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Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho
Feb. 7th, 2019 10:11 amSorcerer to the Crown
Zen Cho
Series: Sorcerer Royal, book 1
2015, Ace, 371 pp.
Zacharias Wythe, a black man, has attained the titular role by the mysterious death of its previous holder, who was his adoptive father. He's a reserved young man who takes his task incredibly seriously. Perhaps, as the first black man to hold the title, he feels he must be a paragon, show no flaw. But he knows, as well as the reader does, that being a paragon isn't enough.
Prunella Gentleman is a young woman of half-Indian descent who, until recently, was the ward of the headmistress of a magical academy for girls. This "academy" mainly concerns itself with training them to suppress their magical powers. After Zacharias visits the academy to give a guest lecture to the girls, Prunella runs away to accompany him to London, with a magical legacy in a valise under her arm.
Once they're in London, all kinds of things happen, and these two young people are thrown into chaos both worldly and magical.
The setup of this magical Regency-era world is really interesting. One of the most interesting things about it, I thought, was the fae realm (known as "Fairy" in this novel) and its alien, rather brutal culture. Familiars from Fairy make agreements with humans, and their terms are both strict and relentless. Fairy creatures eat other creatures, or even their young.
Prunella herself, who ends up being ( Read more... ), is more than a little relentless herself, or at least unscrupulous. She decides to do a thing, whether on impulse or planned, and then she does it, thinking nothing of consequences or side effects. Mak Genggang, a Malaysian witch whose country England is trying to colonize, displays some of the same qualities as she works with Fairy to attempt to get their would-be conquerors off their backs.
Both of the main characters being people of color was a take on Regency England that I hadn't seen before, and its strong anti-colonialist vibe was cool, too. The almost entirely white and male Alchemical Society shows its true stripes as a murderous ( Read more... ) before too much time passes, although there are a few neutral parties, or allies, to even things out, such as Zacharias' loyal friends Dammerell and Rollo, or Lady Wythe, who takes Prunella under her wing because Zacharias asks her to.
All of this had huge potential.
But yet.
This novel has a great setup, both in its characters and its world. But once all the scaffolding is set up, it doesn't seem to do anything interesting. The characters don't really go anywhere; Zacharias, and especially Prunella, are exactly the same at the end as they were when the story started, although their circumstances are completely changed. Characters state their intentions in long conversations, then do exactly as they intend, dissipating any sense of suspense. There's a "marriage plot" sequence toward the middle of the book that is completely useless. Scenes that could have, or even should have, been exciting or momentous fizzle out without any climactic or emotional drive. Action sequences feel kind of docile and indolently chatty. And more, but I'll leave it there.
All this together made this book very easy to put down, and I'm sorry to say that without a buddy reader along to weather the storm with (and exchange frustrated PMs), this would have been a DNF for the second time. I finished it, appreciated a lot of it, but with sincere regret confess that I didn't enjoy it all that much. There are bunches of four- and five-star reviews among my friends and follows, so I'd say give it a shot if it sounds interesting to you.
My rating: 2 1/2 stars.
Zen Cho
Series: Sorcerer Royal, book 1
2015, Ace, 371 pp.
“Your amoral ingenuity in the pursuit of your interest is perfectly shocking,” said Zacharias severely. “Yes, isn’t it?” said Prunella, pleased.Sorcerer to the Crown's two leads come into the picture promisingly:
Zacharias Wythe, a black man, has attained the titular role by the mysterious death of its previous holder, who was his adoptive father. He's a reserved young man who takes his task incredibly seriously. Perhaps, as the first black man to hold the title, he feels he must be a paragon, show no flaw. But he knows, as well as the reader does, that being a paragon isn't enough.
Prunella Gentleman is a young woman of half-Indian descent who, until recently, was the ward of the headmistress of a magical academy for girls. This "academy" mainly concerns itself with training them to suppress their magical powers. After Zacharias visits the academy to give a guest lecture to the girls, Prunella runs away to accompany him to London, with a magical legacy in a valise under her arm.
Once they're in London, all kinds of things happen, and these two young people are thrown into chaos both worldly and magical.
The setup of this magical Regency-era world is really interesting. One of the most interesting things about it, I thought, was the fae realm (known as "Fairy" in this novel) and its alien, rather brutal culture. Familiars from Fairy make agreements with humans, and their terms are both strict and relentless. Fairy creatures eat other creatures, or even their young.
Prunella herself, who ends up being ( Read more... ), is more than a little relentless herself, or at least unscrupulous. She decides to do a thing, whether on impulse or planned, and then she does it, thinking nothing of consequences or side effects. Mak Genggang, a Malaysian witch whose country England is trying to colonize, displays some of the same qualities as she works with Fairy to attempt to get their would-be conquerors off their backs.
Both of the main characters being people of color was a take on Regency England that I hadn't seen before, and its strong anti-colonialist vibe was cool, too. The almost entirely white and male Alchemical Society shows its true stripes as a murderous ( Read more... ) before too much time passes, although there are a few neutral parties, or allies, to even things out, such as Zacharias' loyal friends Dammerell and Rollo, or Lady Wythe, who takes Prunella under her wing because Zacharias asks her to.
All of this had huge potential.
But yet.
This novel has a great setup, both in its characters and its world. But once all the scaffolding is set up, it doesn't seem to do anything interesting. The characters don't really go anywhere; Zacharias, and especially Prunella, are exactly the same at the end as they were when the story started, although their circumstances are completely changed. Characters state their intentions in long conversations, then do exactly as they intend, dissipating any sense of suspense. There's a "marriage plot" sequence toward the middle of the book that is completely useless. Scenes that could have, or even should have, been exciting or momentous fizzle out without any climactic or emotional drive. Action sequences feel kind of docile and indolently chatty. And more, but I'll leave it there.
All this together made this book very easy to put down, and I'm sorry to say that without a buddy reader along to weather the storm with (and exchange frustrated PMs), this would have been a DNF for the second time. I finished it, appreciated a lot of it, but with sincere regret confess that I didn't enjoy it all that much. There are bunches of four- and five-star reviews among my friends and follows, so I'd say give it a shot if it sounds interesting to you.
My rating: 2 1/2 stars.
