Doomed Queens is one of those great factual books that appeals to anyone who loves gossip or is glued to the weekly entertainment magazine racks. It's also of interest to those readers intrigued by history’s monarchs, the lineage of royalty the world over, or scandalous occurrences and betrayals that ooze blood, gore, greed, and just about every other sin named in the Bible.

Kris Waldherr's book falls in line with other books of the type like A Treasury of Royal Scandals by Michael Farquhar as well as typical history books in which the lives (and deaths) of monarchs are elaborated upon. Waldherr keeps to the facts behind each of the demises represented but simultaneously keeps it interesting with little-known facts about methods of torture, poisoning, and so on.

No monarchy or lineage is left untouched here. Queens from B.C. to the well-known stories of queens of the A.D. timeline are researched and told. Dirty laundry from all major powers is included, from China and Russia to Britain and Egypt. The interwoven familial lines and ancestry show how much history repeats itself and how genetics may influence actions down through the ages.

Doomed Queens includes quizzes for the review of facts and is an absolutely fantastic way to entice young readers’ interest in history. While not all history is the easiest or most entertaining to follow, Waldherr clearly shows monarchical progression and relationships, kingdom and power shifts, as well as highlighting some of history’s key players and how their civilizations grew, failed, or hobbled along under their leadership and decisions. What a great way to revive world history and the drama of royalty for both education and a good chuckle.