The Book of Thorns, Hester Fox
The Book of Thorns, Hester Fox
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The Book of Thorns

Author: Hester Fox

Narrator: Ell Potter, Fiona Hardingham

Unabridged: 10 hr 32 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/02/2024


Synopsis

"Betrayal, loss, love, redemption, and justice collide in this masterpiece of a novel. You won’t want to miss The Book of Thorns." —Paulette Kennedy, author of The Devil and Mrs. Davenport

A spellbinding tale of secrets, betrayal, and magic from the author of The Heir to Blackwood Library!

Penniless and stranded in France after a bid to escape her cruel uncle goes awry, Cornelia Shaw is far from the Parisian life of leisure she imagined. Desperate and out of options, she allows herself to be recruited to Napoleon’s Grande Armée. As a naturalist, her mysterious ability to heal any wound with herbal mixtures invites awe amongst the soldiers…and suspicion. For behind Cornelia’s vast knowledge of the natural world is a secret she keeps hidden—the flowers speak to her through a mystical connection she has felt since childhood. One that her mother taught her to heed, before she disappeared.

As Napoleon’s army descends on Waterloo, the flowers sing to her of a startling revelation: a girl who bears a striking resemblance to Cornelia. A girl she almost remembers—her sister, lost long ago, who seems to share the same gifts. Determined to reunite with Lijsbeth despite being on opposite sides of the war, Cornelia is drawn into a whirlwind of betrayal, secrets, and lies. Brought together by fate and magic at the peak of the war, the sisters must uncover the key to the source of the power that connects them as accusations of witchcraft swirl and threaten to destroy their very lives.

Look for these other gothic mysteries from Hester Fox: The Last Heir to Blackwood LibraryThe Witch of Willow HallThe Orphan of Cemetery HillThe Widow of Pale HarborA Lullaby for Witches

About Hester Fox

Hester Fox is a full-time writer and mother, with a background in museum work and historical archaeology. She is the author of such novels as The Witch of Willow Hall, A Lullaby for Witches, and The Last Heir to Blackwood Library. She lives in a small mill town in Massachusetts.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Brend on November 10, 2024

This was outstanding. Back at my thing: -loml -seven -Cornelia Street -mad woman -Robin -Timeless Also, a spoiler for the best death in a historical novel to ever exist: “Everyone’s voices are far away, and I cannot do anything except stare. It’s a rose, deep red, its head blossoming out of the major’s mou......more

Goodreads review by Paulette on March 29, 2024

Oh, my heart. Just when I thought Hester Fox couldn’t get any better, she brings us an epic tale of two sisters on opposite sides of the Battle of Waterloo. Cornelia and Lijsbeth’s stories are heart-wrenching yet hopeful as they draw from their tragic pasts and their flower-based magic to solve the......more

Goodreads review by Andrea | andrea.c.lowry.reads on April 19, 2024

The Book of Thorns is a vivid, layered and fascinating story about two sisters who find themselves on either side of the Napoleonic Wars, but are tied together by their magical connections through the language of flowers. I found my heart bleeding for both sisters as they endured so much cruelty at......more

Goodreads review by Jeanne on November 30, 2023

What can I say except this is my favorite Hester Fox book yet! She’s hit her stride with gorgeous prose, and while this book is a slight deviation from her gothic classics, it’s bursting with romance, heartbreak, feminist commentary, and the most incredible botanical magic system. I was completely s......more

Goodreads review by Hannah on March 01, 2024

First my thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity for an ARC copy of this beautiful novel 🫶 I had not read any Hester Fox novels before this one but I may have to remedy that after reading this. This book is a wonderful blend of historical fiction, ~witchy~, power of fem......more