A review by judeinthestars
Magdalene Nox by Milena McKay

emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

In 2021, The Headmistress made my favourite books of the year list. The cover is still my favourite ever. Not just mine, obviously, since both novel and cover won highly respected awards. While not her first book, The Headmistress is the one that brought Milena McKay to the forefront of the sapphfic community. At the time though, I didn’t have what I have now: Insight into the process.

Usually, when I write a review, it’s based purely on the book itself and how I reacted to it. This review will be different, and if it doesn’t feel as impartial as others, so be it. Things have changed since I first wrote about The Delicate Things We Make, McKay’s debut novel, since I first fell in love with her beautiful words and exquisite characters.

For this book, I got to see the evolution. From my friend’s first “I have an idea”, to the edits and the comments and suggestions from the incomparable Em Schreiber to make all these beautiful words shine even brighter, to the cover that complements The Headmistress so well (Em again), to last week’s “I’m hitting the ‘GENERATE BOOK’ button” message. This allows me to write this review with a lot more information, a lot more background than I have at hand with other authors’ works.

Magdalene Nox tells the same story as The Headmistress but—as you might have inferred from the title—from Magdalene’s point of view. And since Milena McKay will never waste an opportunity to a) tell a good story and b) give more to readers, it is not simply another perspective.

While I didn’t feel anything was missing from The Headmistress, there’s still more in this book than just a retelling, and it doesn’t feel repetitive for a second. Choosing to tell the same story from another POV is always a gamble. Sometimes the second book feels like all the cut scenes from the first one and nothing more. Done well, however, it’s a brand new novel with just the right balance between the familiar, the already-loved, and the new. E.J. Noyes made it work with the beauty that is If I Don’t Ask, McKay pulls it off masterfully here as well. Magdalene Nox will please fans of The Headmistress but, since it stands alone, it can also absolutely be a new reader’s introduction to the Three Dragons Academy for Girls.

There are two love affairs in this book, three if I count the one between Magdalene and the school itself. I’ll get to Sam, but I’d like to start with the irresistible Willoughby, the main artisan of Magdalene’s fall from her haughty heights, at once insufferable and charming, like all self-respecting cats. If Magdalene were actually an ice queen, he’d be the real melter here. I love how he graduates from some sort of fait accompli she can’t escape, to being tolerated, to a respected and much beloved friend and ally.

The romance itself, of course, is with Sam, gorgeous in every way, shy yet bold, whose strength and passion, kindness and patience make Magdalene’s façade crumble, slowly revealing the romantic and, at times, downright cute soul inside.

In The Headmistress, the title set the tone, Magdalene’s job was very much at the centre of the book, even though it was definitely a romance, and there was lust and love and forevers. This second book though, is about the woman from start to finish. Sure, she’s still the headmistress and the saving-the-school arc is very much present. But because this time we’re in her head, we get to witness the evolution in a much more intimate manner, from the at times grumpy, blasé woman, so disappointed in the world and people as a whole, to the silly, adorable, lovesick fool. Magdalene is much more complex than the Louboutin-wearing, domineering professional, who will forever be famous for one of the most flamboyant, most satisfyingly savage entrances ever. McKay manages to add more than one layer to the already captivating woman readers got to know and love alongside Sam in The Headmistress.

For Magdalene Nox is also the story of an awakening, of a woman who thought she knew who she was and what she liked actually finding herself, of new boundaries being set and others being pushed, of delights unknown and pleasure found.

Speaking of delights (of a very different nature), if you’ve read The Headmistress, you know most of the characters and will get to see them through Magdalene’s eyes and trauma. There is, however, one you haven’t encountered yet, and I hope you love her as much as I do. Candace is Magdalene’s mother, and she may have her faults—as her daughter knows all too well—but as a character, she’s bitchy, funny, surprisingly and seemingly randomly loving and insightful. She brings well-timed comic relief and precious bursts of gleeful laughter. I’m very very grateful she’s not my own mother but also very very grateful for the various emotions she provoked throughout this book.

As I wrote above, the story feels both familiar and new. The familiar creates that thrilling feeling of anticipation I associate with Christmas and birthdays, when you know good things will come and you could rush them, but the waiting is what makes them so delicious (yes, I’m aware this also sounds a lot like edging and no, it’s not a coincidence). The new is the cherry on the cake but also the real gift.

That’s what this book feels like to me, a treat, an indulgence, something I didn’t know I needed but that fulfils the heart of this reader in a way that’s all the more appreciated for being unexpected.

I received a copy from the author and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Read all my reviews on my blog (and please buy from the affiliation links!): Jude in the Stars