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Sorcerer To The Crown by Zen Cho
Sep. 7th, 2016 09:04 pmThe Blurb On The Back:
English magic faces its darkest hour.
In Regency London, Zacharias Wythe is England’s first African Sorcerer Royal. But how can he enjoy his position while a faction schemes to remove him? He’s also haunted by his dead mentor, and the Fairy Court is refusing to supply England with magic … just when the government demands it for their blasted French war.
Ambitious orphan Prunella is determined to escape a life of drudgery. So when the beleaguered Sorcerer Royal visits the school where she works, she seizes her opportunity. Prunella’s stumbled upon the greatest magic discovery in centuries – and intends to use it. The last thing Zacharias needs is a female magical prodigy! But together, they could change sorcery forever.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Zen Cho’s debut fantasy novel (the first in a trilogy) has a lot going for it in terms of diversity and a strong central character in Zacharias who feels true to his time but Prunella didn’t ring true for me and as a result, threw me out of the story. There’s a great narrative voice (which reminded me a lot of Jane Austen) and the society function scenes are well choreographed and feel authentic. I loved Zacharias – a man who knows that he has to be more of a gentleman than those around him but will never belong and yet who thirsts to drive societal change that makes the most of magical talent regardless of who wields it. Unfortunately Prunella is a woman out of her time – I like strong female characters but Prunella is oblivious to the standards of her time and rides roughshod over them in a way that didn’t ring true for me given her background and social status. I also found the plot a little loose with a gotcha revelation that came out of nowhere and annoyed rather than delighted me. For all this, there’s enough here to make me read on and I look forward to checking out the sequel.
In Regency London, Zacharias Wythe is England’s first African Sorcerer Royal. But how can he enjoy his position while a faction schemes to remove him? He’s also haunted by his dead mentor, and the Fairy Court is refusing to supply England with magic … just when the government demands it for their blasted French war.
Ambitious orphan Prunella is determined to escape a life of drudgery. So when the beleaguered Sorcerer Royal visits the school where she works, she seizes her opportunity. Prunella’s stumbled upon the greatest magic discovery in centuries – and intends to use it. The last thing Zacharias needs is a female magical prodigy! But together, they could change sorcery forever.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Zen Cho’s debut fantasy novel (the first in a trilogy) has a lot going for it in terms of diversity and a strong central character in Zacharias who feels true to his time but Prunella didn’t ring true for me and as a result, threw me out of the story. There’s a great narrative voice (which reminded me a lot of Jane Austen) and the society function scenes are well choreographed and feel authentic. I loved Zacharias – a man who knows that he has to be more of a gentleman than those around him but will never belong and yet who thirsts to drive societal change that makes the most of magical talent regardless of who wields it. Unfortunately Prunella is a woman out of her time – I like strong female characters but Prunella is oblivious to the standards of her time and rides roughshod over them in a way that didn’t ring true for me given her background and social status. I also found the plot a little loose with a gotcha revelation that came out of nowhere and annoyed rather than delighted me. For all this, there’s enough here to make me read on and I look forward to checking out the sequel.
