Magicians and Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett
The main concept is what if an Austen heroine was in a magical world- I started this book, and was immediately drawn in by the three main characters, Ivy, Rafferty, and Eldyn. And in the most part, it was enjoyable. Spoilers after the cut.
The book is divided into three parts, with the first being told in a limited 3rd person from the three main characters, and it is great. You meet each character, wait for them to interact, and it is great when they do. It is when the story moves to the second part that problems start to occur. The point of view changes- to 1st person in the eyes of Ivy. She's in a different area, with all new characters, and the plot suddenly changes to Jane Eyre. Mr. Quent is Rochester, and if you know Jane Eyre you can imagine the plot. To tell the truth, I just really wanted this section to be over. It was boring compared to the beginning, and the romance doesn't work, because we never get to know Mr. Quent in any other way than to know he is not handsome. There is a way to show believable romance in a mannered novel, as even Beckett did before.
The 3rd section is again like the 1st, with 3 main characters and 3rd person limited POV. The story is much improved from the 2nd section, but, overall, the problem is that I no longer like Ivy as much, so it is not as enjoyable as the 1st. Rafferty and Eldyn as still very enjoyable, and I really enjoyed their parts.
I really think this story could have been fabulous, but throwing in Jane Eyre really weakened it- the revolution and magic plots could have been furthered in a more interesting fashion. The point of view changes were unnecessary and distracting. Mr. Quent is never more than two dimensional, and I grew to resent him intruding so much on the plot which was before only populated by rich characterizations. I will purchase the next book, out of interest in what happens to Rafferty and Eldyn, and hope that it does not suffer from the weaknesses of this one.
The book is divided into three parts, with the first being told in a limited 3rd person from the three main characters, and it is great. You meet each character, wait for them to interact, and it is great when they do. It is when the story moves to the second part that problems start to occur. The point of view changes- to 1st person in the eyes of Ivy. She's in a different area, with all new characters, and the plot suddenly changes to Jane Eyre. Mr. Quent is Rochester, and if you know Jane Eyre you can imagine the plot. To tell the truth, I just really wanted this section to be over. It was boring compared to the beginning, and the romance doesn't work, because we never get to know Mr. Quent in any other way than to know he is not handsome. There is a way to show believable romance in a mannered novel, as even Beckett did before.
The 3rd section is again like the 1st, with 3 main characters and 3rd person limited POV. The story is much improved from the 2nd section, but, overall, the problem is that I no longer like Ivy as much, so it is not as enjoyable as the 1st. Rafferty and Eldyn as still very enjoyable, and I really enjoyed their parts.
I really think this story could have been fabulous, but throwing in Jane Eyre really weakened it- the revolution and magic plots could have been furthered in a more interesting fashion. The point of view changes were unnecessary and distracting. Mr. Quent is never more than two dimensional, and I grew to resent him intruding so much on the plot which was before only populated by rich characterizations. I will purchase the next book, out of interest in what happens to Rafferty and Eldyn, and hope that it does not suffer from the weaknesses of this one.