I wanted to love this story so much, and I can’t even quite put my finger on what it was, but it didn’t grasp my attention enough for me to finish the story. I may try again at another time because it was probably just me not being in the mood for it. In which case, I will absolutely update my review!

I should have loved Kate Heartfield’s novel, The Tapestry of Time, which was published last fall. But even though this historical fantasy had not one, not two, but three of my World War II catnip storylines, I just…struggled. I finished it, because I was curious, but it was just fine. And I wanted more than just fine.

Here’s the book’s description:

Love, heroism and the supernatural collide in the midst of war.

There's a tradition in the Sharp family that some possess the Second Sight. But is it superstition, or true psychic power?

Kit Sharp is in Paris, where she is involved in a love affair with the stunning Evelyn Larsen, and working as an archivist, having inherited her historian father's fascination with the Bayeux Tapestry. He believes that parts of the tapestry were made before 1066, and that it was a tool for prediction, not a simple record of events.

The Nazis are also obsessed with the convinced that not only did it predict the Norman Conquest of England, but that it will aid them in their invasion of Britain.

Ivy Sharp has joined the Special Operations Executive – the SOE – a secret unit set up to carry out espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance. Having demonstrated that she has extraordinary powers of perception, she is dropped into Northern France on a special mission.

With the war on a knife edge, the Sharp Sisters face certain death. Can their courage and extrasensory gifts prevent the enemy from using the tapestry to bring about a devastating victory against the Allied Forces?

I think one of my main issues was that the book featured four sisters but they weren’t given equal billing. Kit took centre stage, even when Ivy’s story was (to me) more dynamic. Then there were Rose and Helen, sisters who each had their own chapters and stories but they were so minimal that one had to wonder why they even needed to be written into the novel.

I also struggled with the Second Sight that the family apparently had. I say apparently because they were all so skeptical even when the evidence was piling up that, um, yeah, something was going on. I suppose it was the 1940s and during wartime so it’s not like the sisters would have been able to compare notes over a group chat. But they had all heard the stories growing up (which were repeated…over…and over…and over again) and then doubted that they were seeing visions. I’m all for a healthy amount of doubt and scientific reasoning but this book just took it to another level and I never really understood how it was all supposed to work.

I loved that Ivy was recruited by the Special Operations Executive (well, maybe recruited is the wrong word - she was sent there by someone her family knew). I loved that Kit was trying to save art in the Louvre from the pillaging Nazis. I loved that Rose ended up at Bletchley Park. And I know this is a historical fantasy so there had to be a fantasy element but I really wanted their work to play more of a role. These were three areas where women shone during the war and were really able to make an impact. But no, the focus was on a poorly explained Second Sight and a history of a tapestry that made my eyes glaze over (in part because it was also described in the same way many, many times - I was bored).

Kate Heartfield almost had a winner with The Tapestry of Time but so much about this historical fantasy novel just didn’t land with me - even though it should have. If you love fantasy and stories about seeing the future and the Second Sight, you might like it more than I did.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, HarperCollins Canada, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

3.5 stars

Thank you to the publisher, Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Sharp Sisters, Helen, Rose, Kit and Ivy all possess some degree of second sight which is known to run in their family. Their father, a professor, has this ability too, and he has spent many years trying studying the Bayeux Tapestry, trying to prove that it is not a record of historical events but rather a tool that could be used to see the future. Kit is working as an archivist at the Louvre and shares her father’s fascination with the tapestry, which has been taken into the countryside to protect it from the war. But the Nazis are equally interested in it, and also convinced of its more mystical abilities which they believe will help them win the war. Meanwhile, Ivy, who has joined the SOE, has been dropped into Northern France, but when her mission goes wrong, the series of events that unfolds brings the sisters together in a most dire situation, and learning to use their gifts could be the only way to save not only the tapestry and themselves, but also prevent the Nazis from moving against the Allied forces.

I’ve had another book by this author, The Embroidered Book, on my TBR for quite some time, but when I came across this, I decided to read it first as historical fiction with a touch of the supernatural is a type of book that I’ve enjoyed in the past.

This concept was definitely interesting, and I loved learning so much about the Bayeux Tapestry that I had only read about in passing before. Though this was a novel set during WWII, the feel was quite different as the story revolved completely around the Sharp family and their ability and how it all connected back to the tapestry. The plot was rather intriguing, but unfortunately it didn’t manage to capture my attention.

I felt like the whole second sight ability wasn’t consistently presented. It made sense that each of the sisters had the ability to varying extents, but it mostly revolved around seeing the past present and future. Ivy’s ability on the other hand, jumped into the realm of basically magic where she could cast illusions and play with people’s minds which was too much of a leap in my opinion and I found it very hard to take the story seriously after that.

For a book that’s less than 400 pages, The Tapestry of Time felt painfully long. The story often dragged, and constantly jumped between POVs which had visions and flashbacks within, making it all very confusing to follow. The writing on the other hand was really good, and it, along with wanting to know how the story would end, was what kept me reading.

Ivy and Kit were fascinating characters to follow and I enjoyed their arcs. They were both incredibly well written and easy to connect to. The other sisters, though they played a major part in the story, didn’t get enough page time in my opinion to form an opinion one way or the other, and what little we did get to see wasn’t nearly as interesting as what was going on in the main arcs of the story.

The book did finally pick up around the 75% mark and I really enjoyed the final chapters with all the tense moments and action packed scenes, and even an unexpected twist!

Overall, this was a decent read, but not one I’m likely to reread. If you enjoy historical fiction with a touch of fantasy, I would recommend this book.

This is my first book by Kate Heartfield and it won’t be my last! I enjoyed the story very much. I found the mystery of the Bayeux Tapestry fascinating. I had not known of this masterpiece of the 11th century. My curiosity was aroused to learn more about it after finishing this story.
I also enjoyed the character development of the four Sharp sisters with their special connections. They each did their part for the British war effort. It was suspenseful and I thought the ending was good. I hope she writes more stories with these characters. Looking forward to reading more books by this author.

Thanks to #NetGalley, #HarperCollinsCanada, Harper Voyager and #KateHeartfield for an e-ARC for my honest review.

This book surprised me! I wasn't completely sure what to expect with this book when I started, but it won me over by the end!

This book centres on the Sharp family, who have a family history of having Second Sight, an ability to see into the future. Each of the sisters in this family, Kit, Ivy, Rose and Helen, have grown up with this family story and with their father's research into the Bayeux Tapestry, which he believes was created by clairvoyants and is a prophecy. As World War II progresses, the sisters all volunteer for the British war effort, and Ivy ends up with the Special Operations Executive (SOE), and ends up going to France on her own mission. Kit, also in France, is working as an archivist and received a ghostly message from Ivy, and she senses her sister is in danger. While this search is happening, the rest of sisters are in England, dealing with their increasing visions in their own way. Throughout their separate visions, it becomes more clear that the tapestry has some effect on their visions.

I enjoyed this book quite a lot, though I did find that it had a bit of a slow start for me. The book jumps around a bit between the sisters, and while their individual stories were deeply engaging, it did slow down the plot a bit for me. Kit and Ivy are very deep characters, with richly developed backstories that are teased out throughout the book, while Rose and Helen are developed a bit less, but I'd love to see another story where these two are featured more. The journey Kit goes through to find Ivy is very engaging, and their story through France has them dodging German soldiers and French spies. Throughout the book, the family ties keep these sisters together, and ends on a very satisfying end.

I'm not sure if this was just bad timing for me but it didn't grab my attention for most of the book. Having the stories of all the Sharp sisters made the book seem longer than it should have. I did still enjoy it and found it informative. Just didn't love it. I had never heard of the tapestry nor its many theories. I liked that the author says she now lives close to where Camp X once was because everyone in the area are so proud to have had it here.