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Newt's Emerald
Lady Truthful will inherit her family’s most valued heirloom on her eighteenth birthday. Until the Newington Emerald is stolen.
Lady Truthful, nicknamed “Newt� by her boy cousins, discovers that to her horror, the people closest to her have been framed for the theft. But Newt won’t let their reputations be damaged by rumors from a false accusation. Her plan is simple: go to London to recover the missing jewel. Despite her best intentions, a young lady travelling alone is frankly unacceptable behavior. So Newt and her aunt devise another plan...one that entails men’s clothing and a mustache.
While in disguise, Truthful encounters the handsome but shrewd major Harnett, who to her amazement volunteers to help find the missing emerald under the assumption that she is a man, Henri de Vienne. But once she and her unsuspecting ally are caught up in a dangerous adventure, Truthful realizes something else is afoot: the beating of her heart.
Truthful has far more than romantic complications to worry about. The stolen emerald is no ordinary heirloom-it is the source of the family’s luck and has the power to yield vast magic. It would be completely disastrous if it fell into the wrong hands. The fate of England depends on Truthful securing the emerald.
Lady Truthful, nicknamed “Newt� by her boy cousins, discovers that to her horror, the people closest to her have been framed for the theft. But Newt won’t let their reputations be damaged by rumors from a false accusation. Her plan is simple: go to London to recover the missing jewel. Despite her best intentions, a young lady travelling alone is frankly unacceptable behavior. So Newt and her aunt devise another plan...one that entails men’s clothing and a mustache.
While in disguise, Truthful encounters the handsome but shrewd major Harnett, who to her amazement volunteers to help find the missing emerald under the assumption that she is a man, Henri de Vienne. But once she and her unsuspecting ally are caught up in a dangerous adventure, Truthful realizes something else is afoot: the beating of her heart.
Truthful has far more than romantic complications to worry about. The stolen emerald is no ordinary heirloom-it is the source of the family’s luck and has the power to yield vast magic. It would be completely disastrous if it fell into the wrong hands. The fate of England depends on Truthful securing the emerald.
295 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 29, 2013
239 people are currently reading
9,279 people want to read
About the author
Garth Nix
213books14.7kfollowersGarth Nix was born in 1963 in Melbourne, Australia, to the sound of the Salvation Army band outside playing 'Hail the Conquering Hero Comes' or possibly 'Roll Out the Barrel'. Garth left Melbourne at an early age for Canberra (the federal capital) and stayed there till he was nineteen, when he left to drive around the UK in a beat-up Austin with a boot full of books and a Silver-Reed typewriter.
Despite a wheel literally falling off the Austin, Garth survived to return to Australia and study at the University of Canberra. After finishing his degree in 1986 he worked in a bookshop, then as a book publicist, a publisher's sales representative, and editor. Along the way he was also a part-time soldier in the Australian Army Reserve, serving in an Assault Pioneer platoon for four years. Garth left publishing to work as a public relations and marketing consultant from 1994-1997, till he became a full-time writer in 1998. He did that for a year before joining Curtis Brown Australia as a part-time literary agent in 1999. In January 2002 Garth went back to dedicated writer again, despite his belief that full-time writing explains the strange behaviour of many authors.
He now lives in Sydney with his wife, two sons and lots of books.
Despite a wheel literally falling off the Austin, Garth survived to return to Australia and study at the University of Canberra. After finishing his degree in 1986 he worked in a bookshop, then as a book publicist, a publisher's sales representative, and editor. Along the way he was also a part-time soldier in the Australian Army Reserve, serving in an Assault Pioneer platoon for four years. Garth left publishing to work as a public relations and marketing consultant from 1994-1997, till he became a full-time writer in 1998. He did that for a year before joining Curtis Brown Australia as a part-time literary agent in 1999. In January 2002 Garth went back to dedicated writer again, despite his belief that full-time writing explains the strange behaviour of many authors.
He now lives in Sydney with his wife, two sons and lots of books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,239 reviews
May 22, 2014
This is a complete departure from Nix's previous YA work. It's adult regency romance meets gaslight fantasy. If you took Mary Robinette Kowal's Glamour series and crossed it with the Parasol Protectorate books you'd get something like this.
It's similar in tone to Sorcery & Cecelia in that it has a nice light touch with a plucky heroine. It features one of my very favorite tropes: girl disguises herself as a boy ~ w00t! It's not steampunk, but an alternate regency era with magic in it. It was such a surprise and so so good.
The magical system is a little underdeveloped but the characters are marvelous. Truthful is fun and engaging, her lover is a darling, and I really adored it. No major nookie but the romance element is sweet. Charming, quite quite charming.
It's similar in tone to Sorcery & Cecelia in that it has a nice light touch with a plucky heroine. It features one of my very favorite tropes: girl disguises herself as a boy ~ w00t! It's not steampunk, but an alternate regency era with magic in it. It was such a surprise and so so good.
The magical system is a little underdeveloped but the characters are marvelous. Truthful is fun and engaging, her lover is a darling, and I really adored it. No major nookie but the romance element is sweet. Charming, quite quite charming.
September 16, 2019
[4 Stars] I'm going to say right from the start that this book is not for everyone. If I look at it objectively we have very little character development, ALL of the fantasy of manners tropes out there, a very predictable and sometimes too convenient plot, and a romance that could have used more development. That being said, I absolutely adored this. It's fluffy fantasy of manners with all the tropes I adore and the language and wit and writing style I adore, with a romance that was sweet if not a bit underdeveloped, with just the right amount of mystery to allow this book to feel both like something new and like an old friend, with just... just... oh I don't know. It has a lot of elements I already knew I was going to love. I know this book is not without its many flaws, but I really adored it regardless of that. It was exactly what I wanted, and I enjoyed it thoroughly!
May 3, 2016
I picked up an ARC of this book at BEA 2015.
I adore Garth Nix's Abhorson trilogy, so when I saw he was coming out with a new book that was a fantasy of manners, I knew I had to have it. For those who are unfamiliar, a fantasy of manners can be best described as Regency period ideals with magic. Like fantasy+romcom+alternate history+historical fiction. The ones that I've read have been light and fluffy, and very tongue-in-cheek, so that is what I expected from Newt's Emerald and it did not disappoint. It was a funny mix of Regency romance tropes, with some magic mixed in.
But in other ways, it did disappoint. I'm willing to forgive light and fluffy narratives if their characters shine through. While I didn't dislike any of the characters, they are all rather forgettable. The romance, while very cute and angsty at the beginning, turned into instalove quite quickly. The villain was two-dimensional. And I found the plot to be pretty predictable.
Overall, this is a cute, quick read that fans of the fantasy of manners genre and tropes will probably enjoy, but it will not be for everyone.
I adore Garth Nix's Abhorson trilogy, so when I saw he was coming out with a new book that was a fantasy of manners, I knew I had to have it. For those who are unfamiliar, a fantasy of manners can be best described as Regency period ideals with magic. Like fantasy+romcom+alternate history+historical fiction. The ones that I've read have been light and fluffy, and very tongue-in-cheek, so that is what I expected from Newt's Emerald and it did not disappoint. It was a funny mix of Regency romance tropes, with some magic mixed in.
But in other ways, it did disappoint. I'm willing to forgive light and fluffy narratives if their characters shine through. While I didn't dislike any of the characters, they are all rather forgettable. The romance, while very cute and angsty at the beginning, turned into instalove quite quickly. The villain was two-dimensional. And I found the plot to be pretty predictable.
Overall, this is a cute, quick read that fans of the fantasy of manners genre and tropes will probably enjoy, but it will not be for everyone.
October 2, 2018
3.5�
Reasons why I read this title?
Members of the Georgette Heyer Fans group mentioned that Nix was a big fan of Georgette Heyer, & that this showed in this book. In fact, at the end of this novel, Nix mentions discovering GH when he was 13. While this shows in the language & the lighthearted tone, it doesn't come across in the plotting or the characterisations. All the characters - in particular the romantic leads - came across like this;
I never came to care about any of them and by the end, I was glad for the story to be over.
This doesn't mean I didn't like the story - it was light, frothy & fun. And the cover is really beautiful. A lot of the problems for me are that I am not the target age. This is very young YA, for around the 12-14 age group.
Pleasant but forgettable.
Reasons why I read this title?
Members of the Georgette Heyer Fans group mentioned that Nix was a big fan of Georgette Heyer, & that this showed in this book. In fact, at the end of this novel, Nix mentions discovering GH when he was 13. While this shows in the language & the lighthearted tone, it doesn't come across in the plotting or the characterisations. All the characters - in particular the romantic leads - came across like this;
I never came to care about any of them and by the end, I was glad for the story to be over.
This doesn't mean I didn't like the story - it was light, frothy & fun. And the cover is really beautiful. A lot of the problems for me are that I am not the target age. This is very young YA, for around the 12-14 age group.
Pleasant but forgettable.
June 21, 2016
3.5-4 stars
This was utterly delightful and so much fun! I lost track of the pages, with all the laughing - and a bit of swooning - I was doing. Newt's Emerald is an engaging throwback to and regency romances, only more campy and with a slight fantasy bent. Don't go in expecting much character development or a complicated plot; it's not meant to be taken too seriously but with the expectation of a rollicking good time. I really enjoyed getting to know Truthful (also known as "Newt"), her gruff love interest Charles, and her wickedly awesome great-aunt as they search for Truthful's stolen family emerald. It's a truly fun cast of characters and a story that I didn't want to put down. Bonus points: cross dressing! It is light on the romance, but for all that I'm glad it was not driven by angst and I could just simply root for Truthful and Charles to figure things out. Pick this one up if you're looking for a good palate cleaner or for some brain candy!
Note: I received an ARC of this book at BEA, but that did not affect my review in any way.
This review can also be found at .
This was utterly delightful and so much fun! I lost track of the pages, with all the laughing - and a bit of swooning - I was doing. Newt's Emerald is an engaging throwback to and regency romances, only more campy and with a slight fantasy bent. Don't go in expecting much character development or a complicated plot; it's not meant to be taken too seriously but with the expectation of a rollicking good time. I really enjoyed getting to know Truthful (also known as "Newt"), her gruff love interest Charles, and her wickedly awesome great-aunt as they search for Truthful's stolen family emerald. It's a truly fun cast of characters and a story that I didn't want to put down. Bonus points: cross dressing! It is light on the romance, but for all that I'm glad it was not driven by angst and I could just simply root for Truthful and Charles to figure things out. Pick this one up if you're looking for a good palate cleaner or for some brain candy!
Note: I received an ARC of this book at BEA, but that did not affect my review in any way.
This review can also be found at .
January 5, 2018
I remember Garth Nix as an awesome author, I loved his rather dark Abhorsen, Sabriel, Liriel, books as a teen. A long awaited new one is coming out soon and I'm probably going to get it. However his venture into romance is lacking something ... aside from a logical plot I mean.
The romance is quite frankly awkward. The main characters barely have a complete conversation throughout the entire book. She is in love with Charles for no clear reason apart from the fact, maybe, that he's male and physically in her presence.
She irritates him incessantly throughout the story. Incessantly. Without remit. Then abruptly he's admiring her descending the stairs and willing to marry? After adamantly declaring otherwise previously?
The magic that is supposed to exist in this universe is remarkably underutilized and seems almost boring. How on earth can you make magical abilities boring? ... See book to find out. It really might as well have been left out.
The heroine Truthful, while she is indeed young, seems unnecessarily childish and ditzy. I also had trouble thinking of her as a person because of her silly name, c'mon, Truthful? That's what you pick?
I found the 'quest' ridiculous. As well as incredibly misguided; she went off on it with no direction and no idea where to look.
Not even a minor clue did the author give about where the item might have disappeared to/ gone, to justify even minimally everyone taking off guns blazing to shoot uselessly at the sky.
Her masquerade as a candidate for monk-hood....well, let's not get into that.
Her aunt's attitude to a female wandering around alone with no supervision, especially at night, was ridiculously laissez-faire. You'd think as a responsible adult she'd at least make sure a footman or bodyguard accompanied her niece at all times, rather that having a naive country puss, whatever her outfit at the time, wandering around in seedy areas getting lost.
And what chaperone abandons her charge at her very first ever ball? Without introducing her to anyone, or ensuring that she has dance partners? Her aunt just abruptly leaves her all alone in a doorway after declaring that she's going to go play whist with her friends. Completely unlikely as a realistic action.
Even today, were you to take someone with you to a party where they knew no one, abandoning them as soon as you got past the front door, and not bothering to introduce them around, would be considered extremely rude.
Also the boat rescue was implausible. How did their rescuers even find them way out on the water? Imaginary GPS? They could have been anywhere. A basement, an attic, dead and buried, but their rescuers simply happened to figure out that they were on a ship? Oookayy then.
I think what was attempted here was a Georgette Heyer style novel but the humour and charm Heyer brings is lacking, although it does admittedly have that same period feel.
At another ball Truthful denies every man asking for her hand, saying Charles has that dance, causing a lot of unnecessary gossip. Then she stands around waiting purposelessly through numerous dances until he has the time to take her onto the dance floor. What was the point of this? Some asinine attempt at showing devotion?
Excerpt- “Truthful was once again besieged by gentlemen hopeful to secure a dance. But to every enquiry she gave the same answer, “I am sorry, I am already spoken for, Lord Lytchett (Charles) has that dance.� Before long this response was noted unfavourably not only by the gentlemen concerned, but by several mothers. They found common cause in quietly disparaging comments about Truthful’s character, conduct and dress and in the fact their own offspring had failed to attract Charles� attention at all. They ascribed his apparent penchant for Truthful’s company not to her beauty or address, but as likely being due to the Viscount � never known as a gamester � suffering some secret loss requiring him to repair his fortune by marrying an heiress. Truthful did not dance the first dances, because Charles was busy assisting the Marquis. But he returned to Truthful for the first waltz."
The good thing though, is that I find this to be a tolerable travel read. Interesting enough to read on the ride home and easy enough to put down when I get home so I can be sociable and watch tv and get to bed at a reasonable hour. Rather than my usual bad habit of being completely unable to put an engaging book down because I need to know the ending.
None of that staying up until 4 a.m. because I keep making the "just one more chapter" perpetual promise. So this book saved me from that issue at least. I have been needing the enforced break provided by a ..."Why on earth am I still reading this utter tripe?"... book for a while.
The romance is quite frankly awkward. The main characters barely have a complete conversation throughout the entire book. She is in love with Charles for no clear reason apart from the fact, maybe, that he's male and physically in her presence.
She irritates him incessantly throughout the story. Incessantly. Without remit. Then abruptly he's admiring her descending the stairs and willing to marry? After adamantly declaring otherwise previously?
The magic that is supposed to exist in this universe is remarkably underutilized and seems almost boring. How on earth can you make magical abilities boring? ... See book to find out. It really might as well have been left out.
The heroine Truthful, while she is indeed young, seems unnecessarily childish and ditzy. I also had trouble thinking of her as a person because of her silly name, c'mon, Truthful? That's what you pick?
I found the 'quest' ridiculous. As well as incredibly misguided; she went off on it with no direction and no idea where to look.
Not even a minor clue did the author give about where the item might have disappeared to/ gone, to justify even minimally everyone taking off guns blazing to shoot uselessly at the sky.
Her masquerade as a candidate for monk-hood....well, let's not get into that.
Her aunt's attitude to a female wandering around alone with no supervision, especially at night, was ridiculously laissez-faire. You'd think as a responsible adult she'd at least make sure a footman or bodyguard accompanied her niece at all times, rather that having a naive country puss, whatever her outfit at the time, wandering around in seedy areas getting lost.
And what chaperone abandons her charge at her very first ever ball? Without introducing her to anyone, or ensuring that she has dance partners? Her aunt just abruptly leaves her all alone in a doorway after declaring that she's going to go play whist with her friends. Completely unlikely as a realistic action.
Even today, were you to take someone with you to a party where they knew no one, abandoning them as soon as you got past the front door, and not bothering to introduce them around, would be considered extremely rude.
Also the boat rescue was implausible. How did their rescuers even find them way out on the water? Imaginary GPS? They could have been anywhere. A basement, an attic, dead and buried, but their rescuers simply happened to figure out that they were on a ship? Oookayy then.
I think what was attempted here was a Georgette Heyer style novel but the humour and charm Heyer brings is lacking, although it does admittedly have that same period feel.
At another ball Truthful denies every man asking for her hand, saying Charles has that dance, causing a lot of unnecessary gossip. Then she stands around waiting purposelessly through numerous dances until he has the time to take her onto the dance floor. What was the point of this? Some asinine attempt at showing devotion?
Excerpt- “Truthful was once again besieged by gentlemen hopeful to secure a dance. But to every enquiry she gave the same answer, “I am sorry, I am already spoken for, Lord Lytchett (Charles) has that dance.� Before long this response was noted unfavourably not only by the gentlemen concerned, but by several mothers. They found common cause in quietly disparaging comments about Truthful’s character, conduct and dress and in the fact their own offspring had failed to attract Charles� attention at all. They ascribed his apparent penchant for Truthful’s company not to her beauty or address, but as likely being due to the Viscount � never known as a gamester � suffering some secret loss requiring him to repair his fortune by marrying an heiress. Truthful did not dance the first dances, because Charles was busy assisting the Marquis. But he returned to Truthful for the first waltz."
The good thing though, is that I find this to be a tolerable travel read. Interesting enough to read on the ride home and easy enough to put down when I get home so I can be sociable and watch tv and get to bed at a reasonable hour. Rather than my usual bad habit of being completely unable to put an engaging book down because I need to know the ending.
None of that staying up until 4 a.m. because I keep making the "just one more chapter" perpetual promise. So this book saved me from that issue at least. I have been needing the enforced break provided by a ..."Why on earth am I still reading this utter tripe?"... book for a while.
August 1, 2014
I read this book because I enjoyed the author's series so much but this one is not quite as good. It is an odd little story really, like a novel with magic thrown in. There are Regency ladies in lovely gowns, carriages and balls and then there are sorcerers and the odd fairy to add to the mix. The story was fun, the main characters were attractive and it was a pleasant light read.
January 22, 2016
“Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.�
----Anonymous
Garth Nix, an Australian bestselling author, has penned a terrific tale of magic and adventure in his book called, Newt's Emerald, that unfolds the story of a young teenage girl and her quest for finding her lost inherited treasure by dressing up as a man out into the streets and on her journey she meets a handsome man which finally leads to a passionate Regency-themed love story along with lots of adventures and magic.
Synopsis:
On her eighteenth birthday, Lady Truthful, nicknamed “Newt,� will inherit her family’s treasure: the Newington Emerald. A dazzling heart-shaped gem, the Emerald also bestows its wearer with magical powers.
When the Emerald disappears one stormy night, Newt sets off to recover it. Her plan entails dressing up as a man, mustache included, as no well-bred young lady should be seen out and about on her own. While in disguise, Newt encounters the handsome but shrewd Major Harnett, who volunteers to help find the missing Emerald under the assumption that she is a man. Once she and her unsuspecting ally are caught up in a dangerous adventure that includes an evil sorceress, Newt realizes that something else is afoot: the beating of her heart.
At the age of 18, Lady Truthful will inherit her family's treasure- the Newington Emerald that contains magical powers. But unfortunately, on the night of Truthful's 18th birthday, the emerald disappears strangely. So to find the emerald, Truthful, a.k.a, Newt, sets her foot on the way to London, dressed up like a man with a proper mustache, along with her maid. On her quest, she meets a handsome man, Charles, and together they team up to find the emerald. The way to finding the emerald is not an easy one, they come fact to face with lots of challenges filled with magic and witches.
The writing style of the author is layered with lots of humor and action, and is quite brilliant. Although there is not much world building or character development in the story line, but it is very fun to read it. There are lots of funny anecdotes that are sure to crack up the readers. The narrative style is catchy and free-flowing with a tightly packed mystery, that is laminated with few major twists and turns that will definitely keep the readers glued to the story line.
The author have tried to capture an 18th century London by arresting that same fashion, streets, language and culture of that era. The story is covered with light romance featured in a Regency-themed way, that is written with bit of passion. Most of the characters are drawn with a funny bone in their body that will make the readers laugh-out-loud at times. The main character is not that interesting, yet maintains her demeanor in a classic English woman who is quite brave enough to go out on a quest dressed up like a man.
Although there are major drawbacks in the story. Firstly, there is not much character growth, and honestly, the story could have been much better since some of the characters, if provided space to grow, could have made a huge impact on the story line. In fact, the elements of fantasy are very low and doesn't feel like reading one. Overall, the story is very entertaining filled with an exciting adventure.
Verdict: You can surely give this book a pass!!
Courtesy: Thanks to the author's publicist for giving me an opportunity to read and review this book.
----Anonymous
Garth Nix, an Australian bestselling author, has penned a terrific tale of magic and adventure in his book called, Newt's Emerald, that unfolds the story of a young teenage girl and her quest for finding her lost inherited treasure by dressing up as a man out into the streets and on her journey she meets a handsome man which finally leads to a passionate Regency-themed love story along with lots of adventures and magic.
Synopsis:
On her eighteenth birthday, Lady Truthful, nicknamed “Newt,� will inherit her family’s treasure: the Newington Emerald. A dazzling heart-shaped gem, the Emerald also bestows its wearer with magical powers.
When the Emerald disappears one stormy night, Newt sets off to recover it. Her plan entails dressing up as a man, mustache included, as no well-bred young lady should be seen out and about on her own. While in disguise, Newt encounters the handsome but shrewd Major Harnett, who volunteers to help find the missing Emerald under the assumption that she is a man. Once she and her unsuspecting ally are caught up in a dangerous adventure that includes an evil sorceress, Newt realizes that something else is afoot: the beating of her heart.
At the age of 18, Lady Truthful will inherit her family's treasure- the Newington Emerald that contains magical powers. But unfortunately, on the night of Truthful's 18th birthday, the emerald disappears strangely. So to find the emerald, Truthful, a.k.a, Newt, sets her foot on the way to London, dressed up like a man with a proper mustache, along with her maid. On her quest, she meets a handsome man, Charles, and together they team up to find the emerald. The way to finding the emerald is not an easy one, they come fact to face with lots of challenges filled with magic and witches.
The writing style of the author is layered with lots of humor and action, and is quite brilliant. Although there is not much world building or character development in the story line, but it is very fun to read it. There are lots of funny anecdotes that are sure to crack up the readers. The narrative style is catchy and free-flowing with a tightly packed mystery, that is laminated with few major twists and turns that will definitely keep the readers glued to the story line.
The author have tried to capture an 18th century London by arresting that same fashion, streets, language and culture of that era. The story is covered with light romance featured in a Regency-themed way, that is written with bit of passion. Most of the characters are drawn with a funny bone in their body that will make the readers laugh-out-loud at times. The main character is not that interesting, yet maintains her demeanor in a classic English woman who is quite brave enough to go out on a quest dressed up like a man.
Although there are major drawbacks in the story. Firstly, there is not much character growth, and honestly, the story could have been much better since some of the characters, if provided space to grow, could have made a huge impact on the story line. In fact, the elements of fantasy are very low and doesn't feel like reading one. Overall, the story is very entertaining filled with an exciting adventure.
Verdict: You can surely give this book a pass!!
Courtesy: Thanks to the author's publicist for giving me an opportunity to read and review this book.
December 3, 2013
Newt's Emerald is a deliciously frothy, magical Regency treat! I love the way it feels so like a Georgette Heyer novel-with-magic; the tongue-in-cheek tone is just pitch-perfect, and the magic fits into Regency life in a lovely and matter-of-fact way. The characters are enormously fun, from the elderly chaperone-with-a-sword-stick (and a fabulous magical wand!) to the various male cousins with their absurd plans for getting the stolen family emerald (a seriously powerful magical item) safely found or replaced.
As you can guess just from the heroine's name - Truthful - this isn't a book that focuses on deep character motivations, but it doesn't need to be - it's just an enormously playful and fun Regency romp. I started reading it on Friday morning and finished it Saturday morning, despite the fact that I'd been house-cleaning and Thanksgiving-meal-preparing in the meantime - it was just such a fast and addictively pleasurable read!
The part of the book that I found least personally satisfying was the romance, because I didn't actually like the hero - Nix uses a familiar romance trope by starting the hero out as an obnoxious misogynist, but then skips the traditional "groveling" scene at the end (where the hero traditionally apologizes to the heroine for his earlier remarks and attitudes), which made it harder for me to forgive him. Sigh. (You could read one line at the end as an indirect apology - and he's certainly no longer acting in that way, so we can assume that he has gotten over it, and won't be acting that way in future - but I thought the heroine really deserved a serious grovel after the first part of the book, and I was annoyed on her behalf that she didn't get one! If I had been her, I would have looked elsewhere for a husband.)
But! The romance is treated so lightly, as such a tongue-in-cheek subplot - and the magical adventure is a much more major part of the book - that my dislike of the hero didn't hinder my enjoyment of the book in the slightest. NEWT'S EMERALD was just pure, frothy fun from start to finish.
(And btw, part of being a romance written in Georgette Heyer's tone is: it would be perfectly fun for younger readers, as well as for adults. Score!)
As you can guess just from the heroine's name - Truthful - this isn't a book that focuses on deep character motivations, but it doesn't need to be - it's just an enormously playful and fun Regency romp. I started reading it on Friday morning and finished it Saturday morning, despite the fact that I'd been house-cleaning and Thanksgiving-meal-preparing in the meantime - it was just such a fast and addictively pleasurable read!
The part of the book that I found least personally satisfying was the romance, because I didn't actually like the hero - Nix uses a familiar romance trope by starting the hero out as an obnoxious misogynist, but then skips the traditional "groveling" scene at the end (where the hero traditionally apologizes to the heroine for his earlier remarks and attitudes), which made it harder for me to forgive him. Sigh. (You could read one line at the end as an indirect apology - and he's certainly no longer acting in that way, so we can assume that he has gotten over it, and won't be acting that way in future - but I thought the heroine really deserved a serious grovel after the first part of the book, and I was annoyed on her behalf that she didn't get one! If I had been her, I would have looked elsewhere for a husband.)
But! The romance is treated so lightly, as such a tongue-in-cheek subplot - and the magical adventure is a much more major part of the book - that my dislike of the hero didn't hinder my enjoyment of the book in the slightest. NEWT'S EMERALD was just pure, frothy fun from start to finish.
(And btw, part of being a romance written in Georgette Heyer's tone is: it would be perfectly fun for younger readers, as well as for adults. Score!)
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January 23, 2018Od ovakvih romana (fentezi romantičnih komedija) zaista ne zahtevam mnogo sem da me oraspolože. Ali kad roman počinje osamnaestim rođendanom glavne junakinje a nedelju dana kasnije ona ima devetnaest godina, i kad se neki bitni događaj desio u prvom poglavlju kad je imala deset a u trećem kad je imala dvanaest godina, i kad glavnu zloću prepoznajemo po zlobnom pogledu kao u španskim serijama, i povrh svega kad fentezi romantična komedija nije ni duhovita ni mnogo fantastična a i romansa je sva ko mokra krpa*... osećam se istinski iznevereno.
*mnogo me nerviraju nesporazumi između ljubavnika koji se vuku pola knjige iako bi za njihovo raščišćavanje bilo dovoljno da čovek samo jednom dovrši započetu rečenicu.
*mnogo me nerviraju nesporazumi između ljubavnika koji se vuku pola knjige iako bi za njihovo raščišćavanje bilo dovoljno da čovek samo jednom dovrši započetu rečenicu.
March 25, 2023
4 Stars
Delightful!
Delightful!
February 7, 2017
3.5 stars
There are some books that - no matter how much you enjoy them at the time - are just not memorable. It’s not that a particular aspect of the story was unpleasant or that the writing style was all that bad, there is just something about the story that refuses to stick with you. Unfortunately, I think Newt’s Emerald falls into that category.
I think this may have to do with the fact that I had recently read Love, Lies and Spies, a similar historical fiction story. Ignoring the fact that it had no magical twist like Newt’s Emerald, LL&S did almost every aspect of the stories slightly better: the banter with the protagonist’s romantic interest was wittier; the dialogue was more perfectly nailed with the right balance of Victorian slang and proper (Old) English; the plotline was more logical and entertaining; and, the mystery was a little more engaging. As a whole, I could not stop comparing the two in my head� and Newt’s Emerald also came in at an unfortunate second.
With that being said, I did enjoy this story. I liked both of the protagonists. Truthful was everything you look for in a female protagonist of a regency romance: she had spunk and determination, and thankfully, she was the type of girl who - sticking true to the times - was adorably naive but ready to take on more responsibilities. I did find Major Harnett harder to warm up to. I never felt that we got to know him as well as we should. While Truthful and his relationship was not poorly written or ill-suited, I just did not come to care enough about them together to ship it� especially compared to Juliana and Spencer in LL&S. I think this may have to do with the nature of their meeting. Both characters lied to each other a lot at the start of their relationship. I understand they had to but at the same time, I always find it hard to understand how characters can come to trust one another with that sort of history.
The plotline was fun. I liked the incorporation of magic into a Victorian setting but I felt that this aspect was also a tad underdeveloped. I was also not happy that we did not know the extent of Truthful’s powers. She seemed to be able to conveniently tamper with stormy weather when it suited the story and nothing more. I prefer my fantasies - particularly when it concerns a magic system - to be a little bit more fleshed out than that. Espionage is always up my alley though so I did enjoy seeing the mystery of the stolen Newington Emerald play out. I also loved seeing Truthful’s cousins help her with the mystery. I love m/f friendships, even if the characters are technically relatives! If the ending had been a smidge more climactic (or at least not so rushed), I think the plot could have been slightly more satisfying as whole but I still found it - for the most part - entertaining.
Overall?
Newt’s Emerald was an enjoyable story but not particularly memorable, especially since I had recently read and enjoyed a similar historical fiction. The plotline was a little too tame for my liking and the magic system - which was meant to set this story apart from the other books in the genre - was underdeveloped. The romance, banter, writing style and MCs were all perfectly adequate� just not quite as good as Anstey’s . I do intend on reading more of Nix’s books but I have a feeling traditional fantasy stories may be more his thing than historical fiction.
There are some books that - no matter how much you enjoy them at the time - are just not memorable. It’s not that a particular aspect of the story was unpleasant or that the writing style was all that bad, there is just something about the story that refuses to stick with you. Unfortunately, I think Newt’s Emerald falls into that category.
I think this may have to do with the fact that I had recently read Love, Lies and Spies, a similar historical fiction story. Ignoring the fact that it had no magical twist like Newt’s Emerald, LL&S did almost every aspect of the stories slightly better: the banter with the protagonist’s romantic interest was wittier; the dialogue was more perfectly nailed with the right balance of Victorian slang and proper (Old) English; the plotline was more logical and entertaining; and, the mystery was a little more engaging. As a whole, I could not stop comparing the two in my head� and Newt’s Emerald also came in at an unfortunate second.
With that being said, I did enjoy this story. I liked both of the protagonists. Truthful was everything you look for in a female protagonist of a regency romance: she had spunk and determination, and thankfully, she was the type of girl who - sticking true to the times - was adorably naive but ready to take on more responsibilities. I did find Major Harnett harder to warm up to. I never felt that we got to know him as well as we should. While Truthful and his relationship was not poorly written or ill-suited, I just did not come to care enough about them together to ship it� especially compared to Juliana and Spencer in LL&S. I think this may have to do with the nature of their meeting. Both characters lied to each other a lot at the start of their relationship. I understand they had to but at the same time, I always find it hard to understand how characters can come to trust one another with that sort of history.
The plotline was fun. I liked the incorporation of magic into a Victorian setting but I felt that this aspect was also a tad underdeveloped. I was also not happy that we did not know the extent of Truthful’s powers. She seemed to be able to conveniently tamper with stormy weather when it suited the story and nothing more. I prefer my fantasies - particularly when it concerns a magic system - to be a little bit more fleshed out than that. Espionage is always up my alley though so I did enjoy seeing the mystery of the stolen Newington Emerald play out. I also loved seeing Truthful’s cousins help her with the mystery. I love m/f friendships, even if the characters are technically relatives! If the ending had been a smidge more climactic (or at least not so rushed), I think the plot could have been slightly more satisfying as whole but I still found it - for the most part - entertaining.
Overall?
Newt’s Emerald was an enjoyable story but not particularly memorable, especially since I had recently read and enjoyed a similar historical fiction. The plotline was a little too tame for my liking and the magic system - which was meant to set this story apart from the other books in the genre - was underdeveloped. The romance, banter, writing style and MCs were all perfectly adequate� just not quite as good as Anstey’s . I do intend on reading more of Nix’s books but I have a feeling traditional fantasy stories may be more his thing than historical fiction.
September 21, 2015
It was a bit slow at times, but it does deliver what the blurb promises. I loved the gender-bender and banter. Review will follow.
EDIT:
Right. Remember that review I promised? I waited too long. Combine that with an unimpressive book and you get a confused Mel. I have a good memory, but I can not recall what happened.. Something about a diamond and a cross-dressed Lady, but that is practically what the blurb tells you, haha. I also vaguely remember banter between her and the love-interest, but I guess that wasn't impressive enough either *shrugs*
So. I think this says enough about the book.
EDIT:
Right. Remember that review I promised? I waited too long. Combine that with an unimpressive book and you get a confused Mel. I have a good memory, but I can not recall what happened.. Something about a diamond and a cross-dressed Lady, but that is practically what the blurb tells you, haha. I also vaguely remember banter between her and the love-interest, but I guess that wasn't impressive enough either *shrugs*
So. I think this says enough about the book.
September 1, 2019
I have a fondness for Regency stories (no idea why) and this had just the right amount of humour, silliness, peril for the main character Lady Truthful, girl dressing as a boy, naval gentlemen, period detail and dancing to be fun and light. (I didn’t get a great sense of the magic and fae connections to the story, so this only gets 4 stars.)
December 27, 2020
Garth Nix + Regency Period = YES MUST BUY. Whether I'll love it or hate it, anything by Garth Nix, I have long learnt I cannot NOT read.
Plus, this book reminds me of and , two series which I enjoyed in a light, teen/YA way!
So I can't wait to read this, and to see if Nix can work magic with one of my favourite time periods!
Update
full review later--my rating biased based on love for the period and the works of this author! it should probably be 3.5 but I bump it to 4 for bias.
and omg the afterword mentions Georgette Heyer! that makess me so overjoyously happy!!
I N I T I A L T H O U G H T S
When I finished this, I could totally see why people were griping on about why this book isn't as great as it could have been. And in many ways, I agree. I was utterly surprised to see how this story came about. It jumped a lot, and flowed at the same time. It was really fast paced, and sometimes, Truthful was a little too good at what she was doing. There was a lot going on, yet not enough detail for the whole story to flow smoothly. There was a cute romance here, but it came out awkwardly. And there's a lot of magic, and even the introduction of the fay, but not enough attention to its development, which I kind of think is sad, since those quick brush overs within the book is probably why some readers didn't enjoy it as much.
Me, well I'm biased when it comes to Garth Nix. I really enjoyed it despite all the above flaws. My reasons:
- This is Regency! And it's Garth Nix!
- There's magic and glamour involved!
- He spoke about Georgette Heyer in his afterword! (How can I not love it??)
- I would have love this a lot more I think if I was thirteen--then, the flaws wouldn't have jumped out at me as much.
- This plot involves some gender-bending, and a cute guy who's trying to solve the mystery!
- Reminds me of
P L O T
This was fast moving. Centred on the stolen Newington Emerald, it focusses on Lady Truthful finding it. But she can't do it as a girl. So she dresses up as a boy, and in a world where glamour is accepted and used daily (reminds me of ), it's a little easier to do! She meets Charles, who is also investigating the stolen Emerald, and through various twists and turns, they eventually retrieve it.
The plot is very unsubtle. It's just bam, bam, bam. Things happen. There's no real mysterious either. There is the suspect, and then there are the people chasing after the emerald. In many ways, the plot is highly structured for a young audience, where the aim is to entertain rather than to puzzle.
W O R L D B U I L D I N G
Nix did some decent research for this book, and also, I love how he's read nearly all of Georgette Heyer's Regency Romances. I can see the influences in his work. However, of course, Heyer is incomparable. Nix's world is indeed Regency, and I did love seeing it. But it was a little lacklustre with a focus on the mixing Newington Emerald stealing all the glory. Indeed, he built the world up well, but there's actually a lot less dancing and interactions with the main love interest than one would expect in a regency story (again I'm biased because I have mainly only read Heyer's regencies and somewhat, horridly, refuse to read anyone else writing about the same period of time). There's magic and fay. The magic, the glamour is given a decent amount of attention and usage, but the fay were kind of thrown in there, and I kind of wished there was more about them.
C H A R A C T E R S
Lady Truthful. You know, I really like the way Nix names his characters in this. There are so many nonsensical names that actually also sound really decent. Lady Truthful's name was interesting though. Now. Her character. Her character was interesting, though I don't overly love her. Mainly because she was both fragile and hoyden at the same time. And I didn't think she was cut out very well. There was so much blushing and Truthful being a bit of a pain. I wish I could say she's the kind of heroine with traits I could overlook, as I often do with Heyer's heroines(particularly the ones always getting into scraps) but I think that the way she was written could have been done differently. At the same time, I do also like the way she was written and wouldn't suggest her to act any other way!
But Charles though. Charles was funny. He's rude and a little brooding, but I thought he was funny because he said things so bluntly and wrong things at the wrong time. He did develop in the story, but not much. I wish I could say that he turned out like the classic Regency hero, but he half didn't come across that way. It was just something in the way the whole of his character came out. But will-->guilty pleasure alert, I will say I liked how he came out at the end of the story, because despite all the flaws in his character, and the fact that I thought some of the things he said were absolutely absurd and awkward, his interactions with Truthful were cute sometimes.
The romance between them, well it wasn't really a very good romance. Yeah, it was cute, yeah there was some chemistry, but it just wasn't overall swoony (though maybe for a younger audience). It's not like how Heyer does it, really tying her characters together, giving them time to express how they feel, be conflicted over it too. I think because this story was focussed on retrieving the emerald, it neglected the other things. At the same time, because this story wasn't focussed on a romance, I enjoyed seeing Truthful and Charles together. Specially Charles when he realised he had to untie his own little web.
Supporting Characters: Of course, I'm glad there were some comedic characters present. Like Truthful's great grandma, and the Newington-lacy cousins. Both lots added some light humour.
Ugh, I hate that I'm such a big fan of Heyer, it often overshadows other stories, like this one! I would have loved this a lot more if I didn't know the existence of Heyer, weren't as old as I am now, and appreciating something simple. But I'm glad I own this, because now I can read something light and silly whenever I like.
O V E R A L L
Light, fun, predictable, magic related, regency historical, Garth Nix, any of those appeal to you? Then give this a try. But keep in mind it's very simple, yet fun!
--Update Dec 2020--
Upon rereading, I must revise part of my initial thoughts of the romance and Charles and Truthful. I still stand by everything I said above, however, I think that other than the quick paced timeline, Truthful and Charles are beyond cute together, and that they did grow as a pair. It just felt like less time to dwell because the novel as a whole is comparably short (200 something pages).
Plus, this book reminds me of and , two series which I enjoyed in a light, teen/YA way!
So I can't wait to read this, and to see if Nix can work magic with one of my favourite time periods!
Update
full review later--my rating biased based on love for the period and the works of this author! it should probably be 3.5 but I bump it to 4 for bias.
and omg the afterword mentions Georgette Heyer! that makess me so overjoyously happy!!
I N I T I A L T H O U G H T S
When I finished this, I could totally see why people were griping on about why this book isn't as great as it could have been. And in many ways, I agree. I was utterly surprised to see how this story came about. It jumped a lot, and flowed at the same time. It was really fast paced, and sometimes, Truthful was a little too good at what she was doing. There was a lot going on, yet not enough detail for the whole story to flow smoothly. There was a cute romance here, but it came out awkwardly. And there's a lot of magic, and even the introduction of the fay, but not enough attention to its development, which I kind of think is sad, since those quick brush overs within the book is probably why some readers didn't enjoy it as much.
Me, well I'm biased when it comes to Garth Nix. I really enjoyed it despite all the above flaws. My reasons:
- This is Regency! And it's Garth Nix!
- There's magic and glamour involved!
- He spoke about Georgette Heyer in his afterword! (How can I not love it??)
- I would have love this a lot more I think if I was thirteen--then, the flaws wouldn't have jumped out at me as much.
- This plot involves some gender-bending, and a cute guy who's trying to solve the mystery!
- Reminds me of
P L O T
This was fast moving. Centred on the stolen Newington Emerald, it focusses on Lady Truthful finding it. But she can't do it as a girl. So she dresses up as a boy, and in a world where glamour is accepted and used daily (reminds me of ), it's a little easier to do! She meets Charles, who is also investigating the stolen Emerald, and through various twists and turns, they eventually retrieve it.
The plot is very unsubtle. It's just bam, bam, bam. Things happen. There's no real mysterious either. There is the suspect, and then there are the people chasing after the emerald. In many ways, the plot is highly structured for a young audience, where the aim is to entertain rather than to puzzle.
W O R L D B U I L D I N G
Nix did some decent research for this book, and also, I love how he's read nearly all of Georgette Heyer's Regency Romances. I can see the influences in his work. However, of course, Heyer is incomparable. Nix's world is indeed Regency, and I did love seeing it. But it was a little lacklustre with a focus on the mixing Newington Emerald stealing all the glory. Indeed, he built the world up well, but there's actually a lot less dancing and interactions with the main love interest than one would expect in a regency story (again I'm biased because I have mainly only read Heyer's regencies and somewhat, horridly, refuse to read anyone else writing about the same period of time). There's magic and fay. The magic, the glamour is given a decent amount of attention and usage, but the fay were kind of thrown in there, and I kind of wished there was more about them.
C H A R A C T E R S
Lady Truthful. You know, I really like the way Nix names his characters in this. There are so many nonsensical names that actually also sound really decent. Lady Truthful's name was interesting though. Now. Her character. Her character was interesting, though I don't overly love her. Mainly because she was both fragile and hoyden at the same time. And I didn't think she was cut out very well. There was so much blushing and Truthful being a bit of a pain. I wish I could say she's the kind of heroine with traits I could overlook, as I often do with Heyer's heroines(particularly the ones always getting into scraps) but I think that the way she was written could have been done differently. At the same time, I do also like the way she was written and wouldn't suggest her to act any other way!
But Charles though. Charles was funny. He's rude and a little brooding, but I thought he was funny because he said things so bluntly and wrong things at the wrong time. He did develop in the story, but not much. I wish I could say that he turned out like the classic Regency hero, but he half didn't come across that way. It was just something in the way the whole of his character came out. But will-->guilty pleasure alert, I will say I liked how he came out at the end of the story, because despite all the flaws in his character, and the fact that I thought some of the things he said were absolutely absurd and awkward, his interactions with Truthful were cute sometimes.
The romance between them, well it wasn't really a very good romance. Yeah, it was cute, yeah there was some chemistry, but it just wasn't overall swoony (though maybe for a younger audience). It's not like how Heyer does it, really tying her characters together, giving them time to express how they feel, be conflicted over it too. I think because this story was focussed on retrieving the emerald, it neglected the other things. At the same time, because this story wasn't focussed on a romance, I enjoyed seeing Truthful and Charles together. Specially Charles when he realised he had to untie his own little web.
Supporting Characters: Of course, I'm glad there were some comedic characters present. Like Truthful's great grandma, and the Newington-lacy cousins. Both lots added some light humour.
Ugh, I hate that I'm such a big fan of Heyer, it often overshadows other stories, like this one! I would have loved this a lot more if I didn't know the existence of Heyer, weren't as old as I am now, and appreciating something simple. But I'm glad I own this, because now I can read something light and silly whenever I like.
O V E R A L L
Light, fun, predictable, magic related, regency historical, Garth Nix, any of those appeal to you? Then give this a try. But keep in mind it's very simple, yet fun!
--Update Dec 2020--
Upon rereading, I must revise part of my initial thoughts of the romance and Charles and Truthful. I still stand by everything I said above, however, I think that other than the quick paced timeline, Truthful and Charles are beyond cute together, and that they did grow as a pair. It just felt like less time to dwell because the novel as a whole is comparably short (200 something pages).
April 14, 2020
3.5
As this book is 200+ pages I knew I’d finish it in a day, so I thought it’d be a quick and easy read, but I didn’t expect to enjoy it so much.
First off I just want to mention how much I love the name “Truthful�. It’s beautiful 🥰
As this book is a regency romance/ fantasy adventure, I fairly enjoyed my time reading this because of how easy yet exciting the writing was.
I loved how this book handled the (girl in disguise as a boy) aspect. At first I was iffy of how they’d make this romance spark as the male interest wouldn’t know she’s a girl till the end, but this book surprised me and made it so much better than what usually happens in such a trope. I really liked Charles & Truthful’s chemistry and their silly banter, plus this book has plenty of funny moments which I wasn’t expecting and that was a delight.
Going into this, you shouldn’t expect much details over the magic system or a great deal of character/relationship development, just go into it expecting a tiny tale filled with a high paced adventure, cute hate-to-love romance and fun characters.
I’d recommend this book to anyone needing a pick-me-up after dense or massive plotted books, it’s refreshing and quick and it is bound to put a smile on your face.
As this book is 200+ pages I knew I’d finish it in a day, so I thought it’d be a quick and easy read, but I didn’t expect to enjoy it so much.
First off I just want to mention how much I love the name “Truthful�. It’s beautiful 🥰
As this book is a regency romance/ fantasy adventure, I fairly enjoyed my time reading this because of how easy yet exciting the writing was.
I loved how this book handled the (girl in disguise as a boy) aspect. At first I was iffy of how they’d make this romance spark as the male interest wouldn’t know she’s a girl till the end, but this book surprised me and made it so much better than what usually happens in such a trope. I really liked Charles & Truthful’s chemistry and their silly banter, plus this book has plenty of funny moments which I wasn’t expecting and that was a delight.
Going into this, you shouldn’t expect much details over the magic system or a great deal of character/relationship development, just go into it expecting a tiny tale filled with a high paced adventure, cute hate-to-love romance and fun characters.
I’d recommend this book to anyone needing a pick-me-up after dense or massive plotted books, it’s refreshing and quick and it is bound to put a smile on your face.
August 16, 2017
I’ve been meaning to read this for ages, and I’m not entirely sure what finally prompted me to pick it up � but hurrah that I did. If you enjoy Georgette Heyer’s work, you’ll probably enjoy this. It’s a little adventure very much along the same lines, only with magic as well. Girls disguising themselves as boys, a Pride and Prejudice moment for the romance, and daring escapades. The tone is light and witty, and okay, it’s not as though as it’s as deeply committed to being authentic as Heyer was, but you wouldn’t expect that from a book that injects magic as well!
I found it really fun, and a surprisingly quick read too. The romance is� well, Heyer-ish, so if dislike-turns-to-love and capricious young ladies who deny they have any feelings for That Odious Man bother you, it probably won’t be your thing. It’s definitely not much like Nix’s other books (at least the ones I’ve read).
It’s a little magical cream puff, and I enjoyed it greatly. It helps that the main character gets to be kickass and daring, and she’s also really smart. She’d verge on too perfect if she didn’t have the odd immature and petulant moment too, but as it was, she was a lot of fun.
I found it really fun, and a surprisingly quick read too. The romance is� well, Heyer-ish, so if dislike-turns-to-love and capricious young ladies who deny they have any feelings for That Odious Man bother you, it probably won’t be your thing. It’s definitely not much like Nix’s other books (at least the ones I’ve read).
It’s a little magical cream puff, and I enjoyed it greatly. It helps that the main character gets to be kickass and daring, and she’s also really smart. She’d verge on too perfect if she didn’t have the odd immature and petulant moment too, but as it was, she was a lot of fun.
April 17, 2017
Newt's Emerald really is like a Heyer novel with magic and adventure. I loved it. The tone was so Heyer-like - witty and not taking itself too seriously. But unlike Heyer's, the focus was more on the mystery of the emerald than on the etiquette and balls and romance, which were there but in the background.
It also reminded me of Victoria and the Rogue by Meg Cabot but with less romance.
The magic is not a huge player throughout - mainly referenced but not experienced, so although I'd call this a Fantasy of Manners, it's not too much different than an ordinary Regency period novel. And since it's more modern than Heyer, there's less Regency jargon to get bogged down in.
A quick read, lots of fun, not too serious. I'll be keeping my eye out in case Nix decides to write more in this vein (please!).
It also reminded me of Victoria and the Rogue by Meg Cabot but with less romance.
The magic is not a huge player throughout - mainly referenced but not experienced, so although I'd call this a Fantasy of Manners, it's not too much different than an ordinary Regency period novel. And since it's more modern than Heyer, there's less Regency jargon to get bogged down in.
A quick read, lots of fun, not too serious. I'll be keeping my eye out in case Nix decides to write more in this vein (please!).
November 8, 2016
This was fun and frothy--a lighthearted romp with plenty of excitement. I'd have enjoyed it more if it had had more depth; there are places where events are just glossed over in favor of getting to something more exciting. I also would have enjoyed more depth in explaining the magic of the world instead of, again, glossing over it. And there were other places where Nix appeared to put in details just so we'd know he'd done his research. Overall, though, very enjoyable and action-packed.
December 14, 2013
I'm a sucker for fantasy Regencies, and this one was cute.
The world-building worked well in this book, and some of the magic was quite unexpected, like the illusion embedded in a false mustache and the concept of spell-breakers. Some other things were more common fantasy ideas (magical stones like the titular emerald), but they fit well with the rest of the world-building. In addition to magic, there were also fairies; though not seen much, I liked the use of one in this book--and I wished we had seen more of her. Anyway, I have always thought the Regency time period and fairies would go well together, and they did so in this book.
However, as charmed as I was by the magic and world-building, there were a few time it didn't quite work for me. The heroine (Truthful) has certain supposedly minor talents. After the first mention, I forgot about them, so I was startled when one of Truthful's talents proved much stronger and much more important during some key moments. And it was not much remarked upon by anyone, so that furthered my feelings that it should have been set up a little better.
Now, concerning the plot and characters, I felt those were cute too. I liked how Truthful didn't want to just sit by while the men looked for her missing magical emerald; instead she went along with her great-aunt's suggestion and donned a male disguise to search for it. And I enjoyed the humorous events in the book--such as the incident with the rum punch, and when her male disguise started to give away, and when she accidentally broke a woman's illusion. These were well done; same with Truthful's problems while pretending to be a man. Also, there were events that weren't humorous, such as when Truthful was in danger aboard a ship; these events well done. They were exciting, yet did not depart from the overall tone of the novel. Finally, there was one secondary character that I quite enjoyed--the great-aunt. She was unexpected and unusual and entertaining with her ideas and attitudes and behaviors. I enjoyed the great-aunt's scenes and looked forward to what she would do next.
But all that being said, I felt the book suffered a little from a lack of strong motivation for the characters. I didn't really see a strong motivation for Truthful to reclaim the emerald (though she should have felt one), so I didn't feel a strong desire for its recovery. Then there was the romance between Truthful and the hero, which felt rushed. This love story, while expected in the genre, felt a little rushed, and it wasn't deep enough for me. I didn't really see enough of the hero and his motivations (concerning Truthful as a female or in her male disguise, or concerning the emerald) to really understand him. But mostly they had some hurdles to overcome to even start liking each other, and I would have liked to see that play out more. Also, there were some other secondary characters, like Truthful's three male cousins. They were hard to grasp, being all introduced at once in the opening of the book, and then not much was done with them throughout the work. So in the end, while I liked the humor and cuteness of the book, I think that worked against characterization. So did the shortness of the book.
Yet, in the end, it was, like I said, a cute tale. It was one worth reading, and I hope the author continues writing more in this world.
The world-building worked well in this book, and some of the magic was quite unexpected, like the illusion embedded in a false mustache and the concept of spell-breakers. Some other things were more common fantasy ideas (magical stones like the titular emerald), but they fit well with the rest of the world-building. In addition to magic, there were also fairies; though not seen much, I liked the use of one in this book--and I wished we had seen more of her. Anyway, I have always thought the Regency time period and fairies would go well together, and they did so in this book.
However, as charmed as I was by the magic and world-building, there were a few time it didn't quite work for me. The heroine (Truthful) has certain supposedly minor talents. After the first mention, I forgot about them, so I was startled when one of Truthful's talents proved much stronger and much more important during some key moments. And it was not much remarked upon by anyone, so that furthered my feelings that it should have been set up a little better.
Now, concerning the plot and characters, I felt those were cute too. I liked how Truthful didn't want to just sit by while the men looked for her missing magical emerald; instead she went along with her great-aunt's suggestion and donned a male disguise to search for it. And I enjoyed the humorous events in the book--such as the incident with the rum punch, and when her male disguise started to give away, and when she accidentally broke a woman's illusion. These were well done; same with Truthful's problems while pretending to be a man. Also, there were events that weren't humorous, such as when Truthful was in danger aboard a ship; these events well done. They were exciting, yet did not depart from the overall tone of the novel. Finally, there was one secondary character that I quite enjoyed--the great-aunt. She was unexpected and unusual and entertaining with her ideas and attitudes and behaviors. I enjoyed the great-aunt's scenes and looked forward to what she would do next.
But all that being said, I felt the book suffered a little from a lack of strong motivation for the characters. I didn't really see a strong motivation for Truthful to reclaim the emerald (though she should have felt one), so I didn't feel a strong desire for its recovery. Then there was the romance between Truthful and the hero, which felt rushed. This love story, while expected in the genre, felt a little rushed, and it wasn't deep enough for me. I didn't really see enough of the hero and his motivations (concerning Truthful as a female or in her male disguise, or concerning the emerald) to really understand him. But mostly they had some hurdles to overcome to even start liking each other, and I would have liked to see that play out more. Also, there were some other secondary characters, like Truthful's three male cousins. They were hard to grasp, being all introduced at once in the opening of the book, and then not much was done with them throughout the work. So in the end, while I liked the humor and cuteness of the book, I think that worked against characterization. So did the shortness of the book.
Yet, in the end, it was, like I said, a cute tale. It was one worth reading, and I hope the author continues writing more in this world.
May 3, 2016
This is incredibly charming. I really enjoyed this. I do wish it was longer, and the world better explained. Actually, what I wish is that this was part of a larger series of books set in this world, because this world is all kinds of fun. Also, Newt is a really great protagonist.
Also, flouting convention note: The flouting works here. I think it's for a few reasons, one it's not a straight historical, it's a fantasy, which helps with disguises and such (disguises protecting identify and therefore reputation). Two, the female character in question takes risks for a well-justified reason: her family's prize emerald has just been stolen, and said theft has resulted in her father becoming gravely ill, due to magic. Three, even though Newt takes some risks, she still feels like a product of her time (gasp! I know! What a concept). She is really looking forward to coming out. She enjoys balls, and dresses, and dancing. She just also happens to think she should have more say in what happens to her powerful family heirloom. I feel like this is flouting done right. The heroine takes some appropriate precautions to protect herself, and despite some flouting, she also respects certain limits that are imposed on her.
Plus, a romance of mistaken identify is always good times.
Also, flouting convention note: The flouting works here. I think it's for a few reasons, one it's not a straight historical, it's a fantasy, which helps with disguises and such (disguises protecting identify and therefore reputation). Two, the female character in question takes risks for a well-justified reason: her family's prize emerald has just been stolen, and said theft has resulted in her father becoming gravely ill, due to magic. Three, even though Newt takes some risks, she still feels like a product of her time (gasp! I know! What a concept). She is really looking forward to coming out. She enjoys balls, and dresses, and dancing. She just also happens to think she should have more say in what happens to her powerful family heirloom. I feel like this is flouting done right. The heroine takes some appropriate precautions to protect herself, and despite some flouting, she also respects certain limits that are imposed on her.
Plus, a romance of mistaken identify is always good times.
January 2, 2020
Predictable little story but fun on audio.
December 23, 2015
After a slow start, I ended up loving this. There's an ensorcelled (how great is that word??) fake mustache, a stolen emerald, and an heiress disguised as a Frenchman. Four very enthusiastic stars.
March 2, 2016
*Special Content only on my blog, during Regency Magic (March & April 2016)
To celebrate Truthful Newtington's eighteenth birthday her father has invited the people she loves most in the world, her three cousins, Edmund, Stephen, and Robert, for a family dinner. The five of them have a wonderful repast where Truthful's father regales them with stories of his time at sea. Though his weather magic does accidentally bring on a real gale. Yet a small squall will soon be the least of their worries. While Truthful won't inherit the famous Newtington Emerald until she's in her twenties, her father brings it out from it's hiding place and they are all mesmerized by it's worth as a stone and it's power as a magical artifact. But the unthinkable happens and the emerald is stolen. Truthful's father is taken to bed and he blames the three young cousins. In an attempt to clear their names they vow to Truthful that they will solve this heist and restore her father's health. Frustrated that she can't go out into the world and try to find the emerald for herself Truthful concocts a plan. She was supposed to leave for her Great Aunt's house in London in a few weeks to be presented and have her first season. What if she just left a few weeks earlier and used that time to find the emerald? Dragging her begrudging maid Agatha along, Truthful has no idea of the adventures and dangers that await her in the thriving metropolis. With her Great Aunt's help they concoct a male identity for Truthful based on a distant relative so that she may move freely in the quest for the emerald. Truthful's alter ego soon has a compatriot, a Major Charles Harnett. Yet working with him so closely he's bound to find out the truth of her secret identity and her heart. Little does she know that no one is as they appear.
In his author's note Garth Nix freely admits that Newt's Emerald started out as a plot contrivance of another very different sort of book. I have to wonder if perhaps it should have stayed that way. It's like someone told him Regency sells really well and he went to his trunk and dusted off the skeletal remains of that previous book, forgetting that there's a reason trunk books stay in the trunk. Also, for a Regency book to sell, perhaps get the Regency right? Seriously, I CAN NOT stress this enough. If you are writing a period book, even if it's fantasy during a certain period, you need to know the societal conventions and mores so that IF you decide to break them you at least know that you are. Nix needed to spend more time actually doing research instead of re-reading all of Georgette Heyer and Patrick O'Brien. Or at least re-read all of Austen, instead of just a few. Austen wrote six books yet Nix had time to read all twenty-one books in the Aubrey-Maturin series? Not to mention all twenty-six Heyer Regency romances! I'm not slamming these books, it's just they are written after the fact by modern authors. To get an actual feel about the period read books from that period. There's more then one reason people revere Austen, and one is how she perfectly captures the time period in which she lived!
Or how about a reference book? by Daniel Pool will fix such glaring errors of Truthful being improperly addressed. She is the eldest, and in fact only daughter of Admiral Newtington and therefore should be addresses as Miss Newtington, never Miss Truthful, which anyone who read Pride and Prejudice should know! Jane Bennet is addressed as Miss Bennet because she is the oldest, while Elizabeth, being younger, is addressed as Miss Elizabeth Bennet. But that is if Truthful wasn't a peeress. Instead she should be addressed as Lady Truthful Newtington, NEVER drop that Newt! I mean you can find this by simply googling "how to address a lady in the regency period" and seeing as Nix seems too busy to even provide a full glossary for his readers and tells them to use google, well the LEAST he could do is abide by his own ruling. But this doesn't even come close to the faux pas of Truthful dancing with men she has never been introduced to! What heathen society is this I'm reading about. This is not good ton! And this doesn't even scratch the surface of the sartorial errors. Gloves in the house! Bonnets at the dinner table! You'd look ridiculous carrying a reticule from room to room in your own house! And has Nix EVER seen a Regency silhouette, voluminous skirts my eye! The waist doesn't drop till 1820 with the skirts not going wide till 1825!
But the glaring errors weren't my only problem with the book. The fact that it goes on overly long was one, which I thought might be fixed reading the original novella, PS, it wasn't, because it was exactly the same and I was basically tricked into reading this book twice. Also I might have been a little more forgiving of Nix's lackadaisical attitude to the Regency if he had bothered to create a world that was interesting. Or at least logical. Reading other reviews I saw time and time again that the number one criticism of this book for those who aren't Regency obsessives was the lack of a convincing system of magic. Worldbuilding is KEY no matter if you are tweaking an already extant world or creating a new one. But seeing as Nix couldn't even properly reflect reality how can he be expected to create an entirely new magic system? There's obviously fairies, but how do they figure in? Glamors are key but how exactly do physical charms break them? Then there's weather magic... so one might assume that there is elemental magic... just where does this come from? How is it used? You can't just drop things all over the place and not explain them. Is magic primarily in the upper classes? Is it exclusive to women or men or are they equal? Just something please. Some basic rules. Like focus on the elemental magic, go with that. Build on that. Just build something. ANYTHING! BUILD YOUR WORLD! And what's with the talking to animals?
If we strip away all the fripperies as Nix sees them, such as historical accuracy and worldbuilding, we are basically left with Twelfth Night. I've never been a big fan of girls dressing up as boys to go fight or save the family honor or protect themselves. It's always seemed cliched and unbelievable and most of all trite. Which is probably why I hate Shakespeare's Twelfth Night so much. It's entirely unbelievable to me that Viola could pass as Cesario. Therefore I don't believe that Truthful could pass as the Chevalier. Yes, they make a big to-do that this wouldn't work without that little bit of glamor, but seriously? Ugh. I know it's all about saving the family honor and being a hero, or heroine as the case would be, but it's just so played out. And the falling in love with the hero while in disguise, gag me now. When it came out that her "disguise" actually makes her look like her cousin Stephen, I almost banged by head against the wall. Damn you Shakespeare and Twelfth Night! This is a hackneyed story. This type of story is over, it's done. It should have been killed off in 1985 with the horrid movie Just One of the Guys. Yes, there might be someone out there who could bring some originality to it, but it's not Nix and it's definitely NOT Newt's Emerald.
What made me even more annoyed with the cross-dressing trope was that all the adults in Truthful's life seemed to be in the know and were indulging her with a wink and a nudge. Excuse me? Her guardians were indulging her impropriety and the possibility of her being ruined? It just seems too unlikely. This wasn't exactly a time when people shook their heads and said "kids will be kids." This was a time following a very harrowing war with danger still lurking in the shape of French foreign agents and well gosh darn it all, let Truthful risk her life if she's having some fun. While yes, the only character I actually liked in the book was Truthful's Great Aunt Ermentrude because while appearing respectable she really was an exotic and wild old doyenne who sat around with scimitars and wore fezzes, she made an effort to be conventional in the eyes of society. So while, yes, she herself might conceivably be a little indulgent in Truthful's behaviour, I really think she should be more concerned with her great niece's welfare and reputation. By the time Ermentrude and Charles's aunt, Lady Otterbrook, are conspiring to make a match of the two young ones they seem gleeful with innuendo and sly asides. This isn't the French Court before the revolution people! This is staid old England, and while it was more human than some history makes it, there's just no credibility in the version that Nix is presenting us. There is just annoyance and a lot of rage reading. Twice over in my case.
To celebrate Truthful Newtington's eighteenth birthday her father has invited the people she loves most in the world, her three cousins, Edmund, Stephen, and Robert, for a family dinner. The five of them have a wonderful repast where Truthful's father regales them with stories of his time at sea. Though his weather magic does accidentally bring on a real gale. Yet a small squall will soon be the least of their worries. While Truthful won't inherit the famous Newtington Emerald until she's in her twenties, her father brings it out from it's hiding place and they are all mesmerized by it's worth as a stone and it's power as a magical artifact. But the unthinkable happens and the emerald is stolen. Truthful's father is taken to bed and he blames the three young cousins. In an attempt to clear their names they vow to Truthful that they will solve this heist and restore her father's health. Frustrated that she can't go out into the world and try to find the emerald for herself Truthful concocts a plan. She was supposed to leave for her Great Aunt's house in London in a few weeks to be presented and have her first season. What if she just left a few weeks earlier and used that time to find the emerald? Dragging her begrudging maid Agatha along, Truthful has no idea of the adventures and dangers that await her in the thriving metropolis. With her Great Aunt's help they concoct a male identity for Truthful based on a distant relative so that she may move freely in the quest for the emerald. Truthful's alter ego soon has a compatriot, a Major Charles Harnett. Yet working with him so closely he's bound to find out the truth of her secret identity and her heart. Little does she know that no one is as they appear.
In his author's note Garth Nix freely admits that Newt's Emerald started out as a plot contrivance of another very different sort of book. I have to wonder if perhaps it should have stayed that way. It's like someone told him Regency sells really well and he went to his trunk and dusted off the skeletal remains of that previous book, forgetting that there's a reason trunk books stay in the trunk. Also, for a Regency book to sell, perhaps get the Regency right? Seriously, I CAN NOT stress this enough. If you are writing a period book, even if it's fantasy during a certain period, you need to know the societal conventions and mores so that IF you decide to break them you at least know that you are. Nix needed to spend more time actually doing research instead of re-reading all of Georgette Heyer and Patrick O'Brien. Or at least re-read all of Austen, instead of just a few. Austen wrote six books yet Nix had time to read all twenty-one books in the Aubrey-Maturin series? Not to mention all twenty-six Heyer Regency romances! I'm not slamming these books, it's just they are written after the fact by modern authors. To get an actual feel about the period read books from that period. There's more then one reason people revere Austen, and one is how she perfectly captures the time period in which she lived!
Or how about a reference book? by Daniel Pool will fix such glaring errors of Truthful being improperly addressed. She is the eldest, and in fact only daughter of Admiral Newtington and therefore should be addresses as Miss Newtington, never Miss Truthful, which anyone who read Pride and Prejudice should know! Jane Bennet is addressed as Miss Bennet because she is the oldest, while Elizabeth, being younger, is addressed as Miss Elizabeth Bennet. But that is if Truthful wasn't a peeress. Instead she should be addressed as Lady Truthful Newtington, NEVER drop that Newt! I mean you can find this by simply googling "how to address a lady in the regency period" and seeing as Nix seems too busy to even provide a full glossary for his readers and tells them to use google, well the LEAST he could do is abide by his own ruling. But this doesn't even come close to the faux pas of Truthful dancing with men she has never been introduced to! What heathen society is this I'm reading about. This is not good ton! And this doesn't even scratch the surface of the sartorial errors. Gloves in the house! Bonnets at the dinner table! You'd look ridiculous carrying a reticule from room to room in your own house! And has Nix EVER seen a Regency silhouette, voluminous skirts my eye! The waist doesn't drop till 1820 with the skirts not going wide till 1825!
But the glaring errors weren't my only problem with the book. The fact that it goes on overly long was one, which I thought might be fixed reading the original novella, PS, it wasn't, because it was exactly the same and I was basically tricked into reading this book twice. Also I might have been a little more forgiving of Nix's lackadaisical attitude to the Regency if he had bothered to create a world that was interesting. Or at least logical. Reading other reviews I saw time and time again that the number one criticism of this book for those who aren't Regency obsessives was the lack of a convincing system of magic. Worldbuilding is KEY no matter if you are tweaking an already extant world or creating a new one. But seeing as Nix couldn't even properly reflect reality how can he be expected to create an entirely new magic system? There's obviously fairies, but how do they figure in? Glamors are key but how exactly do physical charms break them? Then there's weather magic... so one might assume that there is elemental magic... just where does this come from? How is it used? You can't just drop things all over the place and not explain them. Is magic primarily in the upper classes? Is it exclusive to women or men or are they equal? Just something please. Some basic rules. Like focus on the elemental magic, go with that. Build on that. Just build something. ANYTHING! BUILD YOUR WORLD! And what's with the talking to animals?
If we strip away all the fripperies as Nix sees them, such as historical accuracy and worldbuilding, we are basically left with Twelfth Night. I've never been a big fan of girls dressing up as boys to go fight or save the family honor or protect themselves. It's always seemed cliched and unbelievable and most of all trite. Which is probably why I hate Shakespeare's Twelfth Night so much. It's entirely unbelievable to me that Viola could pass as Cesario. Therefore I don't believe that Truthful could pass as the Chevalier. Yes, they make a big to-do that this wouldn't work without that little bit of glamor, but seriously? Ugh. I know it's all about saving the family honor and being a hero, or heroine as the case would be, but it's just so played out. And the falling in love with the hero while in disguise, gag me now. When it came out that her "disguise" actually makes her look like her cousin Stephen, I almost banged by head against the wall. Damn you Shakespeare and Twelfth Night! This is a hackneyed story. This type of story is over, it's done. It should have been killed off in 1985 with the horrid movie Just One of the Guys. Yes, there might be someone out there who could bring some originality to it, but it's not Nix and it's definitely NOT Newt's Emerald.
What made me even more annoyed with the cross-dressing trope was that all the adults in Truthful's life seemed to be in the know and were indulging her with a wink and a nudge. Excuse me? Her guardians were indulging her impropriety and the possibility of her being ruined? It just seems too unlikely. This wasn't exactly a time when people shook their heads and said "kids will be kids." This was a time following a very harrowing war with danger still lurking in the shape of French foreign agents and well gosh darn it all, let Truthful risk her life if she's having some fun. While yes, the only character I actually liked in the book was Truthful's Great Aunt Ermentrude because while appearing respectable she really was an exotic and wild old doyenne who sat around with scimitars and wore fezzes, she made an effort to be conventional in the eyes of society. So while, yes, she herself might conceivably be a little indulgent in Truthful's behaviour, I really think she should be more concerned with her great niece's welfare and reputation. By the time Ermentrude and Charles's aunt, Lady Otterbrook, are conspiring to make a match of the two young ones they seem gleeful with innuendo and sly asides. This isn't the French Court before the revolution people! This is staid old England, and while it was more human than some history makes it, there's just no credibility in the version that Nix is presenting us. There is just annoyance and a lot of rage reading. Twice over in my case.
March 21, 2021
A fun, fast, fantasy, regency adventure. The world and side-characters aren't developed, but they don't need to be. Newt and Harnett are likable enough to carry us through this story. There's magic in this world, but it's actually superfluous. You could take out all the magical elements entirely, and lose nothing from the plot. I'm not sure why Nix put that in. I also had no idea what the villain wanted, or what her motivations were. Her villainous plan made no sense. But whatever. This isn't some historic or dramatic masterpiece. It's a fluffy flick, with a light romance, and everything is tied up in the end.
I also want to read Nix's book, .
I also want to read Nix's book, .
January 17, 2016
This is a likable book that starts off a little bland but gathers momentum pretty quickly to become, ultimately, a lot of fun.
As a person who has read a good bit of historical fiction set in this time period (Regency England), it makes me laugh when an author's research clearly consists of reading some other author's historical romance, and her (it's usually a her, Mr. Nix being a rather unexpected and cool exception) research consisted of reading a third author's historical romance (Georgette Heyer is pretty much guaranteed to get into the chain somewhere) and thus we always see the name Lady Jersey and learn that her ironic nickname is "Silence," or we hear about some neck-or-nothing young blood of the fancy getting in his cups and acting like a slow-top. Nix, however, broke out some vocabulary that even I, the avid consumer of recycled quaint phraseology that I am, hadn't heard before. (Cock-a-hoop, anyone? It's not dirty, I promise.) He definitely didn't just pick that up from an Amanda Quick novel. (It's not period specific, but I actually had to use a dictionary for another word that appeared in this book -- inimical. I assume some [many? you, my friends, are generally a literate lot...] of you know it and wonder how I managed not to, but there you are. I did miss a couple of points on my verbal SAT. Nobody['s vocabulary]'s perfect.)
Anyway, back toward the vicinity of topic! Virtually every component of this plot is a common trope: girl is in disguise as a guy... said girl meets the guy she crushes on while in said disguise [which, I must point out, includes an ensorcelled mustache that cracks me the heck up]... said guy has Secrets... said guy might or might not be betrothed already to another girl who inserts herself in the heroine's life to 'ask' her to back off her man, heroine holds back tears and pretends not to care. Misunderstandings! Near disaster! True love prevails! Whew! And there's basically a fairy godmother in the form of a [just slightly overwritten] hilariously brash great-aunt who says all the rude and witty things you wish you could get away with, while the villainess is a bitter, crazy, dark vixen. But Nix has managed to combine them in a way that feels playful and engaging, if not exactly revelatory.
And there are some unique details. I've definitely never read about two people getting tied up together in a booze barrel and getting drunk from the fumes and laughing uncontrollably even while contriving to get out of the barrel so as not to be drowned at sea. That was a fun scene. And Truthful did some pretty clever stuff like crafting a makeshift anchor to slow the ship down so that her rescuers' boat could overtake them at sea. She also surprisingly kicked some ass in a fight with a traitor who punched her in the face. But then she came back home and was heartbroken and mopey and didn't stay inside when people told her to stay inside (to avoid being captured by the psychotic killer who wanted to use her to destroy the world), and we ventured back into generic tropeville for a while before the happy ending.
Just a matter of personal taste, I never really came around to liking the heroine's name: Truthful. Clearly it doesn't ruin the book or anything dire, but the whole way through I always found it a little jarring. And I didn't find it all that rewardingly precious when people called her Newt, either. (Really, the only naming thing I liked for her was the one time her sweetheart called her Tru. But then later he called her Newt, too, and I was like Dude, you are such a slow-top.) What poor sort of person has a nickname because she has a pretty bad name, but the nickname is arguably even worse? I wished I could have read this in an e-reader and found & replaced Truthful with something more charmingly unique but not outright odd. Portia or Rosalind, maybe -- a little tribute to Shakespeare's cross dressing super chicks would have been a nice choice, perhaps.
Ultimately, though, I wholeheartedly recommend this novel if you read frequently from its genre(s) and really like the feeling of familiarity when you return to 1800s London and spend time with fashionable young ladies who are falling in love and having fairly unbelievable adventures, given that they are gently-bred young ladies in early 1800s London and normally wouldn't be able to do anything that involves men, pants, sweat, or fun. If you've been living in cryogenic stasis or an underground bunker for untold decades and never encountered a book of this stripe, I'd still say yeah, go ahead and read it because it's a nice, wholesome, clever diverting book with magic and an impressive vocabulary that won't shock and horrify you like the stuff on the Internet and that miserable, wretched Game of Thrones series everyone's talking about.
As a person who has read a good bit of historical fiction set in this time period (Regency England), it makes me laugh when an author's research clearly consists of reading some other author's historical romance, and her (it's usually a her, Mr. Nix being a rather unexpected and cool exception) research consisted of reading a third author's historical romance (Georgette Heyer is pretty much guaranteed to get into the chain somewhere) and thus we always see the name Lady Jersey and learn that her ironic nickname is "Silence," or we hear about some neck-or-nothing young blood of the fancy getting in his cups and acting like a slow-top. Nix, however, broke out some vocabulary that even I, the avid consumer of recycled quaint phraseology that I am, hadn't heard before. (Cock-a-hoop, anyone? It's not dirty, I promise.) He definitely didn't just pick that up from an Amanda Quick novel. (It's not period specific, but I actually had to use a dictionary for another word that appeared in this book -- inimical. I assume some [many? you, my friends, are generally a literate lot...] of you know it and wonder how I managed not to, but there you are. I did miss a couple of points on my verbal SAT. Nobody['s vocabulary]'s perfect.)
Anyway, back toward the vicinity of topic! Virtually every component of this plot is a common trope: girl is in disguise as a guy... said girl meets the guy she crushes on while in said disguise [which, I must point out, includes an ensorcelled mustache that cracks me the heck up]... said guy has Secrets... said guy might or might not be betrothed already to another girl who inserts herself in the heroine's life to 'ask' her to back off her man, heroine holds back tears and pretends not to care. Misunderstandings! Near disaster! True love prevails! Whew! And there's basically a fairy godmother in the form of a [just slightly overwritten] hilariously brash great-aunt who says all the rude and witty things you wish you could get away with, while the villainess is a bitter, crazy, dark vixen. But Nix has managed to combine them in a way that feels playful and engaging, if not exactly revelatory.
And there are some unique details. I've definitely never read about two people getting tied up together in a booze barrel and getting drunk from the fumes and laughing uncontrollably even while contriving to get out of the barrel so as not to be drowned at sea. That was a fun scene. And Truthful did some pretty clever stuff like crafting a makeshift anchor to slow the ship down so that her rescuers' boat could overtake them at sea. She also surprisingly kicked some ass in a fight with a traitor who punched her in the face. But then she came back home and was heartbroken and mopey and didn't stay inside when people told her to stay inside (to avoid being captured by the psychotic killer who wanted to use her to destroy the world), and we ventured back into generic tropeville for a while before the happy ending.
Just a matter of personal taste, I never really came around to liking the heroine's name: Truthful. Clearly it doesn't ruin the book or anything dire, but the whole way through I always found it a little jarring. And I didn't find it all that rewardingly precious when people called her Newt, either. (Really, the only naming thing I liked for her was the one time her sweetheart called her Tru. But then later he called her Newt, too, and I was like Dude, you are such a slow-top.) What poor sort of person has a nickname because she has a pretty bad name, but the nickname is arguably even worse? I wished I could have read this in an e-reader and found & replaced Truthful with something more charmingly unique but not outright odd. Portia or Rosalind, maybe -- a little tribute to Shakespeare's cross dressing super chicks would have been a nice choice, perhaps.
Ultimately, though, I wholeheartedly recommend this novel if you read frequently from its genre(s) and really like the feeling of familiarity when you return to 1800s London and spend time with fashionable young ladies who are falling in love and having fairly unbelievable adventures, given that they are gently-bred young ladies in early 1800s London and normally wouldn't be able to do anything that involves men, pants, sweat, or fun. If you've been living in cryogenic stasis or an underground bunker for untold decades and never encountered a book of this stripe, I'd still say yeah, go ahead and read it because it's a nice, wholesome, clever diverting book with magic and an impressive vocabulary that won't shock and horrify you like the stuff on the Internet and that miserable, wretched Game of Thrones series everyone's talking about.
November 25, 2015
One the night of her eighteenth birthday, the ancient emerald that is Lady Truthful Newington's birthright disappears mysteriously. Concerned that worry for the missing emerald is damaging her elderly father's health, Truthful sets off for London with her old maid in tow, hoping to find the emerald when the thief pawns it. With all her male relatives gallivanting about on their own silly plans, there are no men Truthful can trust to undertake the search, and so, with her great-aunt's glamour carefully applied to a fake mustache, she dresses as a man and searches London herself. Her not entirely convincing disguise rapidly draws the attention of the British intelligence service, who fears that "he" is a French agent. From there Truthful becomes embroiled in a magical plot against Britain that includes nefarious maids, death curses, and pirates.
In some ways this book is very charming. It is written in the style of Heyer's regency romances, with much of the annoying classism and sexism taken out and replaced with fantasy. Magic in this 1820s England is fairly commonplace and unremarkable, but to my eyes was delightful. I loved the way magic was sprinkled casually throughout the story, like how many people use plated jewelry to avoid touching metals that are hurtful to their fey ancestry, or when Truthful wonders aloud why Napoleon was immured in rock instead of executed, and is told, '"Can't kill him," said Leye shortly. "Hang a master of death magic, that's like giving a thief the key to your front door."' But the writing is sometimes a bit clumsy, as in the climactic scene . And Truthful herself didn't seem entirely coherent or believable: sometimes she's incredibly prissy and incapable, and then other times she's punching out pirates. I also wish her romance had been built up more (although to be fair, the romance here is at least as fleshed out as most of Heyer's). Basically, I enjoy the premise and overall effect of this novel, but Nix usually writes with far more skill.
In some ways this book is very charming. It is written in the style of Heyer's regency romances, with much of the annoying classism and sexism taken out and replaced with fantasy. Magic in this 1820s England is fairly commonplace and unremarkable, but to my eyes was delightful. I loved the way magic was sprinkled casually throughout the story, like how many people use plated jewelry to avoid touching metals that are hurtful to their fey ancestry, or when Truthful wonders aloud why Napoleon was immured in rock instead of executed, and is told, '"Can't kill him," said Leye shortly. "Hang a master of death magic, that's like giving a thief the key to your front door."' But the writing is sometimes a bit clumsy, as in the climactic scene . And Truthful herself didn't seem entirely coherent or believable: sometimes she's incredibly prissy and incapable, and then other times she's punching out pirates. I also wish her romance had been built up more (although to be fair, the romance here is at least as fleshed out as most of Heyer's). Basically, I enjoy the premise and overall effect of this novel, but Nix usually writes with far more skill.
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June 23, 2015After reading two long middle-in-a-trilogy books in row I needed something lighter and quicker and that's exactly what I got with Newt's Emerald. This book is a little bit silly and a whole lot of delightful fun. Plus as a huge fan of regency romance, it was a wonderful nod to a favorite genres. Along with the mystery of a lost emerald, are hidden identities, a cross dressing girl, balls, spies and high speed boat chases. I never fully became engaged in the magic of this world. I was more interested in the historical aspects. But I loved following Lady Truthful and Charles on their adventures as they slowly come to terms with how they really feel about each other.
Full review to come
Full review to come
January 6, 2016
Adventure in an alternate, magical Regency.
At Lady Truthful's eighteenth birthday, her father shows her and her three cousins the heirloom emerald. She's too young for it, but it will give her power to command weather. Except that, in an incident involving a lightning strike, it vanishes. Her father, horror-struck, is afflicted with fever. Her cousins make foolish plans to recover. Truthful herself goes to her aunt, where she was about to come out, and with her help, disguises herself as a (male) cousin of hers to search.
The plot involves King Canute, Napoleon's having been entombed in the Rock of Gibraltar, Truthful's colliding with someone in the street, being trapped in a barrel, a masquerade, a sea anchor, a maid who does not use iron pins, and much more.
At Lady Truthful's eighteenth birthday, her father shows her and her three cousins the heirloom emerald. She's too young for it, but it will give her power to command weather. Except that, in an incident involving a lightning strike, it vanishes. Her father, horror-struck, is afflicted with fever. Her cousins make foolish plans to recover. Truthful herself goes to her aunt, where she was about to come out, and with her help, disguises herself as a (male) cousin of hers to search.
The plot involves King Canute, Napoleon's having been entombed in the Rock of Gibraltar, Truthful's colliding with someone in the street, being trapped in a barrel, a masquerade, a sea anchor, a maid who does not use iron pins, and much more.
December 6, 2015
More Stephanie Burgis-esque than Heyer-esque - this is a magical Regency England romp, and it's entertaining and hilarious and fun. There are moments when it seems to poke fun at itself, but it's not doing anything Burgis, and Heyer before her, haven't done; it reads best not as commentary on a genre but as a worthy addition to it.
The title's a bit misrepresentative. This sat for ages because I had no idea what it was about, and I'd forgotten that one good review I'd read about it. So that's what it's about. It's not quite - oh, adult enough to be Sorcery and Cecelia levels of hilarity, but it's really good.
The title's a bit misrepresentative. This sat for ages because I had no idea what it was about, and I'd forgotten that one good review I'd read about it. So that's what it's about. It's not quite - oh, adult enough to be Sorcery and Cecelia levels of hilarity, but it's really good.
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