24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A lot of fun, October 26, 2006
Although I thoroughly enjoyed both of the earlier books in this series, I think I like this one best of all. I received it from Amazon yesterday and read it ALL, last night. It's quite skillfully written (even better than the earlier books), the characters are extremely likeable, and the story moves along nicely, with humor and interesting twists and turns.
For me, the characters are the most important part of a book. (If I don't like the characters, I won't bother with the book.) I really like the continuity of seeing characters I like in a series, and in this book, the continuation of the story of the main characters was completely satisfying (even more than in first two books, in which I wasn't all that fond of James). Also, minor characters I had liked reappeared (though briefly), and there was very little of the ones whom I really disliked. It was as satisfying to see this next part of the lives of the main characters as it is to hear what has happened to old friends when I see them again.
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun and funny "correspondence", December 11, 2006
Cecilia and Kate are back again in The Mislaid Magician, Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer's third book involving these two fearless women living in regency England.
As with the other two books in the series (I'm not sure there is an actual series name for the Cecilia and Kate books), Wrede and Stevermer concocted this novel using the Letter Game, a writing exercise and the formula that worked for their first book, Sorcery and Cecilia.
The Mislaid Magician starts off slowly as it sets up the premise for the mystery that Kate, Cecilia and their spouses will be investigating and writing about to each other during the course of the book. In many ways you feel you are reading two seperate stories, with the plot lines coverging only at the end through a character that affects both story lines but only one of the cousins interacts with.
While I thoroughly enjoy every Patricia C. Wrede book I can get my hands on, I didn't find The Mislaid Magician as captivating as the first two Kate and Cecilia books. For one thing, this book introduces correspondence between Thomas and James as well as their wives. It took me a while to get used to the extra voices (plus, since it had been awhile since I read the first two books, I had to piece together who was married to who). While it was fun to have their perspectives and their wit, in many ways the authors would have been just fine with letters between Cecilia and Kate only.
One aspect of the Letter Game (which the authors observed in Sorcery and Cecilia and I'm assuming they have followed for the sequels) is that the authors are not allowed to discuss their plot ideas with each other. That aspect of the Letter Game, to me, really came out in The Mislaid Magician. It felt like the only thing tying the two stories together was the shared Mr. Scarlet - and even then, it wasn't much of a plot fuser. I had to reread the section to make sure I didn't miss anything, since I was confused as to how Kate's and Cecilia's situations worked together. My conclusion was: they really didn't. It felt like the authors were rushing and needed something to make the story unified.
But if you've read the other Kate and Cecilia stories (or you like Patricia C. Wrede), it's worth your time to read this book. If she and Stevermer continue with this series, I hope they make the next book about the children's adventures. I have a feeling Kate's and Cecilia's children would make for some great letter content!
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Third time's the charm, November 18, 2006
With this book Wrede and Stevermer are back in form. Ten years after their honeymoon, and now with children of their own who are discovering magic, James and Cecy are asked to investigate a missing German magician. What they find is an ancient magic that is being manipulated in a way that could destroy the country.
This book, like the others in the series, is written as a series of letters. Some characters from the previous books appear in this one, but this is a whole new story. It is enjoyable, and while not quite as witty as the first book in the series, is still a much better read than the second book and its interesting to see how different, and how similar, everyone is now that they are all grown up. This book can be read as a stand alone novel, but you'll enjoy it much more if you've read the other books in the series first.
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