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A review by kricketa
A Matter of Magic by Patricia C. Wrede
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.