H. G. ParryReseñas

This was a DNF. I started this as an audiobook three different times, and each listen only lasted an hour and a half to two hours into a 20 hour story. The main reason that I DNFed this book is that every time I started this book I couldn’t remember anything I had already listened to. This is because so much of this book is telling not showing. At least in the beginning there is so much set up for who the characters are what they’re doing, etc. It’s almost never ending. Even now, though I have listened to those first two hours multiple times I still cannot tell you anything that happened. I’m not saying this book was bad I’m just saying it wasn’t for me as an audiobook.

Biddy has grown up on the magical, disappearing island of Hy-Brasil with her guardian, a mage named Rowan, and his familiar Hutchincroft. However, magic is fading from the world, and Rowan, who has been pursuing a Robin Hood-like existence of stealing bits of magic from the remaining powerful magicians and giving it to the common people, is now in grave danger. Biddy has always wanted to venture out into the "real world," but she knows nothing of its dangers -- and she's soon to learn that maybe Rowan hasn't told her everything she needs to know...

I very much enjoyed this coming-of-age fantasy, with its strong characters and well-developed magic system. Would it be possible for me to go live on Hy-Brasil now, do you think? I would adore it. Recommended.½

Slightly better than its predecessor, with a few more hits than misses and some continued interest in the world-building, but I still found it rather a slow go, at least until the very end.½

2.5⭐️
Had high hopes of this giving me the same kind of buzz I experienced when reading Jasper Fforde’s brilliantly bonkers and wryly humorous Thursday Next series. Sadly, despite the appealing (if not entirely original) premise of literary characters being read out into life by one, perhaps more, mysteriously gifted individuals - consequently threatening the existence of the real world - this fell short for me.

Pros: fascinating alternative world, filled out pretty well; some exciting story peaks; fun is had with a number of fictional characters, mostly Dickensian or Victorian, many of whom readers would kill to meet.

Cons: unlikeable narrator (his bitter, repetitive and petty carping about his brother rapidly grew very tedious); a few potentially excellent side characters were criminally underused (especially Sherlock Holmes and the mother of the two main characters); there were a number of distracting typos; and the whole thing would have benefited from a good, hard trimming. Often unnecessarily wordy, with strangely flat, even cringe-inducing phrasing; and too often the dialogue just went on and on, round and round in circles, or didn’t ring true.

All in all, I found myself frequently irritated while reading but pressed on because I was interested enough to see what happened in the end. Mostly though, it’s just made me want to read Fforde all over again.

If you've already read the description, you’ll know that the main character has the ability to bring book characters to life. This book is a non-stop adventure populated by fictional superstars from Victorian literature, who wreak havoc on the lives of Charley and his brother.

The book has it all: fantasy, mystery, family dynamics, sibling rivalry, personal growth, magic, literary analysis, and Five Mr. Darcys! (Don’t worry, they’re not central to the plot.) That’s not to say the plot is convoluted. I found it straightforward, and easy to follow.

While the storyline involving the brothers didn’t resonate with me, and at times felt distracting, the rest of the tale, and getting to the bottom of the mystery, had me completely hooked. If you’re a fan of literature and fantasy, this book is for you.

This was fine. It should have been so much more interesting, but it fell flat for me. I found the prose to be clunky at times and the characters/story just wasn't compelling.

Biddy lives on the magical island of Hy-Brasil, where she has been raised by Rowan, a mage who tells her she came to him as the only survivor of a shipwreck, and his rabbit familiar. But now, sixteen years old and longing to experience the outside world, she is coming to realize that there are things that Rowan hasn't told her, and that all of them are in danger.

There's some very familiar fantasy tropes here -- I am beginning to wonder if I maybe haven't seen "magic is disappearing from the world!" one too many times -- but what the novel does with them is good, and its take on the things that magic can do in the world is both interesting and very, well, magical. The plot is decent, and Biddy is a great character, clever and brave, but also completely believable as a teenage girl who doesn't feel herself to be anything extraordinary. Her relationship with Rowan, too, is complicated and interesting, being far from perfect, but strong and loving and rather moving, nonetheless. There are also some undercurrents of social commentary that aren't preachily belabored, but are well-taken.

Basically, it's just a good, solid, well-done fantasy novel.

Biddy grows up on the wild island of Hy-Brasil learning from Rowan, the mage and Hutch, his medium about the natural and magical aspects of the world.

Socially isolated she learns about people from the many books she reads in the dilapidated castle that is their home. But approaching age 17, Biddy hankers for new, additional experiences in her life. She ends getting more than she ever imagined.

This wonderful novel is all about learning, kindness, respect, thoughtfulness, sacrifice and love. And books, books and more books.

Sweet!

A decent take on the "book characters come to life" genre, which I mostly enjoyed. Slogged in a few places and some of the characters were a bit one-note, but it kept me fairly well entertained.

Hy-Brasil is the only home Biddy has ever known, living with Rowan and his familiar Hutchinson. Rowan has kept her safe and kept the little magic he has, because magic is becoming rarer and rarer and the council of Magicians off in London are hoarding as much as they can so they can do what they want with it. Set is 1912 it was a cosy story but I can't help thinking about the building stresses that were in the world at that time but maybe magic helped prevent that (though I have Thoughts about Irish Independence and that period). Biddy is curious about the outside world that she has only read about in books and she might be part of what is needed to solve the problem of the vanishing magic.
I liked this found family story and was drawn in by it. I wasn't sure about the time it was set in as I was reading and honestly I thought it was later that 1912 and more into the present or near past, still I enjoyed the read and would read more by this author.

What a triumph this book is.

Hits and misses in this one. Some really fascinating alternative history world-building, but also spots that slog rather a lot, and a few characters that felt quite one-note. I will read the second one, though, since I want to see where the author's going.

The Magician’s Daughter - H.G.Parry
Audio performance by Rose McPhilemy
4 stars

I looked for more books by this author after reading and loving The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep. This book is a (very) young adult book and a coming of age story. (I might even call this a middle grade book.) I’m not usually a fan of either, but this is a good book for the intended audience. There are some surprises among the expected tropes.

The daughter is not actually a magician herself. She has no magic. I totally expected that she would suddenly come into a powerful ability that would allow her to save the day. No magical abilities ever, although she does heroically save the day.. I loved the Magician’s familiar, the rabbit, Hutchincroft. He added warmth and humor. I enjoyed the magical island and its ties to Irish folklore. The storyline was fairly predictable which made me impatient with Biddy’s self doubt and fears of abandonment. (This is not the fault of the author. I’m just very far from being a young adult audience.)

The book is set in the late 19th or very early 20th century. Themes of class warfare and rising feminism are touched on. In my opinion the social themes of the book are extraneous to the magical adventure. They might as well not be there. But, again, the book is intended for a young audience. So what do I know?

Biddy is raised by Rowan and his familiar Hutch on a mystical island with no other people. She learns of the real world through books and longs to leave home to explore. But when invading magic comes after her guardian she discovers the real world is a harsh place. She has no magical abilities herself, only an old spell embedded in her heart. She needs to venture out into the real world in order to save Rowan but also to restore magic to the world.
An interesting version of the coming of age story.

library book read 5/14/2023

First off, the narration is on point! Very well done. The story itself is also fascinating and incredibly original - I was immediately drawn in. However, it did seem a bit drawn out to me and I think this has to do with listening to it on audio; if I were reading, I sincerely believe I wouldn’t feel this way, because I would have been able to finish it sooner.

Biddy grew up on a hidden and enchanted island, the ward of the magician Rowan. As she grows up in this idyllic setting she realizes a few things: she is incredibly sheltered and wants more, and Rowan is hiding things from her. Despite Rowan leaving the island on a regular basis, seeking out what little magic there is left in the world, Biddy has never stepped foot off of Hy-Brasil. Until one night, Rowan doesn’t return and Biddy visits him in a nightmare, where she realizes that not only is Rowan in danger, but Biddy is the only one who can save him. And thus, the adventure of Biddy’s lifetime begins: with terrifying mages, people from Rowan’s past and danger at each and every turn.½

https://www.youtube.com/@starkissedstories

The pacing was too slow and despite there being scenes of torture and killing I never felt the gravitas or sense of urgency and stakes.
Overall it was just ok - the moody vibes of the island were great though

Fantasy in the best possible way with a sense of timelessness. Biddy is a highly appealing protagonist, Rowan a nicely flawed fellow and Hutchincroft a great familiar. Plenty of intrigue and secrets. It's a delight to read.

This book grabbed me by the figurative lapels and made me read late into the night. It's about magic and family and not being the chosen one but the one who got caught up by chance or luck and then thrust into the middle. It's about that line we cross when something happens and we aren't children anymore. It's also about rabbits and trees and cruelty in the reach for power.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 because I feel generous. While an amazing look at an alternate history, one where the French Revolution started because of magic, and vampires are real but have been long gone from the world, with some truly great world building, I felt like the ending was a bit rushed. Towards the end, Pitt and Wilberforce's ambling conversations were a bit tiring, and I found that I was more interested in Robespierre, even though he was about to be killed. I wanted more of Fina in what is now known as Haiti, and only got so little. I wanted to know who the Voice was, and though I know that he will be using Napoleon now (hint hint he said that his next tool will rule an Empire), I just want to know who he is. Will I read the next one? Probably, yeah! I just feel like there was something more out of this that I could get and I'm not sure what it was yet...

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got a copy of this as an ebook through Netgalley to review.

Thoughts: This was an amazing book, I have been absolutely spoiled rotten this week with amazing books. I loved these characters, this unique world and the problem the characters are trying to solve. This was beautifully written and completely engaging. I enjoyed every second of this book.

This book follows the story of Biddy, she washed up on the magical island of Hy-Brasil when she was a baby and has since been raised by the magician Rowan. When Rowan fails to return to the island at his normal time, Biddy is incredibly worried. Then when he does finally return, he is forced to let Biddy in on some dark secrets about their enemies outside the island. In order to set the essence of magic right, Biddy will have to do the very thing she has yearned for and the very thing she fears, leave her precious home of Hy-Brasil.

This was an amazing magical read full of beautiful descriptions and sincere, touching characters. I absolutely loved Biddy and Rowan and Rowan's familiar; they are kind and sincere to each other. All of the characters in this book, even the enemies, have a lot of depth to them and are intriguing to read about. They are all so well done.

I also loved the world here; it's a world where magic has dwindled and a world where people are starting to suffer from magic's absence. Biddy's mysterious past seems to be the only thing that might be a key to bringing magic back. There is a hint of adventure to the story as Biddy is forced to face the outside world. This story is amazing, hopeful, and a bit sad all at once. As magical as Hy-Brasil is, after everything that happens here nothing ends up the same. Everyone and everything changes and that is both good and sad.

My Summary (5/5): Overall, this was such a beautiful story full of magic, adventure, change, and love that I was sad for it to end. I am greatly looking forward to future books by Parry; I hope they are all as beautiful, amazing, and magical as this one. I also plan on going back to check out Parry's Shadow Histories series. I would strongly recommend this book. It was a magical read that was completely engrossing.

I stuck with this one well beyond what I would normally, given the problems, because the idea is so much fun. Sadly, a fun idea is all this delivers on. The writing style is extremely clunky with really awkward dialogue, and the main characters were not believable as adults. I'd say they read like teenagers but that feels really uncharitable to teenagers. Give this one a pass.

This was a very enjoyable fantasy/odyssey that touches on everything near and dear to book nerds--other reviews here on Library Thing have touched on major points, so I won't do so, but having just finished it, my "now I have to go back and read....." list has doubled. The jacket blurbs point out that the story is a nice fit for Neil Gaiman and Jasper Fforde fans, and I agree heartily.

With that said, it was a little lengthy. Heresy, since elementary-school me picked my library books based on thickness/number of pages. However, as a reluctantly harried and overscheduled grownup, I think a little judicious editing could have improved the pace of this adventure in the literary otherworld. Don't let that comment deter you if you've got the time to invest in a wonderfully novel novel.½

An incredible book. It took me a little while to get into it. There is a lot of introspection by the main character that I found a bit excessive in the beginning. However, once the story gets going it grabs you and makes it difficult to put down.

The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep - Parry
Audio performance by Calum Gittins
4.5 stars

“I want to live in the world, unbound, following nobody’s plots but my own.”

This is the perfect book for a literature nerd. That’s a label I can apply to myself. My reading preferences make me the perfect audience for this book. I read 19th century English lit because I like it, not just because it was assigned during my distant youth. David Copperfield is my favorite Dickens novel, reread many times. I’m a dedicated Sherlockian, ditto the many rereadings. It’s wonderful that H.G.Parry wrote this book just for me. It was exactly the entertainment that I needed to take me out of the summer doldrums.

The main protagonist, Charles Sutherland, is also an avid reader. I like him. We enjoy the same books. But, I lack his unusual abilities. In addition to his extreme intelligence (he was reading The Hound of the Baskervilles and Great Expectations at 2 years old), Charlie can ‘read’ or ‘summon’ characters out of their books to send them living and breathing into the world. These exceptional oddities are an annoying burden to his older brother, Robert Sutherland. When this story starts both men are adult professionals in Wellington, New Zealand. I enjoyed these brothers. I enjoyed their interactions and their rocky relationship.

I love literary puns, and this book made me laugh out loud. Uriah Heep is not the only character striving to exist in a 21st century city. Imagine Heathcliff, Darcy (several of them), Dorian Gray, the White Witch (C.S. Lewis) and others living together on a magically hidden street (reminiscent of Diagon Alley, but not resembling it in any way). The characters stay consistent to their origins which does cause considerable conflict with the ‘real’ world. (Although Dr. Frankenstein does well at the city morgue.) Sadly, evil characters are also ‘read out’ by another, unknown summoner. The book is a fantasy, but it’s also a mystery/thriller. It becomes surprisingly tense as events proceed to a crisis. I can’t quite go straight to 5 stars because I thought the climax was too cumbersome. It dragged a bit. Small complaints. I did love what the author and her characters had to say about reading and storytelling. I’d recommend this one to anyone who enjoyed The Eyre Affair or who loved Matilda as a child.

“We love Dickens because he tells us stories, and because he tells us that we are all stories. We are. We are more than stories, of course. But we have to start somewhere. And there are many worse places to start than, 'Chapter One: I am Born. Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that stations will be held by anybody else, these pages must show.”½

Because the first book in this duology occupied a space of tone and pacing that might best be called "dry", I suspect that few readers made it to this sequel -- and yes, you must read the first book to understand this one, sorry. It's a shame, though, because the sequel is, in this case, actually better. While Parry has managed to maintain the meticulous sense of history in this historical fantasy, the pace here has picked up considerably and the characterization is much more rounded -- including, thank goodness, the characterization of Black and POC figures whose presence was flat in the first book. Here, each of the POV characters -- including Fina, the formerly enslaved West African woman with fascinating magical powers that are unlike anyone else's -- get more balanced space and, since we've entered the Napoleonic Era, there's more action than speechifying this time around. (Don't get me wrong -- I like speechifying and it still exists here -- but the balance is much better.)

Also, SPOILER ALERT...

There's a dragon! And the Kraken! And some naval battles, as appropriate for the Napoleonic moment!

Before you get all excited that this has become an Action Fantasy, however, please note that Williams Wilberforce and Pitt are still very much the center of the show and that means that there are a lot of slow, political moments throughout the book. If you really hated those parts of the first book... well, you probably aren't reading this review anyway. The friendship between Wilberforce and Pitt and their back-and-forth over political and magical reforms gives the narrative a surprising amount of heart and, as unexpected as it was to sympathize with Robespierre in Book 1 (as other reviewers have noted), here one may be surprised about how emotionally attached one becomes to William Pitt the Younger -- you may even find yourself in tears at the end of the novel.

Believe me, that's not a sentence I ever expected to type in my whole life. But here we are.

This might not be your thing, but if you liked the first book in this duology at all, this might just scratch an itch you didn't know you had.½