Julie's Reviews > Sorcery & Cecelia: or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot

I wonder what's so natural about the pairing of Jane Austen-esque Regency romantic comedy and magic -- because this book reminded me incredibly of Mary Robinette Kowal's Shades of Milk and Honey, or a lighter/fluffier Susanna Clarke. (In fact, I might follow this up with my long-awaited JS&MN reread, maybe?) Or even Gail Carriger's Soulless, though that one's in the Victorian era; also an appropriate comparison, considering I noticed on GR just now that Carriger cites this as one of her favourite books. Just as modern-day urban fantasy gravitates towards snarky, hard-bitten loner hero(ines), there's a definite niche for historical fantasy where the women are witty and clever and put-upon and everyone gets together in the end.

Reading this was also my purposeful way to cleanse my palate after The Magicians, by diving into something just light-hearted and fun. It's super cute, if predictable, and I wish magic/the role of magic had been fleshed out a bit more. Still, 3.5 stars! As one of my fellow reviewers has summarised it, Sorcery & Cecelia is an enjoyable beach read for when you want some fluffy fare but don't want to think too hard (and I liked the characters enough that I'll probably continue the series, too).

Probably the most fascinating thing about this book, actually, is how it was written, which the Afterword explains -- I was curious if the two authors really didn't discuss plot with each other, and was pleased/impressed to learn that Wrede & Stevermer did commit to The Letter Game. So it's an epistolary novel, written in the form of letters between the two authors/characters, improvised along the way with no planning between each other about the plot.

I used to do letter games back in high school but they always petered out after 3 letters or so, so I'm fascinated to see this one finished and polished and so coherent. I'm interested in collaborative fiction and especially the mechanics thereof, so I love seeing the different ways writers can cobble their stories together. This one's a quick delight to read.