Book: Gilt by Katherine Longshore

Book Info: Published by Viking Juvenile; 398 pages; purchased for my Nook

Genre: YA/Historical Fiction

Find out more at: Goodreads~Barnes And Noble~Amazon~Author Website

Goodreads.com Summary: 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.

I really liked Gilt.  I’m a big fan of Tudor history, and it was nice reading about Katherine Howard, because she tends to be overlooked in both non-fiction and historical fiction alike.

I liked that it focused on Katherine Howard and her circle of “friends.”  I found them to be irritating, especially Katherine and her best friend Kitty, who narrated the novel.  Katherine was definitely ambitious and self-absorbed, while Kitty would do anything to make Katherine happy.  Despite being annoyed with both girls, I thought that Longshore did a great job writing them. It just goes to show that some things never change.

Back to Katherine for a minute.  She knew what she wanted, but couldn’t really see the consequences of her actions.  If she did, she certainly didn’t care, but then again, Katherine thought she was invincible because she was queen.  As for Kitty, she was loyal to the point of almost losing her head.  But I also understand her going with everything too, especially when Katherine became queen.

I also liked her attention to detail, and described everything beautifully.  I especially liked her descriptions of the places and the clothing.  You can tell Longshore is interested in Tudor history, and of Henry’s 6 wives, Katherine Howard is probably the one teens would most relate to. I’ll admit that the language was a bit modern, but I wasn’t really bothered by it.  And with so many other details being there, I’m willing to overlook it.

My rating would be a 4 out of 5.  It was pretty accurate, and fans of The Luxe by Anna Godbersen will love this book.