3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

For 11 years, her twin sister Caitlin’s disappearance has haunted Serena Warren. The discovery of Caitlin’s bones in an untouched 18th-century church vault thrusts Serena into a tangled web of family secrets, historical mysteries, and a relic with otherworldly power. Add in the Wars of the Roses, the Princes in the Tower, and a dash of paranormal intrigue, and you’ve got Nicola Cornick’s The Last Daughter of York.

This dual-timeline novel spans centuries, weaving the stories of Serena in the present and Anne Lovell in the 15th century. Francis and Anne’s tale of loyalty and loss during the fall of Richard III is rich with drama, but Serena’s modern-day quest to uncover the truth behind Caitlin’s death feels less convincing. I mean, how does someone casually guess their friend has psychometry? I rolled my eyes.

The historical elements shine, and the supernatural bits are mild enough not to overshadow the plot. That said, Anne as a five-year-old sounded suspiciously like an adult woman, and the historical narrative was bogged down by too many characters.

Still, I appreciated Cornick’s skillful blend of historical fact and fiction. I even found myself Googling the Wars of the Roses and the Princes in the Tower mid-read. Yes, some parts stretched believability, but if you’re looking for escapist historical fiction with heart and a touch of magic, this is worth the read. I’d call it 3.5 stars, rounded up for the fun factor.

** Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary review copy. The opinions are my own.

Such a fun read! Loved this one!

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC.

Overall I really enjoyed this novel and the bounce between present day and the past. In many ways, it reminded me of some of Susanna Kearsley's works - not in voice or story, but categorically, even though the time periods are not the same. If you read this genre specifically, you might better understand. Fictional magical mysteries centred in history intrigue me and often, have me doing a deeper historical search about a particular time period or characters come to life. This was an engaging, enjoyable read and I appreciated the thought and creativity put into it.

An interesting take on the Plantangenet novel. Worth a read for historical fiction fans and mystery lovers.

Get your copy today at https://bookshop.org/lists/best-fiction-of-2021

I was drawn to this book for the dual timelines and mystery. I could not wait to see how everything would play out to result in the unusual circumstances presented early in the book. As some other readers have noted, some of the characters seem to think and act in ways that did not necessarily seem to match their age. I feel like perhaps the author could or should have just had events occur at a different time in some way so that the age would not be an issue, or perhaps even choosing to focus on different background characters as main characters, who would have been an appropriate age at the appropriate time.

I wanted to like this book because it was about the disappearance of the two princes in the tower. However, this novel seemed to be ambitious. There are many storylines all molded into one. Therefore, it seemed this novel didn’t know what it wanted to be. I also did not care for the modern storyline and thought it did nothing to enhance the plot. I think it would have been better to have focused solely on Ann’s storyline because hers was the most interesting and was the heart of the novel. Still, I recommend this for fans of Alison Weir, Jean Plaidy, and Philippa Gregory!

I love time travel books and this book had everything. Mystery, romance, and history. I honestly couldn't put it down. This was the first book I have read of Nicola Cornick and will definitely be reading more of thr books.

Really enjoyed this dual timeline historical fiction novel. A bit too much romance for my taste but I really enjoyed dipping in and out of a period in history I haven't really spent much time reading about! I was familiar with the story of the Princes in the Tower but enjoyed how this novel was inspired by it. The time travel element was also unique!

I love dual timelines and Nicola Cormick does it seamlessly. I liked how she connected historical fiction with the supernatural. I appreciated that she broadened my interested in this time period. I would recommend this book.

A dual timeline mystery set in England with a bit of suspense thrown in the mix. As a history buff, I found myself skimming through the present day chapters and focusing more on Anne's story, which I found fascinating. The author could make quite a career out of just writing historical fiction. Well researched and interesting.

This is a dual timeline book. One story follows Anne in the 1400's starting when she's five years old and gets engaged to Francis. The story details her life at court, which for the majority of the book is fairly mundane. The second timeline follows Serena in the present day when the remains of her sister, who disappeared when they were teenagers, are found mysteriously in a grave that hasn't been opened since the 18th century.

This book was difficult for me to get through. Not much happens in either timeline and there was nothing that really kept me engaged or made me want to keep reading. The synopsis basically tells you everything that happens in this book since it already reveals that Anne sends Francis and Richard away. That doesn't happen until the last twenty pages of the book and is basically the main reveal of the entire story. In the present timeline, Serena is trying to figure out what happened to her sister, and by trying I mean bits of her memory miraculously come back to her in order to progress the plot without her really doing anything.

This book may be of more interest to readers with some knowledge of 15th century England as I had no idea who any of the historical figures were and had a hard time keeping track of what was going on.

A bit of history and a bit of mystery, what isn't to love?

I really appreciated the voice of the characters--this sis a dual timeline book, and there are distinct differences that really help in terms of setting the reader into the world the mains interact with. It could have easily become a mess, but the author does it well

The Last Daughter of York was a captivating story that featured mystery, intrigue, romance, and a touch of the supernatural. Told in dual timelines between the 1400s and the present day, it tied together the distant past with the present in the unlikeliest of ways.

While I enjoyed the story and found it compelling, I feel like I was at a disadvantage not knowing much about the era of Richard III. I think because I’m not familiar with that time period and all the players, I had trouble keeping everyone straight in the historical timeline. Everyone but the main characters kind of blurred together and often left me scrambling to remember who was who and where their allegiances were. That being said, I was fascinated by the things I learned from this book and I'm now eager to learn more. I appreciate the amount of research that must have gone into a book like this and was impressed by the skill in weaving the timelines together.


*Will update with bookstagram review in the new year

I adore Nicola Cornick's books and this one was no exception. This was probably one of my favorite books I've read this year! The Last Daughter of York had everything I love in a book. Time travel, The War of the Roses and the princes in the tower. All of those things are like book catnip to me. I can't say enough how much I loved this book and I highly recommend it.

Thank you, Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"Inspired by the enduring mystery of the Princes in the Tower, Nicola Cornick cleverly interprets the events into a dazzling novel set between a present-day mystery and a country on the brink of Tudor rule."
Nicola Cornick is a master storyteller of stories of from history, especially dual time-line stories, where she expertly weaves the story of the past with the present.
This one kept me reading late at night and turning pages quickly all the way to the end.

This historical fiction novel written in dual timeline. Half is following Serena, in the present day, after the discovery of her sister, Caitlyn's body, eleven years after she went missing. The other half of the book follows Anne in the ;ate 1400's while she is living in London and her husband is a close supporter of the King.

I really enjoyed the dual timeline of this book. It's one of my favourite styles of writing of historical fiction because you get to see the mystery solved in the present tense at the same time that the historical characters are living it.

In this case I enjoyed Serena's chapters more than Anne's. I think that's because I really don't know much about the 1400's. I found myself confusing many of the characters in this timeline, between not knowing their names well and mixing up their positions/titles.

I'm definitely prompted to look up more about this time in history after reading this book.

3.5 stars out of 5.

The Last Daughter of York is a nicely written mash up of Historical Fiction and a Mystery. It is a dual time line novel with the present day period concerning the mystery that surrounds the disappearance of Caitlin Warren 11 years earlier. Serena, Caitlin’s twin sister has developed amnesia concerning that night. When she is notified that her sister’s body has been found, Serena returns to Minster Lovell, the location of her body and the previous home of her grandparents. She hopes to help the police investigation and try to recover her memories of that day and night. What happened that night and what is weird about about her burial are questions you’ll have to read to find the answers to!
The historical timeline takes place in the 15th century. It is the time of the War of the Roses. King Edward IV rules England with his brother Richard of Gloucester, the future Richard III, a close and trusted advisor. The two main protagonists are Anne and Francis Lovell, two real historical figures. Lovell is best known as Richard III’s Lord Chamberlain and close friend. Anne and Francis are married as children and we get to see them mature into adulthood together. It is through them we get introduced to the lodestone a Lovell family heirloom which went missing years earlier.
As i stated before this was nicely written with clear prose, interesting dialogue and accurate history in so far as what was shared. The mystery was nicely laid out with enough twists and turns to try and keep one guessing. I do wish a little less foreshadowing was done and a few red herrings would not have been out of place.
As a lover of historical fiction I would of course wish to spend more time in the 15th century but I also believe it would have improved the book somewhat. The author assumes the reader is well versed in the War of the Roses but that just isn’t always the case. I was somewhat familiar but felt a little review of the Yorkist and Lancastrian beliefs would have helped to figure out why a civil war was raging and how it impacted the plot of the novel. I did just a simple search to answer my questions but would rather have not had too break my reading to do so. I know that this Is a minor issue and that the book can be enjoyed without any additional information but a little historical context would have been nice.
3.5 stars rounded to 4.
Recommended for historical fiction and mystery fans alike who enjoy a little paranormal twist on the side.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Netgalley. This fact in no way influenced my review.

I really enjoyed this book. Nicola Cornick did a great job of weaving a historical mystery into a current mystery. Well Done.

I know this was a very well-researched book about a very fascinating topic. I really wanted to enjoy this book. My problem was that I had a very hard time connecting with both the main characters, Ann or Serena. During Ann's timeline, in the beginning her tone was very much more mature than any five-year-old's should be, and it didn't feel organic. And with Serena, her narration felt disconnected--almost as if she were observing the things that were happening to her and the events she was participating in, instead of experiencing them. I didn't feel that either character came across as a real person. It was disappointing, because it really took away from my enjoyment of the book. I felt as though I were reading an essay instead of an immersive historical novel. I would not recommend this book.

I really enjoyed this dual timeline historical novel set in the 15th century and the mysterious death of the two princes in the tower and in the present day and the mysterious death of Serena's twin sister. Full of dark family secrets and rich in historical detail. This is perfect for fans of Philippa Gregory or The lost apothecary! Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy!