Well, I thought I was over my Tudor obsession - then I picked up this book.

This book takes place on two timelines with the modern story mimicking the historic story, down to the names of the major players involved. It’s not subtle, but it’s a delicious homage like a Tudor version of “10 Things I Hate About You,” using British glitterati and mixing in some paranormal elements. I loved it.

Both stories were equally compelling, with the historical retelling of the tragedy of Amy Robsart’s marriage just as intriguing as the mystery of what is happening in the present - I was completely drawn in to both. I liked how the modern story mirrored the historical one but it had enough differences that it had its own direction and there were some surprises and twists in there to keep things interesting.

The paranormal elements I thought were just enough to add a little flavor to the plot without turning it completely into a ghost or science fiction story. It was believable enough to be spooky and send a little chill, but not so out there as to be cooky, if you know what I mean.

I have to say, after reading this book, I am looking forward to checking out more from this author. This book was very well written, and I really enjoyed it.Fans of historical fiction and thrillers will really enjoy this one!

The Forgotten Sister is an interesting take on the unsolved mystery of Amy Robsart's death, Robert Dudley's first wife. The book alternates between Amy's perspective, beginning in 1560 before her marriage, and the modern day perspective of Lizzie Kingdom, whose life cleverly parallels that of Queen Elizabeth I, Amy Robsart's arch-nemesis. The initial set-up is somewhat complicated, and it took me a bit to settle into the story. Once I reached the half-way point, I couldn't put it down because of some ingenious plotting/modern parallels. There are supernatural elements at play throughout the book that make the book even more exciting to read. If you enjoy historical fiction with a side of mystery and supernatural intrigue, you will love this one! Thank you to Netgalley and Graydon House for the librarian preview.

i really enjoyed the two different time periods and really enjoyed the series, the characters were great and I had a good time reading this.

The Forgotten Sister's cover is a bit misleading, as much of the novel takes place in the present day and the mystery is there also. Overall, it was fine, but starts slow and the choice to make the characters all have the same names was confusing at first (even if it makes sense for reasons that become apparent as the story goes on).

Still, fans of Tudor England historical fiction and authors such as Philippa Gregory will be entertained.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review. A different version of this review will be published in the Shelf Awareness for Readers newsletter.

The novel takes place in England, during two time lines: 1560 (Tudors Times) and the present day.

Inspired by the death of Amy Robsart (Robert Dudley's wife) in 1560, the author takes us back and forth, from past to present, to explore a supposed curse that causes the death of young women, to this day.
The protagonist of the story in the present is Lizzy Kingdom, who has psychic powers that allow her to know in detail events that occurred in the past, only by touching objects related to the events that occurred.
In this way we learn that certain relevant events in history may not have occurred in the way they were related to us.

It's also a good reminder that history repeats itself, and that, in most cases, the most powerful characters in our history manage to get away with murder.
I think that, in this case, the author manages to do justice to a character about whom we know little about her life, and even less about her death.

The prose is beautiful and the descriptions are pretty. I just wanted to see a little more time traveling and about Amy Robsart but I guess that this book is a good incentive to investigate more about her life.

This is a book about Amy Robsart, wife of Robert Dudley, and a curse. It is dual timeline with it taking place in the Tudor era and modern day era. It is an interesting concept but I wish it would have taken place more in the Tudor era. It was a good book and I look forward to reading more by this author.

I’m not sure if I liked the supernatural aspect of this book. I like the author’s direction but not the style. Amy Dudley’s story is so sad.

A historical fiction book that combines happenings from the 1600 to modern day.
There is a curse on this family. Through time women have has their lives ended by being pushed or accidentally falling down a flight of stairs. History seems to have repeated itself when Amy is found at the bottom of the stairs with a broken neck. No one is sure if it was accidental, murder or suicide. Amy was getting a divorce. She had been in a loveless marriage with a philandering husband.
Her brother Johnny is wanting his sister back. Going back in history to change the past he thinks is the only way.
Is time travel the answer?
An intriguing read based on history.
Recommended!

**Full review to be posted to Goodreads, Amazon, and NetGalley, closer to publication date!**

I always love a good historical fiction, especially when it's about the Tudors, and there's always a fun element added when it's a dual timeline story as well! I loved the way she developed all of the characters and managed to build an authentic and fascinating historical world, as well as how she managed to weave in the present day timeline and plot to go along with it. I had a great time with this book and I think Nicola Cornick is a strong author in the historical fiction genre and this book was yet another success!

This book transitions between Tudor era and modern times. Amy Robsart and her modern cousin Amelia both died from a fall down the stairs, potentially due to a curse that Amy's death started. In modern day, Lizzie Kingdom is being questioned in regards to Ameila's death, because Lizzie is Amelia's husband's best friend. Can Lizzie find out the truth about Amelia's death and break the curst that Amy's death started hundreds of years ago?

The plot was fascinating and the historic aspect was very well done, however the book did not pull me in. It felt like the pacing was slow and the characters were one dimensional. I enjoyed the book and felt that the choice of climax was very well done.

The Forgotten Sister alternates between two storylines set in 1560 and present day. Amy Robsart married Robert Dudley, favourite of Queen Elizabeth I. She's trapped in awkward love-triangle. Lizzie becomes public enemy #1 after her best-friend Dudley's wife is found at the bottom of the stairs with a broken neck. Two very different women who somehow finds their stories inexplicably intertwined.

I really enjoyed this book and read it in a single sitting.

I loved the supernatural elements in the story. They put a perfect twist on a familiar story. I did think that some character's reactions to learning about the supernatural elements were unrealistic. They either guessed it existed or were too quick to come to terms with its existence.

I read this book in an entire sitting. I'm familiar in the story of Amy, Robert and Elizabeth I. There is so little written about Amy's perspective. Normally I'm rooting for Elizabeth but this was not the case here.

I instantly connected with both storylines and thought they were equally well-written. I think the author tried to make Lizzie appear unlikeable at the beginning of the novel. Instead I ended up hating everyone she surrounded herself with.

I did find the title of the story to be a massive spoiler and kind of gives the plot away once you've read a few chapters.

I think anyone who is familiar with history, particularly the Tudor era knows who Robert Dudley is. However, this was the first book I can remember where his wife Amy plays a role. This deals with the fallout from Amy’s death since Dudley was accused of murdering her.

The book started off a bit slow but picked up its pace toward the middle of the book. I kind of wish this was two separate books though. I enjoyed reading the historical events but thought some of the modern timeline with Lizzie to be kind of absurd. So I’m sticking with 3 stars.

Book: The Forgotten Sister
Author: Nicola Cornick
Rating: 2 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Graydon House, for providing me with an ARC.

This one is a rather difficult one for me to rate. On the one hand, I had a great time reading this. On the other, I really didn’t. I think a lot of it had to do with the pacing. I found the first half of the book to be very boring. Nothing really happened until at least the halfway point and it was really annoying to have to wait that long to actually be hooked. If you are going to try to hook your readers, you need to have something to hook your readers and make them want to keep reading. I just didn’t get that here. I felt like the author was trying to hook us with the murders, but it wasn’t enough.

The murder hook didn’t work for a couple of reasons. The first reason was that it happened so early in the book that we didn’t really have a chance to feel a connection to the characters. This is supposed to be a love triangle. Yes, it is told in two times and two points of views. Yes, I am fully away that it does follow history. However, had I not known the backstory, I don’t think I would had been able to grasp what was actually going on. I think that had the murders happened a little bit later in the story, giving us a time to actually bond and feel something for the characters, then the events would have had a much greater impact. I just felt like it was missing that punch that we needed.

I think a lot of it comes back to the writing as well. I did feel something, but, again, with all of the gossip and whatnot, it felt like it was missing something. I know some people have said that and I agree. I think it would have met more had we also had the men’s point of view. They are the ones dealing with backlash and suffering. I’m not saying that the women didn’t have it, but their point of view just seemed shallow. Had we gotten the men’s point of view, I think the point would have been driven home a lot more and a lot harder.

I really did like the characters and getting to see the dual histories. I think that this was done pretty well. I liked that in both the now and then that we got to see the backlash of the actions and see just how the females wanted to be the males and how the males were keeping them away. I liked this and getting to see the women struggle with it was amazing. Again, had we gotten some of the men’s point of view, I think it would have driven the point home even more.

I really did kind of struggle with rating this one. I went back and forth between a two and three star rating. I did decide to settle on a two star because there really a lot of things that just didn’t work for me.
This book comes out on November 10, 2020.

This story has dual time lines. I had a hard time getting into the past story. I thought the present day story much more interesting. I will say that the past story became more interesting more than half way through. Lizzie‘s character grew on me as the book went on. The idea of time travel appeals to me and to know things by touching them is interesting. I enjoyed the book!
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy