Book Review: Renegade Magic

Media Type: Print Book
Title: Renegade Magic
   * Series: Kat, Incorrigible #2
Author: Stephanie Burgis
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Pages: Hardcover; 336
Release Date: April 3, 2012
Source: Library
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Content Screening: Nothing of note

HDB Rating: 4 Keys to My Heart

Recommended to: Readers who love quirky, intelligent characters in a Middle Grade setting!

Add it on: Goodreads / Amazon / B&N

The feisty Kat Stephenson is back in the second installment of the Regency era magical trilogy Kirkus Reviews calls “enjoyable mayhem.”

Nowhere in England is safe from the mischief and magic of Kat Stephenson: Her eldest sister has finally wed, but when a scandalous accusation threatens the marriage prospects of Kat’s second sister, Angeline, Stepmama swiftly whisks the family away to Bath in an attempt to outrun the gossip and betroth Angeline to a respectable suitor.

Meanwhile, Kat’s utter lack of ladylike propriety has prompted the powerful Lord Ravenscroft to expel her from the magical Order of Guardians — before her training has even begun! Anger and exile aside, Kat knows something is not quite right about Lord Ravenscroft.

Her insatiable curiosity and fierce loyalty to her family will have readers rooting for her all the way as Kat attempts to reunite Angeline with her true love and prove that she has what it truly takes to be a Guardian.

Oh, Kat Stephenson! To say this girl is incorrigible is spot on and, quite honestly, the reason I fell in love with her character the first time around. She’s back in a big way in Renegade Magic. Kat’s sister is finally marrying the man she loves and Kat herself finally has a slight hold over her powers. What could possibly go wrong?

Once again I was drawn in by the setting Stephanie Burgis places young Kat in. She is a young girl surrounded by lectures on propriety and manners. Constantly told to squash her willful ways. For any other character it might be too much, but for Kat it’s just the way things are. Her intelligence and her stubborn nature shine in front of this backdrop. It’s so easy to fall in love with the way she is simply herself in a sea full of people trying to be someone else.

All of my favorite characters were back, and this time around I had a better glimpse into Lady Graves and Lord Ravenscroft. I thought Burgis did a wonderful job of weaving together the story of a wedding gone awry, and the sinister things these two characters were up to. Better still, the main setting for this book is in Bath. It sets up a perfect place for magic to mix with history, all culminating in an adventure that Kat and her family will never forget. This book moves quickly, and I couldn’t get enough of it.

I don’t think I’ll ever tire of Ms. Kat Stephenson. There’s something to be said about the fierce loyalty and love that she has for her family, even when they drive her crazy. Even if you don’t generally read Middle Grade books, I can guarantee you’ll fall in love with this series. Stephanie Burgis has expertly crafted a way to mesh magic and mayhem into something you won’t be able to put down. Get started! Kat and her family are waiting.