Name: The Embroidered Book
ISBN: 9780008380595

Kate Heartfield

A sweeping historical epic with a thread of magic, perfect for readers of THE FAMILIARS, THE BINDING, and THE MINIATURIST.

The Embroidered Book

Laura Mei

'You seem to know what I'm going to say before I say it, d'Éon.' 

She shrugs. 'I'm a good listener. I listen to the whispers before the words: the glances, the frowns, the smiles, the sighs.'

This book is dragging a little bit but i do like the reoccurring theme of the sacrificed memories. I really feel like they’re going to be an important part of how the story evolves to the climax.

laine

No, Charlotte must tell Antoinette that she knows of no such spell. She doesn’t think she has ever lied to Antoinette before, but perhaps she has sacrificed the memory.

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

Megan Lowe

Lord, this book was hard work! I almost dnfed it, but I was over halfway and forced myself to finish. I never force myself to finish books.
I felt like this want so much a story as a recitation of facts and events. Everything felt like it was being told to me. There were info dumps galore and I didn’t connect to any of the characters. I wonder if that’s because pains were taken to be historically accurate? 
For whatever reason, I really didn’t enjoy this book. I wanted to, but it was a slog.

Kwan Ann Tan

An interesting book, but it is incredibly tricky to balance a very complicated political era with a seemingly complex system of magic that comes with its own politics - which I unfortunately don't think that Heartfield does very well. The pacing was odd, chosen details and inner thoughts of the queens were also odd, and overall, I just couldn't bring myself to finish it sadly 

Seher Mohsin

We all know about Marie Antoinette; how can we not? But personally I’ve never known much about Charlotte, her sister who became Queen of Naples. This book is based on their lives, with just one twist; what if they knew magic.

It’s not enough that they know magic. Each spell requires a sacrifice; something they love, some hope, and a memory. Smaller spells don’t require much, but some make terrible demands of them. And both of them make their sacrifices. They choose time and time again to wield magic and use it to keep their families safe. For a time they also hate one another, and after a while they forgive.

The issue with the book is that Heartfield is bound by history; she can’t change Marie Antoinette or Charlottes fates. She can’t take back the death of their children, their own hurts, but she can let us watch these women try. There is so much potential in them as characters; they could have won.

The Embroidered Book is particularly interesting because of the magic system Heartfield creates; it raises some fascinating questions. What memories could you sacrifice? What hopes? What love? Does magic like this need to be regulated by an order or should the masses be able to use it? What are the far reaching implications of losing your memories one at a time? Charlotte at one point is unaware of an important political matter when she just thought she was getting rid of a memory of her husband. Would you trick someone into sacrificing their memories to help alleviate some pain or poverty? 
