147. The Last Daughter of York

The Last Daughter of York. Nicola Cornick. 2021. [November] 368 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence (of the prologue): Snow spattered the windows of the old hall, carried on the sharp north wind that spun it into fierce spirals before battering it against the diamond mullions.

First sentence (of chapter one): Serena stretched out on the sun lounger, relishing the sensation of the last heat of the day against her skin. 

Premise/plot: The Last Daughter of York is a time slip novel. It is set in the present day (presumably) and during the 'War of the Roses.' Serena Warren, our modern day heroine, is still traumatized by her [twin] sister's disappearance. It's been YEARS--over a decade--since that night. But her memories are just as elusive as ever. So when Caitlin's body is found in a grave that seemingly has not been disturbed since 1708, well, it's shocking, disturbing, intriguing. It doesn't change things--dead is dead is dead. But HOW did her sister's body travel back through time? For that is indeed what it looks like--there is a diary entry from the period that describes in detail the finding of a dead body and giving it a proper burial in a proper grave. Anne Lovell, our historical heroine, is married to Francis Lovell who has sworn allegiance to Richard III. (Long before Richard III assumed the crown. Lovell served Edward as well. Despite some of Anne's own family playing around with treason. (Anne is related to the Nevilles, to the Kingmaker himself.) This story involves Anne's determination to do ANYTHING and everything she can to protect the young Prince Richard. Of course, there's some 'magic' involved--a lodestar that connects the stories.

My thoughts: I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this time slip novel or not. It is not--I repeat not--a traditional time travel story. The lodestar isn't so much a "time machine" as it is a complete and total mystery. History and mystery--two of my favorites. This book doesn't--to my recollection--seek to answer the question if Richard III ordered the deaths of the princes in the tower. So much as it provides a way of escape for one of them.

I found the story intriguing. However, I always wanted just a little more from it. Like, for example, WHAT it would have been like for Richard as a fifteenth century boy to SUDDENLY show up in the nineteenth century. We get glimpses of his story--and it sounds SO INTERESTING and amazing. But these are tiny, tiny glimpses of what his experience was like. The characters of the past, in my opinion, were definitely more fleshed out than the ones in the present. 

© 2021 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews