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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
Solid 4.5 from me! I loved Sorcerer to the Crown and have been eagerly waiting for the follow up. It took me a bit longer to get hooked into this book than the first one, but once I did I enjoyed it just as thoroughly. (I think it just took me a little bit to adjust to the Wythes being side characters since I reread the first book right before starting this one).
I loved seeing more of Fairy, coming to understand the arrangement between Damerell and Rollo better, piecing together what was going on with Muna and Sakti, and seeing Henrietta come into her own! I expected her to admit an unrequited love for Prunella (maybe because I am a lesbian, I took her saying she didn't want to marry any gentleman quite literally the first time she said it). But I am much happier that she is interested in Muna, so she can be happy too! And I am into marriages of convenience that are convenient for all parties, so I love that the arrangement at the end also allows Damerell and Rollo to continue on as they have.
I'm also glad Clarissa wasn't really the villain, as one thing I don't like is when members of the same family are all the antagonists throughout a series. It just starts to become predictable whenever one of their family pops up. So I liked that she was kind of an unwitting accomplice who had her own agenda but wasn't really involved.
I hope there will be more books in this series because I am hooked. Cho's writing is so great, and the world she's building keeps getting more and more interesting.
I loved seeing more of Fairy, coming to understand the arrangement between Damerell and Rollo better, piecing together what was going on with Muna and Sakti, and seeing Henrietta come into her own! I expected her to admit an unrequited love for Prunella (maybe because I am a lesbian, I took her saying she didn't want to marry any gentleman quite literally the first time she said it). But I am much happier that she is interested in Muna, so she can be happy too! And I am into marriages of convenience that are convenient for all parties, so I love that the arrangement at the end also allows Damerell and Rollo to continue on as they have.
I'm also glad Clarissa wasn't really the villain, as one thing I don't like is when members of the same family are all the antagonists throughout a series. It just starts to become predictable whenever one of their family pops up. So I liked that she was kind of an unwitting accomplice who had her own agenda but wasn't really involved.
I hope there will be more books in this series because I am hooked. Cho's writing is so great, and the world she's building keeps getting more and more interesting.
I loved this. Loveddddd.
If I'm honest, I may even like it better than the first. So, my dearest Zen Cho, not to worry. (This is worthwhile reading: https://zencho.org/how-to-write-second-book/)
If I'm honest, I may even like it better than the first. So, my dearest Zen Cho, not to worry. (This is worthwhile reading: https://zencho.org/how-to-write-second-book/)
I liked it! The restrained tone was, at times, a bit tooooo restrained; I was never bored, but I also didn't feel as much tension or urgency as I would have liked. Muna is a great character, and seeing more and more of Henrietta (and her sisters!) was a lovely surprise! (and the dragons - they were rad!) I also appreciated seeing Prunella from a new perspective, where she is not always a heroine (Zacharias and her underlings must have their hands full with cleaning up some of her messes!)
And Cho does something I'm appreciating more and more in books - she writes a convincing familial relationship where sometimes, siblings don't get along, or one has some, uh, glaring faults, but there is still a deep love (I'm thinking of Bear and the Nightingale here, as well).
I hope Cho keeps writing - she brings a much-needed energy and style to the genre, and even if this book wasn't my favourite, I'm looking forward to what she does next!
And Cho does something I'm appreciating more and more in books - she writes a convincing familial relationship where sometimes, siblings don't get along, or one has some, uh, glaring faults, but there is still a deep love (I'm thinking of Bear and the Nightingale here, as well).
I hope Cho keeps writing - she brings a much-needed energy and style to the genre, and even if this book wasn't my favourite, I'm looking forward to what she does next!
Pretty short and light, but fun. Kind of like a Regency romance in some ways, but with neat magic and more diverse characters
More fun adventure in Zen Cho's world of the Sorcerer Royale! I enjoyed getting to learn more about characters introduced in the first book, and meeting new ones. Cho crafts characters so well that the story appears to effortlessly fall into place around them.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
TL;DR: A queerer and wackier standalone sequel that fills the same niche of playful historical fantasy
The followup to Sorcerer to the Crown is equally sweet, and at points even better, with delightful humour when it leans into being wacky. The addition of central queerness strengthens the series' focus on diversity, with the romance cute if fairly background. It's still quite plot driven - although it covers issues of empire and social position, it doesn't explore them as much as I would like. Personally, I'm a lot less hooked by the actual twists and turns of the plot than the weirdness of the world and characters. If Zen Cho returns to this setting again, I'd love to see a deep dive into the bizarre workings of the supernatural societies here. But the two existing books make a charming pair, each with their own strengths.
8/10 in personal rating system
The followup to Sorcerer to the Crown is equally sweet, and at points even better, with delightful humour when it leans into being wacky. The addition of central queerness strengthens the series' focus on diversity, with the romance cute if fairly background. It's still quite plot driven - although it covers issues of empire and social position, it doesn't explore them as much as I would like. Personally, I'm a lot less hooked by the actual twists and turns of the plot than the weirdness of the world and characters. If Zen Cho returns to this setting again, I'd love to see a deep dive into the bizarre workings of the supernatural societies here. But the two existing books make a charming pair, each with their own strengths.
8/10 in personal rating system
An entertaining, fun read. Took me a bit to finish due to school, but when I was reading it I was pretty well hooked. It does a good job of addressing the issues with British Imperialism and the colonization of India without fully focusing on it; I really like how Cho included the history in general. The writing was a bit weird--Cho was clearly trying to emulate the language and voice of the time period it's written in, but it came off as a bit forced and awkward.
Slight spoiler ahead.
The ending was gay as hell and I am here for it. It wasn't overtly put in the rest of the book, and Cho easily could have not gone there, but I'm so glad she did. Other authors would've been way too cowardly to do it.
Slight spoiler ahead.
The ending was gay as hell and I am here for it. It wasn't overtly put in the rest of the book, and Cho easily could have not gone there, but I'm so glad she did. Other authors would've been way too cowardly to do it.
Very fun! I enjoyed it more than the first, I think, partly because I found the main character more engaging and sympathetic than Prunella, and partly because we spent more time outside of Regency England. I enjoyed those parts too, but Cho’s writing really shines when it’s not as constrained by that particular flavor of society.
I wish I could like this book, but it’s just not happening. The “plot twist” was dreadfully obvious from the first pages - unlike the romance, that springs into being on the last few pages and seems wholly undeserved. I really wanted a richly magical wlw-centered story, and this was not it.
Read on the plane. Just as enjoyable as Sorcerer to the Crown but it can’t quite stand alone. Similar to themeraire series or honestly (and perhaps this comparison is too cruel) but the orbit series, the bad fantasy series I read earlier this year.
this is yet another book with a horribly chosen cover.
this is yet another book with a horribly chosen cover.