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A review by starswereenough
The Dead Queens Club by Hannah Capin
4.0
Okay, so this was right up my alley. I’ve been fascinated by the Tudor period since I first read The Royal Diaries’ Elizabeth I at age 9, and it’s grown into one of my biggest historical obsessions. Plus, it’s told as a feminist retelling from the POV of Cleves? Sign me the heck up.
It absolutely lived up to my expectations. In some ways, I would say it surpassed them.
Thoughts:
- Okay, I’m the #1 K Howard defender. Her life was a tragedy and no one can convince me otherwise. It was incredibly refreshing to find a piece of media that doesn’t spend its time slut-shaming her, and instead defends her.*
- There’s quite a bit of controversy over whether or not Cleves was a “bad feminist”. She preached a lot but wasn’t always willing to confront Henry on some of his views/actions. I’d actually argue that it’s far more accurate this way. As a teen, even with strong beliefs, it’s not always easy to call people out on related issues even if you’re semi-aware of it. So yes, controversial opinion, but I think it was a good call, and she did work it out.
- I loved the writing style. It’s definitely one of those books were you’ll either love it or hate it, but for me the snarky commentary really made the book.
-All of the characters were very distinct and didn’t play too much into typical YA tropes, which was refreshing.
-The characters aren’t necessarily always faithful to what’s known of them/how they’re usually portrayed. It’s more a loosely inspired re-imagination of the events and historical figures.
-I enjoyed some of the Easter eggs. Some details in the book (like Boleyn’s necklace or a joke about Lina and Henry dating for almost 25 years) will be appreciated more by those who have a lot of pre-existing knowledge of Henry VIII and his wives, but it’s not enough so that it diminishes the appeal for those who haven’t let Tudor history consume their soul.
Character-wise:
- I do wish Lina would have gotten a little bit more character development. She was almost too perfect (which was probably the point?), but I did really like some of the details about her and her confidence. I loved the interpretation of her character.
- I’m still not completely sure how to feel about Anna. I can’t quite pin her character down. I feel like she was the least fleshed out of Henry’s girlfriends, but she also had a very weird role in the storyline so I think it’s understandable.
- I’m typically in the “ugh Jane Seymour”** category, but I did like her character portrayal in this.
- I adored Cleves. It might just be because I’m a snarky feminist who loves journalism and Tumblr a little too much, but she was a relatable narrator and kept me laughing even in the serious bits.
- Katie was a little ball of sunshine. I loved how her character and story was interpreted and portrayed. Cleves and Katie are basically the ultimate duo.
- Cat was a badass and I love her. Definitely one of my favorite modern day portrayals of Catherine Parr!
-I really don’t know how to feel about Parker. Her personality was hard for me to figure out and I felt like there was a lot of hinting at potential places for her character to go that didn’t get carried out (I’m wondering if there were some changes surrounding her role in the plot late in the writing process?).
- Henry was very well written. I wouldn’t say it was my favorite interpretation of him, but it was well-done.
Overall I’d definitely recommend this to anyone who likes history retelling (especially from a POV featuring women), the Tudor era, etc. Feminist historical retellings for the win!!
*The only other piece of media I’ve found that doesn’t do this is Six the Musical, which I’d strongly recommend to anyone who likes this.
** I mean, as a thirteen year old, was I really going to be more interested in someone who died naturally than someone who was beheaded?
It absolutely lived up to my expectations. In some ways, I would say it surpassed them.
Thoughts:
- Okay, I’m the #1 K Howard defender. Her life was a tragedy and no one can convince me otherwise. It was incredibly refreshing to find a piece of media that doesn’t spend its time slut-shaming her, and instead defends her.*
- There’s quite a bit of controversy over whether or not Cleves was a “bad feminist”. She preached a lot but wasn’t always willing to confront Henry on some of his views/actions. I’d actually argue that it’s far more accurate this way. As a teen, even with strong beliefs, it’s not always easy to call people out on related issues even if you’re semi-aware of it. So yes, controversial opinion, but I think it was a good call, and she did work it out.
- I loved the writing style. It’s definitely one of those books were you’ll either love it or hate it, but for me the snarky commentary really made the book.
-All of the characters were very distinct and didn’t play too much into typical YA tropes, which was refreshing.
-The characters aren’t necessarily always faithful to what’s known of them/how they’re usually portrayed. It’s more a loosely inspired re-imagination of the events and historical figures.
-I enjoyed some of the Easter eggs. Some details in the book (like Boleyn’s necklace or a joke about Lina and Henry dating for almost 25 years) will be appreciated more by those who have a lot of pre-existing knowledge of Henry VIII and his wives, but it’s not enough so that it diminishes the appeal for those who haven’t let Tudor history consume their soul.
Character-wise:
- I do wish Lina would have gotten a little bit more character development. She was almost too perfect (which was probably the point?), but I did really like some of the details about her and her confidence. I loved the interpretation of her character.
- I’m still not completely sure how to feel about Anna. I can’t quite pin her character down. I feel like she was the least fleshed out of Henry’s girlfriends, but she also had a very weird role in the storyline so I think it’s understandable.
- I’m typically in the “ugh Jane Seymour”** category, but I did like her character portrayal in this.
- I adored Cleves. It might just be because I’m a snarky feminist who loves journalism and Tumblr a little too much, but she was a relatable narrator and kept me laughing even in the serious bits.
- Katie was a little ball of sunshine. I loved how her character and story was interpreted and portrayed. Cleves and Katie are basically the ultimate duo.
- Cat was a badass and I love her. Definitely one of my favorite modern day portrayals of Catherine Parr!
-I really don’t know how to feel about Parker. Her personality was hard for me to figure out and I felt like there was a lot of hinting at potential places for her character to go that didn’t get carried out (I’m wondering if there were some changes surrounding her role in the plot late in the writing process?).
- Henry was very well written. I wouldn’t say it was my favorite interpretation of him, but it was well-done.
Overall I’d definitely recommend this to anyone who likes history retelling (especially from a POV featuring women), the Tudor era, etc. Feminist historical retellings for the win!!
*The only other piece of media I’ve found that doesn’t do this is Six the Musical, which I’d strongly recommend to anyone who likes this.
** I mean, as a thirteen year old, was I really going to be more interested in someone who died naturally than someone who was beheaded?