Review by TheMole
I am not one to read period novels normally, whereas Stephanie Burgis is in love with Regency England and has read Jane Austen and Georgette Hayer. This lead me to pick this book up with a little trepidation.
Kat Stephenson cannot remember her mother and her stepmother keeps everything that belonged to her mother under lock and key away from both her and her sisters. Kat is 12 and her elder sister is about to become engaged to a man with a notorious reputation in order to secure the financial future of Kat's family. Kat cannot this permit to happen so she cut's off her hair and runs away to get a job as a boy and earn the money that the family need thereby saving her sister's need to wed. All does not go to plan and Kat finally resorts to Magic. This magic though... not the click your fingers "whoops you're a toad" type - no, a very different type and Kat has to find a way to use it to her advantage.
My early fears were quickly put aside as I read on. The book is not stuffy Regency but easy to read modern style and while the other characters are totally plausible as modern day portrayals of wheat we believe Regency folk were like Kat is not. Kat feels very much like a modern girl dropped into a Regency setting. She is a free spirit that is in need of constant reminders of proper etiquette and manners. This makes her a very accessible character that is easy to become a friend and supporter of as she sets about trying to put the world to rights.
A hugely fun and easy read that will have it's young readers coming back for more. Highly recommended for young girls on their upcoming Christmas lists!
TheMole's review - 4 stars
Publisher - Templar Publishing
Genre - Children's Fantasy (8+)
A Most Improper Magick
can be bought from Amazon
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