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teresaod's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
lizella's review
3.0
This book falls soundly into the “YA” category. The writing is full of bumbling near misses and dramatic reveals to mysteries, giving it a BritCom flavor. The additional element of magic adds a twist.
literary_heather's review
2.0
Book one: Not enough romance! Found it slightly confusing because of the number of characters, but it was a good quick read. Ending felt rushed.
Book two: Again, not enough romance, but more than in the first. Ending was really rushed, but it was a quick read as well.
Book two: Again, not enough romance, but more than in the first. Ending was really rushed, but it was a quick read as well.
raeanne's review
4.0
Book One:
* Loved Kim. The magician and Hunch grew me. Their interactions were funny.
* Lots of parties involved. Reminds me of some old or classic comedies, all running into each other flopping all over the place like salmon up river.
* Fun learning along Kim to spot differences in posh and slang, magic, and acting.
* Kim was so relatable and I could feel her fear and desperation.
Book Two:
* Even better. Glad to see Kim grow. Marielon acted like an ass for most of it but shows how wrapped up in Kim's narration I was.
* Great twisting mystery.
* Very surprising twist plot, character and romance wise.
* Dawwwww at the ending.
* Loved Ignor more.
I picked this up for the cover, it's so pretty, especially the dress. But the hint of magic is what I was really looking forward to reading it. I did not know it was a regency romance. Not only was it not on my radar, romance typically isn't my genre without being wrapped up in other genres as a side plot.
On its own, no single aspect stands out above the rest except for Kim. Everything is pretty standard but I love how it's done and it comes together.
I also didn't find Kim's cant annoying, just took a bit to get used to is all.
* Loved Kim. The magician and Hunch grew me. Their interactions were funny.
* Lots of parties involved. Reminds me of some old or classic comedies, all running into each other flopping all over the place like salmon up river.
* Fun learning along Kim to spot differences in posh and slang, magic, and acting.
* Kim was so relatable and I could feel her fear and desperation.
Book Two:
* Even better. Glad to see Kim grow. Marielon acted like an ass for most of it but shows how wrapped up in Kim's narration I was.
* Great twisting mystery.
* Very surprising twist plot, character and romance wise.
* Dawwwww at the ending.
* Loved Ignor more.
I picked this up for the cover, it's so pretty, especially the dress. But the hint of magic is what I was really looking forward to reading it. I did not know it was a regency romance. Not only was it not on my radar, romance typically isn't my genre without being wrapped up in other genres as a side plot.
On its own, no single aspect stands out above the rest except for Kim. Everything is pretty standard but I love how it's done and it comes together.
I also didn't find Kim's cant annoying, just took a bit to get used to is all.
eternallyunsatisfied's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
kricketa's review
4.0
a volume combining "mairelon the magician" and "the magician's ward." i found it to be a bit of a mixed bag from book to book-
mairelon the magician: kim is a street thief who passes as a boy to protect herself. she is hired to break into a street magician's wagon, discover if he owns a particular bowl, and report back. the titular magician, mairelon, catches her in the act and convinces her to work as his apprentice after falsely reporting that he doesn't have the bowl. from there, kim helps him discover just how many people in london are after this bowl and complicated hijinks ensue. it was a fun read, but there were far too many characters to keep straight- all the druids and various lords who wanted aforesaid bowl for a variety of reasons. it was confusing and dragged along endlessly. so 3 stars.
the magician's ward: i enjoyed much more, hence the 4 star rating. mairelon has adopted kim and is teaching her to hone her natural skills as a wizard. his upper-class family is pressuring kim to become a lady and participate in the london season, with hilarious results. meanwhile, trouble is afoot among the magical community, and mairelon is in danger. plus, kim is falling in love. the added romance, fewer characters, and backdrop of balls and parties really made it for me, so i'm glad i continued onto the second half.
mairelon the magician: kim is a street thief who passes as a boy to protect herself. she is hired to break into a street magician's wagon, discover if he owns a particular bowl, and report back. the titular magician, mairelon, catches her in the act and convinces her to work as his apprentice after falsely reporting that he doesn't have the bowl. from there, kim helps him discover just how many people in london are after this bowl and complicated hijinks ensue. it was a fun read, but there were far too many characters to keep straight- all the druids and various lords who wanted aforesaid bowl for a variety of reasons. it was confusing and dragged along endlessly. so 3 stars.
the magician's ward: i enjoyed much more, hence the 4 star rating. mairelon has adopted kim and is teaching her to hone her natural skills as a wizard. his upper-class family is pressuring kim to become a lady and participate in the london season, with hilarious results. meanwhile, trouble is afoot among the magical community, and mairelon is in danger. plus, kim is falling in love. the added romance, fewer characters, and backdrop of balls and parties really made it for me, so i'm glad i continued onto the second half.
sandst's review
2.0
First book was incredibly horrid. Too many conversations, random characters that you can't seem to keep up with, and very little character development. Second book was much more bearable, fortunately.
shomarq's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
raadelma's review
4.0
Actual rating: 3.5. stars maybe? Someone described this duology as 'Diana Wynne Jones meets Georgette Heyer', which sounds very accurate to me. A Matter of Magic is charming and whimsical and a bit chaotic. I adored the characters and the atmosphere and the setting (Regency London with magicians), but plot-wise it could have been better, especially the first book.
caedocyon's review
4.0
3.5 stars; rounding to 4 for nostalgia.
I didn't realize until I read the back of this edition that it's technically a Regency romance. It is, but the romance takes a backseat to the more interesting stuff, like magic and mystery.
Many thoughts about Kim's easy acceptance that there's nothing to be done about systematic poverty. And then there's the argument that magic is often deployed in fantasy in classist ways---the first book definitely has this, but does the second one manage to subvert it? I would have been interested to know more about how the poorer wizards operated, their teachers and their social sphere.
I'm a sucker for anything that mentions Jews, especially historically, and I like the idea that Mairelon sketches. Unfortunately, I don't think it's accurate to say that they would have spoken Hebrew fluently, especially not classical Hebrew---it didn't begin to be revived as a spoken language until towards the end of the 19th century. That raises some questions about whether Ladino, Yiddish, and the local approximation of Hebrew are close enough to the written form, and whether Greek wizards have the same problem or if classical and modern Greek are also different enough.
Also, I did not understand when I was 13 how weird it is that Kim keeps calling him Mairelon even after she knows better.
I didn't realize until I read the back of this edition that it's technically a Regency romance. It is, but the romance takes a backseat to the more interesting stuff, like magic and mystery.
Many thoughts about Kim's easy acceptance that there's nothing to be done about systematic poverty. And then there's the argument that magic is often deployed in fantasy in classist ways---the first book definitely has this
Spoiler
when Kim's ticket out of poverty is her inborn talentI'm a sucker for anything that mentions Jews, especially historically, and I like the idea that Mairelon sketches. Unfortunately, I don't think it's accurate to say that they would have spoken Hebrew fluently, especially not classical Hebrew---it didn't begin to be revived as a spoken language until towards the end of the 19th century. That raises some questions about whether Ladino, Yiddish, and the local approximation of Hebrew are close enough to the written form, and whether Greek wizards have the same problem or if classical and modern Greek are also different enough.
Also, I did not understand when I was 13 how weird it is that Kim keeps calling him Mairelon even after she knows better.