Review of Tarnish by Katherine Longshore

Tarnish (Royal Circle #2)  by Katherine Longshore

To be published by Viking Juvenile on June 18, 2013

Plot Summary of Tarnish by Katherine Longshore

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.

Review of Tarnish by Katherine Longshore

Gilt, book one in the Royal Circle series, was about Catherine Howard, the queen consort of Henry VIII. 

The Royal Circle series is now heads backwards in time to look at scheming, ill-fated Anne Boleyn. I think if you're British, you learn a little mnemonic to keep the fate of the wives who don't survive straight:

annulled, beheaded, died, annulled, beheaded, survived 

I think that Anne was the first beheaded and Catherine Howard the second, but correct me if I'm wrong on my historical timeline!  

In any case, Tarnish begins as Anne Boleyn returns from France and ends right as her relationship with the king is beginning. So this story focuses on a different time of their relationship than is usually portrayed.

It's a story of a misfit trying to find her place in the world, trying to overcome gossip about herself and her sister, to break free of her father's control and to steer her own destiny. 

Anne is smart and outspoken, something she will have to learn to channel in the right ways at court.

It's a long book but an interesting one that looks at a period in Anne Boleyn's life that most other fictionalized accounts skim over.

You can also check out my Review of Brazen by Katherine Longshore, the final book in the series.