[Synopsis] For over a century, two rival women's groups have sought to secure a scrap of embroidery in the hopes of finding the original medieval manuscript from which it was torn. The Order of St. Katherine: devoted to the belief that women must pull strings in the shadows to exercise control, and the Fellowship of the Larks: determined to amass as many overt positions of power for women as possible.
When Dr. Anya Brown garners international attention for her translation of a cryptic text, she is handpicked to join the exclusive Institute of Manuscript Studies in St. Andrews. Unbeknownst to Anya she’s been recruited at great personal danger to translate ancient texts that the Fellowship believes critical to their mission.
[Review] I have mixed emotions after finishing this. There are many things about it that worked for me, especially the dark academia, the remote and moody setting, the deceptive father, and the well-heeled rival lady gangs. I'm also an avid needleworker, so the torn piece of embroidery and where it fit into the story was intriguing to me also. The big problem here is that the ending was a total let-down and didn't make sense. After all the buildup about the manuscript and keeping it safe, the explanation about what it was and why it was important to so many women was insufficient and spoiled the plot for me. There also were some other unresolved storylines regarding the women who worked at St. Andrews before Anya. Overall, it could have been tightened up with less of an abrupt "can't we all just get along" ending. Thanks to William Morrow and Netgalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
