The Magician’s Ward – Patricia C. Wrede

So I managed to read two books set in Regency England at once, pretty much by accident. This is the sequel to Mairelon the Magician, where a street urchin named Kim helps the aforementioned magician, who turns out to be a nobleman. At the end of the first book, he asks if she’d like to be his ward, and he’ll teach her magic.

So now Kim is running in noble circles in London, and while she loves the magic lessons, she’s not sure about the whole society aspect of her new life. That gets a little better when Mairelon’s mother, Lady Wendall, arrives. She’s a magician herself, and is happy to help Kim figure out a way to fit in.

At the same time, some of Kim’s old contacts are in touch, because the magic workers that live in her old neighborhood are disappearing. Then, someone attempts to break into Mairelon’s library, and it would appear the two events are connected. Because she’s a part of both worlds, Kim is in the best position to figure out what’s happening.

I quite enjoyed this book – it’s nice to see the part after the happily ever after, in which the poor girl isn’t quite fitting in, but learns how to it on her own terms. And even the end, which was totally predictable, was still fun.