7, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"\"...once it picks up, it's full of drama and intrigue.\"\u00a0Check out my review of *Heart of the Impaler* by Alexander Delacroix.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Book Blogger&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Book Blogger","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/book-blogger\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Heart of the Impaler","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/hoti.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12814,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/review-ab-500\/","url_meta":{"origin":5101,"position":1},"title":"Review &#8211; Anne Boleyn: 500 Years of Lies","author":"Rachel","date":"June 12, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cI heartily recommend [it], it's a worthwhile read.\u201d Check out my review of *Anne Boleyn: 500 Years of Lies* by Hayley Nolan.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Book Blogger&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Book Blogger","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/book-blogger\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Book Cover: Anne Boleyn: 500 years of lies","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AB500-100x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2206,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/review-kings-obsession\/","url_meta":{"origin":5101,"position":2},"title":"Review &#8211; Anne Boleyn: A King&#8217;s Obsession","author":"Rachel","date":"November 8, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Check out my review of Anne Boleyn: A King's Obsession, book two of the Six Tudor Queens series by Alison Weir.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Book Blogger&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Book Blogger","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/book-blogger\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Anne Boleyn: A King's Obsession","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/AnneBoleyn-231x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1412,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/review-dark-goddess\/","url_meta":{"origin":5101,"position":3},"title":"Review &#8211; Dark Goddess","author":"Rachel","date":"June 4, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Dark Goddess by Amalie Howard Series:\u00a0Alpha Goddess, Book 2 Genres: Fantasy, Hindu Mythology, Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance Release Date: February 13, 2018 Pages:\u00a0376 Purchase from: Amazon\u00a0|\u00a0Barnes & Noble My Rating:\u00a0\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605 After an epic struggle that unseated the Azura Lord of Death and placed Serjana Caelum\u2019s best friend, Kyle, on his\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Book Blogger&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Book Blogger","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/book-blogger\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Dark Goddess","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/darkGoddess-231x300.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2190,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/series-review-six-lives\/","url_meta":{"origin":5101,"position":4},"title":"Series Review &#8211; The Six Lives of Henry VIII","author":"Rachel","date":"October 23, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Check out my review of the entire Six Lives of Henry VIII series by Leigh Jenkins. 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