Mary Robinette Kowal

The fantasy novel you've always wished Jane Austen had written Shades of Milk and Honey is exactly what we could expect from Jane Austen if she had been a fantasy writer: Pride and Prejudice meets Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. It is an intimate portrait of a woman, Jane, and her quest for love in a world where the manipulation of glamour is considered an essential skill for a lady of quality. Jane and her sister Melody vie for the attentions of eligible men, and while Jane's skill with glamour is remarkable, it is her sister who is fair of face. When Jane realizes that one of Melody's suitors is set on taking advantage of her sister for the sake of her dowry, she pushes her skills to the limit of what her body can withstand in order to set things right-and, in the process, accidentally wanders into a love story of her own. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Shades of Milk and Honey

The fantasy novel you’ve always wished Jane Austen had written Shades of Milk and Honey is exactly what we could expect from Jane Austen if she had been a fantasy writer: Pride and Prejudice meets Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. It is an intimate portrait of a woman, Jane, and her quest for love in a world where the manipulation of glamour is considered an essential skill for a lady of quality. Jane and her sister Melody vie for the attentions of eligible men, and while Jane’s skill with glamour is remarkable, it is her sister who is fair of face. When Jane realizes that one of Melody’s suitors is set on taking advantage of her sister for the sake of her dowry, she pushes her skills to the limit of what her body can withstand in order to set things right—and, in the process, accidentally wanders into a love story of her own.

Rachel Kanyid

I absolutely adored this book! It had everything you could ever want from a lighthearted historical romance--similar in story style to Jane Austen's works-- but with the tiniest, most elegant hint of magic thrown in. 

It was fast-paced, the character development, especially in Jane and Vincent, was lovely to see spread about the book, and I especially loved the addition of "glamour".

Overall a simply delightful novel, and I cannot wait to read the next!

Nicole Sonja

Janice Hopper

** spoiler alert **
           Full disclosure: While I very much enjoy Jane Austen, I don't really enjoy other Regency stories or romance stories. 

I thought this book was Jane Austen fanfic, mostly. The most interesting bit for me was the magic aspects (the glamour). I appreciate reading about a different sort of system of magic. I appreciate that it actually takes a toll on those who wield it. 

I agree with other reviewers that the characters were both recognizable from Austen and not very sympathetic. The big climactic confrontation at the end was silly and confusing. The author's decision to use older spellings (e.g, chuze) and exclamations ( lots and lots of "La!"'s thrown around seemed an odd and somewhat distracting choice. 

OTOH, I did read through the book pretty quickly. But I don't feel the need to read others volumes in the series either.

Natalie

Review in August issue of RT Book Reviews.

Connor 

This was DELIGHTFUL. I wasn't intending to finish the audiobook so quickly, but CLEARLY the book had different ideas of my pacing, so. #whoops?

Shay Henrion

Celeste Richardson

Full review now posted!

This was absolutely delightful. 

Fantasy of manners is a subgenre that I didn’t realized I needed in my life. I’ve read books that technically fit the genre, such as the Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare and Alison Goodman’s Dark Days Club, but those both felt more like YA than anything else. Because they are. This was my first experience with an adult fantasy of manners, and I loved it.

Fantasy of manners is basically if Jane Austen had included magic in her writing. And that is exactly what this book was. So much so, in fact, that some people found the novel too derivative of Austen to merit enjoyment. I beg to differ. I picked this up because I wanted to see what an Austen novel would feel like with magic involved, and that is exactly what I got. While there were a few variations, that plot line and characters were remarkably similar to the famous cast of Pride and Prejudice, but it was so well written and the characters so well developed that it felt more like an ode to Austen than a plagiarism. That’s my take, at least. 

The writing was perfectly lovely, and felt exactly like it sprang from Austen’s pen. I’ve never read a Regency-inspired novel that felt this true to the original writings that inspired them, and I’ve read a good many Regency novels. The prose never felt too heavy or like the author was trying too hard to mimic her inspiration. It was convincingly Regency, yet felt fresh at the same time. 

One of the loveliest aspects of this novel was the magic system. In this alternate Regency era, glamour is another of the womanly arts that eligible bachelorettes in search of a husband are expected to deftly produce. This glamour is a weaving of the magical energy alive in the air. Glamour can be applied to music, allowing it to loop after being played or producing colors and shapes that complement the tune. It can also be applied to paintings and rooms, brightening them and adding life. But the most impressive use of glamour is found in the production of glamurals, living artwork that engages all five senses. These glamurals are usually attached to rooms, and can remain as long as the room survives. Working a convincing glamural is the epitome of success for an artist, be they male or female. However, there’s a catch; working too much glamour can leading to chills, fainting, or even death in extreme cases. This makes glamour the most dangerous of the womanly arts, but the respected, as well.

While this is the first book of a series, Shades of Milk and Honey is a perfectly self-contained story, giving readers a full story with a satisfying conclusion. It makes a wonderful standalone novel, if you happen to be looking for something to provide a break from the trilogies and series that fantasy novels always seem to come in. If you love Jane Austen and magic, I can’t recommend this highly enough. And if you need a book that is hopeful and has a happily ever after ending, this novel is a breath of fresh air.

Original review can be found at Booknest.

In Regency England, Jane Ellsworth of Dorchester is a woman ahead of her time. Not only is she highly skilled in the manipulation of glamour - plucking strands from the Ether to create genteel magical illusions - she's also ambitious for her art, and dreams of being recognised as a glamourist of note in her own right, as men are permitted to. First and foremost, however, a lady of quality must marry well, and alas Jane's ambitions do not extend to her romantic prospects. Compared to her beautiful sister Melody, Jane feels invisible to suitors, and is resigned to a life of spinsterhood. But when her beloved family comes under threat, Jane uses her magical skills to put things right, which attracts the attention of professional glamourist Mr Vincent . . . and unwittingly wanders in to a love story of her own.

Becky

This book has been on my to-buy list for so long that I knew I needed to get it when I saw the ebook for 99p. I am so glad I did and my only regret is I didn't read this sooner. It was nothing like I expected but also exactly what I wanted to read. This book was a total surprise.

This was very much a mash-up of Jane Austen and fantasy. It was the perfect blend. The writing style exactly matched Austen's style of writing. I felt like this book would have perfectly fit if it had been released during the same period but those small fantasy elements throughout made it something else.

I will say, this was a very quiet book. The romance within it is barely there. Hinted at but not truly addressed until the very end. It is not a slow burn, there wasn't that tension between the characters, it was simply quiet and unassuming until the very end as realisations happened. The story itself was slow as well. That's not to say it was boring, but that it simply didn't move fast. It was more exploring the characters, the world they inhabit more than progressing a fast-paced story.

Plenty of books like this one have come since. I can name quite a few books with a historical setting (please don't ask me time periods, I think it's like the 1800s maybe?) but set in a historical period with magical elements. I have read several and adored them just as much as this one. They all had a faster-paced story within them. Usually, a mystery of some sort and that was not what this one was. 

This was simply the exploration of Jane and the Ellsworth's world. Jane is a talented glamourist who lives in the country with her parents and her younger sister, Melody. Jane is not pretty, but she is talented. Her sister is exceedingly pretty but not particularly talented in the womanly arts. The pair of them are opposites but both hope to fall in love and marry and that is the wish of their parents too. You see elements of Jane Austen with Jane's mother who has various illnesses and is a bit a of a drama queen truth be told, constantly seeking attention. Anyway, it's the story of Jane and her sister really. The pair of them making a path for the future and the divide which occurs between them motivated by the jealousy they each hold for the other. I hated Jane's sister, Melody. I feel like she never grew as a person and her hateful actions were excused due to jealousy. It was one of the main things which annoyed me with this book. Melody never got her comeuppance. Jane was jealous of Melody's beauty and she made small comments to Melody but continually reigned herself in because she never wished to be cruel. Melody never did the same and was a bit of a spoilt child if I'm being honest.

My other complaint with this book is I never understood how the magic worked. I mean, it was explained how glamours worked and their purpose seemed to be mostly for the arts. There were some practical uses but it seemed it was mostly for art and music it was employed. I never understood if there was more magic in the world Jane didn't understand or if it was limited to glamours. I would have liked to learn more about that, to be honest. 

The book is a part of a series but I have to say the ending wrapped the story perfectly. I can see how there could be more books, there is plenty more to explore but I'm not currently sure I am motivated enough to read more. What more of a story is there to be told? I will continue on at some point but it did feel like an ending with this story. There were hints of other tales to tell, but we'll see.

Amanda J 

I enjoyed this book. It was a good fluff read. I wouldn't mind re-reading it again. I enjoyed the dialogue and relationships between the characters. I wish it had more world-building though. The concepts behind glamour was so interesting that I wouldn't have minded reading more about it. Also, I wish there would have been more build-up in the romance between the main couple. 
While the series continues, I doubt I will continue. Not because I didn't like the book or the author didn't write well, but because I thought the story was wrapped up well and the plot of the other books don't interest me as much.

In Regency England, Jane Ellsworth of Dorchester is a woman ahead of her time.Not only is she highly skilled in the manipulation of glamour - plucking strands from the Ether to create genteel magical illusions - she's also ambitious for her art, and dreams of being recognised as a glamourist of note in her own right, as men are permitted to. First and foremost, however, a lady of quality must marry well, and alas Jane's ambitions do not extend to her romantic prospects. Compared to her beautiful sister Melody, Jane feels invisible to suitors, and is resigned to a life of spinsterhood.But when her beloved family comes under threat, Jane uses her magical skills to put things right, which attracts the attention of professional glamourist Mr Vincent . . . and unwittingly wanders in to a love story of her own.

Renee Delcourt

This book is very very hard for me to rate or review. I really was enjoying reading this book and even though it was a bit dated and frustrating at times. However the last chapter felt really.... poorly written. It didn't feel like the rest of the book and the rushed feeling of how it wrapped up was unparalleled in a book. It was like someone snapped and everything was tied in a bow, but you have no idea how it got there. To be honest, some of the things that weren't concluded didn't make sense as to why it was left unresolved. I was so disappointed by it. 

It made me sad that I really didn't like the end and I am unsure if I will continue the series because of it. 

I think that the books have a very interesting type of magic that reminds me of The Paper Magician so that was part of the reason why I loved the book not to mention that historical factor is a good draw for me.

Shades of Milk and Honey is an intimate portrait of Jane Ellsworth, a woman ahead of her time in a world where the manipulation of glamour is considered an essential skill for a lady of quality. But despite the prevalence of magic in everyday life, other aspects of Dorchester's society are not that different: Jane and her sister Melody's lives still revolve around vying for the attentions of eligible men. Jane resists this fate, and rightly so: while her skill with glamour is remarkable, it is her sister who is fair of face, and therefore wins the lion's share of the attention. At the ripe old age of twenty-eight, Jane has resigned herself to being invisible forever. But when her family's honor is threatened, she finds that she must push her skills to the limit in order to set things right--and, in the process, accidentally wanders into a love story of her own. This debut novel from an award-winning talent scratches a literary itch you never knew you had. Like wandering onto a secret picnic attended by Pride and Prejudice and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Shades of Milk and Honey is precisely the sort of tale we would expect from Jane Austen...if only she had been a fantasy writer.

Stephanie Haynes

Ben Nathan

This was just delightful. The combo of propriety, humor, magic, and all things Austen was highly enjoyable. I have some friends that need this in their life, so this will be their next present. The chance I get to all the others is probable, plus it gets me more MRK narration and that is a major incentive.

SARAH OLSON

What could possibly make a Jane Austen novel better? No, not zombies. MAGIC! I love the idea of glamour. It makes so much sense to use it in this setting, to see how people of this time might have used magic and how it would fit with their ideals and customs. It actually makes sense, instead of seeming like a gimmick. Really loved this book. I can't wait for Glamour in Glass!

Christina Hufford

Shades of Milk and Honey has a simple enough plot. Like any Jane Austen novel, there are young women eligible for marriage, young men of varying fortunes and recommendations that may or may not make good husbands, lots of balls and dinners to attend, and, in true Pride and Prejudice fashion, a nervous mother beside herself with worry that her daughters may never find a husband. The standard tropes were all there, only this time, there was a special ingredient: magic.

Read the full review here...