Review by Booklist Review
Currently tutoring some eccentric students in cloth magic and working as the dressmaker for Princess Katherine, Paul Gallagher has his hands full. Politics are getting complicated in 1950s Great Britain. Wanting to take over the rule of Britain and end the monarchy, the Virtuis Party will stop at nothing to gain control. Though Paul is a skilled cloth mage, he also has the illegal power of innate magic. Few people know this, but the secret leader of Virtuis is aware of Paul's skills and wants him to work for the Party. Paul is the only way they can gain total control, so Paul is also the only one who can stop them. With delightful new characters and the return of many from Paul's past, Fay winds a tale of true magical suspense. Paul struggles with his morals, magic, and loyalties as the page-turning plot unwinds. Fans and new readers alike will enjoy the intense and eccentric plot in this second installment to the Marrowbone Spells series (after Innate Forces, 2021).
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Fay's enthralling second Marrowbone Spells fantasy (after Innate Magic) thrusts an impetuous mage into the center of a tumultuous political conflict. In the late 1950s, four years after charming but foolhardy mage Paul Gallagher defeated the last threat to Great Britain, the country is in peril yet again as the conservative political group, the Virtuis Party, rises to power. Paul, who has fallen into favor with the royal family through his role as Princess Katherine's personal dressmaker and friend, has a front row seat to the madness. Things take a turn for the worse when the Virtuis Party's mysterious leader reveals he knows of Paul's innate magic, a rare, illegal power that allows Paul to create other mages and perform dark miracles. Paul becomes key to the party's plan to catapult Britain into fascism--which means he's also the only person who can stop it. There are myriad moving pieces to Fay's intense plot, but she manages to preserve her dry, witty voice even in the most outlandish situations. Series fans will be eager to see what Paul and his equally delightful and eccentric friends are up to, and new readers will find it easy to jump in. This is a treat. Agent: Rebecca Strauss, DeFiore & Co. (Nov.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
The second book in Fay's "Marrowbone Spells" series (following Innate Magic) finds mage Paul Gallagher once again in the center of conflict. This time it involves a political group, the Virtuis party, attempting to push their fascist agenda on the British public. Gallagher is now a cloth mage and friend to Princess Katherine. He becomes entwined in helping to overthrow this group, when her brother's fiancée goes missing. The group wants to locate her, and their leader demands Paul's help in exchange for not outing him as having innate magic, which is illegal. Friends, love interests, and enemies from the first book resurface, some in a more positive way, while others are more sinister. As in the first book, there are plenty of twists in the plot and well-written, witty dialogue to keep the reader's interest. VERDICT Fay has written a thoroughly enjoyable magical thriller set in 1950s Britain. Readers can dip their toes into this installment without having read the first in the series, while "Marrowbone" fans will appreciate Paul's new adventures.--Lucy Roehrig
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