Read This F@!%ing Book (22)

Welcome to a feature I'm going to post on Mondays called:

Read This F@!%ing Book!

This is a feature for me to push my favorite reads that just aren't getting enough attention! 

I'm also opening it up to anyone who would like to guest post. Do you have a book that you just LURVED but feel like its not getting the play it deserves? Email me to let me know and I'd be THRILLED to have you post about it here! Especially if its something I haven't reviewed yet - that's even better (but not necessary)! If you're interested email me:

Goldilox3weres@hotmail.com

This week's post comes from our very own: 
Rose Red!

Read This F@!%ing Book Post 22: The Glamourist Histories by Mary Robinette Kowal

   

  

(Click book cover to go to Goodreads page)

*Of Noble Family doesn’t come out until Spring 2015 but I wanted to include the cover because it’s so pretty!

 
Jane Austen With Magic! 

I’m a huge fan of both Regency romances and fantasy. When the two genres are combined, you can just take my money now. The Glamourist Histories were recommended to me as “Jane Austen with magic” which is so true! It should be noted that while similar to Austen these books are not retellings of any of her novels. But they have the same feel. Mary Robinette Kowal has done her research and it is downright impeccable! The book feels authentic to the time period it recreates. Except for, you know, the magic.

This alternate reality is set up in such a manner that it doesn’t seem like a divergence from our reality. The magic is slipped into the first paragraphs of the book as if it was perfectly natural, and it almost seems like our world has always had glamour in it. In fact, I can see perfectly in my mind the alternate Pride & Prejudice where the Bennet sisters work with folds of glamour while discussing potential suitors.

Also, the romance in this series is so sweet and delightful to read! They are some of my favorite Regency romances ever! And there are freaking Doctor Who cameos in each of the books. Let's give a slow clap to Kowal for some of the best Easter eggs ever! Plus, all of the covers are downright gorgeous!

Austen-esque Shenanigans! 

Not only is the research top-notch, Kowal also managed to capture the style of Jane Austen’s novels and yet have it still be original. It has all of the societal intrigue as young ladies are paraded before eligible bachelors, issues of propriety, scoundrels, and so on. And there are all the elements we love in Austen novels: the silly mother, the sisters who are complete opposites, rich neighbors, dinner parties, issues of propriety, unexpected friends, and villains… They are just amazing!

As the series progresses, the plot gets more and more action-packed and exciting! Valour and Vanity is described as what you'd get if Jane Austen wrote Ocean’s Eleven. Seriously. That's quite an apt description.

The Audiobooks!

If you like Audiobooks, then you have to listen to this series! The author, who happens to also be an award-winning puppeteer, is the one who narrates them and they are phenomenal! I found myself so caught up in the story that I didn’t realize that I had stopped washing my dishes and was just standing at my sink with my hands in the water for a good hour while I was listening to Shades of Milk and Honey. All of these audiobooks are just so good!

If you’re a fan of Jane Austen, I’d highly recommend picking this series up. 

Have you read this book?

Did we persuade you to add it to your TBR mountain?

Let us know in the comments below!