Publishers Weekly
06/26/2023
Heartfield (The Chatelaine) injects some magic into European history with this lush and enchanting outing. In 1768, close-knit sisters Charlotte and Antoine, daughters of the Habsburg emperor, are sent their separate ways to marry powerful husbands: Charlotte to Naples and the brutish King Ferdinand, and Antoine to France, where she is renamed Marie Antoinette and weds the future King Louis XVI. Isolated and alone, the two rely on lessons from a book of spells they discovered as children to reclaim power over their lives while trying to do right for their respective nations. As tension mounts both politically and in the magical world, the sisters find themselves on opposing sides, turning from close confidants to bitter rivals. Heartfield’s accounts of both queens are detailed and insightful, with a fresh take on Marie Antoinette and a fascinating look at her less famous sister. The magic system, which demands a sacrifice for each spell cast, is a cool concept, but in execution it’s a bit murky and occasionally feels like an afterthought to the story at hand. Still, fans of historical novels looking for just a touch of the fantastic are sure to be sucked in. (Aug.)
From the Publisher
‘An absorbing novel … Heartfield sustains a fine balance between history and fantasy’Guardian
‘Where fantasy and history meet … an entertaining and dark read’Stylist
‘Reminded me in places of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. I loved the depth of characterisation and the feel of the magic … beautifully written’Elizabeth Chadwick, bestselling and award-winning author of The Summer Queen
‘Richly imagined and skilfully told, The Embroidered Book is an intricate and spellbinding tale’JJA Harwood, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Shadow in the Glass
‘The Embroidered Book is superb from its opening scene to its heartbreaking end … Politics, magic, love, and sacrifice compete on equal terms in a sweeping, absolutely splendid epic novel about two sisters and familial love. If you like historical feminist fantasy, you will love The Embroidered Book’Lisbeth Campbell, author of The Vanished Queen
‘Sacrifice, family, dreams, and deep, dark magic, The Embroidered Book is a triumph’Julie E. Czerneda, author of The Gossamer Mage
‘Seamlessly weaves together real historical events into a stunning narrative that I'm sure will grip readers from the very first page to the very last. I could almost believe the book itself had been enchanted!’Ann Sei Lin, author of Rebel Skies
‘What can I say about this book? It is extraordinary. I didn't know how deeply I needed a story about sisters Charlotte and Antoine (later Marie Antoinette) and their complicated, courtly, beautiful, magical world’E. Catherine Tobler, author of The Necessity of Stars
PRAISE FOR KATE HEARTFIELD:
‘Heartfield's scenes brim with excitement’Booklist
‘Written with arresting detail and challenges literary tropes about women’Publishers Weekly
