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shhchar's review
5.0
Tarnish was simply amazing. The best historical fiction novels are the ones that trick you into wondering, maybe that person won't die a horrible death after all! Tarnish was about Anne Boleyn's life PRE-Henry VIII, which was a refreshing and welcome way of telling her story.
The idea of power in this book was intriguing. I loved how Anne didn't actively seek power, as one might expect going in blind. Anne's pure motivation is to be known. To be remembered for being who she was. For her words. As a woman, and an untitled one, her job is cut out for her. Tarnish examined Anne's struggles and how women were treated during this time period. It did it in such an honest manner, I just want to shove this book at my friends and scream 'READ IT!'
Even though the book takes on some heavy topics, it still had a blossoming love story. The love story was not the main plot, which I preferred rather than having it overshadow everything else. I can't say that I've ever read another book with Anne and Thomas Wyatt being the focus, rather than Anne and Henry VIII. Thomas was such a charming and slimy fellow, and he helped Anne discover who she was. Their love story obviously does not end well, but Tarnish will immortalize their (however fictional) love.
All in all, this book was amazing. Katherine Longshore is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I can't wait until she writes more!
The idea of power in this book was intriguing. I loved how Anne didn't actively seek power, as one might expect going in blind. Anne's pure motivation is to be known. To be remembered for being who she was. For her words. As a woman, and an untitled one, her job is cut out for her. Tarnish examined Anne's struggles and how women were treated during this time period. It did it in such an honest manner, I just want to shove this book at my friends and scream 'READ IT!'
Even though the book takes on some heavy topics, it still had a blossoming love story. The love story was not the main plot, which I preferred rather than having it overshadow everything else. I can't say that I've ever read another book with Anne and Thomas Wyatt being the focus, rather than Anne and Henry VIII. Thomas was such a charming and slimy fellow, and he helped Anne discover who she was. Their love story obviously does not end well, but Tarnish will immortalize their (however fictional) love.
All in all, this book was amazing. Katherine Longshore is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I can't wait until she writes more!
sidneyellwood's review
2.0
let me start this one out by saying that i love english royal history, or at least am starting to love it. remember richard iii? i blame that, which is the first time english class has ever gotten me into anything. so i took out tarnish because you know, anne boleyn. and i’m not going to say i knew a lot about her before reading, and maybe that affected my experience. i looked her up on wikipedia. and i do think that she’s interesting (and it was her that caused henry i don’t know what the number is to split from the catholic church) and this book did an okay job of making her seem like it.
first of all anne is a very confident and impulsive woman. she was interesting when she spoke, but i feel like her inner voice - her narration - was rather dull. i found i had to force my way through the book. and there wasn’t much conflict or tension, either, i felt. the plot needs work. the plot needs a lot of work. perhaps it was because i just came from reading a book with high stakes, and yes, that is more of the type of the book i enjoy, but i didn’t like the plot. once again, we get a bloody love triangle. (okay, so i said, i didn’t like reading cishet romances unless they stood out … but like, i thought this would stand out.) more like a love polygon, because you’ve got the stuff with percy and then you’ve got wyatt and you know that anne ends up with the king at the end. it is a Foregone Conclusion.
maybe it was just that the type of story that longshore chose to write wasn’t my preference. i realize now i would much rather read about anne boleyn’s later life, before she was executed. i see how i would have liked it, and there were some tense parts but not enough. a lot of it was sitting around and talking, or the romance part.
what i did like was the relationship with anne and mary, and anne and jane. those were a lot better than how the romance with wyatt was portrayed. and i know that anne did get together with king henry but here, it seemed very quickly brought on and it didn’t come across as strong as i would have liked.
katherine longshore, though, is great at describing things. i could picture anne’s world, the english royal court, and i could picture the dresses and the people in it and what she was seeing. i don’t think the present tense narration worked out very well in this book, though. it works for some books and it doesn’t work for others and this was one it didn’t work for. i felt disconnected to anne even though a first person perspective, while there are books that i feel fully connected to a character even though it’s third person.
anne was a good character, though. i did like her. i think that she was portrayed as being very confident and sure of herself, and also wanting to have a voice in something. that was another thing i liked. historical queens are great and anne is one of them. she stuck out in a good way and made me like her throughout the book, even if she was a little too dependent on men for my liking. (then again this is the 16th century what am i expecting.)
i give this book a 5/10 and recommend this for anyone who likes the history of the english monarchy, or anyone who likes historical romance
first of all anne is a very confident and impulsive woman. she was interesting when she spoke, but i feel like her inner voice - her narration - was rather dull. i found i had to force my way through the book. and there wasn’t much conflict or tension, either, i felt. the plot needs work. the plot needs a lot of work. perhaps it was because i just came from reading a book with high stakes, and yes, that is more of the type of the book i enjoy, but i didn’t like the plot. once again, we get a bloody love triangle. (okay, so i said, i didn’t like reading cishet romances unless they stood out … but like, i thought this would stand out.) more like a love polygon, because you’ve got the stuff with percy and then you’ve got wyatt and you know that anne ends up with the king at the end. it is a Foregone Conclusion.
maybe it was just that the type of story that longshore chose to write wasn’t my preference. i realize now i would much rather read about anne boleyn’s later life, before she was executed. i see how i would have liked it, and there were some tense parts but not enough. a lot of it was sitting around and talking, or the romance part.
what i did like was the relationship with anne and mary, and anne and jane. those were a lot better than how the romance with wyatt was portrayed. and i know that anne did get together with king henry but here, it seemed very quickly brought on and it didn’t come across as strong as i would have liked.
katherine longshore, though, is great at describing things. i could picture anne’s world, the english royal court, and i could picture the dresses and the people in it and what she was seeing. i don’t think the present tense narration worked out very well in this book, though. it works for some books and it doesn’t work for others and this was one it didn’t work for. i felt disconnected to anne even though a first person perspective, while there are books that i feel fully connected to a character even though it’s third person.
anne was a good character, though. i did like her. i think that she was portrayed as being very confident and sure of herself, and also wanting to have a voice in something. that was another thing i liked. historical queens are great and anne is one of them. she stuck out in a good way and made me like her throughout the book, even if she was a little too dependent on men for my liking. (then again this is the 16th century what am i expecting.)
i give this book a 5/10 and recommend this for anyone who likes the history of the english monarchy, or anyone who likes historical romance
teganbeesebooks's review
5.0
Review also published at t and a book!
Title: Tarnish
Author: Katherine Longshore
Type: Young Adult
Genre: Historical
Tea: Raspberry Black Tea, can be subtle, but also full of zest.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.
"Anne Boleyn is the odd girl out. Newly arrived to the court of King Henry VIII, everything about her seems wrong, from her clothes to her manners to her witty but sharp tongue. So when the dashing poet Thomas Wyatt offers to coach her on how to shine at court—and to convince the whole court they’re lovers—she accepts. Before long, Anne’s popularity has soared, and even the charismatic and irresistible king takes notice. More than popularity, Anne wants a voice—but she also wants love. What began as a game becomes high stakes as Anne finds herself forced to make an impossible choice between her heart’s desire and the chance to make history." (Goodreads.com)
Tarnish is the third book I read by Katherine Longshore. It is a companion novel to her two others, Brazen and Gilt. This novel is predominantly about Anne Boleyn, though she does play a role in all three books. There have been tons of books written about Anne Boleyn. "Not another one!" you say. But this is not your typical Anne book. In Tarnish, Katherine Longshore gives you a look into Anne's history and what her daily life is like living at the castle as a ladies maid to the queen. Also what it is like to live in her sister Mary's shadow, who also happens to be Henry VIII's mistress.
I really enjoyed this portrayal of Anne. Katherine Longshore doesn't show her as a power hungry, man-stealing girl. She's your typical teenager that just wants to fall in love, preferably with the right man. Unfortunately her goals start to shift when other people try to meddle with her love life, among them her father and the poet Thomas Wyatt.
All I can say is I'm so glad I didn't have to deal with the drama of living in court. We think school is bad? That's cake compared to what these people dealt with on a regular basis. Anne's tribulations echo a lot of what teenagers go through in school: do I listen to what everyone else says? Do I follow my own dreams? How doe these rumors even start? And what do I do if that older guy that I think is cute starts giving me attention?
I liked seeing Anne in a different light that she is often written. Katherine Longshore does a fantastic job of getting insider her head and giving the reader lots of information while still telling a compelling tale. If you are interested in Anne's beginnings, I would suggest this book. It can give you a taste and you can decide if you want to learn more about this doomed queen, who really was just a girl like everyone else.
Title: Tarnish
Author: Katherine Longshore
Type: Young Adult
Genre: Historical
Tea: Raspberry Black Tea, can be subtle, but also full of zest.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.
"Anne Boleyn is the odd girl out. Newly arrived to the court of King Henry VIII, everything about her seems wrong, from her clothes to her manners to her witty but sharp tongue. So when the dashing poet Thomas Wyatt offers to coach her on how to shine at court—and to convince the whole court they’re lovers—she accepts. Before long, Anne’s popularity has soared, and even the charismatic and irresistible king takes notice. More than popularity, Anne wants a voice—but she also wants love. What began as a game becomes high stakes as Anne finds herself forced to make an impossible choice between her heart’s desire and the chance to make history." (Goodreads.com)
Tarnish is the third book I read by Katherine Longshore. It is a companion novel to her two others, Brazen and Gilt. This novel is predominantly about Anne Boleyn, though she does play a role in all three books. There have been tons of books written about Anne Boleyn. "Not another one!" you say. But this is not your typical Anne book. In Tarnish, Katherine Longshore gives you a look into Anne's history and what her daily life is like living at the castle as a ladies maid to the queen. Also what it is like to live in her sister Mary's shadow, who also happens to be Henry VIII's mistress.
I really enjoyed this portrayal of Anne. Katherine Longshore doesn't show her as a power hungry, man-stealing girl. She's your typical teenager that just wants to fall in love, preferably with the right man. Unfortunately her goals start to shift when other people try to meddle with her love life, among them her father and the poet Thomas Wyatt.
All I can say is I'm so glad I didn't have to deal with the drama of living in court. We think school is bad? That's cake compared to what these people dealt with on a regular basis. Anne's tribulations echo a lot of what teenagers go through in school: do I listen to what everyone else says? Do I follow my own dreams? How doe these rumors even start? And what do I do if that older guy that I think is cute starts giving me attention?
I liked seeing Anne in a different light that she is often written. Katherine Longshore does a fantastic job of getting insider her head and giving the reader lots of information while still telling a compelling tale. If you are interested in Anne's beginnings, I would suggest this book. It can give you a taste and you can decide if you want to learn more about this doomed queen, who really was just a girl like everyone else.
sweetpavement's review
5.0
I quite enjoyed this book. The tale of Anne Boleyn, but a period in her life that is rarely spoken of, and ought to be written about more, her theorized romance with Thomas Wyatt.
I loved that this book was a romance that was grounded in historical detail without feeling stuffy or ridiculous. I also quite liked that it gave me a window on the period I've never really considered before. It was sweet, effervescent, and cleverly written...and the use of Wyatt's poetry to emphasize it all was wonderful.
I loved that this book was a romance that was grounded in historical detail without feeling stuffy or ridiculous. I also quite liked that it gave me a window on the period I've never really considered before. It was sweet, effervescent, and cleverly written...and the use of Wyatt's poetry to emphasize it all was wonderful.
iamqueenfal's review against another edition
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.
gregoreads's review
3.0
3.5 stars. This ended up better than expected, despite the beginning. I was so close to putting it down because of the writing and the characterization at the beginning, but I was too intrigued by the thought of a story that focused on Thomas Wyatt and Anne Boleyn, so I continued, and I'm glad I did. It was a pretty good read overall. I found Anne's characterization a little questionable; she spent like 97% of the book having 0 self esteem, and I know it's supposed to be about her coming into her own and all, but I've always had a picture of an Anne confident since, like, birth, so the absolute pale noodle Anne was at the beginning didn't jive as much with me. But yeah, really refreshing to read about her and Wyatt for a change. I also really liked the little nods to other parts of Anne's history, like "the most happy" and her casually saying "I have but a little neck" and other stuff like that.
_maddierose16's review
5.0
This was such a sad book! Makes me so excited about history, especially this era. Can't wait to start another one of this authors book!
scorpiobookfairy's review
4.0
King Henry the VIII will always be one of my favorite kings of history... The psychology side of me comes out with him lol.
I enjoyed this, Anne Boleyn always seems to get a bad rap, and I'm so glad this story portrayed her as a normal person just trying to make a place in her world...
I like that it was about her time before King Henry and the idea of getting a glimpse into her life before it was all turned around...
I wish she'd write some more of these, I'd own every single one :)
I enjoyed this, Anne Boleyn always seems to get a bad rap, and I'm so glad this story portrayed her as a normal person just trying to make a place in her world...
I like that it was about her time before King Henry and the idea of getting a glimpse into her life before it was all turned around...
I wish she'd write some more of these, I'd own every single one :)