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Modern Magick #6
Music and Misadventure: Modern Magick, 6
“Fun” for all the family...
I haven't heard from my mother in six years — which is why I was surprised to receive a summons from her. The peremptory kind.
With nothing but a set of map co-ordinates to guide me, what exactly was I to expect?
The short answer? Trouble, for Mother Dearest is in rather a lot of it. And like daughter, like mother, for there’s a shiny artefact in the offing, and only a few gigantic lindworms in the way. Who isn’t up for a minor little challenge like that?
It's off to Faerie with us, for the artefact in question was once the property of the legendary King Evelaern; and who doesn't love a nice bit of ancient royal treasure?
Only as it turns out, the declining kingdom of the Yllanfalen may hold some unexpected truths about my past...
I haven't heard from my mother in six years — which is why I was surprised to receive a summons from her. The peremptory kind.
With nothing but a set of map co-ordinates to guide me, what exactly was I to expect?
The short answer? Trouble, for Mother Dearest is in rather a lot of it. And like daughter, like mother, for there’s a shiny artefact in the offing, and only a few gigantic lindworms in the way. Who isn’t up for a minor little challenge like that?
It's off to Faerie with us, for the artefact in question was once the property of the legendary King Evelaern; and who doesn't love a nice bit of ancient royal treasure?
Only as it turns out, the declining kingdom of the Yllanfalen may hold some unexpected truths about my past...
225 pages, Paperback
First published September 7, 2018
38 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
About the author
Charlotte E. English
77 books356 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 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 15, 2019
Ves is back for more mayhem and this time her mother is along for the ride…
After six years of silence a message arrives for Ves from her mother Delia Vesper, and with Milday’s leave she sets out with partner Jay to find out what all this is about.
As it turns out her mother is in a little trouble.. Lindworms..like Dragons..and dangerous..but that’s just the start of it.
After coming to her mother’s aid Ves and co start exploring..and they soon find a portal…but where does it lead?
What happens next is a whirlwind of adventure as the team are whisked off to other lands with legendary artefacts & sprites and oh and we meet….:)
Hey..i’m not going to spoil it all but this book in the series delves further into the main plot of magic decline and its origins but also Ves’s own family and their connection to magic itself.
What I’m really enjoying about this series is how each book has its own focus but you can see the bigger picture starting to form..even though I have no idea where the author is going to go next..the authors imagination means anything is possible!
This is a fun series that is developing well. The book/chapter length is short so this means it’s an easy series to get into and enjoy.
I was left with more questions than answers.. in a good way.. there’s so many ways for this story to continue and I can’t wait to read more.
After six years of silence a message arrives for Ves from her mother Delia Vesper, and with Milday’s leave she sets out with partner Jay to find out what all this is about.
As it turns out her mother is in a little trouble.. Lindworms..like Dragons..and dangerous..but that’s just the start of it.
After coming to her mother’s aid Ves and co start exploring..and they soon find a portal…but where does it lead?
What happens next is a whirlwind of adventure as the team are whisked off to other lands with legendary artefacts & sprites and oh and we meet….:)
Hey..i’m not going to spoil it all but this book in the series delves further into the main plot of magic decline and its origins but also Ves’s own family and their connection to magic itself.
What I’m really enjoying about this series is how each book has its own focus but you can see the bigger picture starting to form..even though I have no idea where the author is going to go next..the authors imagination means anything is possible!
This is a fun series that is developing well. The book/chapter length is short so this means it’s an easy series to get into and enjoy.
I was left with more questions than answers.. in a good way.. there’s so many ways for this story to continue and I can’t wait to read more.
September 7, 2021
Another twist in these tales and another step closer, maybe, to restoring magick.
April 21, 2022
Fun "side" story
Not quite a full-on side story, more of a little pause in the regular adventures with the court. We instead focus on Ves and her Mom, learning more about the fae world as we go. This was quite the fun one to read, and it plugs right back in the fifth Britain at the end :-) Onward!!
Not quite a full-on side story, more of a little pause in the regular adventures with the court. We instead focus on Ves and her Mom, learning more about the fae world as we go. This was quite the fun one to read, and it plugs right back in the fifth Britain at the end :-) Onward!!
September 24, 2018
Not bad, and it certainly had some fun moments, but overall I felt a bit closer to Meh this time.
Ves's unmet-til-now mother plays a large part, and we learn that she's a venturesome archaeologist who hasn't always been the most attentive mother, including (as mentioned in the blurb) their not having spoken in six years. Now she shows up with some awkward surprises and expectations. Mamma mia!
The new location is interesting in the ways that it both follows fairyland lore, and breaks it. For instance, the Yllanfalen (the local faerie inhabitants) have been living without a ruler, nor in the royal castle/fort, for several decades.
It's hard to discuss some of the other elements I'd like to w/o getting very spoiler-y, but I will state that another important new character was annoyingly irresolute. Ves's attraction to ancient artifacts (and in some cases, apparently, theirs to her) is still unexplained, though to snidely call it convenient would be inaccurate, since at times it's quite inconvenient or dangerous. And Jay seems to be cryptically unforthcoming about his surprisingly accomplished family; what's up with that? (N.b., I ought to figure out a way to reword that sentence: none of Jay's family appears in person in M&M; it's just that we glean a few more intriguing tidbits.)
My biggest negative with this volume of the story, though, is that it ends not with a bang but with nearly a whimper. Ves and Jay wait around at Home to be given another assignment, and though when they finally are, Milady's choice of who should be added to their team is surprising, that's the end: just "Let's go talk to ____ about where to start." I guess when you're writing a continuing serial like this one, it can be difficult to choose the best stopping spot, and previous volumes have also ended with the revelation of where they'll be heading next, but this just felt more like it didn't have enough climactic excitement to carry through the protracted denouement. Hanging around waiting wouldn't have been a particularly effective way to grip readers at the start of the next installment, either, but ...
Proofreading was pretty good. I caught only 3 errors:
● "diffuse" (like vapor) where it s/b "defuse" (an explosive);
● "to shroud Jay and I" (*winces* Just take out "Jay and", Ms. English, and it becomes obvious that "I" should be "me"! This isn't your first such object-pronoun goof); and
● one period that should be a question mark.
Despite my criticisms, I marked M&M "I liked it" on the Goodreads scale, because I did. I enjoy the characters, their interplay and adventures, the world, etc., and I look forward to continuing. I'm simply a reader who's unlikely to ever give a serial five stars.
Ves's unmet-til-now mother plays a large part, and we learn that she's a venturesome archaeologist who hasn't always been the most attentive mother, including (as mentioned in the blurb) their not having spoken in six years. Now she shows up with some awkward surprises and expectations. Mamma mia!
The new location is interesting in the ways that it both follows fairyland lore, and breaks it. For instance, the Yllanfalen (the local faerie inhabitants) have been living without a ruler, nor in the royal castle/fort, for several decades.
It's hard to discuss some of the other elements I'd like to w/o getting very spoiler-y, but I will state that another important new character was annoyingly irresolute. Ves's attraction to ancient artifacts (and in some cases, apparently, theirs to her) is still unexplained, though to snidely call it convenient would be inaccurate, since at times it's quite inconvenient or dangerous. And Jay seems to be cryptically unforthcoming about his surprisingly accomplished family; what's up with that? (N.b., I ought to figure out a way to reword that sentence: none of Jay's family appears in person in M&M; it's just that we glean a few more intriguing tidbits.)
My biggest negative with this volume of the story, though, is that it ends not with a bang but with nearly a whimper. Ves and Jay wait around at Home to be given another assignment, and though when they finally are, Milady's choice of who should be added to their team is surprising, that's the end: just "Let's go talk to ____ about where to start." I guess when you're writing a continuing serial like this one, it can be difficult to choose the best stopping spot, and previous volumes have also ended with the revelation of where they'll be heading next, but this just felt more like it didn't have enough climactic excitement to carry through the protracted denouement. Hanging around waiting wouldn't have been a particularly effective way to grip readers at the start of the next installment, either, but ...
Proofreading was pretty good. I caught only 3 errors:
● "diffuse" (like vapor) where it s/b "defuse" (an explosive);
● "to shroud Jay and I" (*winces* Just take out "Jay and", Ms. English, and it becomes obvious that "I" should be "me"! This isn't your first such object-pronoun goof); and
● one period that should be a question mark.
Despite my criticisms, I marked M&M "I liked it" on the Goodreads scale, because I did. I enjoy the characters, their interplay and adventures, the world, etc., and I look forward to continuing. I'm simply a reader who's unlikely to ever give a serial five stars.
June 7, 2022
I completely devoured this book, it seems. I really, really enjoyed it and found myself always wanting to go back to it and find out more. The narrative was extremely interesting and included a lot of plot twists (something I basically go feral over), which kept me turning the page after page.
I think I will always enjoy seeing Ves and Jay's relationship grow. It's something I always note after reading! I just think they fit really well together and they always make the adventure fun to read. It was super interesting to learn more about Ves' past, which is something I sort of expect to see more going forward; I hope it isn't just a plot device for one book and forgotten about! Despite getting a sprinkling of Jay's past/family as well, I wish we had gotten more. Hopefully this is developed more in the next book as well.
I adored the language while reading. I think the faerie element of the narrative gave way to some stunning use of description as well as some interesting linguistic techniques. I'm excited for the next book!
I think I will always enjoy seeing Ves and Jay's relationship grow. It's something I always note after reading! I just think they fit really well together and they always make the adventure fun to read. It was super interesting to learn more about Ves' past, which is something I sort of expect to see more going forward; I hope it isn't just a plot device for one book and forgotten about! Despite getting a sprinkling of Jay's past/family as well, I wish we had gotten more. Hopefully this is developed more in the next book as well.
I adored the language while reading. I think the faerie element of the narrative gave way to some stunning use of description as well as some interesting linguistic techniques. I'm excited for the next book!
November 21, 2019
We meet Ves' mum and boy is she a character. Not super sure how I feel about her, but this instalment was a trip.
August 29, 2018
The marvelous Magickal saga continues. I am thoroughly enjoying this series. Charlotte spins a fine yarn. I want to know What Happens Next.
June 14, 2019
I am still getting annoyed by the prose and phrasing of the book but I love the characters and the way it's progressing so I will stick with it.
June 23, 2019
Ves, her mother, Fairyland, a magic lyre and a quest of sorts. 👍
December 12, 2020
This series isn't perfect but has become my favourite new to me series of the year
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews