Kyra was preparing for her final wizard test before the Council. But suddenly, something was twisting her magic, weaving sinister portents of doom into even the simplest of her spells. Then she knew for certain that her young sister Alix was soon to marry--and soon to die. And so she journeyed back to the family who had disowned her. To save her sister, Kyra would have to face down her father's rage, stand firm against the venomous rivalries of her family's enemies, and confront the Inquisition. Then she must defeat a still deadlier foe--if only she could find it!
Stranger at the Wedding
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“Barbara is a fabulously talented writer who can write well in any genre.” —Charlaine Harris
From the Inside Flap
Kyra was preparing for her final wizard test before the Council. But suddenly, something was twisting her magic, weaving sinister portents of doom into even the simplest of her spells. Then she knew for certain that her young sister Alix was soon to marry--and soon to die. And so she journeyed back to the family who had disowned her. To save her sister, Kyra would have to face down her father's rage, stand firm against the venomous rivalries of her family's enemies, and confront the Inquisition. Then she must defeat a still deadlier foe--if only she could find it!
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Georgette? Is That You?,
By
This review is from: Stranger at the Wedding (Mass Market Paperback)
Nicely tongue-in-cheek -- until it gets Very Dark -- fantasy/romance, much in the style of Georgette Heyer's Regency romances, though the underlying McGuffin is rather nasty.
Kyra the Red would be very typically a Georgette Heyer type heroine -- impetuous, tall, a bit physically clumsy, unrecognising of her own idiosyncratic beauty, unwed at an unfashionably late age -- who has the added misfortune to be a wizard. A wizard, in a world in which the Church begrudgingly allows one wizards' order to exist, with the proviso that the wizards may not use their magic to affect the world outside their walls. To use unauthorised magic is an automatic sentence of death. And Kyra has come home for her younger sister's wedding; home, where she knows she is not welcome in her father's house. Home, where she quickly discovers that someone else is trying to steal away the groom, using illicit purchased magic. Home, where she cleverly and subtly uses her forbidden powers to stall or prevent the wedding. (The mice are a particularly good touch, and Don Maitz's typically lyrical cover refers masterfully to that sequence.) Home, where her prophetic dreams have told her that a curse decrees that her sister's marriage bed will be her deathbed. Home, where she finds herself, uncomfortably, increasingly attracted to her sister's betrothed... who seems (after he gets over thinking her somewhat addled) to return her regard... There can be little doubt that Hambly had Georgette Heyer in mind when writing this -- compare it to, oh, "The Grand Sophy" or "The Masqueraders" -- and i do not think that Heyer would have felt offended by this tribute.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Romance, mystery, and magic -- with characters you believe in,
By Esther Schindler (Scottsdale, AZ USA) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Stranger at the Wedding (Mass Market Paperback)
Among Barbara Hambly's many virtues as an author is her ability to create a universe that, in your heart, you believe to be a real place. She evokes soot, worn wooden floors, and the sparkle of sunlight. She does such a good job, in fact, that most of Hambly's books are part of larger series, such as fantasy trilogies or a mystery series (e.g. her Benjamin January mysteries, set in 1840s New Orleans). This is one of the few exceptions: Stranger at the Wedding is a standalone story, so you won't have the sense of commitment to a whole universe.
In this world, magic works. Magicians are distrusted because of the power they could wield, however, so they are not permitted to marry, to own significant property, or to have a business with more than a few employees. Most mages have withdrawn from the world to learn and research but not to use magic pragmatically; each takes a vow not to use magic to benefit any human. And most of them live in a remote... well, monastary covers it. Some "dog wizards" do their best to eke out a living in the cities, but most of them are poor. Meanwhile, the society-at-large has reached the age of steam and coal; the industrial evolution is underway. (This is a nice change from the usual feudal era in which most magic is presented.) One of those mages is Kyra, a 24 year old woman of "good family" who was ejected from her parents' home after her magical abilities became public. (Kyra has a "bit part" in an earlier trilogy, but you definitely don't need to have read that one.) When she gets a premonition that her betrothed sister will die on Alix's wedding night, she feels that she must go back home to deal with the threat. I've owned this book since it first came out (in the 80s? early 90s?), and I've read it several times in the intervening years. It isn't that it's *wonderful*, but it's engaging, particularly when I want the reader's eqivalent of "comfort food:" entertain me, but don't make me work too hard. Kyra has a wonderful smartass sense of humor, the romance feels "real" (even if it's actually love at first sight), and the storytelling -- as usual, with Hambly -- is excellent. Even though I've read this book several times before, it kept me reading late at night, after midnight, when I *knew* I had to get up at 6.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great combination of fantasy and romance,
By Anne M. Marble "Anne" (MD, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Stranger at the Wedding (Mass Market Paperback)
Kyra's family disowned her when she decided to become a magician. She comes back only because she must -- because she has a foreboding that her sister will die on her wedding night.Working magic in secret, Kyra tries to postpone the wedding long enough to solve the mystery. Yet something completely unexpected happens -- she finds herself drawn to her sister's fiance, Spens! (Though at first glance he seems like a stout merchant with bad fashion sense, Spens is a great character.) My biggest problem with this book is the structure of the plot. Important information about the past is withheld, and when the reader learns that information, we pretty much figure out who did it. But I enjoyed this book so much that I didn't mind. I've heard Barbara Hambly's other fantasy books are even better. Now, I can't wait to read them. I gave this book Desert Isle Keeper status at All About Romance.
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