Today is my 4th Blogaversary.  I’m not doing an event or a giveaway but I wanted to say thank you to those who have read, visited, commented and assisted in various ways since I started.

I also wanted to celebrate by posting a review for a ripping good book.  A Case of Possession is out on 28 January so this is a little early and might therefore lead to some readerly frustration and calendar watching.

You’re welcome.

Thx again and happy reading!

Kaetrin

Why I read it:  I received a review copy.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads)  Magic in the blood. Danger in the streets.

A Charm of Magpies, Book 2

Lord Crane has never had a lover quite as elusive as Stephen Day. True, Stephen’s job as justiciar requires secrecy, but the magician’s disappearing act bothers Crane more than it should. When a blackmailer threatens to expose their illicit relationship, Crane knows a smart man would hop the first ship bound for China. But something unexpectedly stops him. His heart.

Stephen has problems of his own. As he investigates a plague of giant rats sweeping London, his sudden increase in power, boosted by his blood-and-sex bond with Crane, is rousing suspicion that he’s turned warlock. With all eyes watching him, the threat of exposure grows. Stephen could lose his friends, his job and his liberty over his relationship with Crane. He’s not sure if he can take that risk much longer. And Crane isn’t sure if he can ask him to.

The rats are closing in, and something has to give…

What worked for me (and what didn’t):  I often feel I’m oblivious to things – in books and what goes on around me.  It wasn’t until I started reading a lot of reviews and writing some myself that I even considered such things as pacing and structure in a novel.  I think I acknowledged them as existing on one level, but it certainly wasn’t conscious.  There is also something about not seeing the authorial hand which is often praised (including by me).  But in this case, like a veil being drawn away from my eyes, I saw the structure of the book.  For me it was a thing of beauty and something I was very happy to see.  I did not find it at all intrusive.  When I was reading I didn’t particularly notice but I was thinking one evening (before I finished the book but after I had finished reading for the night) about why I liked the book, beyond the obvious, surface type things.  It struck me then that the book has a clever and beautiful structure.  Perhaps this is something which is not at all novel for anyone else, but it was particularly so for me, so I wanted to tease out my thoughts about it here.

Usually, structure, is for me, something unseen.  For example, the Statue of Liberty (while it is, a structure in itself of course), is attractive because of what is overlaying the structure.  (I assume) it has internal rigging and scaffolding etc to hold up the outer shell.  And in this analogy I mean structure in terms of what holds something up (like the boning in a corset perhaps).  The Eiffel Tower is beautiful because of it’s structure.  What holds it up IS what it is.  And for me, the structure of this novel was so arresting that it brought to mind the Eiffel Tower.  Or, perhaps because of the twin lines of tension in the two storylines, the Golden Gate Bridge.

The tension and the pacing in this novel are superb.  The beginning is set up with efficiency (but not lacking in care) – front and centre is the developing relationship between Crane and Stephen. Crane wants stronger ties between them – perhaps to reflect the emotional ties he is just beginning to admit he has.

Stephen’s elusiveness was a novelty for Crane, who had always found getting rid of lovers more of a challenge than picking them up, and who had never had a partner who worked harder than himself. His new level of idleness was the problem, really, since if his days were fuller he would spend less of them wondering what Stephen was up to…

Rackham, the man responsible for introducing Stephen and Crane arrives and threatens to out their relationship.  In this world (Victorian England but with magic), sodomy is a crime and punishable by jail with hard labour. The threat is not particularly bothersome for Crane – he has enough money to be able to bribe whoever he needs to to be able to leave England and he prefers Shanghai anyway. And he had the impression that Stephen had some kind of plan to overcome exposure. Stephen, but for Crane, does not have the money or wherewithal to bribe officials, but he does have magic.  Unfortunately, it is forbidden to use magic to cover up crimes of any nature and Stephen has found himself on a “watch list” which means that he is being watched very closely so using his power in such a way is no longer an option for him.  He is on the watch list for suspected warlockry.  Warlocks strip people of their life essence to gain power and it is absolutely forbidden.  Stephen, since meeting Crane and experiencing their Magpie Lord connection, has had a surfeit of power.  He hasn’t been offering any explanations and people are worried.

“Can’t you just tell them the truth?” Crane thought about that for two seconds and added, “Your partner, at least. Without going into detail.”

“I could tell Esther what happens when you take me to bed, yes,” Stephen said. “I really don’t want to. Or I could simply explain that you are an immense source of power and hope she doesn’t ask how I get at it, although of course she would. But yes, either way, I could tell her you’re the source, and then she could take it back to the Council to explain why I shouldn’t be on a watch list.”

“Right. And you’re not doing this because…?”

Stephen twisted round to face him. “Have you forgotten what happened the last time practitioners knew about the power in your blood?”

“They were warlocks.”

“They were practitioners. Lucien, you’re a human source like none other. And you know how desperate we can get. You’ve seen it. The hunger for power makes the drive for money or sex look like a, a hobby, and you’re a walking fountain of it. Don’t you see? It would be like telling a pack of hungry dogs about a particularly juicy bone.” He gave a half-laugh. “For God’s sake. If word got round about what happens when we go to bed, there’d be a queue all down the street for your services. You’d have half the Council ready to bend over for you.”

“How good-looking are your Council?”

“Not.”

“Damn.”

“It’s the least of your worries,” Stephen said. “Because the other half would already be thinking of how to get their hands on your blood, without consideration of your preferences.” “This is your Council you’re talking about. They must be reputable people, surely?”

“Oh, it would all be reputable. There would be a ‘need for study’. A ‘consideration of the Magpie Lord’s legacy’. An ‘assessment of the greater good’. But it would mean they’d get their hands on you and not let go.”

And thus, succinctly put (and not without humour) is the relationship challenge Crane and Stephen face in this book.

Interwoven is the mystery aspect of the story.  Giant rats have appeared in London and are responsible for the deaths of a number of people.  There is magic involved (of course) and the Justiciars are looking for the cause and a way to eradicate the problem.  This aspect of the story is the external conflict, if you like. It is a taut and action-packed story in itself but it also serves to further the other, internal conflict.  As the tension of one “conflict” waxes, the other wanes slightly and vice versa, so that almost the entire story is leading you (well, me) on by the nose toward the conclusion.  There is barely a lull in the tension of one sort or another and the stakes are very high on both counts.   So, in that respect, I guess it is more like the Golden Gate Bridge.  A beautiful structure but taking me on a journey. (I shall stop with the analogy now).

The story was full of moments of discovery for me – about the rats and about the relationship.  Both had developments I wasn’t expecting and this kept me in a state of pleased delight.  The relationship (and those who know me know I’m all about the relationship), still with its complex power differential to be constantly navigated, has moved on and Crane and Stephen have grown closer and confess their feelings for one another.

“I like to make you know your master,” Crane said. “It’s only fair. The rest of the time, you’ve got me so thoroughly enslaved, I might as well be wearing a collar with your name on it.”

and

“How long do you want?” “The rest of your life.” Crane watched Stephen’s eyes widen. “For now, how about a fortnight?”

“Done,” Stephen said. “And… done.”

By the end, I almost lost sight of the fact that the book doesn’t give a complete solution to the professional dilemma Stephen faces – although events have moved him a long way towards solving it.  There is also plenty of relationship conflict for future books, because, as happy as the pair are together, they do come from two different worlds and Crane keeps putting his foot in his mouth when it comes to doing things for Stephen.  As Merrick tells Crane, Stephen is held together by “pride and spit” and he is very sensitive to his pride being stung.

What else? I did spot one anachronism which might bother those who dislike them.  I must say, that it did jar me somewhat but I was enjoying the book so much otherwise I was well able to overlook it.  At one point Lucien says “that’s not my bag” in the sixties Austin Powers sense of the phrase.  This phrase (I looked it up) did in fact come from the 1960s.  On the other hand, there is a reference to Earl Grey; the tea and the man.  According to Wikipedia, there definitely was Earl Grey tea by 1888 (when the book is set – I tweeted the author).  I though the reference was perhaps a little cute but again it wasn’t a big deal to me. (Also it ended up being educational, so there’s that.)

And thus I prove I can be critical about books I love (:P)

I’d also like to say something about presenting historical perspectives with a modern sensibility.  I’ve seen quite a few posts which talk about such things as colonialism and racism etc and how things were considered historically and the traps authors can fall into if there is not a sensibility within the narrative against the prevailing norm of the time as compared to modern thinking.  I’ve seen posts where books are criticised for it (fairly) but I haven’t really (not that I’ve noticed before now at least – remember: oblivious) come across any books/posts where they get it right.  And I think, (if my understanding is correct), there is an example of it here.  With a very few words too.

“Truth!” Peyton snorted. “Giant rats and lovely darkies! Honestly, Vaudrey—”

“Crane. Lord Crane.”

I can’t get my theme to be able to show non italics in quotes for emphasis.  But in the book it is “Crane. Lord Crane.”  Which is kind of code for: shut up you fucking weasel.  And he’s reacting to the characterisation of Javanese people as “darkies”.  It’s probably obvious to everyone else but it struck me as being an example of what people mean when they say what they want to see.  As I tend to be a person who needs to see an example to understand, this really helped me in terms of wider, genre discussion.  Crane’s dislike of Peyton also sets up something else but I won’t spoil it for you.  *shifty eyes*

The short version is: I enjoyed the characters, there is a cracking good story and I loved it.

Grade: A

BUY IT:
AMAZON     KOBO