Review: Gilt by Katherine Longshore

Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction
Published: 05/15/12
Series: The Royal Circle   {Companion Series}
Pages: 398 pages
Format: Library Hardback
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
Goodreads | Amazon | Indigo

Goodreads Summary: 

In the court of King Henry VIII, nothing is free--
and love comes at the highest price of all. 

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:
I picked up this book because King Henry VIII is my guilty pleasure. I love him and his drama, I find it fascinating. So a few months ago I went on a trip to London and visited a bunch of the royal palaces; these included The Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace. After visiting I wanted to read something that took place there, during Henry's reign. I wanted to know the stories and secrets that those rooms held.

Me at Hampton Court Palace

Gilt fit that bill pretty well. It was told in the perspective of Kitty who was the best friend of Cat, or better known as Catherine Howard. If you know anything about Tudor history you know that Catherine was one of Henry's more "infamous" wives. This story was very guilty pleasure for me. It was easy to get wrapped up in the court lifestyle and gossip. I love all the affairs and flings that are going on and it keeps the story interesting.

However, the story isn't perfect. Cat can be very annoying and extremely self centred. Kitty was very dependant on Cat for everything which also bothered me. One thing I am starting to have a hard time with now is reading about the treatment of women during this era (and many other ones too). It's impossible to imagine how it would feel to be property to some old man twice my age. But this is common in so much of history and even in present day it makes me want to vomit.

Gilt, wasn't an amazing book but it was very interesting. If you are into the rise and fall of Catherine Howard then this book would be awesome to pick up. The characters aren't great but the life in court is so interesting I can't not like it. The one big thing is that I want to know more about Henry. I want to know how he feels and what he is thinking during all these major wife changes. He has a side to the story, and I want to know it so bad. But seriously, who couldn't love this face?

In Conclusion: Very interesting, however not the much "fun" book you will ever read. Definitely watch out for some beheading. I really liked knowing the story behind Catherine Howard, she's a very interesting one of Henry's wives. If you like Historical Fiction and the Tudors check this out.