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zbmorgan's review against another edition
5.0
Imagine a Jane Austen styled epistolary social drama about two cousins, their domineering aunts, and the society in both the country and London. Now, add just a little magic. That's the premise of this unusual and fantastic novel, which started as a letter game between two well known authors well versed in the fantasy world with interests in the Napoleonic era.
What I enjoyed the most about this was the way they both really nailed the sentence structure of the day, but still drew you in with modern humor and just enough drama to keep the pages turning. The Marquis of Scofield could give mr. Darcy a real run for his money.
What I enjoyed the most about this was the way they both really nailed the sentence structure of the day, but still drew you in with modern humor and just enough drama to keep the pages turning. The Marquis of Scofield could give mr. Darcy a real run for his money.
shanaqui's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Sorcery & Cecilia is a fun epistolary novel that's a little bit Austen-esque (or maybe Heyer-esque? hmm), but with magic added in. Caroline Stevermer and Patricia C. Wrede co-wrote it through each creating a character and writing to each other about their adventures, without discussing the plot, each riffing off the details given by the other and adding to the ongoing plot.
Obviously it got tightened up and edited a bit before being published, and for the most part flows very smoothly. Despite being written by two different authors, the letters themselves are fairly uniform in tone and style, so it can be a little difficult to keep in mind the differences between the two girls at times. Because of the letter format, though, they're always alternating, which helps.
It turns out to be a bit of a romance as well as a fantasy, as each of the girls makes new friends and allies; in both cases, they initially don't exactly get along with the men, but it's fairly obvious to the reader fairly quickly that they find them fascinating, and where it's going to go, in a very classic sort of way.
It was a lot of fun to read and wraps up satisfyingly; I'm curious about the other two books, but not in a hurry to read them, since they were written with such a large gap between. Sorcery & Cecilia can definitely stand alone.
Obviously it got tightened up and edited a bit before being published, and for the most part flows very smoothly. Despite being written by two different authors, the letters themselves are fairly uniform in tone and style, so it can be a little difficult to keep in mind the differences between the two girls at times. Because of the letter format, though, they're always alternating, which helps.
It turns out to be a bit of a romance as well as a fantasy, as each of the girls makes new friends and allies; in both cases, they initially don't exactly get along with the men, but it's fairly obvious to the reader fairly quickly that they find them fascinating, and where it's going to go, in a very classic sort of way.
It was a lot of fun to read and wraps up satisfyingly; I'm curious about the other two books, but not in a hurry to read them, since they were written with such a large gap between. Sorcery & Cecilia can definitely stand alone.
burningupasun's review against another edition
5.0
Such a sweet, cozy little fantasy read. I adored it, and the letter style was so fun!
lillygabriella's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I love this so much! If you like Jane Austen and also books with Magic, this should be right up your alley!
anitolanova's review against another edition
2.0
Hard to follow, not much of a plot & they used the word "odius" about a dozen times too many.
cactusbby's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Love the story, have a hard time getting into epistolary books.
spoookykid's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
tinaha083's review
5.0
This is one of my favorite series that I decided to reread (for about the 5th time) on audio. The narration was excellent. Cecilia and Kate never get old for me. And James and Thomas are some of my favorite male characters that I’ve come across in YA. I love that the story is told via letters between Cecilia and Kate, who are cousins. This series is a comfort read for me, and now I can have it read to me, which only makes it better!
booklover160's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
While I did enjoy the story and the two girl's hijinks, it was somewhat of a slog to get through.
There are just SO MANY characters that are referred to by their first or last name so you are attempting to memorize around 20+ character's full names just to try to keep everything straight! Between the two locations, the two girls keep full of company and it gets confusing quickly.
In addition, each author wrote as one of the girls but their voices were nearly identical. It was VERY difficult keeping straight which girl was writing and which was where and which had magical powers or not!
The girl in London who does not have magic is engaged to a Marquis who does have magic and writes to her cousin in the country who does have magic and engages with a gentleman who does not have magic but is good friends with the Marquis. It's a lot to keep track of!
Besides that, the plot was interesting if not overly complicated. Because its England in the 1800's, the writing is of the style that uses a lot of words to really say nothing much at all... besides the fact that both male leads keep belittling their women counterparts simply because they're women and thus must be too simple to understand. It was very aggravating.
All in all, it was fun for sure but not one I will return to. I will also not be reading on as I've heard they get worse and worse.
There are just SO MANY characters that are referred to by their first or last name so you are attempting to memorize around 20+ character's full names just to try to keep everything straight! Between the two locations, the two girls keep full of company and it gets confusing quickly.
In addition, each author wrote as one of the girls but their voices were nearly identical. It was VERY difficult keeping straight which girl was writing and which was where and which had magical powers or not!
The girl in London who does not have magic is engaged to a Marquis who does have magic and writes to her cousin in the country who does have magic and engages with a gentleman who does not have magic but is good friends with the Marquis. It's a lot to keep track of!
Besides that, the plot was interesting if not overly complicated. Because its England in the 1800's, the writing is of the style that uses a lot of words to really say nothing much at all... besides the fact that both male leads keep belittling their women counterparts simply because they're women and thus must be too simple to understand. It was very aggravating.
All in all, it was fun for sure but not one I will return to. I will also not be reading on as I've heard they get worse and worse.
ceeess's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Perfectly delightful. Funny, light, made me laugh out loud many times, a plot that was compelling but not strenuous, and a touch of romance.