The Embroidered Book

(Hardback)

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Spellbinding JJA Harwood
An entertaining and dark read Stylist
An absorbing novel Guardian
Beautifully written Elizabeth Chadwick
Power is not something you are given. Power is something you take. When you are a woman, it is a little more difficult, thats all

1768. Charlotte, daughter of the Habsburg Empress, arrives in Naples to marry a man she has never met. Her sister Antoine is sent to France, and in the mirrored corridors of Versailles they rename her Marie Antoinette.

The sisters are alone, but they are not powerless. When they were only children, they discovered a book of spells spells that work, with dark and unpredictable consequences.

In a time of vicious court politics, of discovery and dizzying change, they use the book to take control of their lives.

But every spell requires a sacrifice. And as love between the sisters turns to rivalry, they will send Europe spiralling into revolution.

Brimming with romance, betrayal, and enchantment, The Embroidered Book reimagines a dazzling period of history as you have never seen it before.

Reviews

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

Author Bio

Kate Heartfield is the author of The Embroidered Book, a historical fantasy novel out in February 2022. Her debut novel won Canada's Aurora Award, and her novellas, stories and games have been shortlisted for the Nebula, Locus, Crawford, Sunburst and Aurora awards. A former journalist, Kate lives near Ottawa, Canada.