~*Full review found on The Bent Bookworm!*~

I was instantly doubtful of this book, but it came recommended by a good friend so I gave it a shot. I am happy to report that the actual reading improved the impression I had drawn based on the cover (gag) and title (odd). Overall I’m giving it 3.5 stars…I am leaning towards 4, but…the sheer length of it is taking a half star off for me. I don’t mind longer books, as I read faster than average…but honestly this one could have been edited a little better, starting with less scenes of boring medieval castle chores. The writing itself is of excellent quality, I have no complaints whatsoever! Emily Barker has created a colorful world peopled with interesting characters. I finished it in about 3 days, despite the staggering 570 pages!

I’m a sucker for any books that have to do with books or bookish people, and Nora’s grad school/literary critic/teacher occupation intrigued me. Her personal life woes in the beginning are oh-so-very first world, but thankfully we don’t spend much time with that before she goes wandering and plunges headlong into the other world. The first, oh, about 60 pages…I felt like I was drunk and wandering around trying to figure out what was going on. At first I was extremely annoyed and though I wouldn’t be able to finish the book, but then as I kept going I realized that the feeling was intentional, to make us feel how Nora feels when she first enters the alternate world. Well done indeed. Maybe keep it to 40 pages next time though.

*sigh* what's with all the disappointing reads lately? This was more so, considering how damned long it was. Another review in the works.

The Sunday Post ~ 57th Edition

This is one of those books in which I could get totally swept away into a different world (just like the protagonist, Nora), and I enjoyed being there so much that it was easy for me to overlook the book's shortcomings.

 

The world-building in the book is decent, especially the magic system and its "rules." The distinctions between wizards and magicians, the types of jobs wizards were employed in, the way they had specialties much as doctors or scientists do today, all made this feel like a place where the existence of magic was, while specialized, still part of normal life. But what made me want to stay there were the characters of Nora and the magician Aruendial; I found Nora to be relateable, not too badass nor too fluffy, and I found Aruendial to be intriguing. This is why the restrained, slow-burn romance reminiscent of (intentionally so, I think) British classics such as "Jane Eyre" and "Pride and Prejudice" worked for me. I also really liked how Nora's "talents" (a knack for memorizing poetry, a love of old books), while seemingly "useless" in her own world served her so well in this one -- poetry and spells are not so very different, and poring over old dusty volumes is probably much the same no matter what world you are in. While the overall tone of the book feels "light," there are some moments of darkness that will send a chill down your spine, and these moments are delicious.

 

Still, the book was not perfect -- it took quite a long time to get going, since in the first 20% of the book or so, our "thinking woman" does very little thinking at all. Yes, there's a "good reason" and yes, it's an intentional choice so that we can see her "grow," but it still got a little tedious. It also felt like one of those books in which it was "just" a series of a lot of small conflicts, many of which were resolved almost as quickly as they arose when I was expecting the tension to be more drawn out. While that might be a technical shortcoming, it was something I actually liked -- I preferred it to drawing plot points out and milking every last bit of tension out of the occurrence. I soon realized that this was a book in which characters rather than plot provided the "glue" that connected one thing to another, which may be why this book seems to get reviews that are at extreme ends of the spectrum -- if you don't like the characters, the plot probably won't be enough for you; but if you do like them, it's a lot easier for the events that comprise the plot to pass muster.

 

Probably my biggest pet peeve was the way that the narration, mostly in Nora's third-person point of view, would occasionally swing into Aruendial's PoV. Since it did not happen regularly enough for Aruendial to feel like a proper second viewpoint character, it just felt like sloppy and lazy writing. It decreased tension by getting us inside the head of the character who is most mysterious, even if only briefly, AND it aroused frustration that, even with Aruendial as an occasional PoV character, a lot of information was still withheld from the reader for quite a long time. The worst of both worlds, in other words.

The ending didn't bother me at all, although a lot of people rant about it being a "cliff-hanger." I disagree. I think an ending that points the character in the right direction for the rest of her life to unfold is perfectly acceptable, and I would have been okay with that even if there was no sequel forthcoming. But there is, which is even better.

The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic... For this and other reviews please visit Zemfirka Blogs.

***

When it was first published last summer The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Real Magic was heavily marketed to fans of Deborah Harkness’s All Souls Trilogy and even praised by Ms. Harkness herself as “fun, seductive, and utterly engrossing.” Naturally, I had to read this book or rather listen to it since I purchased an audio version, narrated by Alyssa Bresnahan [which might have contributed to my overall experience]. Regrettably, I had many issues with this novel which outweighed its positive elements and at the end I found it far from charming and captivating but rather dull and unnecessarily long.

Narration: First of all, I felt let down by the narrator. Don’t get me wrong, I do believe that Ms. Bresnahan has talent and ability as a narrator. [And from my personal research a lot of people thoroughly enjoyed her narration style as can be evidenced by many praising reviews.] However, her narration simply didn’t work for me. I found it somewhat condescending and not only when it was appropriately so, but also in other instances that at the end detracted from the overall feel of the novel.

Story & Worldbuilding: The premise was interesting; unfortunately the execution fell short for me. The better half of the novel was spent aimlessly wondering around and struggling to establish the world. The numerous information dumps, very slow development and little to no action – it felt repetitive and uninspired, and could’ve used a thorough edit. Over 500 pages dragged on and on… Still there were interesting moments to be found that gave me hope and propelled me to go forward and finish the novel.

Characters: However, my biggest gripe with this novel was its humdrum characters that lacked any likeable qualities. From an exasperating heroine, who cannot be called a “thinking” woman if her actions should define her; to a powerful magician – Aruendiel, whose only interesting characteristic is his ability to wield great magic.

Nora Fischer is an English PhD student. Unlucky in love and struggling to finish her dissertation, Nora’s life is far from enviable until one day she accidentally stumbles into another world where she quickly falls under the patronage of beautiful and powerful Ilissa.

Ilissa’s world and lifestyle is enticingly rich and decadent, with its lavish parties and grand excursions, hunting trips through the nearby forest, and evening strolls through New York and Paris. Her vanity demands it and unknowingly, Nora becomes enchanted by this delusion of a fairy tale, but a magician, Aruendiel, will soon help her uncover the truth behind the façade and save her before she is forever lost.

Aruendiel is a powerful magician. He leads a reclusive life and his acerbic nature and bitterness are results of the long ago past. He is feared and regarded by many and he is not easily swayed by Ilissa’s charms or her deceitful nature. But his dislike of Ilissa is bordering on obsession; even so, he genuinely extends an offer to help Nora, only would she heed his advice?

Needles to say, there is a promise of a developing romance between Aruendiel and Nora which I found a bit odd given that there is no chemistry between the two. And Jane Austen references aside, to compare the developing relation of Nora and Aruendiel to that of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy would be crude and unfair in my opinion. So don't expect to find a touching romance here.

Conculusion: Overall, the novel had promise and great ideas but poor execution. It was neither good or bad but just somewhere in between [and I almost wish it was one or another because this review has been kicking my butt]. It is also clear that The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic paves the way for a sequel. So here's hoping that it will improve on its execution.