glrreid's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
jessschira's review
3.0
Even though I really enjoyed Hooper’s In the House of the Magician, I had a difficult time warming up to the main character, Lucy, she just didn’t do anything with me. What I did like was the plot and the snippets of history that Hooper mixed into the story. Best of all, the story featured Tomas, the jester, I love jesters.
By Royal Command is the second book in the trilogy. This time around, I found that I really enjoyed Lucy which was good because this book had some flaws that kind of irritated. I don’t understand the point of Lucy discovering that Dee had a girl stashed in his basement. It seemed like Hooper made a big deal of this in the beginning of the book, and then never bothered to use it. I’m hoping that things might be clearer after I’ve read the final book in the series.
I can’t shake the feeling that Hooper missed out on an excellent opportunity to create a very interesting love triangle and potential conflict by not creating any romantic possibility between the tutor and Lucy. I think it would have been interesting to see how that would have changed the story.
Even though I liked Lucy and enjoyed the historical insight, I feel that By Royal Command fell into the trap that so many second books in series fall into, it’s a place holder.
While this By Royal Command can be read without first reading In the House of the Magician, I wouldn’t say that By Royal Command can be called a standalone title. It simply doesn’t have enough of a plot to really capture the attention.
By Royal Command is the second book in the trilogy. This time around, I found that I really enjoyed Lucy which was good because this book had some flaws that kind of irritated. I don’t understand the point of Lucy discovering that Dee had a girl stashed in his basement. It seemed like Hooper made a big deal of this in the beginning of the book, and then never bothered to use it. I’m hoping that things might be clearer after I’ve read the final book in the series.
I can’t shake the feeling that Hooper missed out on an excellent opportunity to create a very interesting love triangle and potential conflict by not creating any romantic possibility between the tutor and Lucy. I think it would have been interesting to see how that would have changed the story.
Even though I liked Lucy and enjoyed the historical insight, I feel that By Royal Command fell into the trap that so many second books in series fall into, it’s a place holder.
While this By Royal Command can be read without first reading In the House of the Magician, I wouldn’t say that By Royal Command can be called a standalone title. It simply doesn’t have enough of a plot to really capture the attention.
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