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badseedgirl's review against another edition
3.0
Sometime a person just wants to read a story that will entertain and not tax the brain. Sorcery & Cecelia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot by Patricia Wrede & Caroline Stevermer is just such an adorable novel. The entire novel is written as correspondence between the two heroines Katherine and Cecelia. Set in a Regency England where magic is accepted skill, Kate and Cecy, as they are addressed in the letters, cousins who have been separated because Katherine is to have her “Season” in London with her sister Georgia, while Cecilia is to wait until next year. While separated both girls manage to have adventures involving magicians and gentleman callers and a magical chocolate pot. All of which has made for one of the most adorable novels I have ever read!
The funny thing is, I completely enjoyed this novel, something that shocked me because this is not exactly what I usually go for. Our heroines experience danger and adventure, but as a reader there is no real sense of urgency anywhere in the novel. You know that no matter what scrape these young women get themselves in that they will be ok in the end.
Part of the reason I enjoyed this novel so much was that although these are Regency era characters, both Kate and Cecy on several occasions confound their enemies and male companions alike with their abilities to manage and their grasp of the situations. Although they did not at first appear to me to be such, these young women are in fact strong characters, just strong characters with very good manners!
After reading the novel I was surprised to read that the authors, Ms. Wrede and Ms. Stevermer actually wrote this novel as a series of letters to each other, first as a writing exercise and then getting more and more involved. Ms. Wrede wrote the “Cecy” letters and Ms. Stevermer, “Kate”. This gave the characters distinct voices, and just added an interesting factoid to a completely satisfying novel. I am looking forward to reading the next two books in the series.
The funny thing is, I completely enjoyed this novel, something that shocked me because this is not exactly what I usually go for. Our heroines experience danger and adventure, but as a reader there is no real sense of urgency anywhere in the novel. You know that no matter what scrape these young women get themselves in that they will be ok in the end.
Part of the reason I enjoyed this novel so much was that although these are Regency era characters, both Kate and Cecy on several occasions confound their enemies and male companions alike with their abilities to manage and their grasp of the situations. Although they did not at first appear to me to be such, these young women are in fact strong characters, just strong characters with very good manners!
After reading the novel I was surprised to read that the authors, Ms. Wrede and Ms. Stevermer actually wrote this novel as a series of letters to each other, first as a writing exercise and then getting more and more involved. Ms. Wrede wrote the “Cecy” letters and Ms. Stevermer, “Kate”. This gave the characters distinct voices, and just added an interesting factoid to a completely satisfying novel. I am looking forward to reading the next two books in the series.
collectedscribbles's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.25
1yourmom1's review against another edition
5.0
This was my first exposure to a “letter book”, and it was a great experience. While it has been nearly a decade since my first time reading Sorcery and Cecilia, I have reread it with glee many times. Perhaps my nostalgia has pushed my rating above average, but I will not apologize!
Note: 0 stars for the audio version of this (and its sequels). I learned how to return an Audible book after purchasing the audio version - and if you’ve ever figured THAT process out, you will understand how desperately I wanted my money back.
Note: 0 stars for the audio version of this (and its sequels). I learned how to return an Audible book after purchasing the audio version - and if you’ve ever figured THAT process out, you will understand how desperately I wanted my money back.
kidawalker's review against another edition
3.0
For fans of Patricia C. Wrede, this is a great read. Sorcery & Cecelia came about from a game of "Persona Letters" between two very talented authors, and the resulting story is entertaining. Part of the game requires the correspondents not to tell the other their plans for the plot, and as the story pieces itself together it's evident that it was unplanned. Cecy and Kate are great heroines and they each have their own adventures, but the story doesn't have that perfectly orchestrated plot that I love so much in Wrede novels.
kberry513's review
5.0
I've loved this book since I first read it in middle school. Patricia C Wrede was one of my favorite authors during that time, and it is deeply satisfying to find that she is still as enchanting as she was when I was 12.
Since that time, I had forgotten that I read this and, in recent years, I have read a lot of alternate-Victorian-era/steampunk novels which are set in a version of England where magic(or werewolves/vampires etc) are real, most notably Gail Carriger's fantastic books, among others. I can't believe that I forgot this one! I also have read lots of contemporary books that tell their stories through emails/texts/etc between characters. I have to say, this is even better in comparison. I love that it started out as a letter writing game between the two authors and that they barely had to clean it up plot-wise for publishing.
Cecelia and Kate are fantastic, spunky, driven girls and I love all the side characters. I can't wait to read the other books in the series - I don't think I've read them before!
Since that time, I had forgotten that I read this and, in recent years, I have read a lot of alternate-Victorian-era/steampunk novels which are set in a version of England where magic(or werewolves/vampires etc) are real, most notably Gail Carriger's fantastic books, among others. I can't believe that I forgot this one! I also have read lots of contemporary books that tell their stories through emails/texts/etc between characters. I have to say, this is even better in comparison. I love that it started out as a letter writing game between the two authors and that they barely had to clean it up plot-wise for publishing.
Cecelia and Kate are fantastic, spunky, driven girls and I love all the side characters. I can't wait to read the other books in the series - I don't think I've read them before!
katyanaish's review against another edition
3.0
***3.5***
This was a fun book. It took me a little bit to get into the narrative style - that of letters exchanged between the 2 heroines, Cecelia and Kate - but after the first 50 or so pages I was hooked in.
I can see that a book like this would be a lot of fun to write. As a reader, there are advantages and disadvantages. I enjoyed the very distinctive voices of Cecelia and Kate, and their commentary on the events as they wrote their letters was both witty and (at times) hilarious.
The biggest drawback is that the reader feels removed from the action. At least, I did. The adrenaline and the sense of immediacy just wasn't there in the climax, as I never lost awareness of the fact that I was reading a letter written by Cecelia / Kate after the fact. It felt almost like an invisible wall, separating me from events.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed it both as an exercise in storytelling, and as a story. I will probably continue on with Cecy and Kate in future books. :)
This was a fun book. It took me a little bit to get into the narrative style - that of letters exchanged between the 2 heroines, Cecelia and Kate - but after the first 50 or so pages I was hooked in.
I can see that a book like this would be a lot of fun to write. As a reader, there are advantages and disadvantages. I enjoyed the very distinctive voices of Cecelia and Kate, and their commentary on the events as they wrote their letters was both witty and (at times) hilarious.
The biggest drawback is that the reader feels removed from the action. At least, I did. The adrenaline and the sense of immediacy just wasn't there in the climax, as I never lost awareness of the fact that I was reading a letter written by Cecelia / Kate after the fact. It felt almost like an invisible wall, separating me from events.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed it both as an exercise in storytelling, and as a story. I will probably continue on with Cecy and Kate in future books. :)
stephxsu's review against another edition
4.0
This book is a delight and a half in its crossbreed of Jane Austen language and Harry Potter events! Cousins and dear friends Cecelia and Kate, separated by distance, write letters to each other to keep up the correspondence. From the start, things do not seem to be right. For instance, at Sir Hilary’s induction into the Royal College of Wizards, Kate wanders through a doorway and into a magical garden, where a witch by the name of Miranda confuses her for a wizard named Thomas and tries to poison her with chocolate from a chocolate pot. After escaping, Kate actually meets Thomas, the Mysterious Marquis of Schofield, whose impudence puts her on her guard, and even more so when, after a few more near-death moments, he makes an offer of marriage to her, so that he will have some protection from the charms of a young lady whom Miranda wants to set upon him.
Meanwhile, outside of London, Cecy befriends Dorothea, the shy girl whose stepmother, the malevolent witch Miranda, placed a charm spell on her so that every guy in her vicinity will fall heads over heels. Dorothea refuses to stand up to Miranda, and it is during one of their strolls that Cecy notices they are being watched by a not-so-subtle James Tarleton, a dark and elegant man who, it turns out, is good friends with Thomas. He warns Cecy not to meddle in the Marquis’ affairs with Sir Hilary and Miranda, but of course Cecy doesn’t heed him, and finds herself sneaking spellbooks out of Sir Hilary’s library and trying to understand more about magic and the significance of a chocolate pot that was once Thomas’ but is now possessed by Sir Hilary for sinister reasons.
SORCERY AND CECELIA was written as an unplanned, unscripted letter game between two authors, and so the beginning may seem slow and hard to get into. But persevere, and you will be greatly rewarded by a pleasing, adventurous, and romantic story.
Meanwhile, outside of London, Cecy befriends Dorothea, the shy girl whose stepmother, the malevolent witch Miranda, placed a charm spell on her so that every guy in her vicinity will fall heads over heels. Dorothea refuses to stand up to Miranda, and it is during one of their strolls that Cecy notices they are being watched by a not-so-subtle James Tarleton, a dark and elegant man who, it turns out, is good friends with Thomas. He warns Cecy not to meddle in the Marquis’ affairs with Sir Hilary and Miranda, but of course Cecy doesn’t heed him, and finds herself sneaking spellbooks out of Sir Hilary’s library and trying to understand more about magic and the significance of a chocolate pot that was once Thomas’ but is now possessed by Sir Hilary for sinister reasons.
SORCERY AND CECELIA was written as an unplanned, unscripted letter game between two authors, and so the beginning may seem slow and hard to get into. But persevere, and you will be greatly rewarded by a pleasing, adventurous, and romantic story.
sallyavena's review against another edition
4.0
A fun summer read by one of my favorite authors. I the story of how the book came to be and thought the format was fun for a quick summer read. Think Harry Potter meets Jane Austen.
callmeren's review against another edition
5.0
That was a fun read. Nothing too serious, very intriguing, and keeps your attention the whole time. Nice and humorous too. I loved it. And the romance was cute.
mierke's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-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? No
5.0