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Shades of Milk and Honey Mary Robinette Kowal 9780765325563 Books

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Shades of Milk and Honey Mary Robinette Kowal 9780765325563 Books

When I first read Shades of Milk and Honey, I found it underwhelming. However, since the magic premise was interesting, I decided to continue with the series in the hope that it would improve. Thankfully, that gamble paid off, because each successive book is leaps and bounds better than the last. However, the stronger books make this one seem even weaker by comparison.

[MILD SPOILER WARNING] To isolate my primary complaint with Shades, it would have to be the decoy love interest. It was obvious from the first few pages that this guy (he made so little impression that I can't even remember his name) was not the man for Jane, so it made the bulk of the novel incredibly tedious, as the reader has to sit through scene after scene of empty flirtation and angsty internal monologues to get to the horribly-cliched conclusion. Worst of all, this obsession with a vapid man and the constant "woe is me, I'm so ugly" reflections made me really dislike Jane.

Fortunately, Glamour in Glass is slightly better, Without a Summer is better still, and I just finished Valour and Vanity, which was AWESOME. Read this quick little novel for an introduction to the magic system, but keep your expectations low, for starters. The real fun comes in the sequels!


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Shades of Milk and Honey Mary Robinette Kowal 9780765325563 Books Reviews

Being a fan of both Jane Austen and historical fantasy, this book was a good fit for me. I sometimes want to take a break from epic story lines and read something on a smaller more personal scale. With "Shades of Milk and Honey" the author effectively captured the tone and and plot of a Jane Austen type novel, while introducing a unique spin on magic. My main complaints would be the lack of development in the Jane/Mr. VIncent relationship, and a hurried haphazard ending to an otherwise beautifully crafted story. These are the main elements keeping this charming tale from being a shining five star read. In all other ways it was very enjoyable and imaginative. I'm definitely going to try the next book in the series, as many reviewers claim it gets even better as it progresses.
This is a hard book to rate - yes, it is well researched and reads like a book from the Regency period. It hasn't been updated for modern vernacular like so many Austen homages. But at the same time, the wit, spark, and yes, magic, of Austen's works are greatly missing here. So although this is a very mannered rehash of nearly every Austen work (throw all her characters into a hat, mix up their histories, and rewrite Sense and Sensibility) it never elevators into an enjoyable read. Having the author narrate the Audible version doesn't help.

Story Mousy Jane Ellsworth (aka Margaret Dashwood) and her emotional, petulant sister (aka Marianne Dashwood), like the same somewhat boring man (aka Edward Ferrars) who has a damaged younger sister (aka Georgiana Darcy). Jane is a talented glamourist - able to create intricate illusions but her sister, who only has beauty to her name, resents Jane. When the mysterious Mr. Vincent (aka Mr. Darcy) arrives on the scene making exquisite glamours, Jane is curious but his abrupt manner puts her off. Enter a cast of characters including a scheming lieutenant (aka Wickham) and you can guess what happens.

First and foremost, I was bothered by the magic itself. What should have been amazing was instead dull - and kind of pointless, too. If making pretty pictures was the best anyone could think to do with the talent (same as embroidery or singing), then that's a sad indictment on the society. I believe someone figures out military tactical uses later - but really only because of Napoleon? In addition to the bland magic, the characters themselves were also very bland. Jane Ellsworth is a dowdy bore, her sister completely unlikable, and Vincent (Darcy) really unlikable. Where Darcy wins us over, Vincent never does, perhaps because Margaret is a wet towel lacking all of Elizabeth Bennet's wit and witticisms.

As the story progresses, nothing happens. There's a dinner. There's some magic now and then, a picnic......but nothing to keep me returning to the page. Sadly, this dullness is sandwiched in solid writing that feels like it could have been from Austen's time. But the homage falls flat when it is so literal in characterizations but without the smart character studies. Perhaps because the DNA here is most closely tied to Sense and Sensibility that it was a bit flat.

The narration was as flat, unfortunately. Not a spark to be found amongst story, characters, or reading. I had a very hard time finishing it, always deciding that a podcast would be more interesting. It just all ended up being so completely dull.
After a clunky first chapter, this book rapidly becomes fun, fast paced and enjoyable. It's plenty good enough for suspension of disbelief. However, I'd have liked to see all the characters developed a bit better. The sibling rivalry between Jane and her sister Melody seemed convincing enough, but very one sided-- Jane was clearly the 'good' one, and Melody was the 'bad' one. It seemed like things should be more balanced, with each of them having their own flaws, but also things in common. As it was, Jane didn't need to learn anything or develop as a character (except in her artistry)-- she was perfect from the start. Jane's romantic interest in the hero also seemed to come out of nowhere-- they didn't interact much, and she spent most of the novel in love with another man. When the other man was disqualified by some actions that actually seemed pretty out-of-character, Jane immediately fell for the hero.
Again, I enjoyed this story, and read it in almost one sitting. The magic system was interesting and unique. It just needed another 100 pages to flesh out the characters, give Jane some time to grow as a person, and make a more convincing romance.
When I first read Shades of Milk and Honey, I found it underwhelming. However, since the magic premise was interesting, I decided to continue with the series in the hope that it would improve. Thankfully, that gamble paid off, because each successive book is leaps and bounds better than the last. However, the stronger books make this one seem even weaker by comparison.

[MILD SPOILER WARNING] To isolate my primary complaint with Shades, it would have to be the decoy love interest. It was obvious from the first few pages that this guy (he made so little impression that I can't even remember his name) was not the man for Jane, so it made the bulk of the novel incredibly tedious, as the reader has to sit through scene after scene of empty flirtation and angsty internal monologues to get to the horribly-cliched conclusion. Worst of all, this obsession with a vapid man and the constant "woe is me, I'm so ugly" reflections made me really dislike Jane.

Fortunately, Glamour in Glass is slightly better, Without a Summer is better still, and I just finished Valour and Vanity, which was AWESOME. Read this quick little novel for an introduction to the magic system, but keep your expectations low, for starters. The real fun comes in the sequels!