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A review by brownflopsy
The Thief On the Winged Horse by Kate Mascarenhas
5.0
I loved Kate Mascarenhas' mind-bending debut novel The Psychology of Time Travel so was really looking forward to diving into The Thief On A Winged Horse, her second book. I was not disappointed!
This time, Kate's imagination takes us into the world of the Kendrick family - makers of high quality dolls since the 1820s. What makes these dolls so special? Well, they are no ordinary dolls... in fact they are enchanted. Each doll is imbued with a human emotion by its maker, evoking a response in a single touch that is so powerful and addictive that the dolls are both highly desirable and highly priced.
The company was established by four sisters who were born with the ability to cast hexes after, as legend tells it, their mother made a bargain with the Fae - specifically the eponymous Thief on a Winged Horse - and the Thief and his Fae brethren have had a strong influence on the goings on in the family business ever since, even though times have changed in the world outside.
Most markedly, the casting of hexes, has now become the province of male family members only. Women are not permitted to become sorcerers at Kendricks, nor to make the dolls themselves, no matter how talented they are - despite the fact that the business of magical doll making was started by four sisters.
Our story begins with a company stuck in the past, with its elderly patriarch firm in his belief that only family members can be trusted with the knowledge of how to craft magical dolls, provided they are male or course; a mysterious newcomer, called Larkin, who claims kinship with the Kendricks; a modern young woman, called Persephone Kendrick, who is determined to regain her birth right; and a theft of the most precious doll in the Kendrick collection. And what follows is the most wonderful tale of magical realism blended with a cracking crime story and touching romance.
Although the setting for this novel is in contemporary Oxford, Kate Mascarenhas makes the magical undertones of this story work particularly well by setting Kendricks on an eyot that is isolated from the real world around it. On entering this environment we feel we are travelling back in time to a community that is suspicious of outsiders and follows a style of living based firmly on tradition and folklore - even if this is a twisted version of how Kendricks began. They guard their secrets well here - or at least, they think they do...
At heart, this is a feminist tale with an ending that will make your heart sing. Like the dolls that Kendricks produce in their workshop, Kate Mascarenhas' writing conjures a range of emotions that draw you in completely, and her talent for creating beautifully drawn, and realistically flawed, characters is impressive. I adore how she writes her female characters especially - something that I very much enjoyed in her debut novel too.
Kate Mascarenhas has very quickly won a place as one of my favourite authors and I cannot wait to see what her imagination conjures up next. If you have yet to read one of her books, then you really should - they are incredible.
Merged review:
I loved Kate Mascarenhas' mind-bending debut novel The Psychology of Time Travel so was really looking forward to diving into The Thief On A Winged Horse, her second book. I was not disappointed!
This time, Kate's imagination takes us into the world of the Kendrick family - makers of high quality dolls since the 1820s. What makes these dolls so special? Well, they are no ordinary dolls... in fact they are enchanted. Each doll is imbued with a human emotion by its maker, evoking a response in a single touch that is so powerful and addictive that the dolls are both highly desirable and highly priced.
The company was established by four sisters who were born with the ability to cast hexes after, as legend tells it, their mother made a bargain with the Fae - specifically the eponymous Thief on a Winged Horse - and the Thief and his Fae brethren have had a strong influence on the goings on in the family business ever since, even though times have changed in the world outside.
Most markedly, the casting of hexes, has now become the province of male family members only. Women are not permitted to become sorcerers at Kendricks, nor to make the dolls themselves, no matter how talented they are - despite the fact that the business of magical doll making was started by four sisters.
Our story begins with a company stuck in the past, with its elderly patriarch firm in his belief that only family members can be trusted with the knowledge of how to craft magical dolls, provided they are male or course; a mysterious newcomer, called Larkin, who claims kinship with the Kendricks; a modern young woman, called Persephone Kendrick, who is determined to regain her birth right; and a theft of the most precious doll in the Kendrick collection. And what follows is the most wonderful tale of magical realism blended with a cracking crime story and touching romance.
Although the setting for this novel is in contemporary Oxford, Kate Mascarenhas makes the magical undertones of this story work particularly well by setting Kendricks on an eyot that is isolated from the real world around it. On entering this environment we feel we are travelling back in time to a community that is suspicious of outsiders and follows a style of living based firmly on tradition and folklore - even if this is a twisted version of how Kendricks began. They guard their secrets well here - or at least, they think they do...
At heart, this is a feminist tale with an ending that will make your heart sing. Like the dolls that Kendricks produce in their workshop, Kate Mascarenhas' writing conjures a range of emotions that draw you in completely, and her talent for creating beautifully drawn, and realistically flawed, characters is impressive. I adore how she writes her female characters especially - something that I very much enjoyed in her debut novel too.
Kate Mascarenhas has very quickly won a place as one of my favourite authors and I cannot wait to see what her imagination conjures up next. If you have yet to read one of her books, then you really should - they are incredible.
This time, Kate's imagination takes us into the world of the Kendrick family - makers of high quality dolls since the 1820s. What makes these dolls so special? Well, they are no ordinary dolls... in fact they are enchanted. Each doll is imbued with a human emotion by its maker, evoking a response in a single touch that is so powerful and addictive that the dolls are both highly desirable and highly priced.
The company was established by four sisters who were born with the ability to cast hexes after, as legend tells it, their mother made a bargain with the Fae - specifically the eponymous Thief on a Winged Horse - and the Thief and his Fae brethren have had a strong influence on the goings on in the family business ever since, even though times have changed in the world outside.
Most markedly, the casting of hexes, has now become the province of male family members only. Women are not permitted to become sorcerers at Kendricks, nor to make the dolls themselves, no matter how talented they are - despite the fact that the business of magical doll making was started by four sisters.
Our story begins with a company stuck in the past, with its elderly patriarch firm in his belief that only family members can be trusted with the knowledge of how to craft magical dolls, provided they are male or course; a mysterious newcomer, called Larkin, who claims kinship with the Kendricks; a modern young woman, called Persephone Kendrick, who is determined to regain her birth right; and a theft of the most precious doll in the Kendrick collection. And what follows is the most wonderful tale of magical realism blended with a cracking crime story and touching romance.
Although the setting for this novel is in contemporary Oxford, Kate Mascarenhas makes the magical undertones of this story work particularly well by setting Kendricks on an eyot that is isolated from the real world around it. On entering this environment we feel we are travelling back in time to a community that is suspicious of outsiders and follows a style of living based firmly on tradition and folklore - even if this is a twisted version of how Kendricks began. They guard their secrets well here - or at least, they think they do...
At heart, this is a feminist tale with an ending that will make your heart sing. Like the dolls that Kendricks produce in their workshop, Kate Mascarenhas' writing conjures a range of emotions that draw you in completely, and her talent for creating beautifully drawn, and realistically flawed, characters is impressive. I adore how she writes her female characters especially - something that I very much enjoyed in her debut novel too.
Kate Mascarenhas has very quickly won a place as one of my favourite authors and I cannot wait to see what her imagination conjures up next. If you have yet to read one of her books, then you really should - they are incredible.
Merged review:
I loved Kate Mascarenhas' mind-bending debut novel The Psychology of Time Travel so was really looking forward to diving into The Thief On A Winged Horse, her second book. I was not disappointed!
This time, Kate's imagination takes us into the world of the Kendrick family - makers of high quality dolls since the 1820s. What makes these dolls so special? Well, they are no ordinary dolls... in fact they are enchanted. Each doll is imbued with a human emotion by its maker, evoking a response in a single touch that is so powerful and addictive that the dolls are both highly desirable and highly priced.
The company was established by four sisters who were born with the ability to cast hexes after, as legend tells it, their mother made a bargain with the Fae - specifically the eponymous Thief on a Winged Horse - and the Thief and his Fae brethren have had a strong influence on the goings on in the family business ever since, even though times have changed in the world outside.
Most markedly, the casting of hexes, has now become the province of male family members only. Women are not permitted to become sorcerers at Kendricks, nor to make the dolls themselves, no matter how talented they are - despite the fact that the business of magical doll making was started by four sisters.
Our story begins with a company stuck in the past, with its elderly patriarch firm in his belief that only family members can be trusted with the knowledge of how to craft magical dolls, provided they are male or course; a mysterious newcomer, called Larkin, who claims kinship with the Kendricks; a modern young woman, called Persephone Kendrick, who is determined to regain her birth right; and a theft of the most precious doll in the Kendrick collection. And what follows is the most wonderful tale of magical realism blended with a cracking crime story and touching romance.
Although the setting for this novel is in contemporary Oxford, Kate Mascarenhas makes the magical undertones of this story work particularly well by setting Kendricks on an eyot that is isolated from the real world around it. On entering this environment we feel we are travelling back in time to a community that is suspicious of outsiders and follows a style of living based firmly on tradition and folklore - even if this is a twisted version of how Kendricks began. They guard their secrets well here - or at least, they think they do...
At heart, this is a feminist tale with an ending that will make your heart sing. Like the dolls that Kendricks produce in their workshop, Kate Mascarenhas' writing conjures a range of emotions that draw you in completely, and her talent for creating beautifully drawn, and realistically flawed, characters is impressive. I adore how she writes her female characters especially - something that I very much enjoyed in her debut novel too.
Kate Mascarenhas has very quickly won a place as one of my favourite authors and I cannot wait to see what her imagination conjures up next. If you have yet to read one of her books, then you really should - they are incredible.