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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
I really wished that Stephanie Burgis's Snowspelled, the first volume in her The Harwood Spellbook series, had been a novel rather than a novella. For there's a lot of backstory to unpack, a broken romance to it would have been great to witness in its first bloom, and a fascinating secondary world to explore in this alternate Regency-era (I think?) fantasy story. The story opens at a winter house party where high-ranking members of the ruling Boudiccate, the all-female governing body of "Angland" (yes, in this alternate England, Bouddica beat back the Romans and established female rule in the country—how cool!) are gathering to hold an alliance ceremony with the elves. But something's not quite right in the elven court, and there's something suspicious about the unusually harsh snowstorm falling about them, too. Cassandra Harwood, though, is too busy nursing her own wounds—a broken engagement, and an embarrassingly public fall from grace (the first woman to earn a place at the all-male Great Library school, Cassandra lost all magical ability after trying to perform an overly ambitious spell)—to pay much attention to the larger goings-on that are worrying the head of her family, sister-in-law Amy, and her fellow female politicians. That is, until Cassandra inadvertently makes a promise to a troll, and must bring the human magician behind the debilitating snowstorm to the elves. Cassandra's break with her erstwhile fiancé, fellow magician Rajaram Wrexham, "the intense scholarship student form a Maratha-Anglish sailor's family" (255), is nothing that a little better communication couldn't have fixed, and the villain behind the weather plot is all too obvious. But the set-up at novella's end for the book series to follow—Cassandra will open a school for women who wish to study magic, previously restricted to men only—sounds very promising. I'll definitely be taking a look...
Favorite line:
The gentlemen, of course, were expected to remain at the table until a maid was sent to notify them that it was safe for them to join us in the parlor, meaning that the political conversations were officially finished for the night. (974)
Favorite line:
The gentlemen, of course, were expected to remain at the table until a maid was sent to notify them that it was safe for them to join us in the parlor, meaning that the political conversations were officially finished for the night. (974)
emotional
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:
Yes
Absolutely charming alterni-Regency, with different but still stiff gender expectations, characters who defy them with magical and emotional consequences, and political shenanigans. The romance was delightful, the worldbuilding was elegantly done, and honestly my only complaint was that this was only a novella. I could have spent a lot longer with all of this! (Fortunately, it's the first in a series...)
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Loved it! Almost forgot why I love Stephanie Burgis's regency-ish romances, now I need to get back to the rest of them!
Short and sweet. I bought the ebook because the author was giving dozens of copies away to anyone who asked on twitter and I thought it would be nice to help her out after that. It's exactly the kind of story you might need after a really crummy day.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Slogged my way through this one. I'm not the target audience for this second chance romance nor the misogynistic magic school system. I couldn't get drawn into the plot either because, of course, all the answers and action come at the very end without enough through the middle to keep me intrigued.
I loved this. I’m a big fan of regency novels and books with fun gender shenanigans, and I loved how this book created such an interesting world within a familiar (and usually predictable!) setting. Burgis crafts a lovely twist on gender politics and interdisciplinary studies, showing how they entwine and inform our lives, improving our communities and shedding light on injustices.
Oh and there’s magic, too. And elf-lords and trolls and magical snowstorms and intrigue and stunningly attractive scholars and wise women who break the mold of expectations.
I can’t wait for Thornbound.
Oh and there’s magic, too. And elf-lords and trolls and magical snowstorms and intrigue and stunningly attractive scholars and wise women who break the mold of expectations.
I can’t wait for Thornbound.
I really enjoyed this! A cozy yet tense novella with magic, heart-warming relationships, and a lovely romance. I’m thoroughly impressed by how much this little book manages to pack in.
lighthearted