Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the chance to read and review, "The Phantom Tree"
by Nicola Cornick. I really enjoyed this work of historical fiction. I love the idea of Alison being able to travel through the two different eras. A must read for people who love historical fiction!

WOW. MY. GOD.

You know that sound you hear right now? That’s me kicking myself for waiting to read this book for so long. The Phantom Tree was a fantastic read! With Tudor Lords and Ladies and a modern day mystery, what more could you ask for?

Mary and Alison were once grudging allies. Now, centiuries apart, they’re still working together. The characters were so real and so phenomenal that I couldn’t help but be invested in their story and hope for the best for them both. Alison is on a seemingly hopeless quest to find her lost son and her only hope seems to be Mary whom she left behind in the 16th century.

I think the reason I avoided this book was that the synopsis misled me to believe that it might have a reincarnation/past-life story line. Instead, The Phantom Tree has an interesting time-travel arc that I absolutely LOVED.

I’m already recommending it to everyone I know. It has great writing, a fantastic plot and relatable characters. If you think you might enjoy historical fiction with a twist, please do read this one!

I received an advanced reading copy of this title via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
The overall plot was a good one but the execution was lacking. The story takes quite some time to develop and that diminishes the reader's capability to form an attachment to any of the main characters. Cornick's writing style is not overly descriptive and for the most part very matter of fact. The last third of the book really took off and it was great to see all the pieces come together. This book would have been much better if the intensity of the end could have permeated t

3.5 Stars

This is the first book that I have read by Cornick, but it certainly will not be my last! I am really torn on my rating for The Phantom Tree because, on one hand, I really enjoyed the story. But on the other hand, there were a few things that just kept bothering me throughout the entire story.

Let’s start with the not so positive, shall we?

First off, I have no issue with time travel books. I am willing to suspend belief and thoroughly enjoy the story. I have read a few other time travel centric books and the fantasy element is a non-issue.

Where Phantom Tree fell flat for me was that there wasn’t any explanation of HOW Alison was able to time travel. We are told she traveled to and from the present a few times, but then gets stuck in the future. But how was she able to time travel? Where is the secret door? The magic cupboard? I mean, why not The Phantom Tree? It’s right there for the taking. No matter how much I was enjoying the story, this kept niggling in my brain and I kept thinking “when are we going to find out how this happened?”

Additionally, as I mentioned, we are told that she time traveled a few times before getting stuck. I really kept hoping that in the “past” storyline, we would have seen how Alison discovered she could time travel and how many times she did it before she got stuck in the future. It was all very glossed over and she was in the past one minute and then boom, she is in the future. Even her departure from the past was all very vague, and to me, this is a huge plot point. If you are telling a time travel story, how it happens is a huge part story.

Eventually, in the very end of the book, we do find out how she did it. But it was too little too late. And even then, it really wasn’t explained very well.

Now, if you have made it this far in my review, you might be thinking that I hated this book, and you could not be more wrong. I actually really, really enjoyed this book! I really liked Cornick’s writing style and the actual plot was a really well told story. I was hooked from the beginning. I will admit, that I enjoyed the “past” storyline much more than the “present”, but the story was woven together very nicely.

With all of this being said, I think I am going to settle on 3.5 stars. The story was interesting and I enjoyed it, but there were too many loose ends for me give this a higher rating. I would highly recommend this books to historical fiction lovers and fantasy fiction lovers alike.

The Phantom Tree is an atmospheric novel involving time travel and a mysterious painting. It is a mesmerizing tale of love, loss, betrayal, and unexpected friendship. Allison Bannister has spent her adult life in modern-day England, but she was born in the 1500's, orphaned at an early age, and fostered at Wolf Hall along with Mary Seymour, the daughter of the late Queen Katherine Parr. When she sees a portrait of Mary in an art gallery, it begins a sequence of events that draws her back to her past in order to accept her future.

Told in alternating perspectives, we follow Mary's story from childhood as she is bounced from home to home and accused of witchcraft when she has visions of the future. We follow Allison in the present and in the past where she and Mary clashed and Allison engaged in an ill-fated love affair. It is a beautifully woven story with a touch of the supernatural that emphasizes the constraints on the lives of women in the 1500's. Often controlled and abused with few choices and little power, it becomes clear that this was not a good time for women. This was a solid book with an engaging narrative with ties to real history. I received an early copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own.

I was drawn to this book for two reasons: one, that it features Mary Seymour, daughter of my favorite of Henry VIII's wives, and two, that it features time travel from the past to the future. From the very beginning, when Alison Bannister spotted Mary's newly discovered portrait in a gallery window (mistakenly identified as Anne Boleyn because of the initials on a box, which actually stand for Alison Banestre), I was hooked.

From there a delicious story unfolds of two poor orphaned girls of noble birth struggling to make lives of their own while being dependent upon the generosity of others--until Alison stumbles across a portal to the future. Both women are very well drawn and worthy protagonists: Mary, in the past, navigating the pitfalls of Tudor society and the ambitions of those who would use the dead queen's daughter for their own gain, and Alison in the present, desperately trying to find a way back to the past and the son she left behind yet increasingly finding herself torn between her new life and her old one. It was a joy to watch their lives unfold side by side yet separated by the centuries, and to watch Alison try to find the clues Mary left her. And, as a sucker for a good romance, it was also a joy to watch both women find love.

I was absolutely loving this book and couldn't put it down, but unfortunately I thought the resolution left a lot to be desired. While some things seemed to be too convenient, even "pat," if you will, others were too obscure. One storyline ends well, but the other was very unsatisfying. Actions that seemed very out of character led to tragedy, seemingly just for the sake of having a tragedy in the story. Also, a number of threads seemed to slip through the cracks. Hard to go into detail without spoiling anything, but foremost in my mind is why a certain character in the present day looked so much like a character in the past, yet the connection was never explored. And considering the Phantom Tree plays no role in the story, (and I had theories on what it would turn out to be and was disappointed), I don't know why it was chosen for the title.

Still, I was really loving it and felt sure this book was going to end up being a favorite until the ending left me feeling unsatisfied. And that's really the worst. But I am going to give it four stars because it was so good up until that point. And I do think it's worth a read for anyone who enjoys stories set in Tudor England, mysteries, and romance.

So this was one that initially drew me in by being described as for fans of Barbara Erskine and I have to say I agree completely.
I myself have been a huge fan of that particular author for many years; in fact, she's an auto-buy for me and "The Phantom Tree" I found was in a very similar vein, combining the past and present just so effortlessly.
What I loved about this the most was the rich factual history that was interwoven amongst the fiction.
It's almost a history lesson within a story that's been brought to vivid life before my very eyes. Managing to capture but also retain my initial attention just so effortlessly.
A timeslip story which manages to combine elements of history, Romance and suspense all parcelled up so nicely into one enticing little bundle.
"The Phantom Tree," tells the story of the very real historical character of Mary Seymour and her distant cousin Alison.
Rivals, as well as unlikely allies these two young girls, mature together under the roof of the real-life Wolf Hall of 1557.
Due to circumstances forced upon both girls there paths separate following such different directions, one to a whole new home as a companion and poor relation, the other escaping through a doorway to the future.
Promises made but unable to deliver this story starts to unfold both then and now its repercussions managing to echo down through the coming centuries affecting all around.
Past and present combining so splendidly together at its very heart this is a tale of love. loss and redemption one I really can't recommend enough.
I really didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I actually did, this is one book that certainly snuck up on me catching me completely unawares.
Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of "The Phantom Tree" of which I have reviewed voluntary.
All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

4 stars to The Phantom Tree, the untold story of Mary Seymour!

My first book by Nicola Cornick, The Phantom Tree, was highly recommended by my friend, Stephanie, at Stephanie’s Novel Fiction! A genre-spanning work involving historical fiction, romance, light mystery, and time travel/fantasy, Cornick’s lyrical writing had me immersed and charmed from the first chapter.

Told in two narratives, the first is the present day with Alison. A friend of hers has found a rare portrait of Anne Boleyn, but Alison knows it’s Mary Seymour, the daughter of Queen Katherine Parr, the last wife of Henry VIII, with her second husband.

Mary Seymour has always been a mystery of the court because she vanished. What happened to her? And how is she tied to Alison in the present day?

The way the two story lines converge is part of the enchantment of this story. The writing is transportive, and the storyline complex and masterful with layers of coming-of-age, deceit, drama, and a taste of magical elements.

Overall, I recommend The Phantom Tree to fans of Tudor fiction who are looking for a new twist on history, as well as for Outlander fans or anyone who enjoys light fantasy involving time travel. I was also approved for Nicola Cornick’s next book, The Woman in the Lake, out in February 2019, and I cannot wait to soak up that story!

Thank you to Harlequin/Graydon House for the complimentary copy to review. All opinions are my own.

'The Phantom Tree' is historical fiction, time travel, romance, mystery all rolled into one and it somehow worked perfectly for the most part.
Nearer the end, I personally felt that it became a little convoluted, and subsequently there were so many lose ends to tie up, I think perhaps each individual aspect of the story suffered from not being given as much of a satisfying conclusion as it really deserved!
That being said I still highly recommend this title to anyone looking to be transported to another time, and I'm really looking forward to exploring this authors other works, because ultimately she did what many authors fail to do - she created two characters (Mary and Alison) which I will not forget for a very long time.

~ Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this title ~

I enjoyed this book but it did take me a bit of time to get into the book but after a few chapters I got into it.
It is very well written.

In present day Wiltshire, England Alison Bannister sees a portrait that catches her eye. The portrait has been recently authenticated to be of Anne Boleyn, however Alison knows better. It is of her friend, Mary Seymour and the portrait contains precious clues that Mary left for Alison in order to find her son. Mary and Alison grew up together, castoffs of Wolf Hall under the care of their cousin Edward. After becoming pregnant and being forced to give up her child, Alison runs away with plans to set up a home and bring Arthur there. Though, the place Alison has found is a portal into the future and for 10 years she has not been able to find out how to return to her own time.


Exciting and engaging with strokes of magic and fantasy, Nicola Cornick's The Phantom Tree reimagines the little known life of Katherine Parr's daughter, Mary Seymour and gives her an enchanted but tragic life with a time-traveling best friend. From the time Alison sees Mary's portrait, I was hooked on the mystery surrounding her life. The point of view shifts back and forth between Alison and Mary's life in the 16th century and Alison's life in the present. I was amazed at how well Alison was able to adapt as well as intrigued by the series of clues left for her by Mary. Alison and Mary's characters are painted as opposites, Alison is wild, resourceful and cunning, Mary is careful and quiet in order to keep the secret that she sees visions of the future. Between the the women, there is a full picture of what life was like for a woman in the 16th century who did not have a male figure to provide for them. The writing easily transported me to both centuries and I could envision Wolf Hall and Middlecote as well as Alison's modern flat and the portrait of Mary. Historical fiction rolled up with fantasy, romance and time travel provides for a well-rounded, fast-paced entrancing read. I'll definitely be looking for more from this author.


This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

Title: The Phantom Tree
Author: Nicola Cornick
Genre: Fiction, fantasy, historical
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

When Alison Bannister stumbles across an old painting while browsing in an antique shop, she knows the subject isn’t Anne Boleyn, as it claims. Instead, the painting is of Mary Seymour, taken to Wolf Hall as a child in 1557, and later presumed dead. Alison knows the painting is of Mary—a friend from her own childhood in 1557.

Alison has spent years in the present searching for clues to Mary’s disappearance, hints of the son Alison never knew, and a way to return to her own time and find him. The painting might just be the clue she needs.

But the man who discovered the painting stands in Alison’s way, and she must deal with her past—both in 1557 and now—if she’s ever to find the answers she seeks.

Time travel novels aren’t too uncommon, but this is the first time I’ve read one about someone who comes forward in time and makes a life. Alison is an interesting character, and I loved the dual timelines for her, as well as the dual narrators, with she and Mary both speaking. The mystery of what happened was both sad and compelling, and I enjoyed every page.

Nicola Cornick is a writer and historian with a master’s degree in history from Oxford. The Phantom Tree is her newest novel.

(Galley provided by Harlequin/Graydon House in exchange for an honest review.)

I love a good time travel book, and The Phantom Tree by Nicola Cornick while not the best that I have read, did not disappoint.

The book begins with Alison, present day. It is eight weeks before Christmas and she is thinking of Christmas pasts. Being cold and hungry. She thinks about being in the present time for so long that some of the past memories are blurring. As she is wandering through town, she is brought abruptly to her past, by the sight of a painting. It is a painting of Mary Seymour.

Alison and Mary knew each other in the 1500’s. They were both discarded by their families and ended up at Wolf Hall. When they are sent away again, Alison jumps from the carriage. She makes Mary promise to help her find her son, Arthur, who was taken away from her at birth. Alison ends up in the future and Mary stays in the past.

Alison continues to search for ways to get back to the past to find her son. Mary Seymour (who in real life disappears from the history books at about age 2) goes on to live some of her life with a guardian. When her portrait is painted, she finds a way to get some clues to Alison about her son.

There is a lot going on in this story. It’s historical fiction, with time travel and some clairvoyance also. Mary sees things from the future and also has a deep mindful connection with another character.

I enjoyed the book, but found some things a bit confusing. I couldn’t quite figure out how long Alison had been in the present. She meets up with someone that she knew years ago. I was questioning whether or not she was aging. Did she come to the future and then continue aging normally? If she tried to go back to the past, would she be older than when she left. The logistics of this weren’t really covered. Or how she managed to fit so well into current day.

I think that the book could have done without the extra clairvoyance or magic influence of Mary and spent more time on Alison and explaining how she managed to succeed in the current day.

Overall, though I still enjoyed it.

There are several things going on in The Phantom Tree. Alison’s story in the past. Alison’s story in the present. Mary’s story in the past. I little bit of fantasy. A chunk of history. And a mystery.

Alison and Mary are connected by the time they spent at Wolf Hall as forgotten children of royalty and nobles with no place to go. Alison was the older of the two, cold and distant to Mary. Mary was always a bit different because she had some unique abilities that would some day get her into trouble. They were not really close, but share some bit of friendship since they shared a room.

When Mary does get into trouble, Alison has a plan to help her out, though her plan is selfish. She will get Mary someplace safe in return for Mary’s assistance in finding her son who was taken from her at birth. And then, Alison basically abandons Mary.

Alison left home with no idea, really, of where she would end up. All she knew was it was a very different place than her current circumstance. In fact, it was four hundred years into the future. Alison was not really smart enough to wonder if she could really even get back. And she left her baby behind. It was already established that she was somewhat cold and prickly. Going to the future did not change her. Her relationship with Adam proves that. Alison is a main character that I could not develop any sympathy for.

On the other hand, I did like Mary. The author filled in fictional details of Mary Seymour’s life that made her interesting and I wanted to see her get a happy ending. However, Alison’s story seemed to be the main focus of the book, so I did not really get enough of Mary’s story.

I debated about posting this review. I was not really into it mostly because of Alison, though I did finish the book which is a positive. I am giving it 3.5 stars (which I will round to 4 for review sites). I know there are many that will really enjoy this story and it does have a few good things to recommend it. 1) The character of Mary Seymour, as I mentioned earlier 2) historical settings were very well done and added to the overall atmosphere of the story 3) the use of clues provided in a portrait to research the past and provide answers to Alison’s questions.

The Phantom Tree is for history lovers who like a little mystery too.

Through NetGalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Cornick’s writing is easily digestible. I enjoyed the dual POVs of Mary Seymour and Allison while Cornick wove a mystery, historical fiction and romance with fantastical elements. I will definitely read more from her. Susanna Kearsley fans will like this.

This is probably one of the first historical fiction novels that is NOT a mystery that I’ve read in quite a while! As such, I was quite excited to return to the genre, especially when comparisons to Phillipa Gregory’s books were being routinely listed (though I’ve had a fairly hit and miss experience with Gregory, I will always love “The Other Boleyn Girl.”) The book had a bit of a slow start and didn’t grab me as much as some of Gregory’s better books, but over all, I still enjoyed “The Phantom Tree,” especially its take on a lesser known and minor character in Tudor history.

Allison is a woman out of her own time, and while she’s managed to scramble a life together for herself, calling upon her vast stores of sheer determination and stubbornness, she still longs to return to her original time back in the 16th century where she was forced to leave behind her infant son. Her only clues are connections to Mary Seymour, a fellow orphan left to be raised at Wolf Hall, and a young woman with a mysterious ability of her own. But Mary has been lost to time, with many scholars believing she died in infancy. When Allison discovers a painting of an adult Mary, she finally is able to begin picking up the clues that may finally lead her home.

This story is pieced together through the perspectives of both Allison and Mary. Allison’s portions consist of her life in the present and her search to return to the past. And through Mary’s eyes, we see the events that lead to Allison’s journey to the future and the events that have unfolded after she’s gone missing, and which Allison herself is now piecing back together centuries later.

Both Allison and Mary were compelling characters, however the nature of the story and the way their stories unfolded did lead to the book feeling as if it had a slow start. Further, both of them were initially a bit unlikeable, with Allison coming off as a bit of a ignorant brat (mostly her past self) and Mary as too wilting and unwilling to take action in her own life. However, from these weaker beginnings, both characters ultimately grew into women I found myself greatly rooting for.

I didn’t know much about Mary Seymour before going into this book, so I did end up doing a bit of background reading to try and figure out how much if this story is based on history. Mary disappeared from history when she was around 2 years old and is presumed to have died in young childhood. That leaves the majority of this story as operating in a fictional setting. However, what made it stand out was the creative way the author managed to tell Mary’s story in a way that made it believable that she may have lived longer but still been absent from history. The fantastical elements come in early, especially with regards to Mary, so there’s never any real question about the authenticity of the tale, but it still added a nice layer that the book never strayed too far into the unbelievable as far as her actual life.

Allison is, of course, a completely fictional character. What I most appreciated about her story was the build-up for her character back in the 16th century that helped establish her as a person capable of adapting to a completely different life in modern times. Think about it: that’s a huge ask of a character and the book explores a few other characters who also time traveled and were less successful with it. The same brashness and stubborn refusal to bend that made her rather dislikable as a teenager in the past were also the traits that let her survive on her own in a completely new world.

The time travel and fantastical elements did end up playing a larger role in the story than I initially anticipated, and there were a few twists and turns towards the end that were especially surprising. At the same time, I never felt like these aspects of the book overran the historical setting of the past sequences or the modern version of the story that focused on Allison’s search for family, her discovery of self and what she wants from her life, and the burgeoning romance with a historical researcher.

By the end of the story, I was actively rooting for both of these main characters, made all the more tense by the knowledge that something dark had to be looming to explain Mary’s sudden disappearance in history. This particular element of the book did wrap up rather suddenly, and while it helped build the believablity of the mystery, it was also a bit traumatic to experience with one of your main characters.

I very much enjoyed “The Phantom Tree.” It was a strange mix of fantasy/time travel, historical fiction, and even modern romance. Both Mary and Allison were compelling heroines, though I never quite escaped a certain sense of distance from the story which prevented me from becoming fully enthralled. For fans of time travel stories, however, and especially those interested in the Tudors, I would definitely recommend this book!

Rating 7: A solid new entry into the subgenre of historical/time travel fiction, though I didn’t connect with it as fully as I may have wished.

But as the book rounded for home, my suspension of belief got tested. I mean we have time travel, visions, psychic pals and then a ghost appears and a few bombshells go off. I’m as taken aback as Adam is. Just what else is going to happen and be treated as ordinary and everyday? Too many people also put 2 and 3 together and got 6 with the faintest clues suddenly falling into place for them to miraculously understand.

I wanted and had hoped I would enjoy this more than I did. Parts of it I really liked – such as the early days at Wolf Hall. I didn’t mind the sometimes unsympathetic main characters as they were given enough backstory to explain their actions and reactions. But ultimately there was just too much paranormal stuff being dumped all over the story end. C+/B-

This book was definitely different than the norm. It is historical fiction with a twist of time travel.

There are alternating time lines with Alison Bannister in the present and Alison and Mary Seymour in the sixteenth century. Though they did not consider themselves friends, Mary needed Alison to help her escape, while Alison needs Mary to help her find her son. And upon reflection, perhaps Alison did not dislike Mary as much as she thought she did. The life of Mary Seymour has always been a mystery as she disappeared from historical records when she was only two years old. This unique twist to Tudor history allows Mary to reach across the separation of time to communicate with Alison.

I have only recently developed a mild interest in the royalty of the House of Tudor. I enjoyed Cornick’s descriptions of how life may have been in that time period. Cornick’s passion for the Tudor era is apparent in her writing. The historical portion of the book contains beautiful descriptions of the Tudor era. When caught is circumstances beyond their control, Alison and Mary are fiery and strong. The modern day Alison is nothing like the historical version of herself.

As a fantasy, Mary’s fictional “visions” naturally led to some believing she may have been a witch. As a child she could not control her supernatural abilities. Then as an adult she had to hide them, and lived in fear of being exposed. But whether in the fantasy portion of the book or the historical portion, Mary “steals the show”. The story really revolves around her.

I feel the work tried to straddle two genres – and it didn’t work. It could have been an amazing piece of historical fiction. The story of Mary trying to hide her powers and dealing with affairs of the heart written in Cornick’s beautiful style would have been phenomenal. But the fantasy aspect just did not, in my opinion, work here. I was left wondering about Alison’s adjustment to a place and time totally foreign to her. There is no attempt to explain the time travel, and that just left a glaring hole for me. In fact, the entire present day portion of the story felt too forced and flat.

Review


The Phantom Tree
by Nicola Cornick
Release date: August 21st, 2018


I received a complimentary ARC copy of The Phantom Tree
by Nicola Cornick from NetGalley and Graydon House Books (U.S. & Canada) in order to read and give an honest review.

"A fantastically plotted, intriguing, mysterious and well told time travel novel with evolving, strong, yet relatable characters... "

This is my first time reading Nicola Cornick’s work and I have to say I have become a fan. Being a student of history and archaeology, I was drawn in by The Phantom Tree. A fantastically plotted, intriguing, mysterious and well told time travel novel with evolving, strong, yet relatable characters, it keeps you turning pages until the end.

Set in present-day London, bouncing back to mid 16th Century Wiltshire England, the author introduces us two girls Alison Banestre and Mary Seymour, both cousins, forced to live with relatives at Wolf Hall for different reasons. The two girls, forced to share a room, tolerate each other. The two girls could not be more different in personalities, an older Alison is wiser, bolder, rebellious and exudes a cold indifferent attitude.  Mary is sensitive, introverted, naïve and prone to visions and hearing voices. Although cold and indifferent towards her, Mary decides to cover for Alison when she slips out for a romantic interlude with her lover.  Alison's' interludes with her rich and well established distant cousin Edward, result in Alison becoming pregnant. After giving birth, Alison has her son Arthur taken away and is discarded by her lover, forcing her to return to Wolf Hall. Upon her return Mary notices Alison has changed, the girls still not quite friends seem to bond over their loneliness and despair. Alison discovers a time portal at an Inn in Wiltshire and hatches a plan to go into the future to establish herself then return for her son. Upon returning to her time Alison tries unsuccessfully to find where and with whom her son has been placed but to no avail.

Not long after in one of Mary’s visions, she foresees the death of one of Wolf Hall’s servants and when it occurs she is painted as a witch. In order to protect the girls, Alison arranges for her and Mary to be shipped to live with another cousin at Middlecote House but en route Alison arranges to secretly escape and go to the future. Right before leaving Mary in the carriage she makes Mary promise to find a way to let her know what happened to her son.  When Alison attempts to return she finds the time slip is gone and she is stuck in the future.

While Mary endures her life at Middlecote with her cousins, one being an opportunistic and vile male cousin bent on finding fame and fortune by whatever means possible, Alison forges her way in modern day London. Alison goes into care, graduates college has an unsuccessful relationship yet manages to carve out a life for herself, independent with a good job and home.  Alison is determined one day to get back to Wiltshire to retrieve her son but has no information to go on.  While passing a Wiltshire gallery Allison is shocked to notice a portrait of Mary Seymour mislabeled as Anne Boleyn on display in the front window. While Alison is shocked she stares at the portrait realizing it is rife with clues as to what happened to Arthur. Her ex, Adam a successful archaeologist and TV Historian is connected to the show and when Alison corrects him of his error he reluctantly helps her as she begins to unravel the clues that will tell her what happened to Arthur and Mary.

A bittersweet emotional roller-coaster, I would highly recommend The Phantom Tree to anyone looking for a fantastic time travel novel that balances mystery, romance and drama. Fans of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series might be interested in giving this a try.

My Thoughts

‘The secret of her past was safe at the cost it always exacted, that of isolation.’

The Phantom Tree I found to be a most engaging read. The story of two women, their relationship and how it unfolds over time. This is a time travel, historical novel - two aspects I love reading about. So you need to let go of preconceptions and enjoy some rich escapism, with a little bit of romance and mystery thrown in .

At its heart, this book takes up the fictional story of the very real, Mary Seymour. She was the daughter of Katherine Parr (sixth wife of Henry VIII) who went on to marry her true love (after Henry’s death), namely, Thomas Seymour. Mary’s parents both died while she was young and from that stage on, it appears that Mary herself disappears and there is little record of her in history books. Whatever became of her, no one really knows. So history lovers will delight as the author takes up a fictional possibility of what may have happened to Mary Seymour. It’s clever fiction presented in a most believable and well balanced tale of truth and fantasy.

The descriptions are fabulous, especially those in Tudor times, and I found the dialogue engaging in both periods. With a neat balance between events of past and present, the author allows us to appreciate life many centuries apart. The extraordinary element in this particular tale is that a character travels forward in time and this presents a whole range of issues unforeseen. Not only having to adapt from Tudor to modern day society, but also attempting to return to her own time. A nice switch up from the usual time slip novels.

So herein lies the challenge. Time slip situations need be handled with care and this one is okay. I chose not to question the workings of it to any great length. This story’s true strength lies in the historical tale (one story invariably tends to be stronger than the other) with the fantastical time travel aspect and modern day story not as strong. Still, I enjoyed it overall.

All up I found The Phantom Tree to be a most engaging work of historical fiction, mashed up wonderfully well by the unique travel forward in time. It felt somewhat plausible and that is of course, what attracts historical fiction readers - to delight in mixing things up occasionally.

‘This was not simply a case of what seemed on the surface to be a mad fantasy; there had been deceit on her part at every step.’



This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release