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achingallover's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, and Slavery
n_asyikin_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
A diverse historical fantasy that was full of wit & intrigue. The magical elements were fascinating, & the journey made more joyful due to the strong, easily beloved characters which made the story memorable.
The aspect to the book that resounds with me most is how it incorporated & addressed issues of racism, sexism & colonialism into the story; something I thought tended to be overlooked in magical realism, especially those told primarily through the White Western lens. In a sense, Cho definitely attempted to move away from that despite the book being set in Regency Britain.
Moreover, I thought that the exploration of the social dynamics were done in a nuanced way, showing & contrasting the experiences of our various key characters with differing backgrounds.
The thematic exploration wasn't necessarily heavy-handed. In fact, I thought one of the highlights of the book was how it showed different approaches to the practice & knowledge of magic, told through the Malayan witch Mak Genggang, the Chinese Sorcerer Hsiang, & even the brief appearance of Prunella's mother, the Grand Sorceress of Seringapatam. . This depiction made for a refreshing story.
One story arc I thought deserving of attention was the dynamics shared between Zacharias & his guardian, Stephen. It depicted the possible conflicts which may arise with being a part of a multicultural family, with Stephen's seeming tendency to overlook the harrassment Zacharias faced in a racist society, not to mention their opposing views on colonialism. . The love-frustration felt genuine; the complexity depicted rather subtle.
Cho has a way to surprise you with unexpected poignancy. A lot of the conflicts arising from the intersectional influences of their identities tend to resolve in a quiet manner. This is especially true when it came to Zacharias.
Being that I am not of African descent, my comment relating to his depictions is limited. Zacharias tended to be equanimous in his approach. Although his wisdom & compassion were admirable, I thought he deserved to be just as revolutionary as Prunella was. But I assessed that Zacharias' composure may derived in response to stereotype threat/anxiety; in order not to fulfil others' prejudices of him, he refrained from more explosive pronouncement. But that is not to say he wasn't revolutionary at all. In fact, he was the catalyst to a lot of significant changes.
I was, however, still quite concerned by the sort of hardship he was subjected to via his self-sacrifising tendency; his was much more violent in contrast to Prunella. It brought into mind Thomas' commentary (in The Dark Fantastic, 2019) on how Black characters tend to be brutalized for a mean to an end. I guess I was hoping for more verve & better resolution to the injustices Zacharias himself was subjected to. Also, at times, I felt that his power was restrained while Prunella & Mak Genggang appeared bold & unstoppable. That disappointed me a bit as it felt as if Zacharias' capacity, as someone in a position of power, was undermined. Though I did understand that he might've acted as the voice-of-reason (& compassion) in the story, but again, as I said, I was hoping for more when it came to this plotline (i.e., the racism a Black sorcerer face).
Despite that, the story is primarily lighthearted. Some of the scenes made me laugh out loud, particularly the dramatics our MCs engaged in to defend themselves against the antagonists; the disregard towards the oppressors, & the unforgiving (sometimes even careless) way they dealt with them were rousing to me, as a reader. This is especially true with our two powerful leading ladies, Prunella & Mak Genggang. The way that they played into the sexist system just screamed liberating!
Although there were times where the plot felt draggy, in general, the elements to the world & its characters will keep your interest. I know for a fact that I will never forget Zacharias, Prunella & Mak Genggang. The Sorcerer to the Crown is memorable & colourful with its celebration of multiculturalism. I highly recommend giving this a read!
The aspect to the book that resounds with me most is how it incorporated & addressed issues of racism, sexism & colonialism into the story; something I thought tended to be overlooked in magical realism, especially those told primarily through the White Western lens. In a sense, Cho definitely attempted to move away from that despite the book being set in Regency Britain.
Moreover, I thought that the exploration of the social dynamics were done in a nuanced way, showing & contrasting the experiences of our various key characters with differing backgrounds.
The thematic exploration wasn't necessarily heavy-handed. In fact, I thought one of the highlights of the book was how it showed different approaches to the practice & knowledge of magic, told through the Malayan witch Mak Genggang, the Chinese Sorcerer Hsiang, & even the brief appearance of Prunella's mother,
One story arc I thought deserving of attention was the dynamics shared between Zacharias & his guardian, Stephen. It depicted the possible conflicts which may arise with being a part of a multicultural family,
Cho has a way to surprise you with unexpected poignancy. A lot of the conflicts arising from the intersectional influences of their identities tend to resolve in a quiet manner. This is especially true when it came to Zacharias.
Being that I am not of African descent, my comment relating to his depictions is limited. Zacharias tended to be equanimous in his approach. Although his wisdom & compassion were admirable, I thought he deserved to be just as revolutionary as Prunella was. But I assessed that Zacharias' composure may derived in response to stereotype threat/anxiety; in order not to fulfil others' prejudices of him, he refrained from more explosive pronouncement. But that is not to say he wasn't revolutionary at all. In fact, he was the catalyst to a lot of significant changes.
I was, however, still quite concerned by the sort of hardship he was subjected to via his self-sacrifising tendency; his was much more violent in contrast to Prunella. It brought into mind Thomas' commentary (in The Dark Fantastic, 2019) on how Black characters tend to be brutalized for a mean to an end. I guess I was hoping for more verve & better resolution to the injustices Zacharias himself was subjected to. Also, at times, I felt that his power was restrained while Prunella & Mak Genggang appeared bold & unstoppable. That disappointed me a bit as it felt as if Zacharias' capacity, as someone in a position of power, was undermined. Though I did understand that he might've acted as the voice-of-reason (& compassion) in the story, but again, as I said, I was hoping for more when it came to this plotline (i.e., the racism a Black sorcerer face).
Despite that, the story is primarily lighthearted. Some of the scenes made me laugh out loud, particularly the dramatics our MCs engaged in to defend themselves against the antagonists; the disregard towards the oppressors, & the unforgiving (sometimes even careless) way they dealt with them were rousing to me, as a reader. This is especially true with our two powerful leading ladies, Prunella & Mak Genggang. The way that they played into the sexist system just screamed liberating!
Although there were times where the plot felt draggy, in general, the elements to the world & its characters will keep your interest. I know for a fact that I will never forget Zacharias, Prunella & Mak Genggang. The Sorcerer to the Crown is memorable & colourful with its celebration of multiculturalism. I highly recommend giving this a read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, and Sexism
Moderate: Blood and Death
Minor: Slavery
katieg's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I didn't like this book. I will say that the premise was intriguing a fantasy historical romance has opportunity for a lot of interesting developments and I love to see two powerful characters of color at the center. I think a lot of people will enjoy this book, there are certainly aspects of the plot that are fun and entertaining, and I've heard others say that they found the book very funny, even if I did it.
My main critique of the book is that it doesn't really seem to know what genre it is existing in. I would say the plot mostly follows fantasy conventions, there is nothing of a typical romance plot or typical historical romance tropes. I'm primarily a fantasy reader, but I went into this expecting more of a romance, which was tremendously underdeveloped. The characters worked well enough as friends, but they never had any chemistry (also a note that the book remains very PG) there's nothing wrong with the romance being a side-plot, but that was not how it was marketed to me. I also felt that the plot was not well balanced. It felt very choppy in that conflicts would arise, and be solved only for a new conflict to arise. It never felt like there was a steady progression towards any type of conflict, although that may be due to the fact that I was able to predict a majority of the plot points, so the story lacked tension. The red herrings in this were not well placed. In the book's genre confusion, I felt that the tone was inconsistent. At times it felt purposefully campy in its absurdity and aware of it, other times it was completely sincere even in its most outlandish moments, and then there were moments of genuine heartfulness, especially when Zacharias was remembering his childhood. I wasn't sure while I was reading if I was supposed to be taking the book seriously or not, because the book didn't seem to know either.
The heroine in the book was also inconsistent. I really liked her in the first half, her strength in her motivations was great but it was nice to see moments of insecurity too. She felt like an entirely different character for the later half of the book, and I think that was due to the fewer number of chapters in her POV. Her character grew to be too bombastic in a way that was inconsistent with the tone and the rest of the characters, none of her 'emotional' moments landed in the third act because they either weren't from her POV or they were brushed aside too quickly. She started out with depth but lost it, which made her arrogance feel unearned despite the amount of power she held by the end. In comparison I loved Zacharias, he had complex relationships and feelings with his mentor and mother figure which I enjoyed. I enjoy reading level-headed characters like him, but also appreciated his moments of feeling. He's what kept me reading this.
Overall this book just didn't land for me. It struggled while juggling so many plot points, and I won't be reading the sequel.
My main critique of the book is that it doesn't really seem to know what genre it is existing in. I would say the plot mostly follows fantasy conventions, there is nothing of a typical romance plot or typical historical romance tropes. I'm primarily a fantasy reader, but I went into this expecting more of a romance, which was tremendously underdeveloped. The characters worked well enough as friends, but they never had any chemistry (also a note that the book remains very PG) there's nothing wrong with the romance being a side-plot, but that was not how it was marketed to me. I also felt that the plot was not well balanced. It felt very choppy in that conflicts would arise, and be solved only for a new conflict to arise. It never felt like there was a steady progression towards any type of conflict, although that may be due to the fact that I was able to predict a majority of the plot points, so the story lacked tension. The red herrings in this were not well placed. In the book's genre confusion, I felt that the tone was inconsistent. At times it felt purposefully campy in its absurdity and aware of it, other times it was completely sincere even in its most outlandish moments, and then there were moments of genuine heartfulness, especially when Zacharias was remembering his childhood. I wasn't sure while I was reading if I was supposed to be taking the book seriously or not, because the book didn't seem to know either.
The heroine in the book was also inconsistent. I really liked her in the first half, her strength in her motivations was great but it was nice to see moments of insecurity too. She felt like an entirely different character for the later half of the book, and I think that was due to the fewer number of chapters in her POV. Her character grew to be too bombastic in a way that was inconsistent with the tone and the rest of the characters, none of her 'emotional' moments landed in the third act because they either weren't from her POV or they were brushed aside too quickly. She started out with depth but lost it, which made her arrogance feel unearned despite the amount of power she held by the end. In comparison I loved Zacharias, he had complex relationships and feelings with his mentor and mother figure which I enjoyed. I enjoy reading level-headed characters like him, but also appreciated his moments of feeling. He's what kept me reading this.
Overall this book just didn't land for me. It struggled while juggling so many plot points, and I won't be reading the sequel.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Misogyny
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