When a stranger offers her a small fortune to break into a traveling magician’s wagon, Kim doesn’t hesitate. Having grown up a waif in the dirty streets of London, Kim isn’t above a bit of breaking-and-entering. A hard life and lean times have schooled her in one lesson: steal from them before they steal from you. But when the magician catches her in the act, Kim thinks she’s done for. Until he suggests she become his apprentice; then the real trouble begins.
Kim soon finds herself entangled with murderers, thieves, and cloak-and-dagger politics, all while trying to learn how to become both a proper lady and a magician in her own right. Magic and intrigue go hand in hand in Mairelon the Magician and The Magician’s Ward, two fast-paced novels filled with mystery and romance, set against the intricate backdrop of Regency England. [summary from Goodreads]
To be honest, I was first drawn to this book by its cover. It's just... WOW. And Patricia Wrede is a fantasy author I have huge respect for (I adored Sorcery and Cecelia, which she co-wrote with Caroline Stevermer). She's like the equivalent of Robin McKinley, in my opinion: I'll read anything she writes, so brilliantly did she charm me with Sorcery and Cecelia. I have Thirteenth Child in my TBR mountain, and look forward to seeing how this reissue and bind-up of these two of her novels will turn out.
A Matter of Magic will be released in paperback by Orb Books on June 8, 2010.
Wow! I didn't know that Patricia Wrede had a new book coming out. I loved her Enchanted Forest Chronicles. I'll definitely have to pick this one up.
ReplyDeleteI've only read Thirteenth Child which I loved but I will have to add this to my TBR list. It looks fantastic!
ReplyDeleteLove the cover for this book!
ReplyDeleteWow I love that cover and the story sounds great: ) adding it to my list!
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of this one. The cover IS awesome. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI have a hardback copy of this (a reissue of the two novels) under the name MAGIC AND MALICE. But I think I'll buy this just for the cover. So lovely!
ReplyDeleteThis looks awesome-thanks for posting! I can't wait to read it!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful cover and a great storyline. Adding it to my TBR list :)
ReplyDeleteI love Patricia C. Wrede, and I had no idea she has a new book coming out. Thanks for the heads up!
ReplyDeleteSounds good. Definitively going to have to pick it up. ^^
ReplyDeleteThese two novels were the ones (honest!) that got me into Patricia C. Wrede. Seriously genius, and they definitely deserve star treatment (and the gorgeous cover!). Great fantasy with a smart and likable protagonist. I will definitely be buying this when it comes out!
ReplyDeleteOh my god! I nearly screamed when I saw this! Sorcery and Cecilia and Dealing with Dragons are some of the funniest and best fantasy books for teens. Now I can't wait for this to come out, as Wrede has yet to disappoint me. :) Thanks for the mood lightener!
ReplyDeleteNice pick! To be honest, I haven't read anything by this author yet. It sounds great, though!
ReplyDeleteGah! I hate it when I get my hopes up about a new book and it turns out just to be an old book after all. I do have to admit the cover is pretty, though.
ReplyDeleteOhman, this sounds AWESOME! I love Patricia C. Wrede!
ReplyDeleteWow, lovely cover! I enjoyed the Patricia Wrede books that I've read and I look forward to reading this one.
ReplyDeleteI almost flipped. This plot sounded so familiar. It sounded just like a book I'd read a long time ago... Then it hit me. It WAS the book I'd read a long time ago! And the new cover looks fantastic. Much more YA than the cover I read.
ReplyDeleteYAY! These amazing books have what are seriously some of the worst, most unappealing YA covers I've ever seen. So even though my hopes were slightly dimmed when I realized this was a reissue and wasn't the third book in the series, I'm still psyched for the Kim/Mairelon to find a wider audience.
ReplyDeleteYay! These books are so good, but the covers of all the editions I've seen are downright awful! Hopefully they'll get some new attention now.
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