The Phantom Tree by Nicola Cornick has a little bit of a lot of things in it - old England, time travel, the role of women in society, witches, history, adventure, romance, male privilege, and strong, sympathetic characters. What I enjoy most about the book is that the twists and turns manage to surprise me. Maybe, all of this happens because I vest in the stories of these characters. Regardless of the reason, this book holds my attention all the way through to the end.
Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2019/04/the-phantom-tree.html
Reviewed for NetGalley
Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2019/04/the-phantom-tree.html
Reviewed for NetGalley
I received The Phantom Tree by Nicola Cornick from NetGalley for an honest review.
This is the first book by Nicola Cornick that I have read but it won't be my last. The Phantom Tree is a cross of many genres; history, fantasy, romance and mystery. It is a time-travel book where the main character, Alison, travels from the 16th century to the present time. Alison notices a portrait in a museum that someone claims to be Anne Boleyn. Since Alison is from the Tudor 16th century, she immediately recognizes the portrait to be Mary Seymour, who was orphaned at Wolf Hall along with her. How does she explain to them that she knows they are wrong without indulging her secret?
Meanwhile, Alison is trying to travel back to the 16th century as she needs to find out what happened to her son when he was taken from her as a baby. She has no idea how to travel back to ask Marry Seymour if she has found any information about her son. When Alison does finally find the way back, she discovers that Mary Seymour has disappeared.
What I like about Nicola Cornick's writing is that she has taken a historical fact about Mary Seymour's disappearance and has woven a fictional story and has given us a scenario of what might have happened to Mary. Her descriptions of the past and present make you feel like you are right there along with the characters. I found The Phantom Tree to be the perfect escape novel which takes you to an interesting period of history with twists and surprises that keep the pages turning. I would highly recommend this novel to those who would like a romantic adventure with plenty of history.
This is the first book by Nicola Cornick that I have read but it won't be my last. The Phantom Tree is a cross of many genres; history, fantasy, romance and mystery. It is a time-travel book where the main character, Alison, travels from the 16th century to the present time. Alison notices a portrait in a museum that someone claims to be Anne Boleyn. Since Alison is from the Tudor 16th century, she immediately recognizes the portrait to be Mary Seymour, who was orphaned at Wolf Hall along with her. How does she explain to them that she knows they are wrong without indulging her secret?
Meanwhile, Alison is trying to travel back to the 16th century as she needs to find out what happened to her son when he was taken from her as a baby. She has no idea how to travel back to ask Marry Seymour if she has found any information about her son. When Alison does finally find the way back, she discovers that Mary Seymour has disappeared.
What I like about Nicola Cornick's writing is that she has taken a historical fact about Mary Seymour's disappearance and has woven a fictional story and has given us a scenario of what might have happened to Mary. Her descriptions of the past and present make you feel like you are right there along with the characters. I found The Phantom Tree to be the perfect escape novel which takes you to an interesting period of history with twists and surprises that keep the pages turning. I would highly recommend this novel to those who would like a romantic adventure with plenty of history.
