The Irregulars return home to 1803 England safely, but their worldview has changed. Not only have their heroic efforts at Dunkirk given them pride and confidence but their dangerous mission has increased their magical powers.
Tory delights in the ever deepening bond she shares with Allarde until she discovers how powerfully he is connected to his ancient family estate—the lands he will not inherit unless he denies his magical powers and chooses a nonmagical mate. If Tory really loves him, she must walk away—but does she have the strength to leave the love of her life? (Full description here.)
Even better than the first, I have to say that. This one was packed with action. So I'm a fool for romance, but action is at least a little bit more exciting. Also this one had a butt-load more of the magic in it. Fun, fun, fun!
Alright, so if you haven't read the first book, you'll want to do that. But anyways, here's the background information you need to know:
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.Here's the part where I tell you all the major characters. But, I'm lazy, so here's exactly what I wrote in the review for the first book because the characters don't change.
[...] 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! [...] 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.
Here's where Allarde's description gets a little edited. Their relationship goes through a little turmoil during this book, but it's not so big as to turn this whole story into a romance. Don't worry about them. Worry about the action.
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.
Cynthia is no where near as bad in this book as she was in the first. Of course the author needs a turd in the first book, but now she can experiment with Cynthia and I like where Putney's taken her. Towards the beginning I kind of felt bad for Cynthia and then I felt really, really bad for Cynthia for awhile and in the end I was happy when her and Jack finally started liking each other (took 'em long enough!), but there were definitely some struggles between the despising and the starting-to-really-like.
Nick Rainford is pretty much the only main character here I think. [...] 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[...]. 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.
In this book you find out that Nick is beyond brave. He's not just brave enough to save someone he knows (in the first book, it was his dad), he's brave enough to risk his life for a stranger that might not even be alive. Well, he's definitely got cajones.
SPOILERS!
In this book, the team (who you should know now as most of the Irregulars if you've read the first book) goes back--or fowards--to the future to help Nick save a scientist and this is where the action comes in. There might be kind of a lot of romance mentioned in this particular review, but trust me when I say there's more action and suspense. I cannot wait to read the third book.
So go and find yourself this book, dear reader--well, go find the first one and then find this one. Obviously.
Arrivederci!
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