Book Review - My Story: Anne Boleyn and Me by Alison Prince

My Story: Anne Boleyn and Me Official Blurb

When the King came riding in on his big, black horse, a murmer went up, because his tunic was stitched with the words, DECLARE I DARE NOT. All the ladies were giggling behind their hands, and I asked Mama what it meant. Her face had turned quite pink and she said, ..Never mind.., so I asked Rosanna later. She told me the words meant the King has a new love, but he dares not say her name.But everyone knows her name, of course. It is Anne Boleyn.

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Basic Info 

Standalone or series?
Standalone

Category
YA Historical Fiction (Although interesting note - it was published under the Scholastic Non-Fiction imprint)
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How did I get this book?
Susan sent it to me as part of my Christmas present.

Why did I choose to read this book:  I adore the Tudor history, especially anything focused around Anne Boleyn's story. 

And Now To The Review!

First Impressions:
This book is written in the form of journal entries from a servant. It starts with the writer being only 11, but there are very few entries for this age, and it quickly moves on. 

General Review
I love to read alternative perspectives, and although from the title I expected a more favorable account of life with Anne, it s clear early on that the writer strongly sides with Queen Katherine, having been raised for her early life as part of her court. 

The general history included appears to be accurate (based on what I have read / watched before), which is always a good sign, and this new perspective made for a very interesting read.  Many shows have taken the angle of showing things from the servants’ point of view with great success, and this for me was no different.  Although supposedly written as the girl in question aged, the only issue really was that the language didn't change. As most people age, even just with speech, the phrasing would be different, but this stayed the same from beginning to end.

Final Thoughts
I am not sure if this would be a book that many would enjoy, unless they already had an interest in that period in history.  A lot of what is written I know I interpreted with a bias based on what I already knew, which wasn't an issue, but I am not sure how well it would work as a cold read. Especially as the general age it is supposed to be aimed for would be 11-16 (based on normal Scholastic book tendencies).  That being said, I am thrilled to have this as a part of my collection. I can honestly say I enjoyed this unique take.

Rating
A solid 4 stars - with a note that this probably wouldn't be a general recommendation for every reader, just my personal enjoyment.