surprised me

I had assumed this would be another cindrella twist story. but I was pleasantly surprised! the depth of the main character drew me in, her fight for freedom and her reasons are realistic while still being a good person. The story had me hooked right till the end.

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An intriguing world meets an unsatisfying romance.

I thought the setting and magic for this read was lovely. Thought-provoking and balanced, there was reasoning attached to the injustices inflicted on the women of the story and the female friendships formed here were worthwhile and meaningful. The magic system remained compelling throughout and its reveals kept me hooked. However, the love interest and the romantic element of the story was severely lacking and quite simply uninteresting. Luckily, it took a back-seat for a significant portion, and yet I still found myself bored for these sections. I additionally found the ending to be reasonably unsatisfying with those characters who did wrong not really suffering an adequate comeuppance, though the epilogue provided a little more in that respect. All combined, this made the read reasonably entertaining but not particularly gripping.

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1 person found this helpful

Highly recommended

Narrated by Moira Quirk
Beatrice Clayborn is a sorceress who practises magic in secret, dreading the day her father will insist that she marries because a marital collar will strip her of her magic completely in order to protect her unborn children. Her father, desperately trying to keep his head above water, financially, has bet everything on Beatrice securing a rich husband and to that end has spent all his money to equip her for a splendid Bargaining Season. But Beatrice doesn't want to marry. She wants to complete the ritual that will make her a full-fledged Magus. She can't do it without a specific grimoire, one which another sorceress got from her by trickery. She tries to get it back by calling up a spirit, something that would likely get her burnt alive if found out. Falling for the rival sorceress' brother, the fabulously wealthy Ianthe Lavan, tears Beatrice in two. Marry and lose her magic or keep her magic, ruin her family and lose Ianthe forever. How can she choose? This is well narrated by Moira Quirk and it kept me up well past my bedtime because I didn't want to stop listening. Highly recommended.

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solid 4 star

worth a listen, takes a while to get into it. Good story line. 4 star

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Bridgerton meets elevated fantasy and feminism

This was my first book by CL Polk and I'm captivated by their writing style, magic system and method of making very interesting social undertones shine in a perfectly straightforward Austenesque story. At first I thought I'd just be a silly Pride and prejudice style setting with swooning ladies, but I soon fell in love with the feminist message. It was very upperclass centric, though, and I would love to explore this world from another point of view.

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I enjoyed the characters a lot

it is refreshing to find a book created out of pure imagination. Every item of ritual, of clothing, of life is so very well expressed and thought out. i found the telling of the way of this world most enjoyable.

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Loved it!

I wasn’t sure what the story would be like when it got going but it was lovely! I highly recommend it! A very easy listen and great characters, they’re mostly very likeable! The love story and the female freedom and recognition story lines are so lovely! I also loved Nadi the spirit! They were adorable! I will be adding this straight to my favourites and listening to it a few times in the future! The ending was absolutely beautiful too! I just loved it! The narrator was also wonderful!

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Amazing!

Absolutely loved it! I couldn’t wait to listen every day. Really interesting story, new storyline, and beautifully done

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Delightful, moving & entertaining book!

I've just discovered the wonderful Ms Polk's writing brilliance & the talented narration of Moira Quirk - what a dynamic duo! I enjoy books like these that so away from the traditional good vs evil mainstays of fantasy writing.

This book takes the enticing world of magic & underlays it as a foundation to modern struggles in our lives today - real life struggles of race, gender & socio-economic inequalities & prejudices.

I was in tears at a very poignant part in this well written & well spoken story, so much so that I found it hard to escape the agony of the main protagonist. Polk elegantly evokes thoughtfulness & consideration of several powerful emotions - pride, betrayal, love &/or devotion, selfish natures & bitter sacrifices. But, as many books do, the ending is better than imagined & not completely without some tied up but fraying strings. I really wish this was part of a longer series but absolutely understand that this story only required the one book to tell it! it's the right length & moves at a rapidly flowing pace, never dragging it's feet or giving a sense of 'rushing to the finish line'.

Thank you ladies, both, for a fantastic journey full of the romance of old fashioned intricacies set against a backdrop of modernity - I'll gladly recommend this read/listen for a very long time!

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I loved the depth and complexity of the world created.

I want more in this series, a great world has been created. it kept me guessing

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