Book 2 was a Good One!
Read at least 5 books that fit somewhere within the Once Upon a Time II criteria. They might all be fantasy, or folklore, or fairy tales, or mythology…or your five books might be a combination from the four genres.
Book 2: Sorcerey & Cecelia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot by: Patricia C Wrede & Caroline Stevermer
Hardcover: 336 pages
ISBN-10: 0152046151
Amazon: Product Description
A great deal is happening in London this season.
For starters, there's the witch who tried to poison Kate at Sir Hilary's induction into the Royal College of Wizards. (Since when does hot chocolate burn a hole straight through one's dress?!)
Then there's Dorothea. Is it a spell that's made her the toast of the town--or could it possibly have something to do with the charm-bag under Oliver's bed?
And speaking of Oliver, just how long can Cecelia and Kate make excuses for him? Ever since he was turned into a tree, he hasn't bothered to tell anyone where he is!
The girls might think it all a magical nightmare . . . if only they weren't having so much fun.
Card catalog description
In 1817 in England, two young cousins, Cecilia living in the country and Kate in London, write letters to keep each other informed of their exploits, which take a sinister turn when they find themselves confronted by evil wizards.
I read someone's review of this and I can't say I am sure what it was about it that made me buy it .. but I did.
What a pleasant surprise this book was!! Totally enjoyed it!
As I began reading I had the feeling I had found personal letters and I was being nosey and reading them ! lol.. then I got hooked! Fast!
There are no real "chapters" in this book.. just these letters that go back and forth between best girlfriends who are cousins.
In the 1800's in England a young lady "comes out" and actively searches for a potential husband. (if you ever read or saw the movie Sense and Sensibility you will get the connection right a way). One cousin is in London and one out in the country as they correspond on how one sister or another is doing in "popularity".
While meeting all these "potential men" they become involved with some magicians and some nasty magic is going on...
It's hysterical that I found I could hardly put this book down lol. You find you have to "readthe next letter to see the response".. and so it goes, back and forth and back and forth, and before you know it.. you've read the whole book!
It's not a big book, and as you can tell.. it's a rather fast read. (especially if you are nosey and just have to read the next letter!)
This was certainly an enjoyable book ! A fun version of coming of age in England in the 1800's plus a bit of a magical mystery involved to keep you on your toes, and it all comes to an exciting ending!
Whenever I enjoy a book I go back and look up the author/ authors to see what else they have written... *smacking m'hed".. sure enough.. there are followup books !
"The Grand Tour: Being a Revelation of Matters of High Confidentiality and Greatest Importance, Including Extracts from the Intimate Diary of a Noblewoman and the Sworn Testimony of a Lady of Quality" ... who could resist a title like that?.. so I sent for it !
and: "The Mislaid Magician or Ten Years After" ..and sent for this.. sheesh. may as well read them all!
Book 2: Sorcerey & Cecelia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot by: Patricia C Wrede & Caroline Stevermer
Hardcover: 336 pages
ISBN-10: 0152046151
Amazon: Product Description
A great deal is happening in London this season.
For starters, there's the witch who tried to poison Kate at Sir Hilary's induction into the Royal College of Wizards. (Since when does hot chocolate burn a hole straight through one's dress?!)
Then there's Dorothea. Is it a spell that's made her the toast of the town--or could it possibly have something to do with the charm-bag under Oliver's bed?
And speaking of Oliver, just how long can Cecelia and Kate make excuses for him? Ever since he was turned into a tree, he hasn't bothered to tell anyone where he is!
The girls might think it all a magical nightmare . . . if only they weren't having so much fun.
Card catalog description
In 1817 in England, two young cousins, Cecilia living in the country and Kate in London, write letters to keep each other informed of their exploits, which take a sinister turn when they find themselves confronted by evil wizards.
I read someone's review of this and I can't say I am sure what it was about it that made me buy it .. but I did.
What a pleasant surprise this book was!! Totally enjoyed it!
As I began reading I had the feeling I had found personal letters and I was being nosey and reading them ! lol.. then I got hooked! Fast!
There are no real "chapters" in this book.. just these letters that go back and forth between best girlfriends who are cousins.
In the 1800's in England a young lady "comes out" and actively searches for a potential husband. (if you ever read or saw the movie Sense and Sensibility you will get the connection right a way). One cousin is in London and one out in the country as they correspond on how one sister or another is doing in "popularity".
While meeting all these "potential men" they become involved with some magicians and some nasty magic is going on...
It's hysterical that I found I could hardly put this book down lol. You find you have to "readthe next letter to see the response".. and so it goes, back and forth and back and forth, and before you know it.. you've read the whole book!
It's not a big book, and as you can tell.. it's a rather fast read. (especially if you are nosey and just have to read the next letter!)
This was certainly an enjoyable book ! A fun version of coming of age in England in the 1800's plus a bit of a magical mystery involved to keep you on your toes, and it all comes to an exciting ending!
Whenever I enjoy a book I go back and look up the author/ authors to see what else they have written... *smacking m'hed".. sure enough.. there are followup books !
"The Grand Tour: Being a Revelation of Matters of High Confidentiality and Greatest Importance, Including Extracts from the Intimate Diary of a Noblewoman and the Sworn Testimony of a Lady of Quality" ... who could resist a title like that?.. so I sent for it !
and: "The Mislaid Magician or Ten Years After" ..and sent for this.. sheesh. may as well read them all!
posted by DesLily | 8:26 AM
14 Comments:
I have to admit, coming of age in England in the 1800's books just generally aren't my thing...but this sounds really, really good! Definitely enough of a twist to have caught my interest...hope our library system has this one! Thanks for the great review, Deslily!
debi: I can't say it would be my first choice either. Wish I could find the review that made me look it up more.. I'd much rather see "period pieces" in a movie than read it, because I love the costumes and such.. Anyway, I"m guessing "magic" was mentioned in the review I read or I certainly wouldn't have sent for the book.. but I did enjoy this book enough to send for the followup books! If you find it I hope you enjoy it too!!
Well this sure sounds like a cool series! Very different...I like something a little different like this every now and then. It's always a good sign when you can't stop turning those pages!
Chris: yeah "different" is a welcome break that I didn't even know I needed! But I will admit that this is also a first in that I don't them men would enjoy the book as much as females..(only because it's a lot about girls being "shown" so as to attract a husband.. but the males that became involved in the letters were pretty neat (and magicians) lol
I'm so glad you liked this!! It's one of my favorites, so fun - the magic element is so unique and I must admit, I loved the romance :) I really liked the second one, although not quite as much :)
corinne: Oh .. I hope the other two books are just as good as this one was!
This sounds so good! The title is familiar to me but I have no idea where I heard of it before. And anyway I had no idea what the book was about. Now I do, and I wand it!
Never heard of these before. I always thinks it's amazing that you think you've heard of most books and then someone comes up with a completely new, unknown series (to me anyway). These sound like a lot of fun and I look forward to hearing about the others when you've read them.
Nymeth: I know I read a review by someone! lol but I had never heard of them before either!
Cath: yep.. new to me too! I guess I was in need of a "change" and this filled the bill ! You feel like you are listening to friends chit chat/ gossip/ and make life decisions by reading their letters!! But it did come to a conclusion at the end so if you don't want to read the other books they aren't necessary. but I enjoyed this one enough to want to read more by these authors.
This isn't a book I would have normally chosen, but you've made it sound like so much fun, I simply must get it. Gossip and magic...how can you go wrong?
animewookie: it was nice for a change.. i hope I like the change long enough to enjoy the other books that follow
I loved this book, it is so much fun! everything about it is delightful. I'm so glad you liked it too. The second one is a bit different because they are married,but it is still sweet,and has a fantastic ending - still very worth reading. I have to read the third one still. Isn't it fun to find great fantasy books?
I'm so glad this book was worthwhile for you! Loved the excerpt you posted and I really like the letter format idea. Thanks for the recommendation.
I have an old edition of this one and it really gets loved to pieces. I finally got book 2 and am now waiting for book 3 in paperback.
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