A Tangle of Magicks - Stephanie Burgis

A Tangle of Magicks – Stephanie Burgis

Pages: 282 (ARC)
Publisher: Templar
Release Date: 1st August 2011

Other Titles in this Series: A Most Improper Magick

Regency England’s feistiest twelve year old is back!

When Kat Stephenson’s family arrive in Bath in search of a suitor for her sister, it’s not long before Kat discovers that the town of Bath is fizzing with wild magic. Stumbling upon a plot to harness the magic in the Roman Baths, Kat finds that her brother is unwittingly involved. To foil the plot and save her brother she must defy the Order of the Guardians and risk losing her magical powers, forever...

A Tangle of Magicks is 300 pages of fun, fabulousness and magical frolics.

I know I mentioned Kat’s awesomeness briefly in my review of A Most Improper Magick, but to match her increase in awesome, I thought I’d expand it a little! Kat is the type of girl that I wish I was when I was twelve. She’s strong, fiercely loyal and completely kick-ass. When it comes to her family and the people she loves, there’s nothing she wouldn’t do. For all of her often disastrous plans, I was glad that she has a clueless older brother to teach her questionable skills such as ‘fisticuffs’, billiards and wrestling that are most definitely unladylike and actually very useful.

And speaking of Charles: what a completely hopeless man he is. In the Regency period, a man was judged so acutely on his conduct in society and he spent his days sleeping or gambling! And then it took something potentially dangerous for him to step up to defend his little sisters from the grubby hands of horrible men. If that wasn’t enough, he then went on to get himself involved in one of the most dangerous magical plots, unwittingly of course, that he possibly could with only Kat and the Guardian’s having enough power to save him. But he was kind of endearing at the same time...

There were, however, some characters in A Tangle of Magicks that were most definitely NOT endearing: Lady Fotherington and Lord Ravenscroft. My dislike of them began in A Most Improper Magick and only exploded in this instalment of the series. They’re so mean! I do hate it when horrible people have so much power. Though I have to admit that there was a moment during the final showdown when Lady Fotherington showed a hint of goodness; not enough to completely redeem her, however.

But I think that one of my favourite elements of A Tangle of Magicks is its setting: Bath. As some of you may know, I go to university in Bath and it has quickly worked its way into my heart. Stephanie Burgis’s evocative depiction of the city I now call my home stirred up quite a lot of emotions as I’m back where I grew up for the summer and missing Bath like a crazy person. As the Stephenson’s and the Wingate’s walked past the Abbey (my favourite place in the city), into the Pump Rooms or past the Roman Baths, I exploded with jealousy. I could envisage that walk so, so clearly that I had to stop reading because it made me so sad! Thankfully, I will be back in Bath next month to meet Stephanie herself and move into my new house.

I loved A Tangle of Magicks and if you haven’t read this series yet; do it! You won’t regret it, I promise.

Sophie