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Mrs. Quent #2
The House on Durrow Street
Her courage saved the country of Altania and earned the love of a hero of the realm. Now sensible Ivy Quent wants only to turn her father’s sprawling, mysterious house into a proper home. But soon she is swept into fashionable society’s highest circles of power—a world that is vital to her family’s future but replete with perilous temptations.
Yet far greater danger lies beyond the city’s glittering ballrooms—and Ivy must race to unlock the secrets that lie within the old house on Durrow Street before outlaw magicians and an ancient ravening force plunge Altania into darkness forever.
685 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
38 people are currently reading
760 people want to read
About the author
Galen Beckett
4 books128 followersWhat if there was a fantastical cause underlying the social constraints and limited choices confronting a heroine in a novel by Jane Austen or Charlotte Brontë? Galen Beckett began writing The Magicians and Mrs. Quent to answer that question.
The author lives in Colorado.
An alias for Mark Anthony.
The author lives in Colorado.
An alias for Mark Anthony.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 142 reviews
March 10, 2011
Last year I read and really enjoyed The Magicians and Mrs. Quent - so much so that it ended up being in my top 10 for books I read that year.
This book, based on the rating, was still good, generally, but it was lacking in a lot of ways.
For one, it was a very slow build. Now, I can appreciate this sometimes, and I think with the tone of the book - the whole faux-Jane Austen thing - it both generally works and makes sense, but that didn't stop me from, time to time, especially in the beginning, wondering when things were going to really get started.
And then things would get started, and I'd get excited, but then things would sort of slow down again.
I don't think the slowing down again would've been so bad save for two things: 1) A lot of stuff seemed to happen off-page and 2) What was on page was often repetitive.
To point one, often you would be in a scene which is building towards something - a party or something, for instance - and then they would get to the party, only for the book to change perspectives, and when we returned to the person going to the party, several days had passed, we would get a summary of the party as a sort of memory, and then we would proceed forward again. This type of thing happened repeatedly throughout the story, and I couldn't help but feel that a lot of the most interesting parts were being summarized instead of experienced.
Now, I understand some degree of summary. It is a nearly 700 page book, and there is a lot going on; however, that brings me back to point number two - repetition.
*** Minor possible spoilers ahead ***
How many times did we have to see a scene with Ivy talking with the viscountess, and the viscountess telling Ivy how interesting she is, and how everyone wants a chance to meet her, and for Ivy to be surprised and demure, and turn into a gobsmacked idiot every damn time she was complimented?
How many times did we have to see a scene with Eldyn writing the legers, and thinking of being an illusionist, and being an illusionist and thinking of the Church, and his struggle between his desires and his responsibility? Not that it's not important - but the same scene, essentially, played out at least five times.
And how many times did we have to see Rafferdy lament about her and her happiness, when it's his own damn fault, and I sort of wanted to smack him.
******
So on and so forth.
Also, one of the things that really made the first book sparkle was the interaction between the main characters, Ivy and Rafferdy especially, the little bits of social commentary and wit, and just the general amusement of the dialogue. But, again, a lot of that was missing from this book. The three protagonists, bossom buddies in the first book, hardly seem to have time to interact at all in this book.
Also, once again, while I found Eldyn's bit interesting and enjoyable, and while it did loosely tie into the main plot, I couldn't help but wonder if all the time spent with him is entirely necessary.
And Mr. Quent was, again, rather absent most of the time. (Oh, and the cover, yet again, gives away a fairly important plot point, though I guess it's not that big of a deal since you can guess it long before it's revealed anyway.)
Lastly, in the last third of the book or so I didn't want to stop reading. The tension was building, things were coming together, everyone was running one way or another, the bad guys were being revealed, shit was going down... and then... and then...
It fizzled. I mean, complete and utter anti-climax. All that build up, and it was over in, like, a paragraph. Honestly.
But, for all that, I still enjoyed it. When I wasn't reading it, I wanted to be reading it. Not just to finish it, and not just to find out what was going on or going to happen, but also just to be immersed in it. I can't even really tell you what was good about it - but, for the most part, I liked reading it.
But - and this is a big but - this does not lessen the fact that I'm hoping that the rumored third and final book is better, and works out some of these kinks. Perhaps I am kinder to this book than I ought to be because it is the middle book of a trilogy, and they are reknowned for being the weakest link - often serving more as a bridge than as a landscape.
But, like I said, I did quite enjoy the reading of it, despite it's myriad flaws. Go fig.
This book, based on the rating, was still good, generally, but it was lacking in a lot of ways.
For one, it was a very slow build. Now, I can appreciate this sometimes, and I think with the tone of the book - the whole faux-Jane Austen thing - it both generally works and makes sense, but that didn't stop me from, time to time, especially in the beginning, wondering when things were going to really get started.
And then things would get started, and I'd get excited, but then things would sort of slow down again.
I don't think the slowing down again would've been so bad save for two things: 1) A lot of stuff seemed to happen off-page and 2) What was on page was often repetitive.
To point one, often you would be in a scene which is building towards something - a party or something, for instance - and then they would get to the party, only for the book to change perspectives, and when we returned to the person going to the party, several days had passed, we would get a summary of the party as a sort of memory, and then we would proceed forward again. This type of thing happened repeatedly throughout the story, and I couldn't help but feel that a lot of the most interesting parts were being summarized instead of experienced.
Now, I understand some degree of summary. It is a nearly 700 page book, and there is a lot going on; however, that brings me back to point number two - repetition.
*** Minor possible spoilers ahead ***
How many times did we have to see a scene with Ivy talking with the viscountess, and the viscountess telling Ivy how interesting she is, and how everyone wants a chance to meet her, and for Ivy to be surprised and demure, and turn into a gobsmacked idiot every damn time she was complimented?
How many times did we have to see a scene with Eldyn writing the legers, and thinking of being an illusionist, and being an illusionist and thinking of the Church, and his struggle between his desires and his responsibility? Not that it's not important - but the same scene, essentially, played out at least five times.
And how many times did we have to see Rafferdy lament about her and her happiness, when it's his own damn fault, and I sort of wanted to smack him.
******
So on and so forth.
Also, one of the things that really made the first book sparkle was the interaction between the main characters, Ivy and Rafferdy especially, the little bits of social commentary and wit, and just the general amusement of the dialogue. But, again, a lot of that was missing from this book. The three protagonists, bossom buddies in the first book, hardly seem to have time to interact at all in this book.
Also, once again, while I found Eldyn's bit interesting and enjoyable, and while it did loosely tie into the main plot, I couldn't help but wonder if all the time spent with him is entirely necessary.
And Mr. Quent was, again, rather absent most of the time. (Oh, and the cover, yet again, gives away a fairly important plot point, though I guess it's not that big of a deal since you can guess it long before it's revealed anyway.)
Lastly, in the last third of the book or so I didn't want to stop reading. The tension was building, things were coming together, everyone was running one way or another, the bad guys were being revealed, shit was going down... and then... and then...
It fizzled. I mean, complete and utter anti-climax. All that build up, and it was over in, like, a paragraph. Honestly.
But, for all that, I still enjoyed it. When I wasn't reading it, I wanted to be reading it. Not just to finish it, and not just to find out what was going on or going to happen, but also just to be immersed in it. I can't even really tell you what was good about it - but, for the most part, I liked reading it.
But - and this is a big but - this does not lessen the fact that I'm hoping that the rumored third and final book is better, and works out some of these kinks. Perhaps I am kinder to this book than I ought to be because it is the middle book of a trilogy, and they are reknowned for being the weakest link - often serving more as a bridge than as a landscape.
But, like I said, I did quite enjoy the reading of it, despite it's myriad flaws. Go fig.
December 25, 2011
Soo I kinda wanted to give this 4 stars, but I'm struggling because the ENDING was really nice, but it was SO HARD to start the book, the first 1/4th was almost making me give up because of structure stuff. Part of that is because it has been a while since I read the first in this series, so I guess there's that, but I consider it part of the author's job to give a recap, or at least write a BIT of refresher for people who liked the previous book but don't wanna go back and read the whole thing.
If you are familiar with the world, it's a re-imagining of the era of Charlotte Bronte, or Jane Austen, but with magic. I really like the concept even more than execution, but I will admit this second book felt way better paced and better laid out than the first. I LOVE the house and uncovering all the secrets. This is a DENSE read but after initial bumps I really enjoyed.
My problem I guess was that in the beginning it's hard to understand why the book is done from different people's POVs (same problem I had with the first one). I wish the characters had interacted more together to kind of justify why we were following them so disparately, and when it finally adds up WAY into the book, that's when things pay off, but it feels too late to me.
SLIGHT SPOILER:
I also don't quite understand the relationship between the main character and her husband and this unrequited love interest thing going on. It feels like the husband is gonna get killed off and the other two will end up together, but it's taking a long time, and the wife/husband duo relationship is not really getting fleshed out, so you don't really root for them to be together. I dunno.
Upshot, I will definitely read the next one because I felt this one improved on the world, and I love the main character and her sisters and wanna see where it goes!
If you are familiar with the world, it's a re-imagining of the era of Charlotte Bronte, or Jane Austen, but with magic. I really like the concept even more than execution, but I will admit this second book felt way better paced and better laid out than the first. I LOVE the house and uncovering all the secrets. This is a DENSE read but after initial bumps I really enjoyed.
My problem I guess was that in the beginning it's hard to understand why the book is done from different people's POVs (same problem I had with the first one). I wish the characters had interacted more together to kind of justify why we were following them so disparately, and when it finally adds up WAY into the book, that's when things pay off, but it feels too late to me.
SLIGHT SPOILER:
I also don't quite understand the relationship between the main character and her husband and this unrequited love interest thing going on. It feels like the husband is gonna get killed off and the other two will end up together, but it's taking a long time, and the wife/husband duo relationship is not really getting fleshed out, so you don't really root for them to be together. I dunno.
Upshot, I will definitely read the next one because I felt this one improved on the world, and I love the main character and her sisters and wanna see where it goes!
September 27, 2012
The lackluster sequel to The Magicians and Mrs. Quent. The first book was an uninspired mashup of Jane Eyre and Pride&Prejudice that became interesting near the end. This book didn't have the crutch of using another author's ideas, which I assume explains why the first hundred pages were so slow and repititious. I'm sure the plot eventually gets underway, but the first 100 pages are simply the following elements repeated ad nauseum:
--Mrs.Quent is vaguely puzzled by clearly magical happenings, but decides to focus on other things
--Garritt wonders whether he should pursue theatre work (and maybe lurve) or devote his life to the church
--Rafferdy thinks about how he's wasting his life and wonders what he should do with it, whilst moaning about how perfect Mrs.Quent is.
Presumably at some point something happens, but I didn't bother to read further to find out what. The dialog is cheesy and unnatural, the characters only half-formed, and the tone can't decide whether it will ape formal 19th century style or be breezy and ironic.
--Mrs.Quent is vaguely puzzled by clearly magical happenings, but decides to focus on other things
--Garritt wonders whether he should pursue theatre work (and maybe lurve) or devote his life to the church
--Rafferdy thinks about how he's wasting his life and wonders what he should do with it, whilst moaning about how perfect Mrs.Quent is.
Presumably at some point something happens, but I didn't bother to read further to find out what. The dialog is cheesy and unnatural, the characters only half-formed, and the tone can't decide whether it will ape formal 19th century style or be breezy and ironic.
February 8, 2019
so far it's a fine sequel to the delightful and magical, "Mrs. Quent and the Magicians". I have to go back and read that one, as I am feeling a bit lost as there are a lot of characters being developed. The only thing I am not thrilled with is that Galen Beckett, who claimed Mrs. Quent was his debut novel is really a pseudonym for another more established writer, so I felt a little cheated. But I do like this book so far and will gladly read the third one when it is released
March 24, 2011
Ugh. Just. What a disappointment. This had so much promise, but it ended up silly, incoherent and dumb. Plot threads dropped like flies, enraging characterizations, a total buying-into of the Empire and all it does, weird social issues brought up and never addressed, SURPRISE EXPOSITION out of nowhere at the very end... I can't believe I read this. I wanted to be able to justify all the time I sank into it, but in the end, I can't even care.
June 15, 2011
I just had to rush out and buy this book within days after I read The Magicians and Mrs. Quent. I needed to know what was going to happen next! I'm happy to admit I was not disappointed, not one whit. This book lived up to my expectations, the characters were the same interesting people I had come to care for, if not a little better. Ivy was her same smart and good self, and a little stronger in character. She finds more power within herself in this book. Mr. Quent, the few brief times he appeared, really served to only make me want much, much more of him. There was a bit more depth, and affection too, shown in their relationship, and I was a little saddened that he wasn't around more often. I understood, as Ivy stated to herself a few times, that his job as an inquirer was highly important to Altania, and for the good of everyone, he must be dutiful, but it does put a strain on their relationship with him being gone all the time, whether off traveling around the country checking on the stands of Wyrdwood for days at a time, or working all day at the Citadel in Invarel. I could feel her sadness every time he had to leave again. Mr. Rafferdy also is again a huge character. He becomes Lord Rafferdy due to his father's death, and starts taking a reluctant interest in Assembly. He also meets some other young magicians, and joins their arcane order, becoming more adept at working magick. Eldyn Garrit plays the other major role. He's been clerking at a church, but he becomes closer with his friend Dercy and the other illusionists at the Theater of the Moon. He even learns to create more illusions, and learns to do things besides conceal himself in shadows. There's a lot going on in this novel, and I sort of don't even know what to say. There's been mysterious and gruesome deaths of the Siltheri, wherein the corpses are found with their eyes gouged out, leading to some fear in the illusionist community. There's problems going on in Assembly, because the king is old and ill, and wishes for his daughter to succeed him, but there's a group of magnates who won't hear of it. No one seems to be able to handle the idea of a woman on the throne. Then there's some bad magicians, who want to unleash the Ashen and cause mass destruction, and they plan to destroy all the Wyrdwood in order to do that. There's mysterious doors found behind the walls in Ivy's house on Durrow street, and a journal written by Mr. Lockwell, but the pages are blank and only show up at certain times for a short period of time. Through some of these entries in the journal, things are explained a little more, and also new questions are opened. All through this, poor seemingly senile Mr. Lockwell is still stuck in the asylum, although gladly in much more comfier conditions than before. There's also mysterious and evil happenings with some people within the church where Eldyn works. Plus, there's the suspicious (well, to me anyway) matter of the witch in Torland that Mr. Quent released (without the knowledge of his superiors), and why he did it. Also, why is he mumbling about the somewhat scary Lady Shayde in his sleep? Whew! That's a lot, and I don't even think I mentioned it all. But this book was just so exciting. Yea, sometimes the pacing was a little slow in the beginning, but it built up steadily until, by halfway through, I was rushing with the wind in my face, going ever faster down to the end, which came way too quickly once it was there. I'm terribly sad for this book to end. It ended wonderfully though, with much excitement, especially when Ivy used her power with the trees and Mr. Rafferdy used his powers of magick and the day was saved (albeit temporarily). I can't wait until the third book is published.
Can't wait!!
Please Galen Beckett, please get it out soon! Please? I need to know where these wonderful characters are going next, and I'd love to find out more about the world within these novels. I need it! I'm begging... :)
October 12, 2011
This book is recommended for folk who like their fantasy subtle, thick, and intricate. Think Charlotte Bronte with magic, only this is a novel in that spirit, not a pastiche. Beckett wondered what would happen if a fantastical cause lay under the social constraints and limited choices of Bronte and Austen’s heroines? This world is the result, a British/European-flavored stew with a varying planet rotation that causes long days and nights peppered with short ones – sleep cycles clearly not in tune with the people forced to live that way.
What if magic was somehow behind that? We see the continuation of using familiar Gothic tropes from The Magicians and Mrs. Quent – impoverished sons of noble houses struggling to support the remains of their family, jaded young aristocrats forced to pick up the family burden when a strong father falters, young women living idle lives in the upper classes seeking a place for their intellect and talents.
In The Magicians and Mrs. Quent, sensible, intelligent Ivy Quent used her courage and intellect to help save her country, though most know it not, and earned the love of a solid and dependable hero of the realm. Now, she would be delighted to spend her time turning her family inheritance – a sprawling, mysterious magician’s house – into a proper home for herself, her husband and her sisters (and, hopefully, her mentally ill father, currently in a hospital.) It’s a strange and wondrous house, with magical eyes that observe everyone who passes. Ivy’s mother hated the house, which is partly why they moved out, but now it is home, and Ivy is enjoying the transformation.
It becomes a greater transformation when her husband’s years of service are finally recognized with rank and income. This catapults her into fashionable society, among the great and powerful – a world vital to her family’s future, but rife with temptations and danger.
In the end, it is the secrets of the old house that must be unraveled, as Ivy must race to find answers before rogue magicians and an ancient ravening force overwhelm her tiny country. Once again she will need the help of young Lord Rafferdy, a magician despite his own desires, and Eldyn Garritt, impoverished gentry with many, many secrets of his own to protect.
This book moved more swiftly and smoothly for me than the first, with still more interesting pockets of arcane knowledge to be revealed. We find that those who kept magic alive mostly used it for ill, whether for or against the interests of the nation. There are dangers to some of these magics – fatal dangers. The corruption nibbling at the government has spread to the church, and the underground. Now Lady Quent, Ivy cannot know who to trust, and the others have similar dilemmas.
If you like a lyrical journey where even the language slows you down to another time and pace, give this one a try. You might like Beckett’s world and heroes!
What if magic was somehow behind that? We see the continuation of using familiar Gothic tropes from The Magicians and Mrs. Quent – impoverished sons of noble houses struggling to support the remains of their family, jaded young aristocrats forced to pick up the family burden when a strong father falters, young women living idle lives in the upper classes seeking a place for their intellect and talents.
In The Magicians and Mrs. Quent, sensible, intelligent Ivy Quent used her courage and intellect to help save her country, though most know it not, and earned the love of a solid and dependable hero of the realm. Now, she would be delighted to spend her time turning her family inheritance – a sprawling, mysterious magician’s house – into a proper home for herself, her husband and her sisters (and, hopefully, her mentally ill father, currently in a hospital.) It’s a strange and wondrous house, with magical eyes that observe everyone who passes. Ivy’s mother hated the house, which is partly why they moved out, but now it is home, and Ivy is enjoying the transformation.
It becomes a greater transformation when her husband’s years of service are finally recognized with rank and income. This catapults her into fashionable society, among the great and powerful – a world vital to her family’s future, but rife with temptations and danger.
In the end, it is the secrets of the old house that must be unraveled, as Ivy must race to find answers before rogue magicians and an ancient ravening force overwhelm her tiny country. Once again she will need the help of young Lord Rafferdy, a magician despite his own desires, and Eldyn Garritt, impoverished gentry with many, many secrets of his own to protect.
This book moved more swiftly and smoothly for me than the first, with still more interesting pockets of arcane knowledge to be revealed. We find that those who kept magic alive mostly used it for ill, whether for or against the interests of the nation. There are dangers to some of these magics – fatal dangers. The corruption nibbling at the government has spread to the church, and the underground. Now Lady Quent, Ivy cannot know who to trust, and the others have similar dilemmas.
If you like a lyrical journey where even the language slows you down to another time and pace, give this one a try. You might like Beckett’s world and heroes!
August 6, 2020
DNF, pg 220-some + the ending.
I quite enjoyed the first book, but this was lacking. No real humor, no plot, no nothing...instead it was pages upon pages of boredom with an occasional quote-worthy line. Not worth the effort. (NB: In the interests of fairness, I also scanned through the finale to see if it was worth pushing on. It wasn't.)
Maybe it's been too long since I read Book 1 (back in 2011, good grief o.O). Maybe I've outgrown this storyline (because hey, that happens). Or maybe it really *is* just an aggressively dull tome (because that also happens). Honestly, I'm not sure if it's one or all of these reasons; in any case, DURROW STREET didn't work for yours truly.
I still have #3, so I'll give it a try...but next time I'll not wade through nearly so much boredom before DNFing. (HEATHCREST, you're officially on notice.)
I quite enjoyed the first book, but this was lacking. No real humor, no plot, no nothing...instead it was pages upon pages of boredom with an occasional quote-worthy line. Not worth the effort. (NB: In the interests of fairness, I also scanned through the finale to see if it was worth pushing on. It wasn't.)
Maybe it's been too long since I read Book 1 (back in 2011, good grief o.O). Maybe I've outgrown this storyline (because hey, that happens). Or maybe it really *is* just an aggressively dull tome (because that also happens). Honestly, I'm not sure if it's one or all of these reasons; in any case, DURROW STREET didn't work for yours truly.
I still have #3, so I'll give it a try...but next time I'll not wade through nearly so much boredom before DNFing. (HEATHCREST, you're officially on notice.)
February 10, 2017
*Special Content only on my blog, Strange and Random Happenstance during Regency Magic (March & April 2016)
Ivy has more than she could ever have wished for. When she went to Heathcrest Hall she had hoped to earn enough money to open up the family house on Durrow Street and remove her sisters from odious familial obligations. Now returned to Invarel she has opened up her old home, with her husband and former employer Mr. Quent by her side. The house undoubtedly belonged to a magician, but to Ivy and her sisters it is home despite all it's oddities. The ever watching eyes carved out of wood, which tend to be unnerving to the workers refurbishing the house, are there to protect Ivy's family, constantly observing their well-being and safety. But what else might they be protecting? Ivy's father was a great magician and the house definitely has its secrets. Soon a door is discovered bricked up behind a wall, and awhile later it's mate on the other side of the room is stumbled upon. Doors of great craftsmanship and beauty that no one would rightly cover, unless they needed protecting. Items in the house are also behaving curiously. The clock on the mantel is more accurate than the most up-to-date almanac and there's a journal of her father's that Ivy discovers is slowly revealing it's entries in a haphazard manner. If Ivy knows her father, all this is to lead her on her path to becoming the heroine and savior of Altania her father believes her to be.
But distractions are in Ivy's way, in the form of societal obligations. Mr. Quent is always busy. Before he was away from home all the time, but now that he's in Invarel he's just as occupied, rising in the ranks of society. While Ivy's sisters are excited about the prospects of their higher stations, Ivy has hundreds of concerns, from bringing her sisters out into society, to new friendships with the likes of the great Lady Crayford. With unrest in town can she trust these new acquaintances? Because a dear old friend, Dashton Rafferdy, is at the heart of the unrest. Rafferdy has taken his father's seat in the Hall of Magnates. Being so politically placed is making a man of this rake. The king is ill, he is in fact dying, and factions are forming within the Citadel. There are two waring parties of magicians, and Rafferdy is on the wrong side, not aligning himself with Lord Valhain, the king's black dog who has the terrifying Lady Shayde as his personal weapon. With the lack of rebellions and risings associated with the "rightful king" Huntley Morden these other magicians are determined to keep the rebellion fomenting by publicly turning against magic itself. Because magicians will be blamed for terrorist acts. Even illusionists are threatened. Yet could all this be tied to the threat Ivy and Rafferdy faced before? Could all this be in aid of the Ashen? And will they attempt an even greater rising, this time at the Evengrove? But most worrying of all, what happens when the red planet Cerephus gets even closer?
It is a rare occurrence for an author to create a group of characters and make you love each and every one of them. It's even rarer for this to happen in a love triangle. I quite literally can not think of one where all three of the characters held equal space in my heart. And if you say you actually like George Wickham I will smack you right now! He was so up to something from his first appearance in Pride and Prejudice. There is always a weak link. One character that just isn't up to snuff and therefore you're secretly rooting for them to fail. Since the first page of The Magicians and Mrs. Quent I was shipping Ivy and Rafferdy. By the very title of the first book you know that Ivy isn't going to end up with him. She's going to end up with the, at that point unknown, Mr. Quent. So going further into the narrative Mr. Quent already had a black mark against him. I didn't know him but I knew he was going to cause trouble. And then he arrives and is stalwart and upstanding and just an all around good guy. Yes, I still wanted Ivy to be with Rafferdy, but I couldn't fault her marrying Mr. Quent, he is so wonderful in his own way. Galen Beckett has created his own little Catch-22. He has made such wonderful characters that I am conflicted as to who would bring them greater happiness. I keep thinking, it HAS to be Rafferdy because he helped Ivy defeat The Vigilant Order of the Silver Eye and she makes him a better man! But then she completes Mr. Quent who was so wounded by the death of his first wife all those years ago. Seriously, if this was a pick your own adventure book I would be screwed.
Of course there is always an exception to every rule. It's like it's own rule am I right? So when I say "I love every character" what I mean is "I love every character except..." And I'm not talking about the characters that you are meant to hate, because you eventually come to love hating them. I'm talking about the characters you just don't like. In this case it's Eldyn. You're probably saying, who's Eldyn right about now. In my review of the first book I mentioned him in passing as Rafferdy's best friend. In this review I've glossed over him almost entirely with lumping him in as one of the illusionists, which he is. Yet he is one of the three principal characters in this series and a third of the narrative belongs to him. So perhaps I should explain why I've omitted him. In The Magicians and Mrs. Quent he has a rather boring storyline about his sister and some rebels. These sections were excruciating. If I had to read about him at least Rafferdy could be present right? The fact that he didn't die in the first book was a major source of contention with me. I should have given more credit to Galen. Because in The House on Durrow Street if there's one surprise it's the redemption of the character of Eldyn Garritt. I know. I'm as surprised as you that my opinion could be changed so drastically.
With books this big it's hard to cover everything that happens in one review. I could write several reviews of The House on Durrow Street and never repeat myself and still have things to talk about. But this redemption of Eldyn is, I think, the most interesting. Yes, his learning to become an illusionist and eventually a performer at The Theatre of the Moon is fascinating, as is his paramour Dercy, but what's more surprising is that Eldyn's story is the driving force of this book. The simple line of "even illusionists are threatened" from above encapsulates more than you can imagine. Because what lies underneath is a dark mystery that keeps you turning the pages waiting to find out the truth. Because illusionists are turning up dead. Of course only fellow illusionists could make this connection. Eldyn, in trying to support that rebel loving sister of his is straddling the world of the church, where he works as a clerk, and the world of illusion, where he is learning his art. The church has strong opinions on illusionists, all of them bad. But it's only through being a part of both of these worlds that Eldyn is able to see the greater picture, to uncover the conspiracy of the church using magic to exert control. They are harming and harnessing magic to their own purposes. Purposes that are almost too dark to discuss. But when you see the full extent of the conspiracy in it's reveal you will be astounded and hopefully agree with me that you were seriously doing a disservice to Mr. Garritt.
With Mr. Garritt being revealed as an illusionist the three branches of magic are represented in our three protagonists, Mrs. Quent, the witch, Rafferdy, the magician, and Eldyn, the illusionist. What's interesting about Galen's worldbuilding is that he doesn't just go into the customs and mores of society, he goes far into outer space and alien forces, and closer to home with genetics. Because witch, magician, and illusionist are all born this way. Which given that illusionists are homosexual I think it's nice to have someone pointing out even in a fantasy world that they are born that way. It's genetics people not something that is in need of deprogramming. Witches are born to witches, in fact it is very rare for a witch to have a male child, but if she does that child is an illusionist. Magicians just descend down the male line of the seven great houses with some having the power and some not. Hence the Hall of Magnates is literally littered with real and wannabe magicians. What comes about in The House on Durrow Street is a distinct segregation of the types of magic and fear-mongering. The magicians in power in the Hall of Magnates use their influence to make war on magic, particularly the "natural" magics of witches and illusionists, though if push comes to shove they will totally use those "natural" powers for their own gain. Likewise they instill fear in the populace to hate all magic, hiding their own. Because of all the branches of magic, magicians are the most easily corrupted by the power they need in order to work their magics.
Going back to outer space I have one question lingering at the back of my mind, and that is, is this world of Altania perhaps our future? Go with me on this, it's kind of a reverse Star Wars with our future looking like our past, but it's possible. The days and nights are of varying duration and the planets are all akimbo, but perhaps over time that could happen. Ivy talks of a time when days and nights were fixed. Here in our world after the winter equinox we gain a few minutes of sun every day until the summer equinox where we lose a few minutes of sun every day, unless you live at the equator and then it's twelve hours of light and twelve hours of dark everyday, year round. But this is to do with the moon and the tides and the planets. Now imagine something happening to knock them off course, or even just as time passes and the planets paths start to degrade, might Ivy's world come to be? Could night and day no longer be dependable? Could Earth's rotation be random? I wonder how this plays into crops and trees and even grass. And here again is why I love this book, it makes me think, it makes me imagine. I wonder about things and question things that I thought of as just accepted. Yes, there are stories I've read about night falling, forever, but never have I read a story where it's handled so deftly and also so woven into the society and their customs. I seriously just need more of this world, more of this story. I literally never want it to end. Ever.
Ivy has more than she could ever have wished for. When she went to Heathcrest Hall she had hoped to earn enough money to open up the family house on Durrow Street and remove her sisters from odious familial obligations. Now returned to Invarel she has opened up her old home, with her husband and former employer Mr. Quent by her side. The house undoubtedly belonged to a magician, but to Ivy and her sisters it is home despite all it's oddities. The ever watching eyes carved out of wood, which tend to be unnerving to the workers refurbishing the house, are there to protect Ivy's family, constantly observing their well-being and safety. But what else might they be protecting? Ivy's father was a great magician and the house definitely has its secrets. Soon a door is discovered bricked up behind a wall, and awhile later it's mate on the other side of the room is stumbled upon. Doors of great craftsmanship and beauty that no one would rightly cover, unless they needed protecting. Items in the house are also behaving curiously. The clock on the mantel is more accurate than the most up-to-date almanac and there's a journal of her father's that Ivy discovers is slowly revealing it's entries in a haphazard manner. If Ivy knows her father, all this is to lead her on her path to becoming the heroine and savior of Altania her father believes her to be.
But distractions are in Ivy's way, in the form of societal obligations. Mr. Quent is always busy. Before he was away from home all the time, but now that he's in Invarel he's just as occupied, rising in the ranks of society. While Ivy's sisters are excited about the prospects of their higher stations, Ivy has hundreds of concerns, from bringing her sisters out into society, to new friendships with the likes of the great Lady Crayford. With unrest in town can she trust these new acquaintances? Because a dear old friend, Dashton Rafferdy, is at the heart of the unrest. Rafferdy has taken his father's seat in the Hall of Magnates. Being so politically placed is making a man of this rake. The king is ill, he is in fact dying, and factions are forming within the Citadel. There are two waring parties of magicians, and Rafferdy is on the wrong side, not aligning himself with Lord Valhain, the king's black dog who has the terrifying Lady Shayde as his personal weapon. With the lack of rebellions and risings associated with the "rightful king" Huntley Morden these other magicians are determined to keep the rebellion fomenting by publicly turning against magic itself. Because magicians will be blamed for terrorist acts. Even illusionists are threatened. Yet could all this be tied to the threat Ivy and Rafferdy faced before? Could all this be in aid of the Ashen? And will they attempt an even greater rising, this time at the Evengrove? But most worrying of all, what happens when the red planet Cerephus gets even closer?
It is a rare occurrence for an author to create a group of characters and make you love each and every one of them. It's even rarer for this to happen in a love triangle. I quite literally can not think of one where all three of the characters held equal space in my heart. And if you say you actually like George Wickham I will smack you right now! He was so up to something from his first appearance in Pride and Prejudice. There is always a weak link. One character that just isn't up to snuff and therefore you're secretly rooting for them to fail. Since the first page of The Magicians and Mrs. Quent I was shipping Ivy and Rafferdy. By the very title of the first book you know that Ivy isn't going to end up with him. She's going to end up with the, at that point unknown, Mr. Quent. So going further into the narrative Mr. Quent already had a black mark against him. I didn't know him but I knew he was going to cause trouble. And then he arrives and is stalwart and upstanding and just an all around good guy. Yes, I still wanted Ivy to be with Rafferdy, but I couldn't fault her marrying Mr. Quent, he is so wonderful in his own way. Galen Beckett has created his own little Catch-22. He has made such wonderful characters that I am conflicted as to who would bring them greater happiness. I keep thinking, it HAS to be Rafferdy because he helped Ivy defeat The Vigilant Order of the Silver Eye and she makes him a better man! But then she completes Mr. Quent who was so wounded by the death of his first wife all those years ago. Seriously, if this was a pick your own adventure book I would be screwed.
Of course there is always an exception to every rule. It's like it's own rule am I right? So when I say "I love every character" what I mean is "I love every character except..." And I'm not talking about the characters that you are meant to hate, because you eventually come to love hating them. I'm talking about the characters you just don't like. In this case it's Eldyn. You're probably saying, who's Eldyn right about now. In my review of the first book I mentioned him in passing as Rafferdy's best friend. In this review I've glossed over him almost entirely with lumping him in as one of the illusionists, which he is. Yet he is one of the three principal characters in this series and a third of the narrative belongs to him. So perhaps I should explain why I've omitted him. In The Magicians and Mrs. Quent he has a rather boring storyline about his sister and some rebels. These sections were excruciating. If I had to read about him at least Rafferdy could be present right? The fact that he didn't die in the first book was a major source of contention with me. I should have given more credit to Galen. Because in The House on Durrow Street if there's one surprise it's the redemption of the character of Eldyn Garritt. I know. I'm as surprised as you that my opinion could be changed so drastically.
With books this big it's hard to cover everything that happens in one review. I could write several reviews of The House on Durrow Street and never repeat myself and still have things to talk about. But this redemption of Eldyn is, I think, the most interesting. Yes, his learning to become an illusionist and eventually a performer at The Theatre of the Moon is fascinating, as is his paramour Dercy, but what's more surprising is that Eldyn's story is the driving force of this book. The simple line of "even illusionists are threatened" from above encapsulates more than you can imagine. Because what lies underneath is a dark mystery that keeps you turning the pages waiting to find out the truth. Because illusionists are turning up dead. Of course only fellow illusionists could make this connection. Eldyn, in trying to support that rebel loving sister of his is straddling the world of the church, where he works as a clerk, and the world of illusion, where he is learning his art. The church has strong opinions on illusionists, all of them bad. But it's only through being a part of both of these worlds that Eldyn is able to see the greater picture, to uncover the conspiracy of the church using magic to exert control. They are harming and harnessing magic to their own purposes. Purposes that are almost too dark to discuss. But when you see the full extent of the conspiracy in it's reveal you will be astounded and hopefully agree with me that you were seriously doing a disservice to Mr. Garritt.
With Mr. Garritt being revealed as an illusionist the three branches of magic are represented in our three protagonists, Mrs. Quent, the witch, Rafferdy, the magician, and Eldyn, the illusionist. What's interesting about Galen's worldbuilding is that he doesn't just go into the customs and mores of society, he goes far into outer space and alien forces, and closer to home with genetics. Because witch, magician, and illusionist are all born this way. Which given that illusionists are homosexual I think it's nice to have someone pointing out even in a fantasy world that they are born that way. It's genetics people not something that is in need of deprogramming. Witches are born to witches, in fact it is very rare for a witch to have a male child, but if she does that child is an illusionist. Magicians just descend down the male line of the seven great houses with some having the power and some not. Hence the Hall of Magnates is literally littered with real and wannabe magicians. What comes about in The House on Durrow Street is a distinct segregation of the types of magic and fear-mongering. The magicians in power in the Hall of Magnates use their influence to make war on magic, particularly the "natural" magics of witches and illusionists, though if push comes to shove they will totally use those "natural" powers for their own gain. Likewise they instill fear in the populace to hate all magic, hiding their own. Because of all the branches of magic, magicians are the most easily corrupted by the power they need in order to work their magics.
Going back to outer space I have one question lingering at the back of my mind, and that is, is this world of Altania perhaps our future? Go with me on this, it's kind of a reverse Star Wars with our future looking like our past, but it's possible. The days and nights are of varying duration and the planets are all akimbo, but perhaps over time that could happen. Ivy talks of a time when days and nights were fixed. Here in our world after the winter equinox we gain a few minutes of sun every day until the summer equinox where we lose a few minutes of sun every day, unless you live at the equator and then it's twelve hours of light and twelve hours of dark everyday, year round. But this is to do with the moon and the tides and the planets. Now imagine something happening to knock them off course, or even just as time passes and the planets paths start to degrade, might Ivy's world come to be? Could night and day no longer be dependable? Could Earth's rotation be random? I wonder how this plays into crops and trees and even grass. And here again is why I love this book, it makes me think, it makes me imagine. I wonder about things and question things that I thought of as just accepted. Yes, there are stories I've read about night falling, forever, but never have I read a story where it's handled so deftly and also so woven into the society and their customs. I seriously just need more of this world, more of this story. I literally never want it to end. Ever.
June 18, 2021
This is the second book in the series. My opinion about the first book, that it feels more Victorian than the often-cited Regency, seems to me to be reinforced by the parliamentary proceedings in this one. The Hall of Magnates, or what we would call the House of Lords or possibly the Senate, is prominent in this volume, in all its bewigged silliness.
More and more of the characters seem less to be posturing and more just to be plain suspicious throughout the volume. Eldyn’s horrible little sister, for example, who was just unlikeable in the first volume, becomes positively sinister in this one. (I sincerely hope she gets her comeuppance in volume 3.) Good guys become bad, or gullible, or unexpectedly heroic. And maybe there’s hope for some of the bad guys. And then there’s Mr. Quent – is he up to something?
Carrying forward the theme of world-building, Mr. Beckett introduces a few new ways of traveling, both weird and fun. He also expands on his idea of Illusionists, people with a magical skill to create illusions from light, ultimately at great cost to themselves. There is a strong religious content as well, which, like everything else in this series, leaves the reader with doubts.
The eponymous spooky house, which is a main character in this volume, is even more wonderfully spooky, and now its garden gets into the act as well. The opposing forces of good and evil are both becoming stronger, the almanac of lumenals and umbrals is becoming even more inaccurate, and that ominous red planet in the sky is getting closer.
I’m impatient to read Volume 3 and see what is resolved, but I’m torn by my growing TBR pile which now contains some very new publications by more of my favourite authors. Aargh.
More and more of the characters seem less to be posturing and more just to be plain suspicious throughout the volume. Eldyn’s horrible little sister, for example, who was just unlikeable in the first volume, becomes positively sinister in this one. (I sincerely hope she gets her comeuppance in volume 3.) Good guys become bad, or gullible, or unexpectedly heroic. And maybe there’s hope for some of the bad guys. And then there’s Mr. Quent – is he up to something?
Carrying forward the theme of world-building, Mr. Beckett introduces a few new ways of traveling, both weird and fun. He also expands on his idea of Illusionists, people with a magical skill to create illusions from light, ultimately at great cost to themselves. There is a strong religious content as well, which, like everything else in this series, leaves the reader with doubts.
The eponymous spooky house, which is a main character in this volume, is even more wonderfully spooky, and now its garden gets into the act as well. The opposing forces of good and evil are both becoming stronger, the almanac of lumenals and umbrals is becoming even more inaccurate, and that ominous red planet in the sky is getting closer.
I’m impatient to read Volume 3 and see what is resolved, but I’m torn by my growing TBR pile which now contains some very new publications by more of my favourite authors. Aargh.
September 22, 2018
It took me six years to get around to book 2 in this series. But a feverish cold, a day in bed, and a lukewarm cup of tea proved to be the perfect accompaniment to this fantasy. The author's weird world charmed, the multiple plot strands all end nicely crossed, and the touch of Lovecraft spiced up the Jane Austen sensibility.
November 13, 2013
The Quents and the Lockwells are settling in to the old house on Durrow Street but it is a bit eerie and unsettling. Ivy is fascinated by the mysterious old house and the history behind some of the hidden wonders which have been uncovered during renovation. When she discovers her father's journal, she relishes the chance to learn more about him and his magickal studies. The days are growing shorter and the mysterious new red planet is coming ever closer. Ivy learns that her father left more clues for her to follow to unlock the secrets of the unusual astrographical events in order to prevent Altania from falling into permanent darkness. Ivy also enters Society and makes friends in high places who encourage her to think about power and position. The young Miss Lockwells look forward to their coming out and Lily hopes Eldyn Garritt will be at her party. Eldyn is busy trying to provide for himself and his sister by clerking for the church. Sashie grows ever pious but Eldyn is torn. By day he works hard tallying numbers but at night he's drawn to the glittering world of the illusionists, particularly his friend Dercy. As Dercy tries to teach Eldyn to create illusions, Eldyn discovers some surprising truths about himself. Eldyn remains determined to bring himself and his sister into the light and everyone knows the theater is full of sin and corruption, not to mention the unusual proclivities of the illusionists. Can something so beautiful be so wrong even if it makes Eldyn happy? Does it matter what the church thinks? Someone seems to think it matters for illusionists have been turning up dead and blinded. Meanwhile Rafferdy is busy avoiding his duties and avoiding Ivy. His father is gravely ill and so Mr. Rafferdy takes his father's seat in Assembly. The Magnates are divided over the issue of succession and what to do about the Wyrdword Risings. At first Rafferdy wants nothing to do with any of it but then he is befriended other frivolous young Magnates who invite him to participate in a secret magickal society. He isn't sure what to make of the society but when he uncovers dangerous secrets he doesn't understand he may have need of magick after all.
The author borrows elements of 16th-19th century English history in order to create this unique world. The plot hinges on politics and power as well as the teachings of the church which strongly resembles the Catholic Church. The unusual solar system of Altania is a bit complicated and difficult to understand but I was drawn to Ivy's journey of discovery and the mysteries she has to solve. This part of the book is the most unique and the strongest plot. I saw things that Ivy didn't and I couldn't care for her as much in this novel because she had less reason to be so naive and trusting. Eldyn's plot bored me. I've heard the same debate played out endlessly in real life. It got very repetitive reading about it in fiction. I felt Eldyn was a bit too whiny and stupid to really feel sorry for. Again I figured out things he didn't and wondered why it took him so long to see what he didn't want to see all along. It also took way too long for his plot to intersect with the main magical mystery. It almost seemed like an entirely different story set in the same world. Rafferdy's plot is also interesting because it parallels British history and politics but with a magical twist. His plot is intertwined with Ivy's for most of the book and secrets are revealed and more questions raised. I also found the idea of unrequited love of a man unusual and interesting. I quite like Rafferdy and his coming-of-age story. I would recommend this book to grown-up Harry Potter fans and Lord of the Rings fans. It works OK as a stand alone but better as a sequel.
September 24, 2011
After scanning a couple of previous reviews, I struggled with my own. I think this book was more solid in some ways -- I no longer had to wonder what the three main characters, Ivy, Rafferdy and Eldyn Garritt had to do with each other. I mean, certainly, they were all interrelated in some small way always, but not enough to write a lengthy tome around. But Garritt's presence becomes far more necessary, and in fact, more interesting, in this second novel. [return][return]I am highly irritated by the fashion, no doubt a deliberate copying of the tendency to use Mr. and Mrs. even amongst married couples. Lady Quent prefers to still call her husband Mr. Quent instead of Sir Quent? And then why is Rafferdy always called by his last name, but Eldyn almost always by his first? GRRRR![return][return]OK, that little quibble aside, I think this book was more solid and had more reason for what happened, given the slightly scatty beginnings of the first book. [return][return]Both are gripping and do an excellent job of emulating Regency or Victorian fiction, but taking it beyond to the fantastic. I'm still slightly bewildered as to why it had to be set on another planet, other than to provide the support for the planets and how they so drastically affect both night and day as well as magic itself, to some extent. I don't think you can have it both ways: regency fantasy AND on another planet. [return][return]One thing that puzzles me about this book and the previous book is the relationship between Ivy and her husband. They are apart much more than they are ever together, and I don't know how they love each other as much as they do. Especially with her continued association with Rafferdy. What, because she's married, she's become safe to associate with? You'd think it'd be even worse...[return][return]Still, I am eagerly awaiting the next book. I'm torn on 3.5 stars or 4, but I guess I'll go with 4 because I enjoyed it much more than I should've. :) And it is well written, for all the quibbly stuff I said earlier.
August 2, 2012
I very much enjoyed the first book in the series, but was disappointed in this second. The first book was about magic and Ivy's learning about her abilities and using them. This book - in the first 200 pages, which is as far as I read before giving it up as a lost cause - seemed more like a political treatise than a paranormal or even a fantasy story.
The story was just plodding and dull, with very little of the charm and sparkle that I experienced in the first. I wasn't expecting a lot of political wrangling and some of the aspects the author added into this book were odd to say the least and completely out-of-place for a book like this in my opinion. I won't give details to avoid spoilers, but they just made no sense to me for a book like this and didn't fit at all for me.
I am sorry to give this a bad review, but I expected more of the components and plot-lines like the first book included. I don't think that was unreasonable, but this was an entirely different book that bore no resemblance whatsoever to the first, and for me that was a significant negative.
The story was just plodding and dull, with very little of the charm and sparkle that I experienced in the first. I wasn't expecting a lot of political wrangling and some of the aspects the author added into this book were odd to say the least and completely out-of-place for a book like this in my opinion. I won't give details to avoid spoilers, but they just made no sense to me for a book like this and didn't fit at all for me.
I am sorry to give this a bad review, but I expected more of the components and plot-lines like the first book included. I don't think that was unreasonable, but this was an entirely different book that bore no resemblance whatsoever to the first, and for me that was a significant negative.
May 28, 2011
I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in this series, and I tried very hard to enjoy this one, as well. But frankly, it was just disappointing. The pacing of the book is extremely slow. Beckett waits until the last hundred pages of this rather thick tome to actually get the action going. And even then, the ultimate defeat of this book's villain was extremely anti-climatic. Additionally, the 'heroine' of the novel barely manages to figure out a single thing of the conflict on her own. She is constantly having to be told by others what's going on and what she needs to do. In fact, if it weren't for the stereotypical moment towards the end where the villain traps our heroine and proceeds to tell her every last detail of his plans, neither our hero nor the reader would have any idea what the villains were actually trying to accomplish throughout the story.
All in all, this was disappointing. I don't know if I'll bother to pick up the next one.
All in all, this was disappointing. I don't know if I'll bother to pick up the next one.
February 5, 2011
Rating: 4 cups
In lyrical Regency style, this story winds through a fantastic world historically similar enough to ours to draw the reader in, yet with intricate rules all its own. A slow building story, it is somewhat frustrating at times when things finally start to happen, and Ivy decides that she will go to the Park or otherwise do something that she feels Society requires rather than something interesting to the plot. Also, the reader is left with a burning desire to see her husband die and have her involved with the much more interesting Mr. Rafferdy; however, the reader will have to pick up the third in the series to see if this comes to pass.
Virginia
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance and More
Full Review: http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/Book...
In lyrical Regency style, this story winds through a fantastic world historically similar enough to ours to draw the reader in, yet with intricate rules all its own. A slow building story, it is somewhat frustrating at times when things finally start to happen, and Ivy decides that she will go to the Park or otherwise do something that she feels Society requires rather than something interesting to the plot. Also, the reader is left with a burning desire to see her husband die and have her involved with the much more interesting Mr. Rafferdy; however, the reader will have to pick up the third in the series to see if this comes to pass.
Virginia
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance and More
Full Review: http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/Book...
October 17, 2011
Galen Beckett continues his winning streak with his second amazing book!
Ivy, Rafferdy and Eldyn face new challenges and grow as people through this second book and you grow to love them as characters more and more.
Mr. Beckett is a phenominal writter that has a fresh and wonderful creativity that captures a reader and holds them fast til the very last word. I can only wait with VERY high anticipation for his third book in the series to come out in March 2012!
Ivy, Rafferdy and Eldyn face new challenges and grow as people through this second book and you grow to love them as characters more and more.
Mr. Beckett is a phenominal writter that has a fresh and wonderful creativity that captures a reader and holds them fast til the very last word. I can only wait with VERY high anticipation for his third book in the series to come out in March 2012!
December 29, 2010
This book probably should have focused less on the manners and morals of the time and more on the plot - but alas, since it failed to pay sufficient attention to the plot, the author ended stealing the same plot devices from the first book to save the day in this one.
It made the book terribly predictable. Bah.
It made the book terribly predictable. Bah.
February 16, 2015
I enjoyed this as much as the first one. Characters I like. Intriguing settings & interactions. Jus the right touch of magic.
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July 18, 2022I read the first book in this series, The Magicians and Mrs. Quent, and found it interesting enough that I wanted to read the rest. I began to read this book, The House on Durrow Street, and found it absolutely one of the slowest paced books I have ever read. It did become exciting in the last 150 pages, but the bulk of the book progresses incrementally.
Ivy, our sensible Jane Austen-esque heroine, and her husband Mr Quent are renovating the house on Durrow Street. Ivy is awakened by strange noises at night. She gets up to investigate, but never finds the source. The builders uncover a hidden door. Then another door. They don’t go anywhere. She says, “Leave them uncovered. They are interesting to look at.” Mr Quent is still out of town a lot on his important work for the government. He gets made a baronet, so they are now Lord and Lady Quent, and Ivy gets invited to parties.
Ivy’s two younger sisters continue to be silly. It’s time for them to be introduced to society, so Ivy has to plan a party. Ivy’s father, Mr Lockwell, the magician who had lost his mind protecting humanity from evil forces, is still in the insane asylum, but he’s getting electroshock treatment, so he’s starting to get better.
Rafferdy, society fop turned magician, is still secretly in love with Ivy. He has been avoiding her, but decides, why not be friends? Ivy is happy in her marriage, and Rafferdy respects the boundaries. Meanwhile, Rafferdy’s dad, the Lord Rafferdy, is so ill that Rafferdy must take his place in Assembly, so we get a close up view of the dysfunctional government of Altania: black robes, musty wigs, gridlocked factions.
Eldyn Garritt, the poor scrivener, and one-time drinking buddy of Rafferdy, has landed stable employment as an accountant in a church. Eldyn enjoys stability. He thinks he might enter the priesthood. But he discovers himself to be both an illusionist, and gay, and the church thinks both of those things are sinful. Can Eldyn have a secret life in the disreputable theater of illusions, just to make enough money to give it up? Meanwhile, Eldyn’s bright and high-spirited sister is turning into a dull, judgmental religious person.
None of it was uninteresting, but, honestly, I didn’t know if I could stand 600 plus pages of: Why are all the young men wearing gloves? Lady Crayton wants Ivy to go driving in the country. There is Lady Shayde, looking all pale and creepy, just watching everything. I wonder who the man who built this house was? Who is the Black Stork? A red planet has been spotted in the heavens, and it is getting closer. Rafferdy’s blue ring is glowing. Why does the church have so many receipts for red curtains? And so on. And so on.
Then I remembered something my daughter had said. We had not been discussing long books that proceed at a slow pace, but books that have unsatisfying endings, but she said, “If the book was unlike anything you’ve ever encountered, wasn’t it worth it? Didn’t the author still do you a service?” And, indeed, the Mrs. Quent series is unlike anything I’ve ever encountered. The author has done me a service by creating a world that is so very much like 19th century England, yet not. Where the days and night are of variable lengths. Where the ancient trees in the old growth forest have such power that they can rise up and kill people if they are disturbed. All while the ladies are wearing long gowns, and traveling by horse and carriage.
So I adjusted my expectations, and slowed myself down. Every day I would read a little more, just to be in the world of the story. And I did enjoy being in the world of the story, so much so that at the end I was sorry it was over, and glad there was another book to read, and grateful that it, too, will be a long one. And, as I said, the pace does pick up considerably at the end. A mountain of incremental details begin to fit together, and the puzzle spells danger. The end is a gripping adventure, and a race to save everything that is good.
As an aside, every blurb about this series includes the line that the author wrote the books to answer the question, what if there were a magical reason that the women of novels such as Jane Austen’s were hemmed in by social restrictions. Indeed, in Altania, as in 19th century England, men have all the good jobs and all the decision-making power. This question, though, was not addressed at all in the first book. In this second book the idea is brought up for the first time (by Rafferdy). In the world of the story, women have a kind of power that men do not have. Because men don’t understand this power, and can’t control it, they are afraid of it, and think women should be restrained. I expect this theme will be explored in full in book three.
Ivy, our sensible Jane Austen-esque heroine, and her husband Mr Quent are renovating the house on Durrow Street. Ivy is awakened by strange noises at night. She gets up to investigate, but never finds the source. The builders uncover a hidden door. Then another door. They don’t go anywhere. She says, “Leave them uncovered. They are interesting to look at.” Mr Quent is still out of town a lot on his important work for the government. He gets made a baronet, so they are now Lord and Lady Quent, and Ivy gets invited to parties.
Ivy’s two younger sisters continue to be silly. It’s time for them to be introduced to society, so Ivy has to plan a party. Ivy’s father, Mr Lockwell, the magician who had lost his mind protecting humanity from evil forces, is still in the insane asylum, but he’s getting electroshock treatment, so he’s starting to get better.
Rafferdy, society fop turned magician, is still secretly in love with Ivy. He has been avoiding her, but decides, why not be friends? Ivy is happy in her marriage, and Rafferdy respects the boundaries. Meanwhile, Rafferdy’s dad, the Lord Rafferdy, is so ill that Rafferdy must take his place in Assembly, so we get a close up view of the dysfunctional government of Altania: black robes, musty wigs, gridlocked factions.
Eldyn Garritt, the poor scrivener, and one-time drinking buddy of Rafferdy, has landed stable employment as an accountant in a church. Eldyn enjoys stability. He thinks he might enter the priesthood. But he discovers himself to be both an illusionist, and gay, and the church thinks both of those things are sinful. Can Eldyn have a secret life in the disreputable theater of illusions, just to make enough money to give it up? Meanwhile, Eldyn’s bright and high-spirited sister is turning into a dull, judgmental religious person.
None of it was uninteresting, but, honestly, I didn’t know if I could stand 600 plus pages of: Why are all the young men wearing gloves? Lady Crayton wants Ivy to go driving in the country. There is Lady Shayde, looking all pale and creepy, just watching everything. I wonder who the man who built this house was? Who is the Black Stork? A red planet has been spotted in the heavens, and it is getting closer. Rafferdy’s blue ring is glowing. Why does the church have so many receipts for red curtains? And so on. And so on.
Then I remembered something my daughter had said. We had not been discussing long books that proceed at a slow pace, but books that have unsatisfying endings, but she said, “If the book was unlike anything you’ve ever encountered, wasn’t it worth it? Didn’t the author still do you a service?” And, indeed, the Mrs. Quent series is unlike anything I’ve ever encountered. The author has done me a service by creating a world that is so very much like 19th century England, yet not. Where the days and night are of variable lengths. Where the ancient trees in the old growth forest have such power that they can rise up and kill people if they are disturbed. All while the ladies are wearing long gowns, and traveling by horse and carriage.
So I adjusted my expectations, and slowed myself down. Every day I would read a little more, just to be in the world of the story. And I did enjoy being in the world of the story, so much so that at the end I was sorry it was over, and glad there was another book to read, and grateful that it, too, will be a long one. And, as I said, the pace does pick up considerably at the end. A mountain of incremental details begin to fit together, and the puzzle spells danger. The end is a gripping adventure, and a race to save everything that is good.
As an aside, every blurb about this series includes the line that the author wrote the books to answer the question, what if there were a magical reason that the women of novels such as Jane Austen’s were hemmed in by social restrictions. Indeed, in Altania, as in 19th century England, men have all the good jobs and all the decision-making power. This question, though, was not addressed at all in the first book. In this second book the idea is brought up for the first time (by Rafferdy). In the world of the story, women have a kind of power that men do not have. Because men don’t understand this power, and can’t control it, they are afraid of it, and think women should be restrained. I expect this theme will be explored in full in book three.
December 10, 2017
Pros
The Relationships: I'd have to say that one of this book's biggest strengths is the changing relationship dynamics. I've gotten immensely bored with the fact that so many Happily Ever Afters end at the altar, or get into an endless yoyo of on-again off-again, or just get turned into one long slog of diabetes-inducing saccharine. So yes, I liked this. It was nice to see Ivy and Mr. Quent's quiet devotion to each other, their willingness to take on problems one at a time, and the new dynamic that's introduced by Ivy's sisters being constantly in the picture. In addition, there was Eldyn and Dercy (finally figured it out, did you?), and the complications introduced by not only Eldyn's self-loathing and self-doubt, but by rigid societal expectations, Eldyn's ties to the church and his desire to become a priest, and the fact that his sister's future hinges on him not only financially but socially as well.
It wasn't only the romantic relationships, either. I like the way that Eldyn and Sashie's relationship was shown to change after she switched from blind devotion to Weston to blind devotion to the church, and the complications that this heaps on top of his own secrets. I also appreciated finding out that, even though what's done is done and he knows there's no changing it, Rafferdy still had some lingering regrets concerning his relationship with Ivy - it adds a nice touch of realism to what would otherwise have been an unrealistically happily resolution to a love trangle.
The Homages: I know that not everyone agrees with me on this point, but I always did enjoy seeing a new take on an old classic as seen through a different lens. The first book paid pretty obvious tribute to (I understand, never having read the former) first Pride and Prejudice, then Jane Eyre. I was not prepared for the author to suddenly throw The Call of Cthulhu into that mix, and the effect was... weird. Still entertaining to read, mind, just incredibly weird.
The Magic: If you're going to rehash an old classic, you'd better be ready to bring something into it that makes the remake shine on its own merits, and I think that in this case, the everyday magic that was part of this world delivered on that premise. (Though I admittedly was a bit bemused by just how coded magical abilities seemed to be: straight men = magicians; gay men = Siltheri; straight women = witches; gay women = ???; also what kind of magic do bisexual people have? Seriously, I want to know these things!)
Cons
The Idiot Balls: Yes, the characters end up carrying these around far too often for my taste. When the traitor magician finally does show up, he Sorry, but this guy deserved every last thing that he got solely by virtue of being so unspeakably stupid. Then there's Ivy, who promptly managed to forget that she was a witch when the guy entered her house with the intent to do ill while holding a piece of Wyrdwood in his hand, despite the fact that she'd used her abilities to stop the last group of magicians who'd broken into her house with the intention of misusing a forbidden artifact, and where did this supposedly-clever heroine suddenly misplace her brain???
This Line:
I don't care how happily married they are; this is gross and you should feel bad.
The "Plot Twists": Yeah, saw that one coming a mile away. I never would have guessed! Yeah, let's just say thecliches plot twists in this story could really use some work.
Ivy's Characterization: Idiot Balls aside, I never realized before how much of a complete doormat Ivy actually is. Every time anyone asks her to do something, she does it, regardless of whether she actually wants to or not - and I noticed that Rafferdy never had any problem turning down an invitation for fear of being thought rude. No matter what the request is, "[insert character name here] commanded it" is enough for her to bend over backwards for anyone and everyone who has more spine than your average jellyfish. Every time someone has a difference of opinion with her, no matter how trivial or obviously wrong, she concedes the point - up to and including "But it's good for everyone for the rich to have lavish parties while the less fortunate are starving in the street!" Yet despite this, and despite the fact that she never says or does even a single thing of note within sight of anyone other than her husband or Rafferdy, the entire cast of supporting characters spend over half of their dialogue lavishing praise on her and telling her how amazing she is. Ugh.
Mixed Feelings
Eldyn's Character Arc: Eldyn's double dealing and thinking his double life was somehow going to work got old fast - not so much because it felt unrealistic or untrue to his character, but because Eldyn himself was so blind to the web that he was tangling himself in, and more than that, blind to the hurt he was doing to the people he cared about. Hiding his nature from the church was one thing, but he owed better to Dercy, and I'll admit I felt more satisfaction than sympathy when it all (inevitably; how did he think this was going to end?) came crashing down on his head. On the other hand... Eldyn's arc was painfully realistic, which made the bittersweet payoff all the better when he admitted his errors and unhesitatingly gave up his dearest dream in order to do the right thing.
Nitpicks
Seasons: Suspension of disbelief is a thing, and when it comes to worldbuilding, there are some things it's better to just leave a mystery. Yes, I know there's no realistic mechanism that could make the lengths of the days and nights vary by up to 20 hours from one sunrise to the next and still keep a planet habitable, just as I know there's no realistic way for a man to speak a string of nonsense words that will lock or unlock anything that comes across his path - but in the first book, I bought it, just as I bought the existence of magic, precisely because it wasn't explained, but simply introduced as a part of this world. When the author attempted to clumsily shoehorn in ways to tie it back to our world, though, it came across as clunky and not at all believable, especially to someone who knows a thing or two about celestial mechanics. Stick with your worldbuilding, call it fantasy, call it science in-universe if you must, but for the sake of all that's good in this world don't try to explain something that never needed an explanation in the first place.
...
...
Midichlorians.
The Relationships: I'd have to say that one of this book's biggest strengths is the changing relationship dynamics. I've gotten immensely bored with the fact that so many Happily Ever Afters end at the altar, or get into an endless yoyo of on-again off-again, or just get turned into one long slog of diabetes-inducing saccharine. So yes, I liked this. It was nice to see Ivy and Mr. Quent's quiet devotion to each other, their willingness to take on problems one at a time, and the new dynamic that's introduced by Ivy's sisters being constantly in the picture. In addition, there was Eldyn and Dercy (finally figured it out, did you?), and the complications introduced by not only Eldyn's self-loathing and self-doubt, but by rigid societal expectations, Eldyn's ties to the church and his desire to become a priest, and the fact that his sister's future hinges on him not only financially but socially as well.
It wasn't only the romantic relationships, either. I like the way that Eldyn and Sashie's relationship was shown to change after she switched from blind devotion to Weston to blind devotion to the church, and the complications that this heaps on top of his own secrets. I also appreciated finding out that, even though what's done is done and he knows there's no changing it, Rafferdy still had some lingering regrets concerning his relationship with Ivy - it adds a nice touch of realism to what would otherwise have been an unrealistically happily resolution to a love trangle.
The Homages: I know that not everyone agrees with me on this point, but I always did enjoy seeing a new take on an old classic as seen through a different lens. The first book paid pretty obvious tribute to (I understand, never having read the former) first Pride and Prejudice, then Jane Eyre. I was not prepared for the author to suddenly throw The Call of Cthulhu into that mix, and the effect was... weird. Still entertaining to read, mind, just incredibly weird.
The Magic: If you're going to rehash an old classic, you'd better be ready to bring something into it that makes the remake shine on its own merits, and I think that in this case, the everyday magic that was part of this world delivered on that premise. (Though I admittedly was a bit bemused by just how coded magical abilities seemed to be: straight men = magicians; gay men = Siltheri; straight women = witches; gay women = ???; also what kind of magic do bisexual people have? Seriously, I want to know these things!)
Cons
The Idiot Balls: Yes, the characters end up carrying these around far too often for my taste. When the traitor magician finally does show up, he Sorry, but this guy deserved every last thing that he got solely by virtue of being so unspeakably stupid. Then there's Ivy, who promptly managed to forget that she was a witch when the guy entered her house with the intent to do ill while holding a piece of Wyrdwood in his hand, despite the fact that she'd used her abilities to stop the last group of magicians who'd broken into her house with the intention of misusing a forbidden artifact, and where did this supposedly-clever heroine suddenly misplace her brain???
This Line:
"Were you thinking of slipping away without saying good-bye, then?" she said, affecting an impertinent tone.
"On the contrary," he said, crossing the room to sit on the edge of the bed, "I was thinking of all the things I might do while you were insensible, Mrs. Quent."
I don't care how happily married they are; this is gross and you should feel bad.
The "Plot Twists": Yeah, saw that one coming a mile away. I never would have guessed! Yeah, let's just say the
Ivy's Characterization: Idiot Balls aside, I never realized before how much of a complete doormat Ivy actually is. Every time anyone asks her to do something, she does it, regardless of whether she actually wants to or not - and I noticed that Rafferdy never had any problem turning down an invitation for fear of being thought rude. No matter what the request is, "[insert character name here] commanded it" is enough for her to bend over backwards for anyone and everyone who has more spine than your average jellyfish. Every time someone has a difference of opinion with her, no matter how trivial or obviously wrong, she concedes the point - up to and including "But it's good for everyone for the rich to have lavish parties while the less fortunate are starving in the street!" Yet despite this, and despite the fact that she never says or does even a single thing of note within sight of anyone other than her husband or Rafferdy, the entire cast of supporting characters spend over half of their dialogue lavishing praise on her and telling her how amazing she is. Ugh.
Mixed Feelings
Eldyn's Character Arc: Eldyn's double dealing and thinking his double life was somehow going to work got old fast - not so much because it felt unrealistic or untrue to his character, but because Eldyn himself was so blind to the web that he was tangling himself in, and more than that, blind to the hurt he was doing to the people he cared about. Hiding his nature from the church was one thing, but he owed better to Dercy, and I'll admit I felt more satisfaction than sympathy when it all (inevitably; how did he think this was going to end?) came crashing down on his head. On the other hand... Eldyn's arc was painfully realistic, which made the bittersweet payoff all the better when he admitted his errors and unhesitatingly gave up his dearest dream in order to do the right thing.
Nitpicks
Seasons: Suspension of disbelief is a thing, and when it comes to worldbuilding, there are some things it's better to just leave a mystery. Yes, I know there's no realistic mechanism that could make the lengths of the days and nights vary by up to 20 hours from one sunrise to the next and still keep a planet habitable, just as I know there's no realistic way for a man to speak a string of nonsense words that will lock or unlock anything that comes across his path - but in the first book, I bought it, just as I bought the existence of magic, precisely because it wasn't explained, but simply introduced as a part of this world. When the author attempted to clumsily shoehorn in ways to tie it back to our world, though, it came across as clunky and not at all believable, especially to someone who knows a thing or two about celestial mechanics. Stick with your worldbuilding, call it fantasy, call it science in-universe if you must, but for the sake of all that's good in this world don't try to explain something that never needed an explanation in the first place.
...
...
Midichlorians.
January 24, 2021
I think I read the first book in this series when it came out and then again...recent-ish?
Anyway, this book took forever to finish, although that’s because this is really a Shabbos book that I need the uninterrupted time of Saturday afternoon to sink into rather than reading it piecemeal when I can steal time during the week. But, alas, I happen to have it in kindle form.
The premise remains kind of bonkers - what if Regency and Victorian but also the world is ending? In that respect it has the problem that so many stories have when they begin with “what if 19th century literature?” which is that they will, inevitably, diverge and then it’s just what if fantasy?
Beckett does a shockingly good job of holding onto the Austenian flavor of the language, but the book shifts swiftly into Bronte’s register of good and evil, retribution and reward (albeit with far more modern sensibilities) and the two never fully reach detente even as the story progresses and the “what is going ON” questions finally get answered in like the last 50 pages.
This book is 600+ pages of buildup and then an avalanche. But wow does it take a while to get going.
And yet, Beckett is still really interesting in what he’s trying to do and I want to know what happens next. Just, you know, not quite yet.
Anyway, this book took forever to finish, although that’s because this is really a Shabbos book that I need the uninterrupted time of Saturday afternoon to sink into rather than reading it piecemeal when I can steal time during the week. But, alas, I happen to have it in kindle form.
The premise remains kind of bonkers - what if Regency and Victorian but also the world is ending? In that respect it has the problem that so many stories have when they begin with “what if 19th century literature?” which is that they will, inevitably, diverge and then it’s just what if fantasy?
Beckett does a shockingly good job of holding onto the Austenian flavor of the language, but the book shifts swiftly into Bronte’s register of good and evil, retribution and reward (albeit with far more modern sensibilities) and the two never fully reach detente even as the story progresses and the “what is going ON” questions finally get answered in like the last 50 pages.
This book is 600+ pages of buildup and then an avalanche. But wow does it take a while to get going.
And yet, Beckett is still really interesting in what he’s trying to do and I want to know what happens next. Just, you know, not quite yet.
May 15, 2023
The first 2/3rds of the book were pretty dull and moved at the snail's pace; but I will still give the book a solid 3 stars because when the story did get to the good stuff, it was very exciting and page-turning.
May 11, 2017
This is one of the best "2nd in a trilogy" books I've ever read. I can only hope the 3rd book will be as good.
July 2, 2017
Despite something of a slow start, this book was a great continuation of its predecessor and a good read in its own right.
August 21, 2017
The plot was decent, but the whole book was so slow paced that I really had to force myself to get through it. Much like book 1, and I won't be reading book 3.
September 4, 2017
I wasn't so fond of this series after the first book, although I liked it. But I'm enjoying it a lot more this time around.
November 10, 2017
The story is excellent. The book is a nice slow read.
June 24, 2020
This second book in the series was very long and drawn out. It didn't get interesting until almost the end.
September 21, 2020
It's much like the first book - if you liked that you will likely like this. I happened to enjoy both.
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