By Royal Command

At the House of the Magician #2

by Mary Hooper

Mary Hooper is a very popular writer for children and young adults. Mary's brilliant historical novels, At the House of the Magician, By Royal Command, At the Sign of the Sugared Plum, Petals in the Ashes and The Extraordinary Life and Times of Eliza Rose have a huge fan base, as do her contemporary novels for teenagers. Mary is very much in demand for her events at literary festivals and schools. She lives in England.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Historical, Fiction, Romance, Tudor Period, Childrens

240 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 4, 2008

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

British children's and young adult author Mary Hooper was born in 1944, in Barnes, then in Surrey, nowadays in South West London. She left school at fifteen, and went to work as a window dresser, and then as a secretary. She eventually returned to school, as an adult student, earning a degree in English from Reading University. Hooper began her writing career with short stories, publishing in women's and teen magazines. Her first book, Jodie, was published in 1978. She is married, has two children, and one grandchild, and lives in Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire.

Reviews

[Annabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary Hooper gehört für mich eindeutig zu der Kategorie Lieblingsautoren. Ich habe mich als Teenager in ihren Schreibstil verliebt und hatte bisher mit jedem ihrer Bücher unglaubliche Momente. Die Trilogie rund um das Haus des Zauberers ist absolut lesenswert.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love this thread! I am always so worried about spoiling the book that my reviews are usually just a few sentences and basically pointless

[Lilly C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just... wow! How on earth does this trilogy not have higher ratings on Goodreads?

I have rarely been so captivated by a story. Hooper's writing is wonderfully researched and holds the power to transport you right back to the time the book is set. Because of this, her stories are educational, and I closed the book knowing a lot more about the Tudor period than I did initially. The writing is pretty easy to follow as it is aimed at teenagers/young adults, but it only makes it more of a joy to read as opposed to being stuffy/weighty. There is also plenty of era-relevant vocabulary which really enriches the book.

But the best thing has got to be the skill with which the plot and the characters are written. I didn't want to put this book down! And as someone with ADHD, that is a pretty rare occurrence. It was so hard to resist just binge-reading the series in one go. But because I'm enjoying it so much, I decided to pace it so I can savour it.

Every character feels so real. There is nobody who, in my opinion, is just a cardboard cutout. And the suspense and mystery surrounding the plot is just *chef's kiss*. My favourite aspect of this trilogy has got to be the romance between Lucy and Tomas, the Queen's fool/jester. It is ADORABLE and the slow burn between them is probably the main reason I keep turning the page. I still have one book to go and I ship them soooooooo bad :0.

This second installment, I enjoyed just as much as the first, if not slightly more. There are lots of plot twists and a nice amount of suspense. If you like historical fiction and YA, I'd definitely recommend you give this a go!

[Donna Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I purchased this book at The Dollar Store over a year ago. Recently, I have had a cold so I slowed down and caught up on my reading.

This book is one delightful Historical Romance. A first person presentation that puts you right in the midst of Elizabeth I's reign.

Historical accuracy written in such a way to entertain while allowing you to be in the midst of that century.

The ending surprised and delighted my sense of romance.

If you are into historical romance, this book may tickle your fancy.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hooper does a fantastic job weaving real persons from the past and weaving them into a fictional story. I enjoy reading the historical notes and sometimes recipes at the back of the book just as much as the actual story itself.
At times I did find this book a little hard to read as the story got a little dull at times and the climax was more thrilling than the previous one in the series.

[Willen P · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this more than the first one. The plot was more interesting, plus we got to see more of the queen and those associated with the royalty (e.g. ladies-in-waiting). And that was a pleasant plot twist.

[Faye Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

By Royal Command is the sequel to At the House of the Magician - the story of a young maid, who lives and works in Queen Elizabeth I's magician's house.

This book continues Lucy's thrilling story of working for her Queen and country as a spy!

[Monya Maxwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed it, as I do enjoy books and movies playing off in older times.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucy, now a more permanent fixture in Dr. Dee's home, has been living quite comfortably as a spy for Queen Elizabeth I. When she hears a strange cry in the middle of the night, she goes to investigate. But what will she find?

I found this book much more intriguing than the 1st book, although I do wish that Lucy would have found the source of the sounds much later in the book than she does. The romance between Tomas and Lucy is exciting and I hope it leads into something more. As for the tutor, I found him somewhat obstinate to begin with, but the truth made me realize why he was that way. I hope the last book in the series is as exciting as this one was.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoy Mary Hooper’s writing. She has such a subtle way of weaving historical facts into the storyline, immersing the reader so completely into the time period that I can’t help but fall in love with her books. With this story set within the household of John Dee, Elizabeth the first’s famed court magician, ‘By Royal Command’ is a sweet read full of magical deceptions, court gossip and dark intrigue.

In this second instalment of the trilogy, we see Lucy settling into her new life as nurse maid to Dr Dee’s daughters. But as she is starting to learn, nothing stays normal for long within the house of John Dee. With ghostly cries coming from under the floorboards and plots to overthrow the queen lurking around every corner, Lucy must put her spying skills to the test and accept her own unique powers if she is to be of help to England’s queen…

The descriptions in this story are so beautiful, the frost fair on the Thames, the courtly dresses and festivities, all of them written with such detail that I could easily imagine myself there at that place and time.

However while I thought the plot was a little slow paced and slightly anti-climatic, the characters were all very intriguing. Every one of them having their own motives and secrets – especially the queen’s fool Tomas. I think this book brought him and Lucy a little bit closer but he is still quite an elusive character. I’m really looking forward to seeing how their relationship develops in the next and final book of the trilogy.

So overall, I thought By Royal Command read as a sweet, filler-sort of novel – although it could quite easily be read as a standalone – that truly brings the time period to life. I can easily recommend it to all fans of YA historical fiction.
3 stars!

[Jess Schira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though I really enjoyed Hooper’s In the House of the Magician, I had a difficult time warming up to the main character, Lucy, she just didn’t do anything with me. What I did like was the plot and the snippets of history that Hooper mixed into the story. Best of all, the story featured Tomas, the jester, I love jesters.

By Royal Command is the second book in the trilogy. This time around, I found that I really enjoyed Lucy which was good because this book had some flaws that kind of irritated. I don’t understand the point of Lucy discovering that Dee had a girl stashed in his basement. It seemed like Hooper made a big deal of this in the beginning of the book, and then never bothered to use it. I’m hoping that things might be clearer after I’ve read the final book in the series.

I can’t shake the feeling that Hooper missed out on an excellent opportunity to create a very interesting love triangle and potential conflict by not creating any romantic possibility between the tutor and Lucy. I think it would have been interesting to see how that would have changed the story.

Even though I liked Lucy and enjoyed the historical insight, I feel that By Royal Command fell into the trap that so many second books in series fall into, it’s a place holder.

While this By Royal Command can be read without first reading In the House of the Magician, I wouldn’t say that By Royal Command can be called a standalone title. It simply doesn’t have enough of a plot to really capture the attention.

[Sabine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dies ist der zweite Teil der Trilogie rund um die junge Lucy, die als Dienstmädchen bei Dr. Dee arbeitet. Daher möchte ich zum Inhalt gar nicht viel sagen.
Auch dies ist ein wieder ein wunderbar zu lesender Roman, der vor allem durch den Sprachstil und die tollen Beschreibungen lebt. Mary Hooper schafft es, einen mitzunehmen in die Zeit des 16. Jahrhunderts und die Erlebnisse der kleinen Lucy in England zu teilen. Beim Lesen spürt man den Zauber des Königshofs, lernt Gebräuche kennen, spürt die Faszination der Feste und mich hat vor allem Winterjahrmarkt auf der Themse sehr beeindruckt.
Wer sich also in solchen Beschreibungen verlieren kann, dem wird das Buch gefallen. Denn leider ist der Inhalt eher dürftig und es kommt wenig Spannung auf. Liest man im Klappentext von einer Spionin, denkt man vielleicht an rasante Abenteuer, doch dem ist nicht so. Die Handlung um die Intrige ist ganz nett, aber für mich lebt das Buch vor allem durch die Beschreibungen der Landschaft, der Zeit und der Gebräuche am königlichen Hof. Natürlich gibt es auch eine zarte Liebesgeschichte, von der ich hoffe, dass sie im letzten Teil endlich vollendet wird. Den werde ich nämlich als Nächstes lesen und ich bin gespannt, wie die Geschichte um Lucy endet.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story in this book was not "full of intrigue and royal plots and counter-plots" as it says on the back cover. In fact I found it a bit dull, it just didn't seem to lead anywhere. I think I would have found this book very disappointing if the author hadn't done such a fantastic job of bringing the historical setting to life. The wonderful descriptions of the frost fair on the Thames and of the party at the Royal Court meant that I really enjoyed the book despite what was, in my opinion, a poor plotline.

This is the second book to At the House of the Magician. I haven't read the first book so I didn't get some references in this book to the first book. But it does work as a stand-alone book. I would definitely check out more by Mary Hooper because she's very good at bringing history alive.

[Christeen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Housemaid Lucy, now part of Walsingham's network of spies, gets caught up in some deception and intrigue in the Dee household. To be honest, not much happens in this book as it seems to be filler, or setting the scene for the events of the final book. However, it is good fun, and there's good incorporation of historical facts and events. However, speaking of these historical facts/events, there is often a section explaining the history of the characters or events in the back of the book, and I found a few dates in these to be extremely wrong. For example, one stated that Elizabeth had signed for her cousin Mary Queen of Scots to be beheaded in 1886! In the recipe section, a sentence is punctuated with a "." followed by a "," followed by the last few words of the sentence again. It's just sloppy editing, which is a shame.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mary Hooper is one of those authors you can always count on for a fun and well-written read. While I prefer some of her other books, (At the Sign of the Sugared Plum or The Remarkable Life and Times of Eliza Rose), this series still holds up to her name and has been an enjoyable read. Lucy is one of those characters that's real - you don't love her too much for her to be unrealistic as you spend chapters with her shaking your head when she messes up or rooting her on when she finally succeeds. I like Tomas too, although sometimes he feels a bit distractive, but then boys usually are.

[Cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lucy is still at John Dee's house and soon gets work 'spying', but it was not as thrilling or high-jinks as one would hope. Just includes following a certain lady in waiting for a few pages. Also the plot didn't really progress that far in terms of pretty much every aspect, the characters, romances, the houses position, Dr. Dee's magical works etc. Things happened, they resolved them but they had moved barely an inch after they were over. It is although an entertaing and informative take on Elizabethean life, and is quite adorable in bits.

[Anne Osterlund · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lucy is now a spy, which means eavesdropping on others’ conversations, hanging around places she shouldn’t, and, occasionally, listening to the mysterious voices inside her head. So really . . . business as usual. Of course business is rather interesting when one is working for the queen’s magician.

And when one has a crush on the queen’s fool.

On to book 3.

[Charue Adèle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Comme le Tome premier, j'ai passé une assez bonne lecture.
Le manque de réel contexte historique que je reprochait au livre précédant a, pour mon plus grand plaisir, été comblé grâce au personnage du précepteur (personnage que j'ai trouvé d'ailleurs très intéressant).
Peut-être me laisserais-je tenter par le dernier tome?

[Tara · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book's the follow up to The Magicans apperentice.
I found it rather pointless. Nothing came from the 'abdution' or Mistress Pryor, so really, it was a waste of a good authors time. It wasn't one of her best creations!

[Belle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this is only a three star because, like others have said, it was a bit pointless to write this book, because it didn't go anywhere, except maybe to make Lucy and Tomas get closer. It was a bit disappointing for me, because I was looking forward to this book. I hope the next one is better.

[Selah Bell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this is only a three star because, like others have said, it was a bit pointless to write this book, because it didn't go anywhere, except maybe to make Lucy and Tomas get closer. It was a bit disappointing for me, because I was looking forward to this book. I hope the next one is better.

[La république des livres · Rating 4 out of 5]

La suite des aventures de Lucy est toujours aussi passionnante. En plus de l'aventure que vis l'héroïne, une histoire d'amour nait. Ce tome critique la vie de la cour au travers de ces intrigues et des complots.

[Sarah Miles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read, I was just let down because, to me, the historical romance label is misleading. Yes, it's not historical romance like an adult novel, but romance seems to mostly consist of pining in these. Historical chick lit would fit better.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an okay read. Nothing outstanding.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good sequel and excellent light read, but got to the end of this one and realised I didn't have the third book... thank goodness for play.com!

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. It was a nice story to read.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good, very exciting, very realistic! Well done Mary Hooper for writing another brilliant book, sequel to At the House Of the Magician.

[Vivienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with the first in this series, I found it a light quick read (one sitting). Again while aimed at teens I felt it served as a good introduction to some of the issues of the period.

[Sangita · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second book is amazing! You would not want to miss this.

[Jess Alway · Rating 3 out of 5]

:) once again, i found a book that makes me smile