Rec: A College of Magics by Caroline Stevermer
I was bored out of my brains, was scanning the library shelves aimlessly, and this caught my eye.
Teenager Faris Nallaneen is the heir to the small northern dukedom of Galazon. Too young still to claim her title, her despotic Uncle Brinker has ruled in her place. Now he demands she be sent to Greenlaw College. For her benefit he insists.To keep me out of the way, more like it!
But Greenlaw is not just any school-as Faris and her new best friend Jane discover. At Greenlaw students major in . . . magic.
But it's not all fun and games. When Faris makes an enemy of classmate Menary of Aravill, life could get downright . . . deadly.
-- Back cover
I started the book on the walk house, oh boy I was hooked from the first page!
The writing is witting, and the heroine Faris is lovable. Set in the turn of the 20th century, the style and setting are just far away from me to be intrigue but not distant. Faris is a royal, but within the fancy finishing school she is just as common as the next. She get insulted and she fights back. She make friends and she break rules. The plot is fast moving, I was quite shocked how much the author covered within so few pages. The journey is epic, known and unknown attaching from every corner. Did I say the writing is gorgeous?
Yes this is a young adult fiction. So what? I'm quite sick of dark schemes and lovers turning against each other. A college of Magics has magic, set in school, got plot without so deadly on romance, and the writing is delightfully funny. It is the perfect book for a holiday read. I enjoyed it immensely.
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A College of Magics has two more books in the series. A Scholar of Magics is it's "semi"-sequel and When the King Comes Home a prequel.
After reading College I rushed to the library to get the other two. I am disappointed with Scholar. Thou I loved Jane from College, it did not feel her character was developed any further. The other characters were also flat. The plot was far stretched and in the rare apparences of our beloved Faris she felt too tired and grown up. Some said College as Jane Austen writing Fantasy, well I won't praise it that much nut at least it was an enjoyable read. In comparison Scholar felt like the author tried to go Terry Pratchett, and she fell miles short with the pace and suspense. I'm not sure I want to read King now.
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In short I recommend A Collage of Magics to anyone who wanted a light fantasy, but read the Scholar at your own peril.