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Modern Magick #4
The Fifth Britain: Modern Magick, 4
Cast away from the Society (sort of) and out on our own, we've got a big problem on our hands - and an exciting prospect, too.
They call it time travel on TV.
Is this the big, fat secret the Hidden Ministry's been keeping? What's the real truth behind that wandering tower?
Answers must be found — in the face of severe opposition from the Ministry, from Ancestria Magicka, and from every Fae Court in existence. Simple.
If only everything wouldn’t keep going wrong. If only a house hadn’t walked off with Jay. If only there wasn’t still a traitor on the loose, and if only Ancestria Magicka wasn’t always up to no good.
With our trusty trio down to two, Zareen and I are going to need some help. Handsome, aristocratic, troll-shaped help, to be precise.
Our track down a vanishing island, save the Striding Spire, and find the way back to 1789.
Oh — and find out what exactly has become of Jay...?
They call it time travel on TV.
Is this the big, fat secret the Hidden Ministry's been keeping? What's the real truth behind that wandering tower?
Answers must be found — in the face of severe opposition from the Ministry, from Ancestria Magicka, and from every Fae Court in existence. Simple.
If only everything wouldn’t keep going wrong. If only a house hadn’t walked off with Jay. If only there wasn’t still a traitor on the loose, and if only Ancestria Magicka wasn’t always up to no good.
With our trusty trio down to two, Zareen and I are going to need some help. Handsome, aristocratic, troll-shaped help, to be precise.
Our track down a vanishing island, save the Striding Spire, and find the way back to 1789.
Oh — and find out what exactly has become of Jay...?
226 pages, Paperback
First published June 12, 2018
42 people are currently reading
81 people want to read
About the author
Charlotte E. English
77 books353 followersEnglish both by name and nationality, Charlotte hasn’t permitted emigration to the Netherlands to change her essential Britishness. She writes colourful fantasy novels over copious quantities of tea, and rarely misses an opportunity to apologise for something. Spanning the spectrum from light to dark, her works include the Draykon Series, Modern Magick, The Malykant Mysteries and the Tales of Aylfenhame.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 10, 2022
Turning point volume (thumbs up)
All right, I'm liking where this is headed! I had some theories as to what was happening with a certain breed of strange pups and their wherea-from (??): I was not disappointed! So much yes to the title of this volume, and that ending with some potentially big announcements... Why, yes I am purchasing the next one right meow! :D
All right, I'm liking where this is headed! I had some theories as to what was happening with a certain breed of strange pups and their wherea-from (??): I was not disappointed! So much yes to the title of this volume, and that ending with some potentially big announcements... Why, yes I am purchasing the next one right meow! :D
September 7, 2021
The struggle gets real - still lots of jokes and banter, with a huge reveal!
August 6, 2018
Light and fun as always, and the locations in this one are especially fun.
June 7, 2018
Modern Magick 4, The Fifth Britain, was a really quick read. I had to go back and see if it was shorter than the other Modern Magick books; nope: I just plowed through it super quick because it was so engrossing.
It begins with the heroes (Ves, Jay, and Zareen), suitably bedraggled from their outcast-ness. This book has more character development of Zareen, a good deal more of the handsome Baron (who, although sexy, definitely begins to appear a bit less altruistic than previously), and a lot more hauntings. In fact, there's a whole community of ghosts with extreme powers, bizarre personalities, and definitive opinions.
The mysteries in the 4th Modern Magick deepen deliciously, along with a lot of interesting new information. There is a real lack of Milady's chocolate, sadly for all involved. However I did research chocolate pots and learned that historically hot chocolate used to be made in the pot itself, full of spices and the actual cocoa beans (with the cocoa butter still on it, and not separated), and then stirred with a stirrer that came up through a hole in the lid of the chocolate pot. Search for images!
And Ves is summed up superbly: " 'The trouble with you, Ves, isn't that you're amoral. You aren't. It's that, for all your flower-coloured hair and your trinkets and your jewels, you're too dammed practical. The rest of us will wrestle with the rules and the ethics and the precedents and the expectations surrounding a given course of action for some time, before concluding, regretfully, that there aren't any other options that would get the job done nearly so well, or even at all. You go through the same process in three seconds flat...' "
I enjoyed this book more than the 3rd one. The entire Modern Magick series remains a whimsical, dark breath of fresh air, complete with sinister undertones and the characteristic snarky, observant voice of Ves. This book was no exception.
It begins with the heroes (Ves, Jay, and Zareen), suitably bedraggled from their outcast-ness. This book has more character development of Zareen, a good deal more of the handsome Baron (who, although sexy, definitely begins to appear a bit less altruistic than previously), and a lot more hauntings. In fact, there's a whole community of ghosts with extreme powers, bizarre personalities, and definitive opinions.
The mysteries in the 4th Modern Magick deepen deliciously, along with a lot of interesting new information. There is a real lack of Milady's chocolate, sadly for all involved. However I did research chocolate pots and learned that historically hot chocolate used to be made in the pot itself, full of spices and the actual cocoa beans (with the cocoa butter still on it, and not separated), and then stirred with a stirrer that came up through a hole in the lid of the chocolate pot. Search for images!
And Ves is summed up superbly: " 'The trouble with you, Ves, isn't that you're amoral. You aren't. It's that, for all your flower-coloured hair and your trinkets and your jewels, you're too dammed practical. The rest of us will wrestle with the rules and the ethics and the precedents and the expectations surrounding a given course of action for some time, before concluding, regretfully, that there aren't any other options that would get the job done nearly so well, or even at all. You go through the same process in three seconds flat...' "
I enjoyed this book more than the 3rd one. The entire Modern Magick series remains a whimsical, dark breath of fresh air, complete with sinister undertones and the characteristic snarky, observant voice of Ves. This book was no exception.
June 22, 2018
So we are back with Ves and Jay who have been tasked to find out more about the spire which has a rather fun talent of being able to disappear, and is time travel really possible?
Well the truth comes out in book 4 of the wonderful Modern Magick series and it’s not what you’d be expecting..and it’s certainly not what Ves was expecting either.
Our small team are pretty much on their own with this one as there’s still a traitor within the Society for Magickal Heritage. They just don’t know who they can trust. The mole is passing information to Ancestria Magicka who aren’t the nicest bunch to say the least.
Lets just say the Society and Ancestria Magicka have differing views on keeping magic in the world.
Ves has her work cut out for her pretty quickly when a house disappears..with Jay inside!
The Baron reappears and Ves finally gets a lead to go on..does the Baron know more than he’s letting on? Let’s be fair the Troll court don’t like to share information do they?
Once again it’s a fun tale that builds nicely. The author manages to easily keep the pressure building in the chocolate pot with even more twists to keep you engrossed and her style of writing kept me smiling all the way through.
As an avid fan of the author I’m happy to say the book delivered everything I wanted and more. I’ve no idea where we will go next but I’m excited to find out.
If you want a fun and quirky fantasy series to start this could be for you! If you want a quick fantasy hit then it's a must!
Well the truth comes out in book 4 of the wonderful Modern Magick series and it’s not what you’d be expecting..and it’s certainly not what Ves was expecting either.
Our small team are pretty much on their own with this one as there’s still a traitor within the Society for Magickal Heritage. They just don’t know who they can trust. The mole is passing information to Ancestria Magicka who aren’t the nicest bunch to say the least.
Lets just say the Society and Ancestria Magicka have differing views on keeping magic in the world.
Ves has her work cut out for her pretty quickly when a house disappears..with Jay inside!
The Baron reappears and Ves finally gets a lead to go on..does the Baron know more than he’s letting on? Let’s be fair the Troll court don’t like to share information do they?
Once again it’s a fun tale that builds nicely. The author manages to easily keep the pressure building in the chocolate pot with even more twists to keep you engrossed and her style of writing kept me smiling all the way through.
As an avid fan of the author I’m happy to say the book delivered everything I wanted and more. I’ve no idea where we will go next but I’m excited to find out.
If you want a fun and quirky fantasy series to start this could be for you! If you want a quick fantasy hit then it's a must!
June 16, 2018
This is the fourth book in the Modern Magick series. You'd enjoy this book, but please read the series in order to get the full enjoyment and backstory of the quirky characters and the world they live in. In this addition, Ves, Jay, and Zareen go rogue to solve a problem the Milady can't officially condone the Society being involved with. All the fun, whimsical characters appear in this story: the enigmatic house, Milady, the talking book the charming Baron. Plus it seemed like this one had even more action. I'm looking forward to the next installment! If you like this series, be sure to pick up Charlotte English's Alyfenhame, Drakon, or Malykant series. I've enjoyed them all.
July 19, 2019
This is a series of four short stories,in an ongoing serial series, in one book. The Road to Farringale, Toil & Trouble, The Striding Spire, and The Fifth Britain. It's a light, enjoyable series about a British Society whose purpose is to preserve & protect the magic that is dying out. Definitely young adult, perhaps even middle school or higher level elementary readers would enjoy this. Being that these are so short and the remaining episodes in the series are available for free on the author's website, I'm loath to purchase any more.
August 1, 2020
With this volume, not only is the magical descriptions and inventions remain a load of fun, they actually kick up a notch. Not just mysterious people that inhabit (or haunt) houses and buildings, but houses and buildings that can move from one world to another. In this case, from the Sixth Britain to the Fifth Britain.
The very knowledge of the Fifth Britain where magic is commonplace is a threat to humanity in any number of ways... But how to stop the flow when you are whisked away to there and have ambivalence about ever coming home?
The very knowledge of the Fifth Britain where magic is commonplace is a threat to humanity in any number of ways... But how to stop the flow when you are whisked away to there and have ambivalence about ever coming home?
May 29, 2022
This was, again, an easy and interesting read; one which I found myself drifting back to during times of stagnancy, boredom, and the like.
However, I feel very indifferent about this particular instalment. Although the adventure was still there and the characters are still completely well-loved by me, this book felt quite lacklustre. Not only were there a lot of clichés that I wasn't particularly excited about, but the narrative was lacking the punch of excitement that the previous books had.
I still enjoyed this book, no doubt! It just fell a little less in comparison to the others.
However, I feel very indifferent about this particular instalment. Although the adventure was still there and the characters are still completely well-loved by me, this book felt quite lacklustre. Not only were there a lot of clichés that I wasn't particularly excited about, but the narrative was lacking the punch of excitement that the previous books had.
I still enjoyed this book, no doubt! It just fell a little less in comparison to the others.
November 16, 2019
I am officially obsessed with this series - I just wish the instalments weren't so short. At least there's quite a few out, but am definitely chowing them down.
Argh, I was legit worried for Jay - even though I'm sure he wouldn't be killed off. But things are heating up between Ves and Alban, which I'm struggling a bit with. Their banter is fun, but I feel like he should have made a proper move on her already with all this tension. So I'm a bit reserved about their blossoming relationship.
Argh, I was legit worried for Jay - even though I'm sure he wouldn't be killed off. But things are heating up between Ves and Alban, which I'm struggling a bit with. Their banter is fun, but I feel like he should have made a proper move on her already with all this tension. So I'm a bit reserved about their blossoming relationship.
June 14, 2018
The problem with magic is that it won't stay put. Just when Ves and crew think they are getting close, magic throws them another another curve and trots them off to strange new places, or maybe, the same place in another time? Or maybe not.
Charlotte spins a fine tale, or web, as this case may be. Or intertwined webs that don't quite touch. Delightful as usual.
Enjoy!
Charlotte spins a fine tale, or web, as this case may be. Or intertwined webs that don't quite touch. Delightful as usual.
Enjoy!
October 10, 2018
the writing is starting to clear up and the characters and plot is moving along nicely!
February 6, 2020
Another good story
As before this episode is full of a lot of twists and turns to keep me reading. I will plan to continue the series.
As before this episode is full of a lot of twists and turns to keep me reading. I will plan to continue the series.
February 1, 2023
This series is great but they do seem to end before everything is resolved. Great afternoon read
August 16, 2024
Takes the novelty to a fresh level with the alternate world of Fifth Britain.
Still strong and complex characters. Light-hearted and clever.
Still strong and complex characters. Light-hearted and clever.
February 14, 2021
Lively tale sending you in many directions that you would not anticipate.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews