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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
This took me forever to read because it's getting dark out early and I lose motivation to do anything except for eat and sleep. I'm pretty sure humans should evolve to hibernate in the winter. That being said, this book was great and even better than the first in the series. Looking forward to reading the final book!
Jane Austen meets magic, meets murder mystery. It was a good read.
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don't even know where to start, the journey was so enviable that I almost wished I could have been Reardon or Walker just so I could travel alongside them. Of course, what I wouldn't give to have been Lady Katherine of Schofield!
There's nothing like hearing the travels of four people of good standing in two different voices; while Kate and Cecy have some similarities, the way they tell their own accounts are so different in style that it's refreshing. Still, I do seem to appreciate Kate's voice more than Cecy's; mostly because she appears to be the more passionate and romantic. Of course, Cecy's own passions are shown rather differently, because in the end, she's probably more of who I should have identified more with--not because of the sorcery, mind. But there's no contest when Lady Schofield and a goat can make you laugh out loud.
I enjoyed certain bits of The Grand Tour much more than I did with Sorcery and Cecelia, especially the exchanges between Thomas and James, and then Thomas and Kate. Yes, clearly I am biased towards Lord Schofield. The plot itself went a bit more slowly than in Sorcery and Cecelia, but I didn't really mind so much because of the frequent change in scenery. Once they hit Venice and then Rome, it was even harder to put down, I could imagine the sights so vividly, and by then I was already wishing to go back!
There's nothing like hearing the travels of four people of good standing in two different voices; while Kate and Cecy have some similarities, the way they tell their own accounts are so different in style that it's refreshing. Still, I do seem to appreciate Kate's voice more than Cecy's; mostly because she appears to be the more passionate and romantic. Of course, Cecy's own passions are shown rather differently, because in the end, she's probably more of who I should have identified more with--not because of the sorcery, mind. But there's no contest when Lady Schofield and a goat can make you laugh out loud.
I enjoyed certain bits of The Grand Tour much more than I did with Sorcery and Cecelia, especially the exchanges between Thomas and James, and then Thomas and Kate. Yes, clearly I am biased towards Lord Schofield. The plot itself went a bit more slowly than in Sorcery and Cecelia, but I didn't really mind so much because of the frequent change in scenery. Once they hit Venice and then Rome, it was even harder to put down, I could imagine the sights so vividly, and by then I was already wishing to go back!
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-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
A surprisingly sharp decline in quality compared to the first. Unfortunately, this one lacks much of the energy and fun of the first. Instead of getting the feeling that the authors had a good time writing this book, it feels more like they dutifully slogged through the whole thing.
The overall tone was fairly bland and the plot was pretty lackluster. There's probably a lot of little details I could complain about, like the way viewpoints switched back and forth several times in a single scene, or the fact that the cousins' adorable friendship seems to have disappeared.
But my main issue was that this book was insanely confusing. Like many other reviewers mentioned, I found myself completely incapable of telling the two couples apart. Pretty much any shred of personality anyone had was gone and every time one of the girls interacted with a man, I had to mentally stop and remember whether she was talking to her husband or her cousin-in-law. And the authors kept having each girl go off on adventures with her cousin-in-law, which I'd only realize at the end of the chapter when the dude shook her hand, said "jolly good show," and sent her off to kiss his best friend.
I don't know how the authors managed to make it so confusing. I read books where there's 20 different elven characters with made-up, 12-syllable long names that all end with "zar", but nothing has confounded me as much as two Regency girls married to two English fellows. The only distinguishing trait between the girls was that one had magic and one was clumsy, but then the girl with magic was getting into clumsy mishaps and the clumsy girl might have magic after all. And then the two men were completely interchangeable. One had magic and one didn't, but somehow, they still had the same personalities and did the same exact things constantly.
I almost recommend reading this just for the novel experience of being incredibly baffled by something that should be so simple.
The overall tone was fairly bland and the plot was pretty lackluster. There's probably a lot of little details I could complain about, like the way viewpoints switched back and forth several times in a single scene, or the fact that the cousins' adorable friendship seems to have disappeared.
But my main issue was that this book was insanely confusing. Like many other reviewers mentioned, I found myself completely incapable of telling the two couples apart. Pretty much any shred of personality anyone had was gone and every time one of the girls interacted with a man, I had to mentally stop and remember whether she was talking to her husband or her cousin-in-law. And the authors kept having each girl go off on adventures with her cousin-in-law, which I'd only realize at the end of the chapter when the dude shook her hand, said "jolly good show," and sent her off to kiss his best friend.
I don't know how the authors managed to make it so confusing. I read books where there's 20 different elven characters with made-up, 12-syllable long names that all end with "zar", but nothing has confounded me as much as two Regency girls married to two English fellows. The only distinguishing trait between the girls was that one had magic and one was clumsy, but then the girl with magic was getting into clumsy mishaps and the clumsy girl might have magic after all. And then the two men were completely interchangeable. One had magic and one didn't, but somehow, they still had the same personalities and did the same exact things constantly.
I almost recommend reading this just for the novel experience of being incredibly baffled by something that should be so simple.
Originally published in 1988, I first read Sorcery and Cecelia after its re-release in 2004. Happily, that meant I didn't have quite as long a wait for a sequel as Kate and Cecy's original fans. Released in 2006, The Grand Tour or The Purloined Coronation Regalia picks up shortly after the end of Sorcery and Cecelia with both cousins newly married and beginning their honeymoons with an English tradition known aptly as the grand tour during which they plan to travel through the great cities of Europe. Like its prequel, this novel also has an extended title to offer further enlightenment as to what the story will actually relate. That title is: Being a Revelation of Matters of High Confidentiality and Greatest Importance, Including Extracts from the Intimate Diary of a Noblewoman and the Sworn Testimony of a Lady of Quality.
While the plot of this novel does stand alone, I don't recommend reading this book before the first in the series because it just isn't as fun that way. Part of the great thing about these books is watching the girls grow and tracing the relationships between the characters--things that are harder to do without reading the books in order.
(That said, a quick recap: The happily married couples are Kate and Thomas Schofield, Cecy and James Tarleton. My favorite couple is Cecelia and James. Thomas is a wizard, and Cecy is just realizing that she also has a magical aptitude. These novels are written with a variation of the Letter Game. Patricia C. Wrede is Cecelia and Caroline Stevermer is Kate.)
Instead of being written in alternating letters, this volume alternates between excerpts from Cecelia's deposition to the Joint Representatives of the British Ministry of Magic, the War Office, and the Foreign office; and excerpts from Kate's . Joining the couples on part of their wedding(s) journey is Lady Sylvia, another wizard of note in England (and Thomas' mother).
Expecting a leisurely honeymoon, and the chance to purchase proper bride clothes and secure the services of maids, both Cecelia and Kate are dismayed when their quiet grand tour turns into nothing less than a race to prevent an international conspiracy of Napoleanic proportions. As the couples tour Europe's great antiquities--and meet their fair share of unique tourists--the young women, and their husbands, begin to piece together a plot the likes of which no one could have previously imagined.
Like Sorcery and Cecelia this novel once again serves as a lovely homage to Jane Austen. The pacing and tone of The Grand Tour is again reminiscent of Austen's work (or George Eliot's for that matter). Nonetheless, some of the plot did seem more difficult to follow than, say, the first book in this series though the problem was remedied with back-reading. I love these characters unconditionally, in a way I rarely love book characters. Artless, charming, and profoundly entertaining, both Cecelia and Kate are first-rate characters in a first-rate fantasy series.
While the plot of this novel does stand alone, I don't recommend reading this book before the first in the series because it just isn't as fun that way. Part of the great thing about these books is watching the girls grow and tracing the relationships between the characters--things that are harder to do without reading the books in order.
(That said, a quick recap: The happily married couples are Kate and Thomas Schofield, Cecy and James Tarleton. My favorite couple is Cecelia and James. Thomas is a wizard, and Cecy is just realizing that she also has a magical aptitude. These novels are written with a variation of the Letter Game. Patricia C. Wrede is Cecelia and Caroline Stevermer is Kate.)
Instead of being written in alternating letters, this volume alternates between excerpts from Cecelia's deposition to the Joint Representatives of the British Ministry of Magic, the War Office, and the Foreign office; and excerpts from Kate's . Joining the couples on part of their wedding(s) journey is Lady Sylvia, another wizard of note in England (and Thomas' mother).
Expecting a leisurely honeymoon, and the chance to purchase proper bride clothes and secure the services of maids, both Cecelia and Kate are dismayed when their quiet grand tour turns into nothing less than a race to prevent an international conspiracy of Napoleanic proportions. As the couples tour Europe's great antiquities--and meet their fair share of unique tourists--the young women, and their husbands, begin to piece together a plot the likes of which no one could have previously imagined.
Like Sorcery and Cecelia this novel once again serves as a lovely homage to Jane Austen. The pacing and tone of The Grand Tour is again reminiscent of Austen's work (or George Eliot's for that matter). Nonetheless, some of the plot did seem more difficult to follow than, say, the first book in this series though the problem was remedied with back-reading. I love these characters unconditionally, in a way I rarely love book characters. Artless, charming, and profoundly entertaining, both Cecelia and Kate are first-rate characters in a first-rate fantasy series.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced