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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
sarahd747's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoy Mary Hooper’s writing. She has such a subtle way of weaving historical facts into the storyline, immersing the reader so completely into the time period that I can’t help but fall in love with her books. With this story set within the household of John Dee, Elizabeth the first’s famed court magician, ‘By Royal Command’ is a sweet read full of magical deceptions, court gossip and dark intrigue.
In this second instalment of the trilogy, we see Lucy settling into her new life as nurse maid to Dr Dee’s daughters. But as she is starting to learn, nothing stays normal for long within the house of John Dee. With ghostly cries coming from under the floorboards and plots to overthrow the queen lurking around every corner, Lucy must put her spying skills to the test and accept her own unique powers if she is to be of help to England’s queen…
The descriptions in this story are so beautiful, the frost fair on the Thames, the courtly dresses and festivities, all of them written with such detail that I could easily imagine myself there at that place and time.
However while I thought the plot was a little slow paced and slightly anti-climatic, the characters were all very intriguing. Every one of them having their own motives and secrets – especially the queen’s fool Tomas. I think this book brought him and Lucy a little bit closer but he is still quite an elusive character. I’m really looking forward to seeing how their relationship develops in the next and final book of the trilogy.
So overall, I thought By Royal Command read as a sweet, filler-sort of novel – although it could quite easily be read as a standalone – that truly brings the time period to life. I can easily recommend it to all fans of YA historical fiction.
3 stars!
In this second instalment of the trilogy, we see Lucy settling into her new life as nurse maid to Dr Dee’s daughters. But as she is starting to learn, nothing stays normal for long within the house of John Dee. With ghostly cries coming from under the floorboards and plots to overthrow the queen lurking around every corner, Lucy must put her spying skills to the test and accept her own unique powers if she is to be of help to England’s queen…
The descriptions in this story are so beautiful, the frost fair on the Thames, the courtly dresses and festivities, all of them written with such detail that I could easily imagine myself there at that place and time.
However while I thought the plot was a little slow paced and slightly anti-climatic, the characters were all very intriguing. Every one of them having their own motives and secrets – especially the queen’s fool Tomas. I think this book brought him and Lucy a little bit closer but he is still quite an elusive character. I’m really looking forward to seeing how their relationship develops in the next and final book of the trilogy.
So overall, I thought By Royal Command read as a sweet, filler-sort of novel – although it could quite easily be read as a standalone – that truly brings the time period to life. I can easily recommend it to all fans of YA historical fiction.
3 stars!
goldenreading's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
crazysecondname's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.25
war schon ne gute fortsetzung aber es wäre besser gewesen hätte ich es damals mit 14 gelesen wie den ersten teil
aber trotzdem hatte ich spaß dabei und mal sehen was der dritte teil bringt
aber trotzdem hatte ich spaß dabei und mal sehen was der dritte teil bringt
ellaliest's review against another edition
4.0
Mary Hooper gehört für mich eindeutig zu der Kategorie Lieblingsautoren. Ich habe mich als Teenager in ihren Schreibstil verliebt und hatte bisher mit jedem ihrer Bücher unglaubliche Momente. Die Trilogie rund um das Haus des Zauberers ist absolut lesenswert.
glrreid's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
jessschira's review
3.0
Even though I really enjoyed Hooper’s In the House of the Magician, I had a difficult time warming up to the main character, Lucy, she just didn’t do anything with me. What I did like was the plot and the snippets of history that Hooper mixed into the story. Best of all, the story featured Tomas, the jester, I love jesters.
By Royal Command is the second book in the trilogy. This time around, I found that I really enjoyed Lucy which was good because this book had some flaws that kind of irritated. I don’t understand the point of Lucy discovering that Dee had a girl stashed in his basement. It seemed like Hooper made a big deal of this in the beginning of the book, and then never bothered to use it. I’m hoping that things might be clearer after I’ve read the final book in the series.
I can’t shake the feeling that Hooper missed out on an excellent opportunity to create a very interesting love triangle and potential conflict by not creating any romantic possibility between the tutor and Lucy. I think it would have been interesting to see how that would have changed the story.
Even though I liked Lucy and enjoyed the historical insight, I feel that By Royal Command fell into the trap that so many second books in series fall into, it’s a place holder.
While this By Royal Command can be read without first reading In the House of the Magician, I wouldn’t say that By Royal Command can be called a standalone title. It simply doesn’t have enough of a plot to really capture the attention.
By Royal Command is the second book in the trilogy. This time around, I found that I really enjoyed Lucy which was good because this book had some flaws that kind of irritated. I don’t understand the point of Lucy discovering that Dee had a girl stashed in his basement. It seemed like Hooper made a big deal of this in the beginning of the book, and then never bothered to use it. I’m hoping that things might be clearer after I’ve read the final book in the series.
I can’t shake the feeling that Hooper missed out on an excellent opportunity to create a very interesting love triangle and potential conflict by not creating any romantic possibility between the tutor and Lucy. I think it would have been interesting to see how that would have changed the story.
Even though I liked Lucy and enjoyed the historical insight, I feel that By Royal Command fell into the trap that so many second books in series fall into, it’s a place holder.
While this By Royal Command can be read without first reading In the House of the Magician, I wouldn’t say that By Royal Command can be called a standalone title. It simply doesn’t have enough of a plot to really capture the attention.