An imaginative story of a woman caught in an alternate world—where she will need to learn the skills of magic to surviveNora Fischer’s dissertation is stalled and her boyfriend is about to marry another woman. During a miserable weekend at a friend’s wedding, Nora wanders off and walks through a portal into a different world where she’s transformed from a drab grad student into a stunning … a stunning beauty. Before long, she has a set of glamorous new friends and her romance with gorgeous, masterful Raclin is heating up. It’s almost too good to be true.
Then the elegant veneer shatters. Nora’s new fantasy world turns darker, a fairy tale gone incredibly wrong. Making it here will take skills Nora never learned in graduate school. Her only real ally—and a reluctant one at that—is the magician Aruendiel, a grim, reclusive figure with a biting tongue and a shrouded past. And it will take her becoming Aruendiel’s student—and learning magic herself—to survive. When a passage home finally opens, Nora must weigh her “real life” against the dangerous power of love and magic.
For lovers of Lev Grossman’s The Magicians series (The Magicians and The Magician King) and Deborah Harkness’s All Souls Trilogy (A Discovery of Witches and Shadow of Night).
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Been waiting too long for the sequel.
This book caught me completely by surprise and after the essentially mundane beginning, it exploded into one of the best fantasy stories I’ve read. The lead female character, who begins the novel as a slightly confused and weak sister, becomes a powerful woman in this addictive page-turner.
good book! needs a sequel!
A good beach book….easy to read, predictable.
I expected a lot more of Nora exploring and learning magic; she becomes more of a protagonist towards the end of the book, but it’s still mostly her being shuffled around by external forces, and it’s only in the last fifth that she does interesting things with magic.
It was well written, though, and I didn’t want to put it down at any point, and I want to know more about Aruendiel, the origin of the Faitoren, and where magic and wizardry come from – so I’ll be picking up the sequels.
Can’t wait for the sequel(s)!
I definitely thought there would be more magic woven into a story with a title such as this. The book was interesting and entertaining none the less.
Really interesting world she created. I didn’t like all of the book, but still can’t wait to read the next one. The parts I didn’t like were where the protagonist is being held captive.
couldn’t get past the first 10 pages
Engaging fantasy. Kept me interested, even though book is rather lengthy.
Huge Cliffhanger Ending- if that kind of thing bugs you (like it bugs me) then I would suggest you not read this one until the next book in the series is already released.
As others have said, the first 100 pages are a little meh but then it gets so good! A modern woman in medieval(?) times, in another world. I can’t wait for the sequel!
Had no sympathy whatever for the “heroine” of this book. She reacted to each situation in an annoyingly brainless manner. DNF
I loved this book. It is one of my favorite books up to date. I cannot wait till Emily Croy Barker writes a sequel.
I wanted to read the next one, and there wasn’t one. I was disappointed that there weren’t more books to continue the story.
Lively and interesting. Not quite what I expected, but wonderful to read!
The title is most misleading however I did enjoy the read.
Loved it! Can’t wait for the sequel.
Did not like the shift to the other dimension. Felt like a rip off.
Enjoyed this book. Can hardly wait for the sequel!