Magician’s Ward (Magic and Malice #2) ★★★★✬

February 24, 2021January 8, 2021 ~ Bookstooge ~ 42 Comments

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress, Blogspot, & Librarything by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: Magician’s Ward
Series: Magic and Malice #2
Author: Patricia Wrede
Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 185
Words: 77K

Synopsis:

Kim is swamped. Between studying magic and learning a whole new life as a monied lady, her life is full, maybe too full! When a particularly inept burglar tries to steal several books from Mairelon’s library, it’s up to Kim and Mairelon to figure out why.

At the same time, several magician’s from Kim’s street life have disappeared and a Russian Magician shows up. When on the track of the thief, Mairelon loses his magic, it’s all up to Kim to deal with the rogue magician, who isn’t a magician at all!

And if that all isn’t enough, Kim has to have her coming out ceremony as a Magician’s Ward, where she realizes she’s in love with Mairelon.

By the end of the book, Kim has stopped the rogue magician, completed her ceremony and gotten Mairelon to propose to her. Now her life as a magician is going to get really busy!

My Thoughts:

If you happen to remember That Book, where I told Romance to get the heck out of my Action Stories, you might have gotten the impression that Bookstooge is a stone cold, heartless killer with no time for the softer things in life. And you would be wrong, dead wrong! (because I’d stone you coldly!) I like romance, in small doses and in its proper place. Jane Austen is the example that made me realize I could like romances.

Anyway, this book is as much a young adult/middle grade romance as a fantasy story. The obstacles that Kim needs to overcome are simplified, the villain appropriately stupid and even Mairelon takes side stage as he loses his magic, thus giving Kim the spotlight from all directions. She shines well too.

I didn’t think the story was quite as “fun” as the first but it felt more satisfying, hence the half-star bump. While I read this way back in 2000 and I have no real review, I remember liking this then and it seems I liked it just as much this time around too. I’m going to call this a Complete Success then.

Mairelon the Magician (Book 1)

ps,
Can we all agree that is the worst cover ever and that it should be cast into the Stygian pits?

Mairelon the Magician (Magic and Malice #1) ★★★★☆

December 15, 2020November 26, 2020 ~ Bookstooge ~ 12 Comments

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress, Blogspot, Librarything & Bookype by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: Mairelon the Magician
Series: Magic and Malice #1
Author: Patricia Wrede
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 185
Words: 80K

Synopsis:

Kim, a 16 year old street rat is realizing she can no longer hide the fact that she’s a girl. She takes on a final job of spying on a market magician to earn enough money to give her time to figure out what she can do. She is caught but instead of being punished, Mairelon offers her a job of being his apprentice, as he is a real magician and not a street performer.

It becomes obvious to Kim that Mairelon is MUCH more than just a magician though. His references to his time abroad, his connections to various muckety-mucks make Kim aware that Mairelon has been working for the government on the highest levels. And he’s some sort of lord as well.

The story centers around the recovery of the Saltash dinner ware. A platter, a bowl and 4 balls, which when combined, give the user the ability to compel their victims to tell the absolute truth. The British government wants it but will settle for it not falling into French hands. Kim and Mairelon are chasing down the platter in this story and have lots of adventures.

In the end, it is revealed that Kim has a natural affinity for magic and Mairelon adopts her as his ward so he can live in the same house to teach her magic without scandalizing “Society”.

My Thoughts:

I originally read the Mairelon duology (I’ll be reading book 2 in a month or so) back in the 90’s when the Science Fiction Book Club released a hardcover omnibus edition. I still own that baby. I then re-read the duology in 2000 when I was beginning my record keeping. I won’t be bothering to include a link, as it consists of just naming what genre the book was in 😀

This is that elusive middle grade book that is written well enough to still be read and enjoyed by adults. Wrede seems to excel at that particular skill.

Fun, enjoyable, easy on the brain (well, except when Mairelon or somebody else starts monologuing and connecting all the dots) and a sure fire pleasure for fans of Regency Era England. My guess is that Wrede was aiming for “Jane Austen with Magic for Kids”. She hit the mark, that is for sure. Since I’m a big Austen fan, this worked fantastic.

Unfortunately, the one downside to this book, which isn’t really a big thing, is the cover. That is supposed to be Kim on the cover, in her “street urchin boy” disguise. While it is tough to see in the small picture I include here, when I look at it in a larger format, it becomes really horrible. Kim has this squinty, “something” look where her eyes are just messed up. It’s unpleasant to look at. Plus, the byline of “Is it possible? Could his magic …. be real?” is just so wrong. Magicians are a part of the fabric of society in this book, so it would surprise anyone that Mairelon was a real magician.

Those are just quibbles though, because I feel like complaining about something. If you’re a fan of Austen, Regency Era England or Middle Grade Fantasy, go try this book.

Talking to Dragons (Enchanted Forest Chronicles #4) ★★★★☆

August 27, 2017November 8, 2022 ~ Bookstooge ~ 14 Comments

talkingtodragons (Custom)

^{This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress, Blogspot, Librarything & Tumblr by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission}
Title: Talking to Dragons
Series: Enchanted Forest Chronicles #4
Author: Patricia Wrede
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: SFF
Pages: 272
Format: Digital Edition

Synopsis:

Daystar discovers a wizard spying on his mom. His mom promptly melts the wizard, heads off into the Enchanted Forest and comes back with a sword. She hands the sword to Daystar and tells him to seek his fortune in the Enchanted Forest.

So, being a good son, Daystar does. He meets Shiara, a flame witch who can’t control her powers and a young dragon who is out proving just how grown up it actually is. All the while all of them are being chased by wizards for various reasons.

They have adventures, meet the dragons, rescue Daystar’s dad, have a battle with the wizards and then settle down to live happily ever after.

Sometimes it is good to find out you are the Prince of the Enchanted Forest.

My Thoughts:

What a cute book. I was wondering, near the beginning, WHY Cimorene wouldn’t tell Daystar anything, but that gets explained.

Daystar is very polite to everyone he meets and that nets him more than he loses over the course of the book. I also liked how the adults in the book are competent adults and not stupid idiots. Well, except for the wizards but since they are the badguys, that is expected.

The first time I read these Chronicles I read an omnibus edition with all 4 books together. I think that was a bit too much. The childish nature of the humor, while wonderful, would wear rather thin right in a row for an adult. So I think I enjoyed my reading of these more this time around. I was able to enjoy each story on its own without rushing through them all and getting overloaded on cuteness and middle grade humor.

These books just cement the idea in my mind that Wrede is another wonderful author who has talent and discretion and that I am lucky to have found her books. I am also thankful that she’s never gone into the PNR direction or love triangle, angsty YA direction. Because, she’s a real author.

★★★★☆

Calling on Dragons (Enchanted Forest Chronicles #3) ★★★★☆

July 4, 2017November 8, 2022 ~ Bookstooge ~ 10 Comments

calling (Custom)

^{This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress, Blogspot & Librarything by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission}
Title: Calling on Dragons
Series: Enchanted Forest Chronicles #3
Author: Patricia Wrede
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 274
Format: Digital Edition

Synopsis:

Morwen the Witch, and her 9 cats, are trying to help out Cimorene and the King of the Enchanted Forest. Wizards have stolen his magic sword which makes the Enchanted Forest vulnerable. So Morwen, Cimorene, the magician, Kazul the King of the Dragons and an enchanted bunny that eventually turns into a flying, blue, ghost donkey [seriously!] all set out to recover the sword.

They are successful but upon their return to the Enchanted Forest they find that the King and his castle have been put inside a super powerful shield spell by the wizards and only the magic sword can cut through it. Unfortunately, only a direct heir to the king can wield the sword. Cimorene is pregnant, so all they have to do is wait for the kid to be born and grow up enough to use the sword.

No problemo!

My Thoughts:

This was fun. Just like the other books, it is definitely middle grade, but it is well written that even a young virile man like myself can enjoy it.

I liked this better than the previous book and I suspect that is because Wrede writes from a female main character perspective. Killer the rabbit, who through an ongoing reaction to various magics, ends up as a blue, flying, ghost donkey, alternated between an annoying prat and an extremely funny foil. I think he would have been funnier if he hadn’t had so many lines.

The cats were great little snippets of personality here and there. They exuded “catness” in everything they said and did. I’m guessing Wrede owns cats.

My only grouse comes from a more adult perspetive. Those pesky wizards. Instead of just melting them, and having them reform after a couple of days, why not let the dragons eat them wholesale OR have Mendenbarr [the king of the Enchanted Forest] hunt them down with his magic sword, assassin style.

She could even have him be on the cover of another book as this dark broody guy in a hooded cape with lots of glitter. You know, the kind of cover that seems to be on most of the YA crap out there these days. Or he could be this huge buff guy with no shirt and long hair kissing some buxom lass with half her clothes gone. I would title that one: “Mendenbarr: King Of Love” with a byline, “he KNOWS how to use that sword”. Surprisingly, Wrede never even ASKED for my input in any form for these potential spinoff novels. I would have totally split the royalties with her. But hey, not everyone recognizes genius when they see it.

In closing, this was a good light read that I have NO regrets about re-reading.

★★★★☆

Searching for Dragons (The Enchanted Forest Chronicles #2) ★★★★☆

May 12, 2017November 8, 2022 ~ Bookstooge ~ 4 Comments

Title:         Searching for Dragons
Series:      The Enchanted Forest Chronicles #2
Author:     Patricia Wrede
Rating:      4 of 5 Stars
Genre:      Fantasy, Middle-grade
Pages:      276
Format:    Digital Edition

Synopsis:

Mendanbar, King of the Enchanted Forest, runs across some wizards who seem to not be quite on the up and up. In his investigation, he comes into contact with Cimorene. Kazul is missing and they both end up going to look for her. Kazul is being held captive by the wizards and it is up to Mendanbar, Cimorene, Morwen the witch, Gipsy Jack and the magician Telemain to free her, vanquish the wizards, restore the deadzones in the Magic Forest, and plan a wedding.

Because when a King meets a Princess and both are rather unconventional, of course they get married! Duh…

My Thoughts:

This story was from Mendenbar’s view, as opposed to Cimorenes. It wasn’t quite as quirky and the tone was the same, so it didn’t have that “newness” factor. I enjoyed my time but whereas Cimorene took charge and kicked butt in the first book, Mendanbar is much more of a passive character, at least in his attitude. Don’t get me wrong, he’ll kill rock snakes and fight wizards with the best of them, but he just seems to exude “That’s nice. Next?” The adventure happened TO him. He didn’t take it by the throat and throttle it into submission.

When I originally read this back in ’06, I read the whole tetralogy at once and I think that gives a very different flavor than reading these individually a month or 2 apart.

Book 1, Dealing with Dragons, charmed me completely. This just kept me entertained.

★★★★☆

Dealing with Dragons

Dealing with Dragons (Enchanted Forest Chronicles #1)

February 26, 2017November 8, 2022 ~ Bookstooge ~ 30 Comments

Title: Dealing with Dragons
Series: The Enchanted Forest Chronicles #1
Author: Patricia Wrede
Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Genre: SFF
Pages: 244
Format: Kindle digital edition

Synopsis: Spoilers

Cimorene is an unusual Princess in the Kingdom that sets the Standard for Normal. It doesn’t help that she has several older sisters who all Normal Princesses. After trying to learn magic, cooking, horseback riding, fencing and other various unsuitable activities for a Princess, Cimorene finds out that her parents are going to marry her off to get her of their hands. Not being particularly enamoured of the idea, Cimorene takes the advice of a magic frog she meets in the garden and sets off to find herself a dragon. A dragon that will keep everyone away from her.

Cimorene is taken under wing [ha!] by Kazul, who happens to like cherry jubilee, one of the few desserts that Cimorene knows how to make. As knights and princes come and go, Cimorene stumbles upon a plot by wizards to cause problems at the next choosing of the Dragon King. With the the help of another Princess, a Stone Prince and a local witch from the Enchanted Forest, Cimorene exposes the plot, foils the wizards and allows Kazul to become the next King of the Dragons.

My Thoughts:

This was humorous, delightful and cute. There wasn’t a single thing I didn’t like with this story. It was fun. Sometimes in the midst of epic fantasy tomes or the weighty thoughts of science fiction classics, you need a break. I didn’t know I needed a break, but when I started reading this, I realized I needed to be charmed and this book charmed me from beginning to end.

This was written in such a way that an adult like me could enjoy it fully and yet it seemed accessible all the way down to middle grade readers, perhaps even precocious elementary ones. To be able to reach that full spectrum is the mark of an author who knows her craft.

Don’t have much else to say beyond the fact that I thoroughly enjoyed this read and I was tempted to just read all 4 of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles right in a row. But much like cherry jubilee, you cannot gorge yourself without some consequences. So I’m pacing myself and now I am REALLY looking forward to the next books.

Enchanted Forest Chronicles from 2006

The Seven Towers

December 29, 2015November 8, 2022 ~ Bookstooge ~ Leave a comment

This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot. wordpress.leafmarks.com & Bookstooge’s Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission.

Title: The Seven Towers

Series: —–

Author: Patricia Wrede

Rating: 3.5 of 5 Battle Axes

Genre: SFF

Pages: 340

Format: Kindle

Synopsis:

The Seven Kingdoms are about to be invaded by the horde of barbarians from the South. Politics, romance and magic both new and very old, come into play.

Nothing is quite as it seems and the barbarians aren’t invading, but fleeing. Can a rag tag group of people work together to prevent a massacre, stop a rogue dark wizard and put an end to a virulent magical plague, all at the same time.

My Thoughts:

I don’t have a middle grade shelf/tag and tend to use either young adult or children. But this book would definitely fall into that category.

Characters are given just enough of a brush to make them unique without actual characterization, the plot is “vast” if you are new to this kind of thing and things just happen.

Now all of that can be a problem sometimes.But for this book, none of that bothered me at all. Just goes to show, sometimes you really do have to be in the right mood. I enjoyed my time reading this.

I do wonder, however, how much of that is because I already like Wrede’s writing and hence let my foreknowledge affect things. An interesting conundrum if you’re into that kind of thing.

Book of Enchantments

January 11, 2014November 8, 2022 ~ Bookstooge ~ Leave a comment

This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis

A collection of 10 short stories by Patricia Wrede. Most were written for other anthologies but she gathered them all together and added 1 or 2 new ones and made them into a book.

My Thoughts

I have a real awkward relationship with books of short stories. On one hand, I love the idea. A whole book of boiled down, stripped to the raw, quintessence of ideas.

On the other hand, it rarely seems to be done right and most authors seem to throw their favorite ideas into it without the work. And then you get the dreaded “loved 1 or 2 of them, but the rest were trash” syndrome.

Thankfully, I loved this collection and didn’t have any problems with it. To be honest too, I’ve enjoyed just about anything from Wrede [except her Lyra books], so I am not an unbiased reader.

This ran the gamut from silly fantasy of The Frying Pan of Doom to the sad story about an older sister who is going to start living her life, tomorrow. One thing I really did like was that Wrede wrote an appendice like thing where she explains where each of the stories came from. I find things like that fascinating for some reason.

Highly recommended to anyone who loves Wrede’s works already.

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

Author: Patricia Wrede

The Far West

December 24, 2012November 8, 2022 ~ Bookstooge ~ Leave a comment

The Far West

Frontier Magic #3

Patricia Wrede

4 of 5 Stars

The conclusion to the trilogy.

The “Far West” part didn’t come into play until about 40% into the book. Lots of other stuff going on. Cathayan magicians/magic are part of this story too.

so basically the expedition goes farther west than anyone else in recorded history, solves a big problem and comes home.

Eff gets married and they decide that they will move to a frontier settlement so they can continue their studies of all the new stuff.