Lucy Derrick is a penniless orphan, thrown upon the mercy of her uncle Richard Lowell. After her fall from grace because of an elopement gone wrong that only because of her sister's death the same day avoided reputation-destroying gossip, Lucy had only a short time with her father before his death. After his death, Lucy's sister marries a distant cousin who was heir to the estate, hoping to provide Lucy with a home. Instead, Lucy is told that the estate yielded no money for her inheritance and she must leave. When entertaining her fiance, ready to enter a loveless marriage only to escape her uncle's cold home, Lucy has a young man come calling at the door, mad, insisting that she must gather the leaves. He then collapses. Lucy is thrown into a journey of discovery, learning that much she thought she knew about herself, her family and her past. Magic, yielded by herself and others, shapes much of the unseen world, with people not always being what they appeared. Can Lucy find the leaves she must gather, learn the knowledge she needs and survive long enough to save herself, her sister and her niece.
"The Twelfth Enchantment" by David Liss is a historical novel weaved with magic, historical characters, intrigue and romance. Reminiscent of "The DaVinci Code" with the hidden clues, this was an interesting read. I especially enjoyed Lord Byron and William Blake in the story, bringing history alive in a new and creative way.
