Kirkus Review
A young woman from Elizabethan England becomes trapped in the present in Cornick's (House of Shadows, 2017, etc.) historical fantasy.Though she looks like hundreds of other London professionals, Alison Bannister is not like other women. Originally born and raised more than four centuries ago, she accidentally found her way through time when she was trying to escape the aftermath of a scandalous love affair. At first, she could move back and forth with ease, but then, just when she was planning to bring her illegitimate child from the past into the future, she was crushed to discover that she could no longer find her way back to the 1500s. For 10 years she created a 21st-century life for herself, but she continues to mourn for her lost child and to look for ways to travel back through time. When she stumbles across a painting that is being touted as a newly discovered portrait of Anne Boleyn, she recognizes that the portrait's subject is in fact Mary Seymour, daughter of Queen Katherine Parr and the traitor Thomas Seymour. She and Mary had spent time together at Wolf Hall in the past, and when Alison left, she made Mary promise to find out the whereabouts of her son and leave her a message. The portrait clearly contains the information she seeks, but how will she convince Adam, her ex-boyfriend and the "authenticator" of the painting, that he has the wrong subjectand that she needs his help for a seemingly impossible quest? Cornick alternates chapters between Alison's perspective in the present day and Mary's voice from the 1500s. The lessons learned are somewhat trite and the romance a bit generic, but the original premise keeps the reader guessing.Cornick takes a little-known historical figure, Mary Seymour, and crafts a creative and layered narrative around her life and times. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Alison Bannister is not whom she appears to be, and the secrets she has been keeping are about to come undone. She appears to be a woman of the twenty-first century, but she really is from the Tudor Era, and raised alongside Mary Seymour, daughter of Katherine Parr, the last wife of King Henry VIII, when they both became orphans. When she comes across a painting of Mary in a small shop in England, her present-day life starts to unravel. The shop claims that a well-known historian has identified this portrait as a previously unknown image of Anne Boleyn, but Alison knows this isn't true. The historian turns out to be a former boyfriend of Alison's, and he begins to ask uncomfortable questions about how Alison knows so much about this portrait. The story of her life in Tudor times is gradually revealed, including her search for her son and the agreement she had with Mary Boleyn. This story contains many similarities to the popular Outlander series, including a small group of people who can time travel, but is primarily a romance novel. The descriptions and characters are nicely written, and the story itself would be nice to read on a leisurely vacation, but not as intense as the Outlander series.--Rebecca Gerber Copyright 2018 Booklist
Library Journal Review
This timeslip story by Cornick (House of Shadows) drops readers into the mind of Alison Banastre, born in the 16th century but now living in the 21st. While Alison appreciates the conveniences of contemporary life, she is consumed with the desire to return to her own time and find the child she lost centuries ago. In the ten years since she time-traveled, she has given up hope that her 16th-century coconspirator managed to leave her any clues to her offspring's whereabouts. Then she finds a painting of Mary Seymour, her 16th-century frenemy, and is sucked right back into the chase. The story follows both Alison's search through the ruins of her past and Mary's quest to keep her promise. The 16th century with all its intrigue and danger comes alive through Mary's eyes as she strives and fails to make a place for herself as she is discarded and disregarded at every turn. Readers will feel deeply for Alison, who is uncertain as to when and where she belongs and whether she will ever find what she seeks. VERDICT Highly recommended for readers of time travel fiction and those looking for a fix between Outlander installments.-Marlene Harris, Reading Reality, Lawrenceville, GA © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.