Review: Gilt

Author: Katherine Longshore
Publish date: May 2012
Source: Library
"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." (Goodreads)

I remember hearing about Gilt back in May when it came out and I figured I would just find it at the library at some point...which is exactly what I did. Went in to find an audiobook and came out with two plus Gilt. Common occurrence when I go to the library. ANYWAY. I liked Gilt, even though it's not my favorite historical fiction.

One of the things I liked the most about Gilt is that it's told from a point of view that is not normally used when reading about King Henry VIII. I also really enjoyed reading the author's note at the end, in which she explained that Kitty was actually a real person, but not much is known about her, so thus...Gilt was born. The "how" of creating historical fiction is so interesting to me and it was just fun to read Gilt from Kitty's POV while still getting that inside look at court and Cat.

I enjoyed the writing style quite a bit as well. It was a bit flowery and slightly poetic, but seemed to mesh well with the subject matter and setting. Character wise, Katherine Longshore did a great job at making Cat annoying, but also in making you feel a teensy bit sorry for her toward the end of the book. Still though, it's crazy how obsessed some of those people were with royalty and THINGS.

All of that said, I didn't adore this book. I liked it, but I didn't love it. I would recommend it if you're in the mood for historical fiction or enjoy reading about Henry VIII.