Prose was stilted but the story was fun. ( )

Probably my favorite Wrede book. ( )

It was bound to happen eventually, but that doesn't make it any less annoyingly predictable that Kim and Mairelon would fall in love. I really enjoyed the novel regardless of that because the magical mystery was so well crafted. Wrede brought in a whole bunch of new characters and lots of arcane magical theory, and she offset these main topics nicely with the underlying plotline which focuses on Kim's presentation to society. Mairelon's aunt was SO conventional in exactly the way that I despise it was a good distraction for most of the story as well - and she even became useful when facing down the villain of the story. ( )

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Title: Magician's Ward
Series: Magic and Malice #2
Author: Patricia Wrede
Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 185
Words: 77K

Synopsis:

Kim is swamped. Between studying magic and learning a whole new life as a monied lady, her life is full, maybe too full! When a particularly inept burglar tries to steal several books from Mairelon's library, it's up to Kim and Mairelon to figure out why.

At the same time, several magician's from Kim's street life have disappeared and a Russian Magician shows up. When on the track of the thief, Mairelon loses his magic, it's all up to Kim to deal with the rogue magician, who isn't a magician at all!

And if that all isn't enough, Kim has to have her coming out ceremony as a Magician's Ward, where she realizes she's in love with Mairelon.

By the end of the book, Kim has stopped the rogue magician, completed her ceremony and gotten Mairelon to propose to her. Now her life as a magician is going to get really busy!

My Thoughts:

If you happen to remember That Book, where I told Romance to get the heck out of my Action Stories, you might have gotten the impression that Bookstooge is a stone cold, heartless killer with no time for the softer things in life. And you would be wrong, dead wrong! (because I'd stone you coldly!) I like romance, in small doses and in its proper place. Jane Austen is the example that made me realize I could like romances.

Anyway, this book is as much a young adult/middle grade romance as a fantasy story. The obstacles that Kim needs to overcome are simplified, the villain appropriately stupid and even Mairelon takes side stage as he loses his magic, thus giving Kim the spotlight from all directions. She shines well too.

I didn't think the story was quite as “fun” as the first but it felt more satisfying, hence the half-star bump. While I read this way back in 2000 and I have no real review, I remember liking this then and it seems I liked it just as much this time around too. I'm going to call this a Complete Success then.

★★★★✬ ( )

See the review in A Matter of Magic (the omnibus of this and the first in the series).