Abounding Might - Melissa McShane I’m having a hard time putting my thoughts down about this series, short of a listing of every positive adjective that I may bring to mind.
With each addition to the series, I’m drawn even deeper into this complex mixture of awe and empowerment that each novel inspires in me. The level of attention to detail that goes into this series is very evident within the work itself, but it’s even more apparent to anyone who has taken a moment to read through the Authors Notes.
I’m always very hesitant about reading historical novels of any kind because I find that if they are not handled in the right way then I struggle to enjoy the novel fully.
This could not be further from the case here. I can honestly say that not only does McShane create and incredibly immersive and believable world for the reader, but she creates one that I can honestly say I would accept as my own sooner that I would the past that it is built upon.
I am obsessed with this series and absolutely cannot wait for the fourth book, which if I recall correctly, may be arriving sometime this year!

And I haven’t even addressed how empowering the ladies of this series are! Honestly some of my favourite protagonists to date!

I cannot recommend this series enough!
The only possible faults I can even think of are
1. That there isn’t yet more to enjoy (although thankfully I have the rest of McShane’s books to read)
2. The slight awkwardness of finding yourself struggling to remember modern dialect when you’ve read all three novels back to back over the course of a week.

This has really set the standard for any books I might read this year.

The Book of Secrets - Melissa McShane 3.5 stars

Abounding Might - Melissa McShane If the year ended tomorrow, I can confidently say this is a good book to end 2017! Abounding Might is the third book of the Extraordinaires series and I thought it was amazing! There was intrigue, espionage, humor, and romance. Lady Daphne and Captain Fletcher are great characters, with amazing abilities. Lady Daphne is an Extraordinaire Bounder. She can teleport to places without restriction and learns more and more about what she is capable of in this story. Captain Fletcher is a Discerner. He is can detect your true emotions, even when your face says something different. This is what attracted Fletcher to Lady Daphne. Her emotions and her thoughts always match.

This story takes place in India and I love it. The story is amazing, but the culture itself is another great character. I don’t know if there will be another book in this series, but I think this one is my favorite. Lady Daphne doesn’t allow anyone to dictate what she should be and I love that about her, especially given the time period. I loved Captain Fletcher because he let her be who she wanted to be. He didn’t try to change her and he trusted her opinions; which was more than any of her other counterparts could say. If there is another book in the series, I greatly look forward to it. If not, I take great comfort in being able to re-read the entire series all over again!

Sophia is an Extraordinary - one of the few people who have strong magical abilities. She is a Seer and cam put herself into dreams which show her future events. She also gets visions where she can see the past and future. Sophia is a widow who has been working for the War Office but then her Seer power caused her to expose a powerful man- Lord Endicott. He managed to escape but also cause doubt on Sophia’s talent   and she was let go of at the War Office but the reason was kept quiet. Somehow word got out that Sophia was unreliable. So Sophia went back to England  and is staying with her best friend Cecy and her husband. Lord Endicott followed Sophia back to England and is either harassing Sophia or  engaging in a different criminal enterprise. Endicott enjoys taunting Sophia at social gatherings. All Sophia wants is revenge. Sophia cares deeply for her family and friends and her principles. Sophia goes in dream after dream to find something to prove Endicott is a criminal. Cecy and her new friend daphne worry about Sophia. Then Mr. Rutledge wants to hire Sophia for Seer work and seems to be there when she needs help. Daphne is a Bounder who can teleport from one place to another as long as she knows the place Lady Daphne is always ready for a challenge.  Endicott is now involved with forging money. Sophia collapses because of her frequent going into dreams. Sophia definitely has a tendency toward pride and obsession. Sophia has to decide how far she will go to get her revenge against Lord Endicott.

I didn’t really care for this story. I couldn’t seem to really get into it. I sometimes got frustrated with the story. I didn’t like how Sophia treats her best friend cecy. I also didn’t particularly like all the action being in Sophia’s  mind. Just not the same. The romance really wasn’t until towards the end of the book and it seemed rushed.

Last year I read Burning Bright, the first in a new fantasy series, and to say I was excitedly awaiting the second novel, Wondering Sight, would not do it justice.

I was initially disappointed that the characters from the first book didn't show up here, and also the story has moved away from catching pirates in the Caribbean to life in Britain. Sophia has another gift completely, as she as an Extraordinary Seer, can see Dreams and Visions that teach her about past and future. When she, at the start of the novel sets out to get her revenge of the man who disgraced her, it quickly turns into obsession which will not only put herself but her friends as well in danger.

I didn't like it as much as the first book. I just couldn't really get into it, and I felt the rules of the Sight were too easily bended for Sophia's convenience. Plus, I guess I missed the ships and the pirates, since a lot of the book is filled with society gatherings and parties. I guess the focus will change to another Gift in the next book, so I hope it will be something more for me...

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!