I love both the Regency period AND fantasy...so this fantasy is perfect for me. A super fun alternate Regency period with wizards and schools that teach magically gifted women to suppress their magical gifts because it's just not done for women to wield powerful magic brightened my week. A suitably plucky heroine totally ignoring societal norms of the time and standing up for herself made it all the more enjoyable. Looking forward to reading the second installment.

What a lot of fun! A witty fantasy novel, with a style obviously influenced by Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer, Susanna Clarke, and other British writers. The author is a young woman raised in Malaysia and currently living in England, so issues of sex, class, and race are a major part of the story.

Zacharias Wythe is the official Sorcerer to the King of England in a “Regency” kind of period in English history. He is an African, rescued from slavery as a young boy and adopted by the previous Sorcerer to the crown, because he showed magical ability. After many years intensely training Zacharias, his adoptive father died, leaving the young man as a highly controversial head Sorcerer in a political culture where dozens of upper-class, white, male magic users think they belong in charge.

But England’s store of magical energy seems to be disappearing. On a trip to the borders of Fairyland to investigate the loss of magic, he stops at a girl’s school to give a speech. There Zacharias discovers Prunella, a young mixed-race woman who might just be the most powerful natural magician in England. After she saves his life from an assassination attempt, he agrees to bring her back to London to teach her how to use her abilities.

The writing style, combined with a timid male lead and a headstrong female lead, leads to a lot of humor, mixed with clever battles and adventures. It’s a delightful story, with many twists and turns.

Followed by a sequel, *The True Queen*.

Well-paced and engaging this will appeal to readers who enjoyed "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell".

A wonderfully engaging mixture of fantasy and Georgette Heyer style regency romance. This book contains one of my all-time favorite fictional characters in Prunella Gentleman. The refreshingly diverse cast of characters and witty banter had me smiling the whole way through. This book would suit fans of "Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell". Highly recommended!

Sparkling, witty, banter-filled regency romp featuring an England whose magic is fading and two heroes who must save it in spite of precarious social standing.

Excellent mix of fantasy fiction with an alternate regency era. Zen Cho presents us with a wizard in distress who is an appealing romantic hero (if not quite assertive enough) and a too-assertive orphan who discovers that she has set her goal (marriage to escape poverty) far below her abilities. Magical adventure, romance, and a few good-humored jabs at the prejudices of the era.

Trash. I couldn't bear to finish it. The affected, stilted dialogue is too much to bear. Not to mention the characters are cardboard, and the action in the first two-thirds of the book went nowhere. Returned it. Advise you not to pick it up.

Slowgoing at first, but really great read towards the end. The language and plot will remind you of Jane Austen, but there is a healthy dose of fantasy and fantastical plotlines in here as well. Recommend for Austen lovers, and fantasy and historical fiction fans.

This was delightful. If you're in the mood for something that mixes humor and magic with political intrigue and historical fantasy, I can't recommend it enough. It even addresses class and race in engaging and surprising ways, making for a satisfying and highly enjoyable read.

sorry .. just couldn't get into this one .. read first 100 pages and it seemed to go nowhere.