Review - The Magician’s Daughter by H.G. Parry

 

 

 

 Title: The Magician's Daughter

Author: H.G. Parry

Pages: 372

Publisher: Orbit

 Release Date: 28th February 2023

 

Blurb from Goodreads:

 Off the coast of Ireland sits a legendary island hidden by magic. A place of ruins and ancient trees, sea-salt air and fairy lore, Hy-Brasil is the only home Biddy has ever known. Washed up on its shore as a baby, Biddy lives a quiet life with her guardian, the mercurial magician Rowan. A life she finds increasingly stifling.

One night, Rowan fails to return from his mysterious travels. To find him, Biddy must venture into the outside world for the first time. But Rowan has powerful enemies-forces who have hoarded the world's magic and have set their sights on the magician's many secrets.

Biddy may be the key to stopping them. Yet the closer she gets to answers, the more she questions everything she's ever believed about Rowan, her past, and the nature of magic itself.

 

 Goodreads | Storygraph | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Bookshop

 

 

 

 

My Review:

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

Biddy lives in a version of 1912 where magic has been disappearing over the last seventy years.

Biddy has known magic all her life, residing on the hidden island of Hy-Brasil with her guardian, Rowan, and his rabbit familiar, Hutch.

Biddy loves the island, but yearns to see the outside world.

When Rowan doesn't come back one night after journeying across the sea in search of more magic, Biddy finds herself thrust into a dangerous adventure that will change everything Biddy knows.

Can Biddy track down Rowan on the foreign streets of London?

Is there a way to save magic?

I have a mixed history with this author's previous books, having really enjoyed one, and ending up not finishing another. However, the blurb for this book intrigued me, and I decided to give it a try.

Biddy was a likeable and relatable protagonist. I empathised with her, and rooted for her. I was also a little jealous of Biddy growing up on Hy-Brasil, which sounded wonderful.

I liked both Rowan and Hutch, and the relationships they had with Biddy and each other. Hutch was my favourite character overall, as I liked how much he clearly loved both Rowan and Biddy and fretted for them.

The setting of Hy-Brasil was interesting, and it was the total opposite of the dark, grimy streets of London.

The plot was interesting and held my attention, but I wasn't gripped by what was happening. I thought the story was set up well, and I did enjoy the world the author had created.

The writing style was easy to follow, and I would definitely pick up another book by this author.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read that I would recommend.

 

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.