Shades of Milk and Honey

I found this book accidentally while browsing online, but was intrigued enough to buy it. It seemed to combine two things that I was definitely interested in, and in that regard I wasn't disappointed. I had magic, and it was set in the Regency period. However, I wasn't all that thrilled with the plot. It all seemed very awfully familiar, in that large chunks of it might as well have been taken from at least one Jane Austen novel. I get that this was inspired by Jane Austen, but there is inspiration and then there is Shades of Milk and Honey. I found a few parts difficult to read as I felt I had to slog through them, as though they weren't flowing well with the rest of the story or were just... difficult to push through. They didn't mesh well. Still, I was pleased when I finished it, and I will read the sequel and hope that it deviates more from its inspiration into a world more the author's own.

This book was a great book for me. I loved the interesting concept of magic being an art form. I enjoyed the mousey heroine's growth in condience and her navigating family and love. Overall, a fun read.