Sorcerer to the Crown

See my full review at The Emerald City Book Review. I was not as enchanted by this Regency-era fantasy as many other reviewers, but I did enjoy it on the whole. It's extremely difficult to do something original in this genre by now without undue strain, but Cho's contribution does bring something new to the party with the titular sorcerer, a former slave who's been vaulted by circumstance into the highest magical post of the realm. Even more fun is the apprentice who forces himself upon him, a mixed-race orphan who's trying to escape from a life of drudgery and unfold her magical powers (which as a mere female she's supposed to keep strictly under wraps). In spite of the appealing verve and energy of the writing, there were some derivative echoes of Temeraire and Strange & Norrell, and times when the author's narrative skills didn't keep pace with her ideas. I hope that as she matures as a writer we may find the sequels an improvement.