Genre: Historical fiction
Publisher: Independently published
Pub date: 14 June 2018
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Description
The end is nigh…
Anne Boleyn is Queen, with an infant daughter in the royal nursery and another child on the way, but plots are forming within the shadows of court. As events progress, bringing sorrow and fear to Anne’s fragile life, she finds once-allies are becoming enemies.
In the final book of Above All Others: The Lady Anne, Anne Boleyn faces hardship, sorrow and danger as she attempts to challenge not only Thomas Cromwell but Henry himself.
The last book in the series and I’m genuinely sad it’s come to an end. This book covers the final years of Anne Boleyn’s life and her downfall.
I have found that some books about Anne portray her either as good or bad. Lawrence doesn’t do that she shows Anne was human with both good and bad characteristics like we all have. I didn’t like Anne in the third book but I liked and respected her in this one.
As Anne’s enemies work towards bringing her down she strives to do what’s right for her daughter and the church even if that means putting herself in direct conflict with Henry and Cromwell who will eventually bring about her death.
I love Lawrence’s writing style that has a way of bringing you into the past as a bystander in the Tudor court.
To survive at court, a woman had to be simultaneously both virgin and whore
I’ve said this in regards to the previous books in the series but I just adore how Lawrence captures the surroundings
Blossom erupts upon trees in a dizzying display of white and pink, and Hawthorn leaves mist hedgerows with glorious green. Sudden storms burst from sultry, sticky skies, causing flashes of dazzling blue and streaking silver to rupture the midnight heavens, swathed in gowns of cobalt and black.
This last book sees Anne go through so much, from miscarriages to Henry’s dalliance with Jane Seymour and her fight for the monasteries.
It’s not often I feel emotional about a book but gosh this brought a tear to my eye when Anne is in the Tower of London and then comes the epilogue told from the viewpoint of Thomas Wyatt, that almost had me sobbing! That to me is a clear sign that I was totally enthralled by this book.
There’s an added bonus at the end of this book as Lawrence provides her opinions and reasons for them along with a short synopsis on the fate of other main characters such as Cromwell, Wyatt, Thomas Boleyn which I found interesting. Additionally Lawrence gives a brief overview of each of Henry’s wives.
I honestly cannot praise this series enough, it’s fantastic, everyone should give it a go. If you’ve already read it I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Judge The Best is available on Kindle unlimited
I will certainly be reading The Elizabeth of England Chronicles also written by Lawrence and am looking forward to getting started.
Amy McElroy 