A tangle of magicks

Oh, Kat Stephenson! To say this girl is incorrigible is spot on and, quite honestly, the reason I fell in love with her character the first time around. She's back in a big way in Renegade Magic. Kat's sister is finally marrying the man she loves and Kat herself finally has a slight hold over her powers. What could possibly go wrong?

Once again I was drawn in by the setting Stephanie Burgis places young Kat in. She is a young girl surrounded by lectures on propriety and manners. Constantly told to squash her willful ways. For any other character it might be too much, but for Kat it's just the way things are. Her intelligence and her stubborn nature shine in front of this backdrop. It's so easy to fall in love with the way she is simply herself in a sea full of people trying to be someone else.

All of my favorite characters were back, and this time around I had a better glimpse into Lady Graves and Lord Ravenscroft. I thought Burgis did a wonderful job of weaving together the story of a wedding gone awry, and the sinister things these two characters were up to. Better still, the main setting for this book is in Bath. It sets up a perfect place for magic to mix with history, all culminating in an adventure that Kat and her family will never forget. This book moves quickly, and I couldn't get enough of it.

I don't think I'll ever tire of Ms. Kat Stephenson. There's something to be said about the fierce loyalty and love that she has for her family, even when they drive her crazy. Even if you don't generally read Middle Grade books, I can guarantee you'll fall in love with this series. Stephanie Burgis has expertly crafted a way to mesh magic and mayhem into something you won't be able to put down. Get started! Kat and her family are waiting.