The Mislaid Magician: Book Review

Ten years after their honeymoon and both with their own broods of regency children, Cecilia and Kate set off on their next great adventure finding missing people and protecting England from nefarious government plots.

I suppose I shouldn't look for romance in children's books but since these resemble Jane Austen so much, I can't help it. As far as romance goes, it was disappointing. Kate and Thomas are still a very cute couple, and James and Cecelia are the same as they are in the previous book--oddly uninterested in each other for two people supposedly in love. But both couples are exactly what you would expect from people married for ten years with children.

I also felt the children were not as fleshed out as they should have been seeing as they featured so significantly. Cecelia also seemed about as attached to her children as she does to her husband.

I also didn't feel the plot made up for this deficiency since it focused on ley lines, which I've always felt are the most boring fantasy creations of all time. Fortunately, the plot involved other things.

Still, I didn't hate this book. If you liked the other two I think this one's worth reading. The style of writing, in the very least, remains consistently well done and I still like the characters even if I do complain a bit about Cecelia. Perhaps it'sjust that Kate is my favorite.

Book Club

Okay, so here comes an important plot detail.

You really shouldn't read the book club sections if you don't want to be spoiled.

Are all the people who didn't read the book gone?

Hey! You! Yeah, you, what are you doing here? You didn't read the book!

...

Fine, you brought it on yourself.

So I did guess that Drina was the Duchess's child mentioned at the beginning but I was kinda interested that she was actually Queen Victoria. Although, I think you'd need to do a little research to know that. Her personality was also suspect. Drina loved babies and cared deeply for her mother. The real Queen Victoria hated babies (even and possibly especially her own) and she hated her mother for being so domineering in her youth.

But I guess this is an alternate universe.