Review: The Twelfth Enchantment by David Liss
Reviewed by Lauren Cannavino
The Twelfth Enchantment is a fun and fantastical novel about magic, power, and love. Lucy Derrick is a young woman who is living in her surly uncle’s home, estranged from her sister, and close to being married off to a much older man whom she does not love. When a magical turn of events brings a strange and possessed visitor to the home with a message for Lucy, the book and Lucy’s life really begin to take shape. The man is the handsome and mysterious Lord Byron, who introduces Lucy to a world unseen.
The political scene in England is volatile and Lucy learns that there is much more to her world than what is on the surface. She meets the magical Mary Crawford who helps Lucy to see that she herself possesses the gift of magic. Mary helps Lucy with developing her own magic, and during all of this, Lucy begins to receive strange messages and visions, many that place her directly into contact with the brewing political and magical scene.
Lucy learns of a crime against her and her sister, committed by her sister’s husband Mr. Buckles and she must find a way to undo his wrongdoing against them. Right at Mr. Buckles’ side is the evil Lady Harriet, who is much more than a vile old lady. Lucy falls for Lord Byron after he saves her life multiple times but quickly learns that there is more to the Lord than his good looks. A man from her past, Mr. Morrison, had put Lucy in a compromising position once before and now grows to be her biggest ally, and ultimately much more.
Much of the action in The Twelfth Enchantment is set around Lucy recovering missing pages from a magical book known as the Mutus Liber; she must prevent the book from falling into the wrong hands. The Twelfth Enchantment is packed with magical action, passion and lots of wit, but I feel that author David Liss added a bit too much action to the text. It is a bit hard to decipher who is on what side in the story and there are so many sub stories running through the main text that it got a bit bogged down at parts. Liss does have a nice and easy writing style that allows for the story to move quickly and Lucy is developed very well. All in all, the book was an enjoyable and well-written read.
Rating: 3/5
Check out our review of David Liss’ The Devil Company
Lauren Kirk is a graduate student, freelance writer, wine lover, and avid reader. Random musings can be found over at www.goldiesays.com.
Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Random House. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.
Category: Genre Fiction, Historical, Literature & Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy
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for me it’s the repetitious theme of magic – one more addition to an overflow of submissions. crowding subplots into a singularly good story is overkill and not one that would appeal to this reader. thanks for your straightforward review – helpful~
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I have also seen this book around the blogosphere and I have to say something really intrigues me about it. While I usually shy away from fantasy, the blend of fantasy with historical fiction is really interesting. I don’t like too many sub plots roaming around either, though. I will give this one more thought and possibly give it a try. Thanks for the review!
Thank you for your review. As everyone probably knows I can’t handle fantasy. At least with your review, I don’t think I don’t feel that I would be missing out with not knowing who is on what’s side and so many extra stories wandering in. Think I would prefer to read a biography of Lord Byron, not a dull guy!
Carol Wong
I’ve been seeing this one around and it looks interesting. I want to read it but I’m a little concerned about the too many sub stories part. I dislike getting bogged down in too many sub-stories. I may still try it out though, I’m on the fence. Thanks for your honest review.
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