Review: Gilt

Title: Gilt
Author: Katherine Longshore
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Source: Library/Purchased

When Kitty Tylney's best friend, Catherine Howard, worms her way into King Henry VIII's heart and brings Kitty to court, she's thrust into a world filled with fabulous gowns, sparkling jewels, and elegant parties. No longer stuck in Cat's shadow, Kitty's now caught between two men--the object of her affection and the object of her desire. But court is also full of secrets, lies, and sordid affairs, and as Kitty witnesses Cat's meteoric rise and fall as queen, she must figure out how to keep being a good friend when the price of telling the truth could literally be her head.

My thoughts:

There is just something about historical novels that just enrapture me! Especially the Tudor Era! I love discovering more about kings and queens and beheading people for the smallest of actions. It’s a quite fascinating.

I was definitely enthralled by this story of Catherine Howard told by one of her closest friends named Kitty. Catherine Howard is one of King Henry VIII’s later wives and this story just goes to show how old he really was and the long term effects of his jousting wound had on his marriage and the country in general. Anyone who ever working in his court was always under scrutiny and their every action was watched under a microscope. They never knew who was going to turn who. It’s all very interesting!

Kitty is an interesting character. She’s the plainer more subdued version of her friend Catherine Howard and she’s not obsessed with getting to court like all the other girls her age. But, of course, when the opportunity to go to court arises she does not turn it down. The whole book is pretty much about keeping Catherine Howard’s affair a secret from the King’s spies. I knew what was going to happen in the end but the getting there was really intriguing! I sometimes found myself hoping that they wouldn’t get caught but like I said, I know the history of King Henry VIII and his wives. But I still loved it!!

All in all, Gilt is one of my favorite reads of this year so far! It is definitely a great story to get myself lost in!