The Magpie Lord by K.J. CharlesMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I was somewhat wary about reading this as I have read some of Charles' most recent books and loved them and was a bit worried about how strong her earlier works might be (Prachett I'm looking at you).
Fear Not!
The Magpie Lord is right up there with her more current works, and dare I say, much more amusing.
In creating a believable magical system that the characters then explain without the reader getting bored of would be an accomplishment in and of itself. However, taking the already overdone setting of a magical Victorian England and making the idea feel new and different really takes the cake, and not a hard-yet-soggy fruitcake either, a proper cake.
I adored Crane and Day, and spent most of the books wishing that Crane would just throw Day over his shoulder and the two of them run off to China together to live in snarky magical love together. However, the mystery as to who or what was trying to kill Crane was much too interesting to wish for the character's total abandonment of the plot to hard.
The only thing missing to make the story really luridly Gothic was a painting hidden under a vale in the attic and some deranged monks. It was wonderful.
I am fully on board for further Magpie books, although not in the first-class cabins as I've heard what people get up to in them.
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