What do a future ambassador, an overly ambitious Francophile, a hospital-volunteering Girl Scout, the new girl from Cleveland, the junior cheer captain, and the vice president of the debate club have in common? It sounds like the ridiculously long lead-up to an astoundingly absurd punchline, right? Except it’s not. Well, unless my life is the joke, which is kind of starting to look like a possibility given how beyond soap opera it’s been since I moved to Lancaster. But anyway, here’s your answer: we’ve all had the questionable privilege of going out with Lancaster High School’s de facto king. Otherwise known as my best friend. Otherwise known as the reason I’ve already helped steal a car, a jet ski, and one hundred spray-painted water bottles when it’s not even Christmas break yet. Otherwise known as Henry. Jersey number 8.
Meet Cleves. Girlfriend number four and the narrator of The Dead Queens Club, a young adult retelling of Henry VIII and his six wives. Cleves is the only girlfriend to come out of her relationship with Henry unscathed—but most breakups are messy, right? And sometimes tragic accidents happen…twice… Thank you to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest review. I grew up reading about Henry VIII and his wives (Anne Boleyn was my favorite), so when I found this retelling, I was so excited to read it. The narrative centering around Anne "of Cleves" seemed to be a down-to-earth story with a thrilling murder mystery element. However, I was a bit disappointed by parts of the execution. First, the good: I appreciated Cleves' narration. She was funny and curious, and best of all, a journalist! I love reading about high school journalism because of the character archetype: a plucky investigator who will stop at nothing to uncover the truth and usually discover something about themselves along the way. Cleves did not disappoint. It was also fun to see the modern personas of the 6 wives, and reading about their historical achievements represented as modern-day teenage pursuits. Their representations were suprisingly accurate for having been translated into teenagers. I was impressed with Capin's work. The bad: So much petty drama. A strange amount, even though I suppose it represents court politics. Everything felt very minimized, even the murders of two girls. I've seen some people criticizing Cleves' treatment of other women, but I think that was something that folks who DNF'd didn't get to read about, because I actually appreciated how that was resolved. If you DNF'd, I would advise finishing, because the book's ending was my favorite part. It gets better. Overall, any problems were "me" problems. I think I read this book as a drama with a hint of comedy, when it's actually the reverse. I expected the atmosphere to be different, less cavalier about some of the plot points. 4/5 stars for a fun historical read, with an intriguing mystery element.
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The BaronessHey, I'm Shreya! I love to read, write, travel, and drink tea. Disclosure: I am an affiliate of bookshop.org and I will earn a small commission if you click the above link and make a purchase.
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