DNF Review: Six Wild Crowns (Queens of Elben #1) by Holly Race

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The king has been appointed by god to marry six queens. Those six queens are all that stand between the kingdom of Elben and ruin. Or so we have been told.

Each queen vies for attention. Clever, ambitious Boleyn is determined to be Henry's favourite. And if she must incite a war to win Henry over? So be it.

Seymour acts as spy and assassin in a court teeming with dragons, backstabbing courtiers and strange magic. But when she and Boleyn become the unlikeliest of things - allies - the balance of power begins to shift. Together they will discover an ancient, rotting magic at Elben's heart. A magic that their king will do anything to protect.

A captivating epic fantasy filled with dragons, court politics and sapphic yearning, perfect for fans of The Priory of the Orange Tree and House of the Dragon.
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First line:
Her wedding dress is the colour of the massacre of  Pilvreen.
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Source:
eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
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Publication Date:
June 10, 2025
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Rating:
 DNF @ 15%
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I was really excited when I heard of this sapphic, polyamorous fantasy with dragons based off King Henry VIII and his wives. However, I found this book hard to get into and kind of tedious to read. There are so many names of places and people as well as foreign language terms that are all hard to keep straight. I kept get confused over who was who and what place was a foreign country and which was a city of Elben. I did really enjoy the dragons but I wish we knew more about them. They seem to be more similar to dogs in this world with hunting dragons, lap dragons, guard dragons, etc.

I could see depth in Boleyn character. She loves Henry and she must scheme to keep his attention while also ensuring what is best for Elben. However, Seymour's pov chapters annoyed me so much. I lost count in her first 2 chapters how many times she refers to herself as "stupid" or something similar. I felt like it was being shoved down my throat that her self worth was non existent.

I do think some people will like this one, it just wasn't moving fast enough for me and there were too many names and terms thrown at me to keep straight.



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