Wednesday 26 October 2011

A Most Improper Magick - Stephanie Burgis

A Most Improper Magick (The Unladylike Adventures of Kat Stephenson, #1)A Most Improper Magick by Stephanie Burgis

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Kat Stephenson is headstrong, forthright, and a tom boy in a time of balls, simpering misses, and convenient marriages. Rather than let her eldest sister marry a man old enough to be her father (not to mention the fact he might have murdered his first wife) in order to save the family from financial ruin, she sets out to find another way to save them, and stumbles upon her mother's magic books.

This is a fast-paced ride in Kat's world, filled with adventure, humour, and mayhem.

Kat is a very likeable heroine. Rather than learning ladylike traits, such as sewing and playing the piano, Kat can be found up trees, or crawling under beds. She's a strong character, with a deep sense of family, and a desire to protect her sisters and father. She also has an uncanny way of bringing about minor disasters in a way I'm sure a lot of other girls can relate to.

The plot doesn't let up for a minute. After neatly dealing with necessary backstory, by weaving it into the opening chapters, and setting up the question of whether Kat will save her sister and the family, what quickly follows is an exciting mixture of magic, witches, villains, and highwaymen.

What I particularly liked about the book is that Kat doesn't simply go along with the path set out for her She opts to handle things in her own inimitable fashion, and refuses to be pushed into filling the role various characters want her to fill. When she does accept assistance, it's very much on her own terms.

When I heard about a series of books set in Regency England and involving magick (two of my favourite things), my hopes rose. I'm pleased to say my anticipation was justified.



Amazon: (UK) (US)

6 comments:

Judie said...

Sounds like a story my g-kids would enjoy.

C D Meetens said...

It was a great adventure following Kat's antics. There's a second book continuing her story too.

whispering words said...

I absolutly loved this book! I'm glad you enjoyed it too, Kat was such a fantastic character, highly looking forward to reading the sequel :)

Mina Burrows said...

Great review. This book sounds so adorable. This will go on my TBR pile. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Hi there,
I am just hopping over from the PIF blogfest, I'm sorry it's taken me so long. So many to get around. Anyway hope you are well. Your blog is great.
Eve :)

C D Meetens said...

whispering words: I was fortunate enough to get an ARC of the sequel ("A Tangle of Magicks" in the UK). Another great Kat adventure!

Mina: Glad I could help. I love finding books this way. A lot of reviews have convinced me to read a book I would never have heard of otherwise.

Eve: Hi *waves*. Thanks for visiting :).

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