Kate Heartfield's The Embroidered Book is an engrossing tale following the lives of Antoine and Charlotte, two remarkable women from childhood to Marie Antoinette's untimely demise during the French Revolution. Though set in royalty, it's more about sisterhood, finding personal power within society's constraints, and carving out one's space. The incorporation of a magical book adds a fantastical element, making the story even more captivating. Despite its massive page count, the book never feels overwhelming and maintains tension throughout, making it a character-driven masterpiece with poetic writing and well-balanced historical detail.

Thanks to HarperCollins and Netgalley for the ARC.

This was an unexpected surprise. I was taken in by the cover and really didn't know what it was about but I am so glad I took a chance on this story. History + magic and a fresh perspective on historical events that so many are familiar with and it makes for a captivating and intriguing read!!
This is the story of Charlotte and Antoine of the House of Habsburg- Antoine is better known as Marie Antoinette. While generally aware of Marie Antoinette's life, I did not know her sister Charlotte was Queen of Naples and the extent of the Habsburg's influence throughout Europe. I love how the magic was woven into actual events and it did make me fantasize about the possibilities of magical influences in history. While Louis' & Marie's endings are well known, when reframed in this way, it really makes you think about the people they were and not the public perception of them at the time. The ending really was quite wrenching. Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable reading experience!!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
As a casual fan of Marie Antoinette, the French Revolution, and the Habsburgs, I was drawn to the premise of The Embroidered Book, especially as I liked the focus on Marie Antoinette’s relationship with her sister and other family members, in addition to following her rise and fall as the French queen. And I like how it really focused on their origins, with Empress Maria Theresa being focused on diplomatically making alliances with the major houses of Europe by marrying off her many children, many of them daughters. And while the magical twist with the titular embroidered book was much less pronounced than I initially expected, I liked how it set the tone for the story and showed how these young, powerless girls used magic as leverage to provide security for their own futures.
Both Charlotte and Antoine (renamed Marie Antoinette partway through upon her marriage) are intriguing characters. I was touched by the bond between theme as sisters the most, and how that does not waver even as they are sent off to their separate arranged marriages and take on their own royal responsibilities and start royal families of their own. And it’s especially bittersweet as the political climate shifts around them, particularly for Marie Antoinette in France, and while she definitely makes some mistakes as Queen, it doesn’t make her end any less tragic, especially when viewed from a lens like this. And to see Charlotte’s history retold alongside it, with slight embellishments, makes the story all the richer.
The book did feel a tad long-winded at times, and I definitely felt the length in places. It does serve a purpose in getting the major players from point A to point B, it felt a bit too overwhelming at times, especially since there was a focus on both Marie Antoinette and her sister throughout.
Despite my issues with this book, I enjoyed it for the most part. I recommend it to fans of historical fiction with fantastical elements.

I was really pumped to get this book, but honestly it just fell a little bit short for me. I’d still recommend it to certain friends though

This was an incredibly well-researched and interesting book about Marie Antoinette and her sister Maria Carolina (Charlotte) and many of the events of their lives.

While I initially enjoyed the first third of the book, I became bored very quickly and it became a struggle to get through. I found the writing and storytelling to be a bit clunky and halting. There was often no flow between paragraphs. Time passed and perspectives would change without warning and this made things hard to follow, especially in the beginning of the book. This book is also at least 200 pages too long - I was shocked to see that it hits 672 pages. Things happened without much explanation - there was a lot of telling and not showing.

The biggest problem I had with this book is the magic system and the way it was portrayed. This has one of the most unique and interesting magic systems because it requires the magic user to make a sacrifice. The bigger the magic, the bigger the sacrifice. While this should have very impactful ramifications and is implied to do so at the beginning, it literally doesn't matter at all throughout the book. The characters lose a memory and that's about it. It's not explored at all and to me it invalidated the entire system. All of the magic performed is very surface level and most of the time we learn about the magic after it has already happened.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper360 for the ARC!

- DNF
- Written In Present Tense
- Pet Peeve

This is an unfair review.

Thank you to Harper 360, HarperVoyager for an ARC of The Embroidered Book by Kate Heartfield

I cannot stand present-tense books. I am fully aware that this is a personal pet peeve and completely my own bias. My dislike for this writing style has NOTHING to do with the story or the ability of the author to communicate and write effectively, therefore I will not be posting this review on any other platform.

I can only imagine the sheer amount of research that went into this hefty yet engaging tome.

I love reading about this time period, and the way Heartfield brings these historical figures to life is absolutely impressive.

I found myself rooting for and then against each character, often within the same chapter.

It is 600 plus pages, so go into it with an open mind and know that you’re gonna be here for a while!

Look for an episode featuring this novel on the Books Are Magical podcast.

The heart of the Embroidered Book revolves around the concept of power and sacrifice. Set against the backdrop of revolution—The American and French, not to mention a general European uprising against the monarchy and feudalism, two sisters must learn to fight for power just to attempt to survive.

Our heroines are none other than two of the Habsburg sisters, Marie Antoinette (known as Antoine as a girl) and Maria Carolina (Queen of Naples and referred to as Charlotte in the story). We meet them as young girls, discovering their murdered governess’ eponymous Embroidered Book and exploring the magical spells revealed inside. For each spell, they must grant a sacrifice, which could be a simple as a fingernail and memory, or as dire as the love for a brother. These early moments in the novel stole my breath, creating a captivating metaphor for meaning making and discovery of power and loss. The prose is mesmerizing and elegant and the relationships feel deeply authentic.

When their elder sister dies, their strict and power-hungry mother sends Charlotte to Naples to fulfill her sister’s marriage obligations. Charlotte is devastated, as she has been trained her whole life to be the Queen of France. Antoine, fully unprepared, must now become Marie Antoinette, and learn to make France love her. They are determined to do this through their magic. Remember, in this world, magic demands a price, and the sisters must continue to make great sacrifices to become the wildly different rulers they eventually grow into.

As they grapple with the weight of their responsibilities, the loyalty and love they hold for one another is tested, demonstrating the complexity of their relationship in the face of power struggles and external threats.

I could not resist a deep investment in these characters, especially Marie Antoinette. Despite being keenly aware of the tragic outcome (this doesn’t feel like a spoiler, her story is common knowledge), I felt an irresistible urge to root for her survival and triumph! It’s an odd position to find oneself in, when you are vehemently anti-monarchy as a person! However, the emotional investment in her character underscores the author’s gift in crafting a compelling portrayal of one of history’s most fascinating figures.

I particularly loved Kate Heartfield’s exploration of the societal limitations placed on women in the era. Through the magic system, readers are invited to reflect on the sacrifices women make in their pursuit of power, autonomy, and recognition in a world that often undermines their capabilities and potential.

Heartfield’s meticulous research into the history of these formidable women and events is also impressive, as she provides a beat by beat unfolding of the French Revolution’s treachery and multitudes of characters (in fact, so many that I constantly found myself running to google to look up more information on each character).

The Embroidered Book is an enchanting work of magical historical fiction that weaves the fascinating worlds of Marie Antionette and Charlotte. Although the book sags a bit in the middle as the author has a lot of historical detail to navigate and loses the human connection, it’s impossible not to power through to follow the emotional journey of these two incredible queens who make heartbreaking sacrifices for their family and country. This is an absolute must-read for lovers of magical historical fantasy and powerful women—but have your tissues ready!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for the advanced copy, all opinions are authentic and my own.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for an ARC.

I'm not typically a huge fan of books that are based on the lives of real-life people, but Marie Antoinette fascinates me, so I requested this ARC. This book did not live up to my expectations in the slightest. I dnf'd around 14%. I wanted so badly to get through this, but this is so well-encapsulating of the full life that we don't get hints of excitement at all this far in the book. I need more to hook me and keep my attention than the intrigue of royals and hidden magic. When there is no big adventure beyond the palace walls, there is nothing for me to enjoy at the start.

This was good, but not excellent. I liked the main character but it felt a little forced. Was a fine read, but probably wouldn't purchase it for myself!

I truly loved this book. This particular time in history and Marie Antoinette are some of my favorite subjects to dive into. So this book caught my attention immediately for those reasons, the added idea of magic on top was also an intriguing concept that I had to see how the author fit into real life events.

The two main characters of the sisters Charlotte and Antonia are written so well. The bond that they share is so very tangible and real that it almost felt like watching what was going on like a fly on the wall. How it mingled historical events with the magic of the world was top tier and just over all it was really lovely to read. At times, it could be a little long-winded as it had to fit in not just the characters feelings but the politics at the time, but that honestly is not too much of an issue once the girls are sent off to their respective countries and that is where the book really picks up in pace.

The ending is bittersweet and the lead up to it is perfect. This is one of my favorite books of the year.

While this book has a lovely prose to it, it was pretty hard for me to get through honestly. I liked the idea of a history retelling with a magical undertone, but it felt too much like reading a textbook at times.

I found myself really struggling to keep reading and comprehending what was happening in the story as it felt like it sort of went on and on without getting to much of a climax.

I do think there is an audience for this book, likely someone with a deep love of historical fiction rather than the fantasy element. Unfortunately that just wasn’t me.

What if Marie Antoinette and her sister Charlotte encountered magic when they were girls and used them to become powerful women of opposing sides of the world of magic? A question I never asked, but am so glad someone else did.

The book I do feel could have been shorter but I am also a reader who prefers reading without a ton of detail so I think a lot of my struggle with this was that. Overall, a beautifully written book that I genuinely enjoyed reading.

I normally love reading about Marie Antoinette but this book didn't draw me in like I thought it would. The writing seemed good though I just didn't enjoy the plot.

While I appreciated the concept, and I thought the magic system was really interesting, ultimately I struggled to get through the story. The writing was great, I really thought the prose was beautiful, but I just had trouble caring about what was happening.

⭐️⭐️ I really thought this book would have been right up my alley with European History and magic. Maire Antoinette usually always gets high marks, but this book left we wanting a bit more of something.

The intrigue was there along with the magic in the most famous of European courts, but it felt a bit blah. A retelling of history with curious bits of magic added in.

I did enjoy the fact that the author chose to have the characters give up memories and feelings for the magic to work. And that the losses have a deeper impact on not just the main characters but the weaving of the story.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Harper360 and Harper Voyager for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was so well done, fantastic detail oriented writing and historical facts. Yet at the same time absolutely charming, very readable, unique view of history. This book was a delight and interestingly unique.

I am so sorry but I could not finish this. I read like 150 pages and was still not into it. It was just how the sisters were separated. There was no need for magic in this book but the author relied on that heavily to carry the plot.

I loved this story. I’m a Mrie Antoinette girlie and this was such a fun take on her story as well as her sister’s story. The magic system was fun and I liked seeing the sacrifices the sisters had to make. It upped the stakes from a normal magic system. I loved watching the sisters relationship and dynamics change as they grew as people and rulers. I also really loved the general aesthetics of this book. And the magic items. I just really truly enjoyed reading this

This book far outsurpassed my expectations. Although I enjoy historical fiction novels, I often find them slow-paced and rarely come across one I can't put down. Because this one includes magical whimsy, which spices things up a bit even when it's a part of a familiar story, I found myself quickly captivated. However, the fantasy element is minimal, creatively woven into the historical accounts.

Seeing the world during this time period from the perspective of two important female historical figures, Marie Antoinette (Antoine) and her older sister Maria Carolina (Charlotte), was fascinating. The development (ups and downs) of the sister's relationship over decades was intimate, and as Queens it was also frighteningly utilitarian and stoic. I appreciated the realistic mirroring the fantastical aspects of the story throughout the book.