Magic and history make for a great combination. Posh society and industrial smoke mixed with the mysticism of the unknown...it just makes for a great atmosphere for a story to take place. That's definitely how this little gem caught my eye. I've finally gotten around to it so let's dive in and see how it goes.
In the year 1850, Britain is looked over by the Royal Society of the Esoteric Arts. Every person in the country who displays the ability to use magic, no matter how small, must report to the Society to be trained and then properly employed, but that means giving up on any chosen career or the possibility of marriage. For Charlotte Gunn, there's no option. She hides her significant magical abilities in order to secure her chosen future of a fine marriage and a career as an illustrator. But her family falls on hard times and her brother, Benjamin, has chosen to come forward with his own abilities in order to save the family financially. But Ben's abilities are nowhere near as strong as his sister's and Charlotte must help him succeed before her family falls prey to dark, nefarious plans.
So, let's start with the magic system that this story uses. It's a very neat system, come over willingly and have your family richly compensated but lose your freedom for life or not come forward at all, get found out, and suffer much worse. We're told, right off the bat, that this world is not kind to those who hide their abilities and try to allude the system. It's tough, then, that Charlotte just so happens to be really powerful. She even admits that her abilities are really strong, especially when compared to her brother. However, coming forward with false claims of power for the money is also a very punishable no-no. It's designed to be like a vice around this girl, leaving her cornered and having no means of escape and its grip only getting tighter. It certainly sets the tension and gets the reader invested when they see the consequences of disobeying this world's rules almost at once and sets the stakes high. It's definitely a well put together system and I liked that.
Charlotte, as a main character, was...okay. Yeah I was kind of annoyed at how, once again, we're dealing with a super special person dealing with how special they are. However, she has a very nice personality and an odd sense of recklessness that a person in such a precarious predicament shouldn't really have. When she senses danger, she snoops straight into danger and risks putting the people she loves directly in peril, not to mention outing herself as a person of power. Also, for all her attempts at being careful to hide her talents...she's kind of bad at it. When she tries to make her brother's power look better she can be a bit...much. Over the top, even. This is because, while she has power, she doesn't have control, which the story is quick to point out. Part of you wants to see her join the Society and use her magic, but the other half wants her to get her wish and be married. Her dilemma was actually pretty well written so I liked her okay.
Probably my biggest problem with the book was that of the character Magus Hopkins, who is clearly here to be the love interest. Now, I noticed that most people were calling him their favorite character but...I don't see it. Probably because of the affect he has on Charlotte. The instant he walks into the room she's instantly mesmerized by his undeniable beauty and can barely function at all (I did mention this chick was engaged, right?) The book tries to portray Hopkins as this dashing, Robin Hood/James Bond insider type guy who is secretly trying to save the world and...eh. I couldn't really get that because I was so sick of Charlotte's over-the-top reactions to his splendid good looks. There's even a quote in here which reads: "She closed her eyes, trying to shut out the noise of his beauty so she could think." Um...what? How does his beauty make noise? Are you truly so enthralled that you can't even think with him in the room? The love aspect of this story felt really forced and that's when the story suffered the most.
However, this is a pretty short book. It's a nice, cozy read that someone could get through in almost no time. It also keeps timing nicely. We don't have to deal with pointless detours or meandering side quests with this book. It tells its story straight. I appreciated it for what it was, the beginning arc of a great story to come. It almost reads a bit more like a prequel than a real first installment, but that's not necessarily a problem. Either way, it got me interested to see where this story goes from here.
Final Verdict
It's quick, it's clever, it's interesting, I think you're going to like this book just fine. If magic and mystery and industry and intrigue are your thing, than this one is definitely worth your money at your local bookstore.
Have you read the book? What did you think? Comment below and share your thoughts. Please make sure to Follow Midnight Readings for instant updates. Have a book you'd like me to read or would like to make a recommendation? Contact me on goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/65448711-michelle-beer
Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Powerless-Shelley-Miller/dp/1543482546/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519062043&sr=8-1&keywords=powerless+by+shelley+miller
Xlibris: https://www.xlibris.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-001175242
Next Time: When winter comes, he will come for her....
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