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    The Phantom Tree
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    The Phantom Tree
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    The Phantom Tree
    Audiobook11 hours

    The Phantom Tree

    Written by Nicola Cornick

    Narrated by Laura Kirman and Stephanie Racine

    4/5

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    Unavailable in your country

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    About this audiobook

    ‘There is much to enjoy in a sumptuous novel that slips between present day and 1557.’ Sunday Mirror

    “My name is Mary Seymour and I am the daughter of one queen and the niece of another.”

    Browsing antiques shops in Wiltshire, Alison Bannister stumbles across a delicate old portrait – supposedly of Anne Boleyn. Except Alison knows better… The woman is Mary Seymour, the daughter of Katherine Parr who was taken to Wolf Hall in 1557 as an unwanted orphan and presumed dead after going missing as a child.

    The painting is more than just a beautiful object from Alison’s past – it holds the key to her future, unlocking the mystery surrounding Mary’s disappearance, and the enigma of Alison’s son.

    But Alison’s quest soon takes a dark and foreboding turn, as a meeting place called the Phantom Tree harbours secrets in its shadows…

    *************************************************************

    Readers love Nicola Cornick:

    ‘Alluring and hypnotising… I was hooked from page one.’

    ‘A haunting and mesmerising story.’

    ‘Atmospheric and filled with tension and danger.’

    ‘Full of dark twists and spooky turns. Brilliantly written, unguessable and page-turning.’

    ‘Spellbinding, with a narrative that left me bewitched. Not to be missed!’

    ‘A fabulous read. I was completely enthralled, and kept guessing throughout.’

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins Publishers
    Release dateDec 29, 2016
    ISBN9780263927245
    Unavailable
    The Phantom Tree
    Author

    Nicola Cornick

    International bestselling author Nicola Cornick writes historical romance for HQN Books and time slip romance for MIRA UK. She became fascinated with history when she was a child, and spent hours poring over historical novels and watching costume drama. She studied history at university and wrote her master's thesis on heroes. Nicola also acts as a historical advisor for television and radio. In her spare time she works as a guide in a 17th century mansion.

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    Reviews for The Phantom Tree

    4/5

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    • 4/5
      Alison Bannister spots a portrait in an antiques shop supposedly of Anne Boylen. Alison knows however that the lady in the picture is of Mary Seymour, daughter of Katherine Parr and Thomas Seymour. The reason Alison knows is because she spent time with her in the sixteenth century. Today in the twenty first century Alison searches for Mary to go back.There is little about Mary Seymour as she is presumed to have died as child and disappeared in history. So this story about Mary is purely fiction. Historical novels are fiction based on facts but in this case it is all fiction. The story is involves Alison being able to time travel and is searching for her son Arthur but she needs to find Mary also. The time travel was done quite easily with Alison just walking through a door. The story is told by Mary and what happens to her and Alison's quest to find Arthur.I quite enjoyed the book and it wasn't too taxing. I didn't enjoy the parts where Mary spoke to Darrell and couldn't see why this was needed in the book. Mary at times I could quite easily forget that she was Queen Catherine's daughter as the story is not really historically based and just thought of her as just a girl called Mary.Overall the story was ok and an easy read. I don't mind time slip books and would recommend to anybody who enjoys historical fiction.
    • 5/5
      I received The Phantom Tree by Nicola Cornick from NetGalley for an honest review. This is the first book by Nicola Cornick that I have read but it won't be my last. The Phantom Tree is a cross of many genres; history, fantasy, romance and mystery. It is a time-travel book where the main character, Alison, travels from the 16th century to the present time. Alison notices a portrait in a museum that someone claims to be Anne Boleyn. Since Alison is from the Tudor 16th century, she immediately recognizes the portrait to be Mary Seymour, who was orphaned at Wolf Hall along with her. How does she explain to them that she knows they are wrong without indulging her secret?Meanwhile, Alison is trying to travel back to the 16th century as she needs to find out what happened to her son when he was taken from her as a baby. She has no idea how to travel back to ask Marry Seymour if she has found any information about her son. When Alison does finally find the way back, she discovers that Mary Seymour has disappeared. What I like about Nicola Cornick's writing is that she has taken a historical fact about Mary Seymour's disappearance and has woven a fictional story and has given us a scenario of what might have happened to Mary. Her descriptions of the past and present make us feel like we are right there along with the characters. I found The Phantom Tree to be the perfect escape novel which takes you to an interesting period of history with twists and surprises that keep the pages turning. I would highly recommend this novel to those who would like a romantic adventure with plenty of history.
    • 2/5
      My rating for this book is 1.5, so I will round it up to 2 stars. Where can I start? I will not say I hate it because I did not. However, I did find my mind wondering on the episodes of Mrs. Browns Boys that I wanted to watch next.
      I never review book for grammar, punctuation, choice of POV, or the authors choice of voice. Please stop reading here because I will give Spoilers.

      This story was stuffed like a Christmas turkey with different genera characteristics. I do not know how to categorize this book. Is this a historical fiction? Is it a paranormal fantasy? It has time travel, but also romance. It was like a chuck-full-o-nuts cereal. If I were to classify the characters as chess pieces, they all moved like a Queen. I could not believe the muddle of disparity. The title made little sense, but okay, I overlooked it.

      How does this book start? I am thrown speck in the middle of the story. Allison was overwhelmed on a modern road, shocked and lost. My first impression, this is when she arrived in the modern world. But no, I spent a few paragraphs just like Allison in confusion. When she goes on about her work and sex life, then a realize, nope this old Alison. My next reaction is What the fudge? By the way, I am a Veteran, more comfortable with Soldiers, Marines, and Sailors. So, I keep reading, but I am taken to the past. There the story is less confusing. But then when we jump back to the future, I get lost without a compass.

      For now, Let’s take Mary and Alison. If they dislike each how they become friends to the point to make a promise for one to look for the other’s son?
      I wasn’t sure if Alison was aware, she was going to time travel. That point made me cringe a little, and if she wanted to take her son with her, why go without him in the first place? Okay, she got stuck. A woman from the 16 century raised in the culture of the 16 century, how was she going to survive with a child in an unknown place? I am to believe she is ignorant. She has an illegitimate child, that is a big sin at the time, but the best part is that Arthur is a time traveler also, and turned into a virtuous man that traveled to the 1800s. And do not let me start with Alex and his all easy acceptance of time travel.

      Let me move forward because I am getting annoyed with this story. Diane, which just happened to be the one therapist in the WORLD who has ever worked and treated time travelers, is this down to earth believer of the whole thing. Really? Hello, the woman is dying, off course. To make this story even more out of this world, “wait this is where the Paranormal comes to play,” the therapist comes back as a spirit, not to mention that Mary has a psychic connection to an evil weirdo.

      My goodness, it took me a while to read this story, and as I said, I did not hate it. I did not love it either. I love time travel stories when they make sense, but this one gave me headaches, specially when I was reading stuff from modern times. I will not reread it. I will only recommend it if you are a fan of miss Nicola Cornick.
    • 3/5
      Little is known - and much speculation exists - regarding Katherine Parr's daughter, Mary Seymour. Cornick makes use of this lack of documented history to provide readers with a blended mystery/ romance/ intrigue time-slip story. I tend to enjoy stories that have a certain level of suspense (What will happen to Mary? Does Alison make it back to the past? Will Alison find what she is seeking?) and Cornick provides enough fodder to keep my interest. Told from both Mary and Alison's point of view, Cornick creates a compelling character in Mary, more so than she does with Alison. While I found Mary to be the more interesting of the two and feel that the shadow of witchcraft that hangs over Mary works, I really struggled to accept the telepathic communications Mary has with "Darryl". I know. You are wondering how I can accept the concept of visions but not telepathy. I think it has more to do with the fact that Mary seems to be disturbed by and have no control over the visions she has, but is comforted by and able to control the "in head" communications, which she does admit could be an imaginary friend). It is when the imaginary friend becomes a real person that I roll my eyes, but enough said. As for Alison, I just never seem to connect with characters who either have an obsessive streak (like Alison's driving desire to return to the past) or are "me" focused. Alison's romance with Adam also comes across as contrived. I think this story would have worked better if Cornick had just let Alison and Adam work together to solve the mystery clues, without bringing in the romance angle (or maybe just leave it at underlying sexual tension between the two), but that is just my opinion. Cornick does a good job balancing the story narration from both Alison and Mary's point of view and I like how she establishes the wary relationship between them during their time together at Wolf Hall. While I don't think a reader needs to be a history enthusiast to appreciate Cornick's historical attention to detail, it helps to have a basic understanding of the Tudor period to fully appreciate the parts of the story set in the 1560s.Overall, a decent enough story blending historical fact with fiction to create an interesting story about Mary Seymour. Sadly, the other aspects of the story did not work for me as well as I would have hoped. At least Cornick wraps everything up nicely, so no loose ends left to frustrate me.
    • 4/5
      Born in a different time Alison is drawn to a photo which may offer clues to finding her way back home. Little did she realize the complications it could cause.Mary has her own survival to experience. With her "gifts" she must be very cautious in what she says or reveals. She doesn't want to end up like her father did!This is a very entertaining heart-wrenching account of two distant cousins who are orphaned and find themselves at the mercy of, yet, another cousin. Although they are forced to share a bedroom, they are very different personalities and do not even like one another... or so it seems.Before their lives go separate directions, Mary makes a vow to Alison. They may not like each other but they respect one another and are loyal.The characters are well-defined and are easily "connected " with. The portrayal of the scenes are easily visualized.The first portion of the book was not engaging and seemed awkward. However, after that, the story progressed smoothly and captured the readers interest. The book progressed iun action and meaning with a very strong ending.The Book Title and Cover were well-chosen.**READER BEWARE: There is some profanity and a very intimate sex scene.This book was gifted to me with no suggestion for a positive review. This is my honest review.
    • 4/5
      Historical fiction set in Tudor England is a well-trodden path, so I was pleasantly surprised to find this novel, which focuses on Mary Seymour, the daughter of Katherine Parr who is thought to have died in childhood. In this novel, Mary lives into adulthood and has a cousin Alison, who travels through time. In the present day Alison comes across a portrait of Mary, which has been misidentified as Anne Boleyn, and with the help of a historian (who is also an ex-boyfriend), she seeks to piece together the messages Mary left behind centuries before and to uncover the secrets of the past. The book has a slow start, but I appreciated a fresh look at this era and the romance between Alison and Adam was a nice touch.
    • 4/5
      Another historical time-travel romance from Cornick, this time blending 16th century Elizabethan England with the present day. Intriguing and pleasant, but not remarkable. A good, relaxing read.
    • 5/5
      In present day Wiltshire, England Alison Bannister sees a portrait that catches her eye. The portrait has been recently authenticated to be of Anne Boleyn, however Alison knows better. It is of her friend, Mary Seymour and the portrait contains precious clues that Mary left for Alison in order to find her son. Mary and Alison grew up together, castoffs of Wolf Hall under the care of their cousin Edward. After becoming pregnant and being forced to give up her child, Alison runs away with plans to set up a home and bring Arthur there. Though, the place Alison has found is a portal into the future and for 10 years she has not been able to find out how to return to her own time. Exciting and engaging with strokes of magic and fantasy, Nicola Cornick's The Phantom Tree reimagines the little known life of Katherine Parr's daughter, Mary Seymour and gives her an enchanted but tragic life with a time-traveling best friend. From the time Alison sees Mary's portrait, I was hooked on the mystery surrounding her life. The point of view shifts back and forth between Alison and Mary's life in the 16th century and Alison's life in the present. I was amazed at how well Alison was able to adapt as well as intrigued by the series of clues left for her by Mary. Alison and Mary's characters are painted as opposites, Alison is wild, resourceful and cunning, Mary is careful and quiet in order to keep the secret that she sees visions of the future. Between the the women, there is a full picture of what life was like for a woman in the 16th century who did not have a male figure to provide for them. The writing easily transported me to both centuries and I could envision Wolf Hall and Middlecote as well as Alison's modern flat and the portrait of Mary. Historical fiction rolled up with fantasy, romance and time travel provides for a well-rounded, fast-paced entrancing read. I'll definitely be looking for more from this author.This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
    • 3/5
      This book was definitely different than the norm. It is historical fiction with a twist of time travel. There are alternating time lines with Alison Bannister in the present and Alison and Mary Seymour in the sixteenth century. Though they did not consider themselves friends, Mary needed Alison to help her escape, while Alison needs Mary to help her find her son. And upon reflection, perhaps Alison did not dislike Mary as much as she thought she did. The life of Mary Seymour has always been a mystery as she disappeared from historical records when she was only two years old. This unique twist to Tudor history allows Mary to reach across the separation of time to communicate with Alison.I have only recently developed a mild interest in the royalty of the House of Tudor. I enjoyed Cornick’s descriptions of how life may have been in that time period. Cornick’s passion for the Tudor era is apparent in her writing. The historical portion of the book contains beautiful descriptions of the Tudor era. When caught is circumstances beyond their control, Alison and Mary are fiery and strong. The modern day Alison is nothing like the historical version of herself.As a fantasy, Mary’s fictional “visions” naturally led to some believing she may have been a witch. As a child she could not control her supernatural abilities. Then as an adult she had to hide them, and lived in fear of being exposed. But whether in the fantasy portion of the book or the historical portion, Mary “steals the show”. The story really revolves around her. I feel the work tried to straddle two genres – and it didn’t work. It could have been an amazing piece of historical fiction. The story of Mary trying to hide her powers and dealing with affairs of the heart written in Cornick’s beautiful style would have been phenomenal. But the fantasy aspect just did not, in my opinion, work here. I was left wondering about Alison’s adjustment to a place and time totally foreign to her. There is no attempt to explain the time travel, and that just left a glaring hole for me. In fact, the entire present day portion of the story felt too forced and flat.
    • 5/5
      The Phantom Tree by Nicola CornickSource: NetgalleyMy rating: 5/5 starsY’all know I’m not the biggest fan of time travel books, but there is just something about the way Nicola Cornick puts it all together that just sucks me in and creates a great sense of pleasure. Here’s the skinny on The Phantom Tree: Premise: The entirety of this book revolves around Alison Bannister trying to discover the fate of her infant son who was taken from her more than 400 years ago. Inexplicably, Alison is a time traveler who just so happens to be stuck in the 21st century. With no means (yet!) of getting back to the 16th century, Alison has dedicated her present life to tracing history in the hopes of discovering what became of her beloved son. Characters: The Phantom Tree is filled with a wide range of characters from both the 16th and 21st centuries with the emphasis being on Alison and Mary Seymour. As children, Alison and Mary were certainly acquainted with one another, but not exactly friends. Until Alison loses her son, she has little interest in the younger Mary. It is only after her son is taken and Alison realizes Mary can help her, that Alison has the time for or an interest in Mary. While 16th century Alison isn’t easy to like, 21st Alison is a bit more palatable. On the other hand, Mary Seymour, with her royal lineage and “gifts” is likeable from start to finish. Mary’s story plays out alongside Alison’s and the two are, from beginning to end, entangled. The entanglement, in many ways drives each character, for better or worse, and informs their actions and decisions. Each character, even those beyond Alison and Mary are full-bodied, engaging figures who hold the reader’s interest. More than one character has a secret which makes them far, far more interesting. Pacing: I must admit, The Phantom Tree is a bit of a slow starter, but once it gets going, it moves like the wind. In fairness to the author, there is a great deal of ground work and backstory which must be established before the “real” work can begin. It is critical to the overall plot and the characters to understand their history, their place in one another’s lives. Getting through all that information takes time and made the first part of the read a bit slower in its pacing. With that being said, once the personalities, the problems, and the histories are dealt with, the pacing picks up considerably and the last part of the book seems to fly by. Surprises: Yeah, this book has a surprise or two up its sleeve ? From characters to plot twists, The Phantom Tree holds secrets that can only be uncovered by reading every last word and page. There are a few things and people who really did take me by surprise, and I like knowing, even after all the books I have read, an author can still surprise me. The Bottom Line: Far and away, my favorite part of The Phantom Tree are the chapters set in the 16th century. I’m just such a huge fan of well-written historical fiction, and Nicola Cornick understands what it takes to bring the past to life for a reader. Though there isn’t much, historically speaking, related to Mary Seymour, she comes alive in this book and ties everything, past and present together. Mary provides a backdrop for Alison’s quest, an anchor in time which drives Alison’s inquiries. With every new detail related to Mary revealed, Alison comes one step closer to solving the mystery of her lost son. As I said, the two women are entangled, and it is this entanglement that provides so much enjoyment. Apart from the slow start, I found no fault with this book. In fact, once I hit the half-way mark, I couldn’t put this book down. There is something for everyone here, but The Phantom Tree will especially appeal to lovers of historical fiction.
    • 4/5
      'She saw the portrait quite by chance, or so she thought.’Openings can be crucial in capturing a reader’s attention, especially if the reader in question is choosing what to read next from a wobbling stack of ARCs! The sly mystery, the sense of fate, lurking in this ambiguous opening statement intrigued me and I was several chapters in before I next paused to consider where I was.This is the opening to ‘The Phantom Tree’, historian Nicola Cornick’s second novel. I read and thoroughly enjoyed her debut novel, ‘House of Shadows’ in 2015, and I was excited to get reading.What’s it about?When Alison Bannister finds a portrait that supposedly features Anne Boleyn, she recognises the woman as Mary Seymour, Katherine Parr’s unwanted daughter, who was taken to Wolf Hall in 1557 and presumed dead after going missing as a child.Alison is determined to unlock any clues the painting may hold as she believes the painting will reveal what happened to Mary – and what happened to Alison’s own son.Soon the reader is moving between time frames in a quest to find out what happened to Mary Seymour and what will happen to Alison.What’s it like?Intriguing. Well-written and well-paced. Fantastical in scope but realistic in detail. When we first witness Mary and Alison’s interactions as teenagers their behaviour and attitudes towards each other are utterly convincing and I like that, while their hatred softens over time, they are too different to ever like each other.Mary is a slightly frustrating character; she remains incredibly naive throughout the book and is arguably responsible for her fate. Alison is more interesting and her desire to find Mary infuses the story with a sense of urgency. There’s a romantic relationship which develops, of course, but the real intrigue here lies in the past. Whatever happened to Mary? Can Alison find out?It would have been nice to see Alison coming to grips with the modern world, but this isn’t that story, and it’s the past that consumes her. After much discussion of clues, she thinks she may have the answer, but can she prove it? And can solving the mystery give her what she really wants?Final thoughtsA really enjoyable storyline with goodies, baddies, time travel and a final, agreeable sense of resolution. The time travel is inexplicable and there’s an odd telepathic romance which I couldn’t see the point of except to heighten the sense of the fantastical, but the storyline itself is interesting and well-paced. If you’re happy to accept the flitting about in time then this is a good read and provides us with one theory for what happened to Mary Seymour!As for me, I’m already looking forward to reading Nicola Cornick’s next book.Many thanks to the publishers for providing me with a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
    • 5/5
      I do love a dual time frame book and The Phantom Tree definitely fits the bill. We follow Alison Bannister as she finds a portrait hanging in a gallery. She knows it's Mary Seymour, daughter of the late Queen, Katherine Parr, and it's exactly what she has been looking and waiting for. That's the story in the present day and then we also have the story of Mary herself in the mid-1500s as she struggles to survive in a precarious world. But The Phantom Tree also has an extra factor and I'm not going to reveal what it is. It becomes clear very early on in the book and I found it completely unexpected so I hope it has the same effect on other readers.Being more partial to contemporary stories I usually enjoy the present day strand in dual time frame books more than the one in the past but in this case I think I was more captivated by the brilliantly drawn Mary, who is such an interesting character. She's quietly feisty with some hidden facets to her personality. However, I did also find Alison's story compelling as she investigates what happened to Mary and tries to uncover the meaning of the imagery in the portrait and the mysterious contents of a box found with it.Fact and fiction are weaved together beautifully by Nicola Cornick. I didn't know when I was reading it how much was based on fact but it certainly piqued my interest and I would like to know more about the characters in the 1500s. I started off enjoying this book and then found myself completely pulled into it to the extent that I felt absolute amazement at one plot development and immense sadness at another. I really cared about the main players.I found this to be a fascinating read, full of twists and turns. The two different periods are weaved together effortlessly to make an absolutely gripping read. I loved it!