Lady Victoria Mansfield, youngest daughter of the earl and countess of Fairmount, is destined for a charmed life. Soon she will be presented during the London season, where she can choose a mate worthy of her status.
Yet Tory has a shameful secret—a secret so powerful that, if exposed, it could strip her of her position and disgrace her family forever. Tory's blood is tainted . . . by magic. (Full description here.)
I have absolutely no words to describe this book. Well, okay, maybe I have a ton; none of them seem accurate though. I'll try my best.
First off, I love historical fiction. I don't know why, I just love it. So if you're not so into those kinds of books, you'll probably read this book and be like, "Okay that was good, but you're saying it was amazing?" And yes, I am. I'm saying it's more than amazing.
First stop: the setting. It's set in 1803, England. Different reviews say "Regency England" but I have no idea what that means. Well alright the setting changes from England in 1803 to England in 1940, but I'll get through that later. Much like my last book, the story takes place after a teenaged (I cannot, for the life of me, remember her age) girl named Tory gets sent off to a school to control her magic. If you've ever read anything about this book, you'll already know about the magic predicament. If you haven't, here you go:
Lady Victoria Mansfield (or, Tory) lives in a time where magic is real. But just because it's real doesn't mean people accept it. Most people do--I definitely would. Unfortunately for Tory, though, her father is an earl and most of the aristocrats of her time don't think highly of magic. They actually think it's a sign of 'ill-breeding' or something. Either way, they don't like it and they don't like anyone who has it. So when Tory figures out that she has magic, she decides to keep it a secret. Everyone knows that if the child of a high ranking official can use magic, they are sent of to a school to get cured of it. Lackland abbey. Tory tries to keep it under wraps but one day she just doesn't have a choice and she ends up showing everyone her magic. So her father is angry (blah-blah-blah) and she gets sent to Lackland abbey. It's like a prison. The boys and girls are separated (probably the worst part) and Tory's roommate is a complete witch--give or take a letter.
So. Now that you've heard Tory's whole story, we'll talk some more about just her! I like Tory. Some other reviews online say she's annoying or that you can't relate to her. First of all, you can relate to her if you're that kind of person. Tory's obviously a little more reserved than most people until she gets to know her friends (the Irregulars, but that's irrelevant right now). She's also very smart and strong willed, which is always a good trait to have. And like every other girl on the planet, she wishes she was as pretty as other girls. Her sister and her roommate as two examples. So suck that, nay-sayers. She's awesome. Oh and I should tell you her most prominent power, maybe I'll do this for each character (as long as they do have one). Tory's is probably blending everyone's powers (sounds stupid, it's actually important); if they have to do something big, Tory will help two people's powers combine to do it without much effort.
Allarde is the next magnificent character! I don't remember his full name but that's what everyone calls him. You don't actually know his real name until like, the last few pages of the book maybe? I don't remember. I won't tell you, though. Before Tory got to Lackland, Allarde didn't flirt or date anyone there. Then as soon as they meet: BAM! Sparks fly. So as you could probably guess, they get together and it's fantastic. He's so protective and that's just right for her--she doesn't seem to take into account her own safety, someone has to! Allarde's biggest power is moving things. I know there's some technical term for it, but I'll just leave it at that. He can move couches and crackers and cars, etc-etc-etc.
Next up, Elspeth. It's like a short version of Elisabeth I think (yes it can be spelled Elisabeth). I like Elspeth. Unlike most of the brats at Lackland, she and a few other girls actually want their magic. I don't really know why they're there, then, but they are and they like their magic. She's pretty accepting of everyone (can't say the same for another character in the book) and Tory and her become friends fast. Unfortunately they can't hang out during school. Elspeth and the other 'magic-lovers' are social outcasts and both Tory and Elspeth don't want that for Tory. Sob story, I know. Elspeth, unlike any one else in the book, is a really-really-really powerful healer. The best one Tory knows at Lackland.
Jack Rainford is probably the funnest person in this entire book. He's such a charmer, but a fun one. He isn't annoying like you'd think. Unlike the other characters I've listed off so far, he's not a student at Lackland abbey. He's just someone who lives in Lackland--the town the abbey is located in. He knows a lot of the students at Lackland though and I'll get to that later also. Jack's just an all-around fun dude. Sure he'll try to charm the pants off ya, but he'll make you laugh in the meantime. Jack's biggest thing is controlling the weather. He's a weather mage, which means he can create a storm or get rid of one whenever he wants.
Cynthia is the witch I was talking about earlier. She's the daughter of a duke, so she's pretty haughty. She's Tory's roommate and after a while of being a snot to Tory, I think she starts to like her. Now, maybe I'm just a sap for an angry girl with a sharp tongue, but I kind of like Cynthia. Most people would probably not agree. She's selfish and rude and just plain annoying but she's still smart. And even though her replies are a little mean I think they need to be there to off-set Jack's comments. Cynthia is the second best weather mage that is in the story, right after Jack.
SPOILERS!
So here's where the book gets a little confusing, so I'll have to let you in on some secrets but I'll try not to say much. I'll stay pretty vague.
Somehow, Tory gets shot into the future to 1940 England (WWII era, if you didn't know (I didn't, don't feel bad)). This is where she meets the descendants of Jack Rainford. These main characters come into play:
Nick Rainford is pretty much the only main character here I think. He does a lot more than his sister and mother, but I guess I can list them too. Nick is, like I said before, a descendant of Jack Rainford. I still don't know exactly how they're related. Any-hoo, he's helpful and apparently looks a lot like Jack. I think Nick's a good character, but we don't see a lot of his traits until the second book (yeah, I've finished the first two books by this point). He's brave, though, and trusting. Right away Tory can tell that his whole family has at least some magic and she shows them how to use that. Nick's power is finding things. Another stupid-sounding power, but it's very useful. If he even hears somebody's name, he knows where they are. He can also find objects, but he's better with people.
Polly Rainford is Nick's younger sister. She doesn't do a whole lot in this book or the next (or maybe the next, I don't know). She treats Tory like an older sister and Tory helps her with her magic as much as she can. I think Polly's magic is mostly weather, but I could be wrong. I don't think I am, though. Polly helps out more towards the second half of the book, so I won't go into much detail.
Mrs. Rainford has no first name. Well, obviously she does, but I have no idea what it is. Annie? Anne? I think it started with an A. All she does in the first half of her appearance in the book is stand around and maybe go into work. I don't even know. I think they called her powers something like scrying? It's where she can see things in different places. She's not seeing the future, just connecting with different places and seeing what's happening. This is very useful, actually. Since WWII is going on and England is worried about getting taken over by Hitler and his Nazis, she can see all the plans that are going down for an evacuation. The weather brigade (you have no idea what this is, I won't elaborate, it's an important part of the story you need to read for yourself) helps out with the evacuation.
So, there's that.
SPOILERS OVER. PLEASE CONTINUE READING HERE.
Usually I don't go back from spoilers, but really I had to. This book was so good and I just have to make sure you read this part. If you're someone who listens to music while you read (I usually listen to classical music just because it has no words, but sometimes I'll listen to other stuff), I suggest you listen to Neptune by Gustav Holst on repeat while reading this. It's like, kind of magical. Plus if you ever hear the song again, you'll picture whatever stuck with you while reading the book. I do this a lot. Maybe I'll start listing whatever song I listen to at the bottom of a review.
Right now I'm listening to it, and I keep picturing Allarde and Tory walking on the cliff's edge with fog hanging over the Chanel between France and England. Big moment.
Adios!
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