DNF Review - A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians (The Shadow Histories, #1) by H.G. Parry

 

 

Title: A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians (The Shadow Histories, #1)

Author: H.G. Parry

Pages: 544

Publisher: Orbit

Release Date: 23rd June 2020

 

Blurb from Goodreads:

A sweeping tale of revolution and wonder in a world not quite like our own, A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians is a genre-defying story of magic, war, and the struggle for freedom in the early modern world.

It is the Age of Enlightenment -- of new and magical political movements, from the necromancer Robespierre calling for revolution in France to the weather mage Toussaint L'Ouverture leading the slaves of Haiti in their fight for freedom, to the bold new Prime Minister William Pitt weighing the legalization of magic amongst commoners in Britain and abolition throughout its colonies overseas.

But amidst all of the upheaval of the early modern world, there is an unknown force inciting all of human civilization into violent conflict. And it will require the combined efforts of revolutionaries, magicians, and abolitionists to unmask this hidden enemy before the whole world falls to darkness and chaos.

For more from H. G. Parry, check out The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep.

Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Bookshop

My Review:

 *I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley*

 

-DNF @28%-

 

Change is in the air.

Prime Minister William Pitt works to change the laws relating to the commoners' use of magic in Britain.

In France, revolution is in the air as a man called Robespierre uses his outlawed magic alongside a mysterious benefactor.

Slaves in Haiti fight to be free, led by Toussaint L'Ouverture, a weather mage.

But a shadow is falling over the land, one that everyone will have to join together to fight against if they are to have a hope at surviving.

As a fan of the author's previous book, The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep, I was excited to read their latest release. However, it ended up not being for me.

There are several main characters, but in what I did read most of the chapters were about William Wilberforce and William Pitt. I enjoyed reading about their friendship, but I didn't feel that I particularly connected to either of them, or any of the other characters.

The premise of the commoners and the aristocrats having different laws when it came to magic was interesting, as was the magic itself.

The plot was way too slow paced for me. Not much happened in what I read and the book felt very character-driven, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but in this case the characters were not enough to keep me interested or to keep me reading.

I'm really disappointed that I didn't end up enjoying this as I was really looking forward to it.

Unfortunately, this ended up not being for me.