Title: Shades of Milk and Honey (The Glamourist #1)

Author: Mary Robinette Kowal

Publisher: Tor 2010

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 306

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Modern Mrs. Darcy - Red in a Day; A to Z - S; I Love Libraries

Shades of Milk and Honey is exactly what we could expect from Jane Austen if she had been a fantasy writer: Pride and Prejudice meets Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. It is an intimate portrait of a woman, Jane, and her quest for love in a world where the manipulation of glamour is considered an essential skill for a lady of quality.

Jane and her sister Melody vie for the attentions of eligible men, and while Jane's skill with glamour is remarkable, it is her sister who is fair of face. When Jane realizes that one of Melody's suitors is set on taking advantage of her sister for the sake of her dowry, she pushes her skills to the limit of what her body can withstand in order to set things right-and, in the process, accidentally wanders into a love story of her own.

I'll admit that I was a bit skeptical of this book when I first started reading. Based off of the blurbs from the back, I was unsure of how this book could live up to a description of it being a cross between Jane Austen and Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.  And yet, the volume delivered on the promise. I was immediately drawn into a seemingly Austen-like world except for the fact that magic in the form of glamours is real. I connected to Jane and dove straight into her world. I ended up speeding through this book, finishing it in less than 24 hours. I just had to see what became of Jane and Melody and Beth, what Mr. Vincent created, who the scoundrel was, and how everything would be resolved in the end. This volume can be read as a stand-alone novel, but I'm glad and excited to read the rest of the series soon.

The Glamourist

• #1 Shades of Milk and Honey
• #2 Glamour in Glass
• #3 Without a Summer
• #4 Valour and Vanity
• #5 Of Noble Family

Next up on the TBR pile: