Kim has played the part of a thieving boy for most of her life, hiding her gender being the safer alternative to revealing herself as a girl in the dark underbelly of Regency London. But she knows this career path will soon come to an end, as at seventeen she is quickly outgrowing her disguise. When a job leads her into Mairelon the magician’s wagon, she finds real magic and an opportunity to become someone new.Following Mairelon as he flees from the city, she quickly finds herself lost in a plot of stolen magic artifacts and aristocratic intrigues. Soon she’ll have to give up the freedom of being a boy forever and try to figure out who she really is, so that she can become Mairelon’s student and enter London Society as a real magician. But being a girl brings new problems, marriage proposals, and a definite notion that nothing fun also falls under the heading of being Proper.I’m reviewing these two books together, because odds are the easiest copy of the books to find is the combined version. Really, I think they work much better together, as the first ends with an incomplete feeling (all right, fine, that’s code for no real romance). In addition, I liked the second book, Magician’s Ward, much better, but I think you need to start with the first book, Mairelon the Magician.In essence, reading these books is pretty much just like reading Sorcery and Cecelia, except with different characters and plot. The feeling and world are the same, and while I can’t find anything that says the books all take place in the same world, they easily could. In fact, how magic is treated in the worlds, history, etc., all seems to be pretty much the same, except in Sorcery and Cecelia magicians create focuses, which is at least never mentioned in the Mairelon books. What all this means is if you haven’t read these yet and love Sorcery and Cecelia, these might need to be next on your to-be-read list.Read more of my review and past reviews at Bookwyrm Chrysalis
When Kim is caught snooping in the wagon of a traveling illusionist, she's shocked that her target reacts by offering her a job. Helping Mairelon on stage sounds like the perfect way of getting out of town for a bit, but it soon becomes clear that the man she's joined up with is no ordinary performer.This one got off to a promising start with Kim's introduction to Mairelon and her encounters on the streets of a fantasy-world London. It's a little coincidence-heavy and I feel like I've read one too many girl-who-dresses-as-a-boy stories, but I try to give YA more of a pass on those kinds of things.Unfortunately, the book starts to get off track once the characters start traveling. Based on the setup, I was really expecting Kim to spend at least a little time playing magician's assistant, but after finishing the novel that whole idea felt like an excuse to get her along and teach her some trick knots. I wish the early part of their trip had been expanded a little and actually made use of the interesting premise.The mystery had some cute moments, but it ended up as a bit of a mess thanks to putting nearly every character ever mentioned in one large room and having them talk the plot to death. Far too much of the story was just told to the reader, with Kim acting mainly as an observer of bigger events.The twist at the end for Kim wasn't much of a surprise. Not a huge deal, but it made a lot of this book feel like setup for the sequel, which I'm not sure I plan to read.
What do You think about Mairelon The Magician (2002)?
Kim has lived on the streets her whole life and is sharp and cunning as they come. Disguised as a boy, she lives by her wits, doing what she can to survive. When a wealthy gentleman offers her a large sum of money to case a street magician's wagon, Kim thinks it will be an easy job. She gets more than she bargained for when she becomes involved with Mairelon the Magician. Soon, Kim is on the run with Mairelon as they search for the magical Saltash Set of dinnerware and uncover a plot that could threaten both Kim and Mairelon. This book is filled with excellent period details about the gritty realities of 19th century London. There are also good descriptions of upper-class life, as seen through the eyes of an outsider. Kim and Mairelon make a good team and I enjoyed their witty dialogue. There are many light moments in this novel, including a screwball comedy scene that will have you laughing out loud. My biggest complaint with this book is that there are way too many characters. I had a really hard time following who they all were and what they wanted. Another problem for some readers may be the excessive use of street slang. For someone who isn't experienced in reading it, it could be difficult, but I've read that type of slang before and can usually understand the meaning from the context. This book is set in a world just like the one Wrede and Caroline Stevermer created in Sorcery & Cecilia. If you've read that and you're looking for more of the same, then you should definitely pick up this book.
—QNPoohBear
I'd really like a rating system that allows half stars, because I'd happy give this book 3.5 stars if I had the option. Generally, it's a good book--very enjoyable, fast-paced, with a sympathetic cast of characters. I definitely want to read the second book about these people.However, I felt like a lot of the dialogue was a bit repetitive. I lost count of the times Kim referred to the "nabbing culls" as well as the number of times characters describe others as "bracket-faced morts" (if my memory serves me correctly here). Kim herself, though likeable, was somewhat Mary-Sueish. Lastly, the plot was oddly paced--much of the book focuses on a quest to retrieve one of I think four or five magical items that are needed to complete a very valuable magical set. Once they find the item, however, the book ends, with everyone expressing great confidence that it will be extremely simple to find the other items.Nonetheless, I did enjoy this book and would recommend it.
—Elizabeth
Probably my favorite book by Patricia Wrede, though the Enchanted Chocolate Pot comes very close. The characters feel real, particularly the two leads. I like how the plotlines intertwine, though sometimes it gets very confusing. In particular, the climax was the most confusing part of the book-and I do like me some confusing climax, as long as I can understand it if I read slowly.The sequel was not so interesting as this book, though I still enjoyed it and I was interested to see what happened to the characters in the end-the ending of this book left plenty of room for further developments. Overall, a good book for fans of Patricia Wrede and for fans of fantasy plots based more on brains and plotting than complicated magic shenanigans.
—Dannica Zulestin
