Shades of Milk and Honey

I'm not really sure if I liked this, but I didn't dislike it, and I'll give further books a chance so I'm rounding up to four stars. It had a lot of Austenesque bits, but never felt quite right. The ending felt pretty rushed, too. But entertaining enough.

It was a highly well-done book, for a debut. Of course, there were parts where I wanted to know more, and discover better and more things, but the glamours were interestingly done ( and! the most described part of the text ) and the love interest was a twist I very honestly didn't see coming, which was a pleasant twist in and of itself. I would have liked a slightly more ... thrilling? Plot, when it came to the ultimate conflict, but since it was meant to be reminiscent of Austen and Brontë, I can forgive this. Because it was well-done in that particular style, and I enjoyed it immensely. It was also a quick read; I finished it in a day, and it swallowed me to the very end. I very much look forward to reading more by Kowal.

I actually rather enjoyed this one, I was just also not quite taken with it.

I really liked the glamour aspect of the book and found it to be fun, but we were not told much about how it worked or what exactly folds are. While this is usually something I find to be a major flaw, in this case I would say it almost worked with the story. The way we see the glamour worked is almost an explanation, but not enough to disillusion the audience. This must also stem from the scene with Mr. Vincent and how he doesn't like people to see past the illusion to see how it works – I get it, message received.

The characters... hmm... see, this is a hard one. I've not read anything by Jane Austen and this book is claimed to be like something she would write, so I think my opinions on things may differ from people who like or know Jane Austen's works. See I don't think the characters had much depth. The beauty, the brain, the rogue, the intellectual, the gentleman, and the naive girl – these are the characters. While there are a few additional qualities to them, these are primarily are characters throughout the book. This seems harsh... but I think by the end of the book I was tired of reading it because I already knew -mostly- how the book would end.

The plot is simple, making this a light and easy read, albeit predictable. While I think this might have been something I could have read while sick, there was also so much... not-dialogue, perhaps internal dialogue, that I think I would have been lost. The first few pages require concentration in order to understand the world and “shew” instead of “show” made my eye twitch, but I guess it is just another writing style. So, mostly a simple read, but truly enjoyable and fun.

I wished there was more glamour present, but the romance in the background was fun as well. The “woe is me” from Jane can get annoying, but can easily be skimmed over.

The ending is pretty final. I don't see a reason to continue the series (besides not being entirely interested),so if you are looking for a standalone, this will work, I promise!! And if you end up wanting more, there is more! Quite fun :)

Overall, I did enjoy the book, loving the mixture fantasy and regency. It was something unique, which was the reason why I picked up the book in the first place. As I started to listen to the book (audiobook narrated by the author), I liked learning about Jane and the relationships with her family, the Dunkirks and the rest of the people of their neighborhood. However, some of the characters annoyed me as the book continued. Jane, while praised for her wit and glamour abilities (which I associated with intelligence and logic), proved to be somewhat dense about the happenings around her, especially in the flirtations of Mr. Dunkirk and the identity of Melody's secret beau. Melody was a spoiled brat who used her beauty constantly to one-up her plain sister because she was jealous of her talents, which didn't make sense to me. Everyone paid all the attention in the world to Melody and very little to Jane, but Melody wished for the attention of every eligible bachelor it seemed. She even at one point had her sights on another, but still grew upset at Jane for supposedly having two suitors. It was completely immature of her. Their mother made my physically roll my eyes at some of her words and I practically hated her by the end of the book. I did like the supporting characters such as their father, Mr. Dunkirk, and Mr. Vincent.

The end of the book seemed rushed as it attempted to tie up loose ends. It was a messy recounting of the events of the week after the duel. I also don't remember if Beth, Jane's best friend throughout the book, received an update in the rushed summary of events. I find that odd since Beth was such a prominent character after her introduction. The last chapter was more like an epilogue than an actual chapter, which caused the book to end on a ‘meh' note.

One thing that would make the book a bit more interesting is a more detailed explanation of glamour. The construction and formation of it was hinted at throughout the book but never explained in the amount of detail I wished. I was just told constantly that both Jane and Mr. Vincent were very accomplished in their control of it. I love seeing the science between the magic, so to speak, detailed in books and I think that having an explanation of how glamour is created would have added more to the fantasy setting.

Initially, I was far from impressed with Mary Robinette Kowal's Shades of Milk and Honey. It was too obvious that the author was trying to resurrect the spirit of Jane Austen with a little fantasy thrown in. It seemed she was trying too hard and the resulting story felt alien to me. Eventually, the story began to gel, though. It wasn't Austen, but it wasn't really meant to be either, was it? This is an homage with a twist, and it works satisfyingly well.

The characters are very Austenian. From the aptly-named Jane and her sister Melody, two sisters united in love, but divided in temperament, to their mother, a hypochondriac obsessed with finding matches for her daughters. The potential suitors: the handsome, but vengeful Mr. Dunkirk, the successful Captain Livingston, and the brooding artist, Mr. Vincent. Drop these characters into the English countryside and the balls of their neighbors, sprinkle in a few engagements and scandals, and one can almost forget the contemporary authorship of this novel.

Shades of Milk and Honey's fantasy element comes from the existence of “glamour,” an art some are trained in as other's are trained in paints or pianoforte. By shaping strands of ether and manipulating light, practitioners of glamour weave together what seems like magic. That's the full extent of fantasy in this novel. No time travel. No magical creatures. It's so subtle it's almost nonexistent. And frankly, it doesn't add much outside of lyricism; still, I'm glad it's there as it gives this story an element that makes it unique from other Regency era clones.

What separates Shades of Milk and Honey most from an Austen novel is the sense of action. Comparatively, Shades... is action-packed and it seems foreign to the classic light-hearted Regency romp. When bullets started to fly, I was again pulled out of the story. It all works out in the end, but it does have a glaring strangeness to it.

This is a series I'll return to, though I'm not sure how soon. I think I'd feel some guilt reading the next book in this series without returning to the original first—and by original, I of course mean Austen.

This was not bad, but I found the JA like characters just as annoying (if not more so) than in JA books. I just found nothing I wanted to identify with in any of the characters. The way the author mimicked JA also meant I was able to figure out who ended up with who and why.
The magic was interesting, but not enough to save the book for me.

Add to Mr Darcy's lady criteria a talent for illusion magic, called glamour, and you've got the setting of Shades of Milk and Honey. I couldn't stop my mind from making connections between Austen's works and this as I went along. “He's the Darcy! He's probably the Wickham!” The story isn't an echo of an Austen plot but it's close enough that the distraction is unavoidable. Manners and propriety are still a big deal but Jane is more assertive than an Austen protagonist, which is a welcome difference.

The next book seems to be a direct sequel, rather than some other eligible lady's quest for a rich husband. I'm curious to see how that plays out.

Really really enjoyed this one. It was the perfect Victorian, Jane Austen-esque read with touches of magic. I did not expect the drama to play out so brilliantly but it added the moment of climax the whole book was building up to. This is definitely one of those books that can drag you back into the habit of reading if you've been in a slump recently. The romance was expected but sweet nonetheless. The only bit I did not enjoy was the predictability about some bits, but that's to be expected if you've read Pride and Prejudice before.

Overall, a thoroughly addicting read.

I liked this book, it was sweet and an entertaining read. I liked Jane, though Melody annoyed me.

Jane Austen with magic. Except a little heavy on the Austen: all characters seem to be lifted straight from Austen's works, except in only two dimensions. The mother with the poor nerves, the sister who doesn't care about her impropriety, the heartless cad who leads the sister into impropriety. The depth Austen gives these stereotypes is missing here.

Having said that, it was an enjoyable light read. I've read a bit of Austen lately so this fit right in, and I love the idea of glamour being a ‘feminine art' alongside drawing and music as a way for a young lady to display her accomplishments in order to secure a husband. And Austen never had such a good chase scene.

I'm generally not a fan of historical fiction, especially of this particular period. But throw magic or science fiction into anything and I'm always happy to give it a go. I love the concept of glamour and the weaving of illusions created by it's proficiency. With the exception of Jane, though come to think of is she's also guilty, the characters all seem to be caricatures of their era. The befuddled by females, but doting father. The ailing from a form of hysteria mother. The overly dramatic always put upon sister. And the gallant, but overbearing array of male characters playing foil to the simpering females. If it weren't for the glamour, I would have abandoned the story early on. But the glamour rises the story above itself. And the dynamic between Vincent and Jane is curious to watch...two trains set on track on a collision course. You see the inevitable result LONG before the two characters are even aware of it. Even as Kowal tries to place a little misdirection in your path. It's a quick read and a nice break between, for me, the more complex scifi options I usually choose.

I was expecting a lot more based on the rave reviews and endorsements. Considering the hero did little but glower at the heroine until the last few pages of the book, it was not a convincing love story. Also, the “glamour” magic concept was underdeveloped. What the heck is a “fold” that the author kept referring to? Why do some people have this glamour talent while others do not? How is it useful besides in a superficial way to make pretty art scenes? The book read quickly but left little impression. I may pick up the next book in the series to see if it gets any better once the hero and heroine are married, but I am not rushing out to find it.

I quite enjoyed this book. As is described, it's pretty much Jane Austin with magic. While it was great for the most part, I felt rather let down by the ending. It's not so much what happened that was the problem, but the feel of it I guess. I don't know exactly what was wrong, but it just lacked something, and the very last part felt too pat.

Pros: quick pace, seamlessly adds magic to historically accurate pre-Victorian setting

Cons: entirely character driven, ending felt rushed

Two British Regency era sisters, one beautiful the other accomplished, vie for the attentions of men.

Despite her mastery of the womanly arts of painting, piano and glamour, ‘plain' Jane Ellsworth despairs of finding a husband and is jealous of her younger sister's good looks and easy manner.

The novel's a quick read, with short chapters and lots of dialogue. Though not in first person, we see the world through Jane's eyes, as she tries to deaden her feelings for Mr. Dunkirk for fear that he's interested in her sister. Meanwhile she learns more about magic by examining the techniques of a visiting glamourist, much to his annoyance.

Like the Jane Austen novels it was based on, Shades of Milk and Honey is entirely character driven and has no plot beyond whether Jane will end up married and to whom. Those who enjoy Victorian literature will appreciate the attention to detail Kowal puts into her work. The addition of magic - the only non-historical attribute - adds an interesting element to the story and is seamlessly integrated into the Victorian culture.

Jane could be a Mary Sue character were it not for her rivalry with her sister. Always proper, Jane suppresses her emotions to the point that her art is lifeless, despite her talent.

While the climax was dramatic, the ending felt a bit rushed. Everything was too neatly tied up in too few pages.

If you enjoy Regency literature, this is a great read, whether you're into fantasy or not.