The book of thorns

Two sisters, unaware of each other, live very different lives though united by the magic of flowers and a locket that each wears. Cornelia, in England, lives with an uncle who wants to marry her off to the highest bidder; Lijsbeth, in Belgium, is a servant for a family with a predatory son. The two are brought together by the end of the Napoleonic Wars and the Battle of Waterloo. Traveling with the French Army, Cornelia acts as a healer and becomes part of an unconventional romantic threesome. In Brussels, Lijsbeth, still a servant, arranges flowers in a way that exudes power and meaning and finds love for herself. Battles are won and lost, lovers die, and accusations of treason and witchcraft bring the story to a head back in England. Lijsbeth ferrets out the truth of the sisters' parentage and the fate of their mother. Magic remains a uniting force. This unusual story is told in alternating sections by the two sisters and will find an audience with readers of historical fiction with a hint of magic. Copyright 2024 Booklist Reviews.

Fox's The Last Heir to Blackwood Library was a B&N most-anticipated book. Her newest also contains a bit of magical realism, as two sisters meet on opposites sides of the battlefield during the Napoleonic Wars and use the magic of flowers to solve the mystery of their mother's death. Prepub Alert. Copyright 2023 Library Journal

Fox (The Witch of Willow Hall) takes readers on a journey across Europe as Napoleon attempts a return to power. Told from the viewpoints of two sisters separated since childhood, the narrative focuses on Cornelia, raised in Sussex by a cruel uncle, and Lijsbeth, raised in servitude in Brussels. After Cornelia flees England for France, she finds work as a naturalist attached to Napoleon's army. With her extraordinary ability to listen to flowers, Cornelia uses botanicals to heal injured French soldiers as the army moves toward Brussels; at the same time, she enters into an unconventional romantic relationship. Meanwhile, as a servant with no family, Lijsbeth finds solace in arranging the flowers that commune with her, and in the love of a British soldier. With the two sisters on opposite sides of the conflict, they finally come face to face when the armies clash at Waterloo. However, when Cornelia's unique healing abilities land her in trouble, the sisters realize they may not get the chance to find out what happened to their mother. VERDICT Those who enjoy a little history combined with woman protagonists and magic may appreciate this novel.—Lucinda Ward