Book Review – The Phantom Tree by Nicola Cornick

Title – The Phantom Tree

Author – Nicola Cornick

Genre – Historical Fiction

My Rating – 5/5

GOODREADS BLURB

“My name is Mary Seymour and I am the daughter of one queen and the niece of another.”

Browsing antiques shops in Wiltshire, Alison Bannister stumbles across a delicate old portrait – supposedly of Anne Boleyn. Except Alison knows better… The woman is Mary Seymour, the daughter of Katherine Parr who was taken to Wolf Hall in 1557 as an unwanted orphan and presumed dead after going missing as a child.

The painting is more than just a beautiful object from Alison’s past – it holds the key to her future, unlocking the mystery surrounding Mary’s disappearance, and the enigma of Alison’s son.

But Alison’s quest soon takes a dark and foreboding turn, as a meeting place called the Phantom Tree harbours secrets in its shadows…

MY REVIEW

I received an e-ARC of The Phantom Tree by Nicola Cornick from NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

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!

Overall, The Phantom Tree by Nicola Cornick gets 5 out of 5 stars from me.

And that’s all for today! Hope you have a great day! Until next time –