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A review by beckylbrydon
The Midnight Queen by Sylvia Izzo Hunter
4.0
Set in an alternative world where roman influences are still strong across a fragmented Britain, Eire Ireland) and Alba (Scotland), the legend of the Midnight Queen who ran away from King Henry Tudor still lives strong. Gray Marshall finds himself cast out of his school of magic at Oxford following a disastrous errand for his Professor in which he is blamed for the death of one of his peers and friends. He is banished to the home of the Professor in Breizh (Brittany) where he stays with Amelia, Sophie and later Joanna, the professor’s three daughters while lamenting the loss of his magic. Whilst growing close to Sophie, who has a strained relationship with her father due to his views of women learning magic even though Sophie has no talent of her own, Gray remains suspicious of his Professor and the situation he now finds himself in, being able to feel the use of magic even when it seems no one is using it. As Gray and Sophie start to unravel the web of secrets that has been woven by the Professor and his friends, they journey to find refuge with the only family who still acknowledges Gray – his sister Jenny – and his old professor Master Alcuin. Along with Joanna and the mysterious housekeeper Mrs Wallis, the group works together in uncovering a conspiracy at the heart of the kingdom.
In the alternative world of The Midnight Queen, Britain is comprised of England, Cymru (Wales), Breizh (Brittany), Maine and Normandy, each with its own language and the complex tensions between the provinces remains and is beautifully demonstrated through character interactions without any need for extra explanation. It also addresses the societal boundaries of the apparent Victorian time period with a Tudor dynasty, with men’s future careers being dictated or at least heavily influenced by fathers, women entering into advantageous marriages arranged by parents and also being unable to learn magic in England (the situation seems to be different in Alba and Eire). These concepts are gently pushed from the beginning of the book and this continues to be the case through till the end, which remains satisfying as the characters stay steadfast in the decisions they make earlier in the book.
Gray is from Kernow (Cornwall) and has been cut off from his family by his father, despite showing a deep love for his siblings. We only meet Jenny from his family, with the others mentioned in passing. However there are times where I wished to find out more about Gray’s childhood and his familial relationships following his disowning. When we meet him he is rather quiet and shy, occasionally speaking with a stammer when nervous, but displays a quiet conviction and a thirst to know the truth which drives his character to grow in daring and confidence. Sophie begins as a young girl who has lived in the shadow of her older sister and stern gaze of her father, who has been pushing the boundaries of their influence for some time with a thirst for knowledge that rivals Gray’s. Throughout the book she spreads her wings as she learns who she is outside the influence of her father and her creates her place in the world. While there are many other characters in the book, it is these two that feature and grow the most, mainly due to the narration switching between their points of view every couple of paragraphs. However, the personalities and humour of the other characters still shine through the perspectives of Gray and Sophie, particularly of the two sisters. Mrs Wallis remains an enigmatic character from her introduction to quite later on in the book, but her faithfulness to her two charges remains strong, even when they are resistant to her due to the secrets she eludes to.
While not a fast paced book, and at times slightly predictable, The Midnight Queen manages to build a world in which both the magical concepts and the political tensions are clearly explained in a way that does not involve large swathes of information, but rather via teaching other characters or quiet conversation. The plot is simplistic and the revelations have threads that can be tracked to the earlier chapters of the book, lending to many opportunities to theorize. With its light tone, slow pace (although it does have fast paced action at points) and classical style of writing, it is very much a book to be savoured.
In the alternative world of The Midnight Queen, Britain is comprised of England, Cymru (Wales), Breizh (Brittany), Maine and Normandy, each with its own language and the complex tensions between the provinces remains and is beautifully demonstrated through character interactions without any need for extra explanation. It also addresses the societal boundaries of the apparent Victorian time period with a Tudor dynasty, with men’s future careers being dictated or at least heavily influenced by fathers, women entering into advantageous marriages arranged by parents and also being unable to learn magic in England (the situation seems to be different in Alba and Eire). These concepts are gently pushed from the beginning of the book and this continues to be the case through till the end, which remains satisfying as the characters stay steadfast in the decisions they make earlier in the book.
Gray is from Kernow (Cornwall) and has been cut off from his family by his father, despite showing a deep love for his siblings. We only meet Jenny from his family, with the others mentioned in passing. However there are times where I wished to find out more about Gray’s childhood and his familial relationships following his disowning. When we meet him he is rather quiet and shy, occasionally speaking with a stammer when nervous, but displays a quiet conviction and a thirst to know the truth which drives his character to grow in daring and confidence. Sophie begins as a young girl who has lived in the shadow of her older sister and stern gaze of her father, who has been pushing the boundaries of their influence for some time with a thirst for knowledge that rivals Gray’s. Throughout the book she spreads her wings as she learns who she is outside the influence of her father and her creates her place in the world. While there are many other characters in the book, it is these two that feature and grow the most, mainly due to the narration switching between their points of view every couple of paragraphs. However, the personalities and humour of the other characters still shine through the perspectives of Gray and Sophie, particularly of the two sisters. Mrs Wallis remains an enigmatic character from her introduction to quite later on in the book, but her faithfulness to her two charges remains strong, even when they are resistant to her due to the secrets she eludes to.
While not a fast paced book, and at times slightly predictable, The Midnight Queen manages to build a world in which both the magical concepts and the political tensions are clearly explained in a way that does not involve large swathes of information, but rather via teaching other characters or quiet conversation. The plot is simplistic and the revelations have threads that can be tracked to the earlier chapters of the book, lending to many opportunities to theorize. With its light tone, slow pace (although it does have fast paced action at points) and classical style of writing, it is very much a book to be savoured.