Review: Not what I expected but still a very good book
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 3, 2014
This book was actually not exactly what I was expecting when there was talk about a sequel to Schooled in Magic. As a matter of fact I had a bit of difficulty in deciding what rating I would give this book. That it would be on the upper end of the scale was clear, Mr Nuttall have never disappointed me so far, but how high? Let us see if I can explain what I mean.When there was first talk about a sequel I expected that Emily would continue her studies at Whitehall and that the story were going to develop along the lines of the Necromancer threat or at least some other similar threat. However this book follows neither of those threads. Instead it almost feels like a kind of detour along the way. As the book blurb states Emily takes a pause from the school and instead follows Princess Alassa on her journey to her home which also happens to be a kind of dating journey by the ancient rules of Zangaria aristocracy.The first part of the book is very much about travelling, meeting people and learning about the ancient traditions of Zangaria. I have to admit that this was not exactly my cup of tea as far as story goes. However, perhaps a bit to my surprise, the author managed to keep my interest. As have been the case with all the authors books that I have read so far this one is very well written. The characters are interesting and often likable. Even the etiquette lessons themselves and the various political machinations behind and around them were fairly interesting to read.Luckily, from my point of view at least, Mr. Nuttall gradually weaves in a more sinister story which gives Emily more and more frequent reasons to “practice” her magic abilities. Towards the last third of the book the nefarious plotting takes over more and more before finally erupting in some refreshing action. Needless to say these are the bits of the book that I liked the most.After having read the last page I was surprised at how much I found myself liking the book. I attribute this to Mr Nuttall’s ability to write a compelling story and make you feel that you really want to follow the characters despite the fact that the story, or at least part of it in my case, is not exactly your cup of tea.Again, I am eagerly looking forward to the next book although I hope that Emily continues her magic studies and develops her magic in this one. Although I guess it might be difficult to in a way that does leave some room for further story and character development I would really like to see Emily shut everyone up by throwing some hugely powerful modern science influenced magic, as was hinted several times in the book, at some point in time.