Zen Cho

"When sisters Muna and Sakti wake up on the peaceful beach of the island of Janda Baik, they can't remember anything--except that they are bound as only sisters can be. They have been cursed by an unknown enchanter, and slowly Sakti starts to fade away. The only hope of saving her is to go to distant Britain, where the Sorceress Royal has established an academy to train women in magic"--

The True Queen

‘A sheer delight from beginning to end' - Samantha Shannon A sparkling magical adventure from this Hugo Award-winning author. We travel to Regency London, Fairyland and an enchanted island. Sisters are separated, plots thicken and there's a new contender for the throne of Fairy. Fairyland’s future lies in doubt . . . The enchanted island of Janda Baik, in the Malay Archipelago, has long been home to witches. And Muna and her sister Sakti wake on its shores under a curse, which has quite stolen away their memories. Their only hope of salvation lies in distant Britain, where the Sorceress Royal runs a controversial academy for female magicians. But the pair travel via the formidable Fairy Queen’s realm, where Sakti simply disappears. To save her sister, Muna must learn to navigate Regency London’s high society and trick the English into believing she’s a magical prodigy. But when the Sorceress Royal’s friends become accidentally embroiled in a plot – involving the Fairy Queen’s contentious succession – Muna is drawn right in. She must also find Sakti, break their curse and somehow stay out of trouble. But if fairyland’s true queen does finally return, trouble may find her first . . . A joyous mash-up of Jane Austen and high fantasy’ M. R. Carey This standalone adventure is set in the same world as Zen Cho's award-winning novel - The Sorcerer to the Crown.

altlovesbooks

Sequels to books I enjoyed make me extremely wary. Too often I find that they just don't seem to capture the same feelings as the original, and I'm left feeling slightly sad and unsatisfied. You just can't always capture lightning twice, I guess.

Not so with this book. Actually, I daresay I enjoyed this one even slightly more than the first. The focus of this book isn't on the cast from the first book (though they do play minor roles and cameos), but instead follows two sisters, Muna and Sakti, who are separated from each other while venturing through the fairy realm to England. Muna makes it to England and Prunella's school, but Sakti does not. The story follows Muna as she tries to reunite with her sister despite overwhelming opposition, and the discovery of why they were separated in the first place. 

While I was able to guess the twist relatively early on, I still liked how the author handled it and still manage to make parts unexpected. The story just felt...fun. Like a magical romp with slightly high stakes, like a brighter Harry Potter, maybe. The story is self contained, nothing needs a sequel, and it leaves you feeling glad to have read it at the end.

Sarahi

Fairyland's future lies in doubt . . . The enchanted island of Janda Baik, in the Malay Archipelago, has long been home to witches. And Muna and her sister Sakti wake on its shores under a curse, which has quite stolen away their memories. Their only hope of salvation lies in distant Britain, where the Sorceress Royal runs a controversial academy for female magicians. But the pair travel via the formidable Fairy Queen's realm, where Sakti simply disappears. To save her sister, Muna must learn to navigate Regency London's high society and trick the English into believing she's a magical prodigy. But when the Sorceress Royal's friends become accidentally embroiled in a plot - involving the Fairy Queen's contentious succession - Muna is drawn right in. She must also find Sakti, break their curse and somehow stay out of trouble. But if fairyland's true queen does finally return, trouble may find her first . . . The True Queen is Zen Cho's spelling binding second book. It's set in a sparkling version of Regency London, with a fairy tale twist. And although it's set in the same world as her award-winning novel, The Sorcerer to the Crown, this reads as a standalone. 'A sheer delight from beginning to end' Samantha Shannon A joyous mash-up of Jane Austen and high fantasy' M. R. Carey

Sheila

It is a crime that I allowed this book to languish on my bookshelves for a year after I bought it, especially considering that it took 4 years for this book to come out in the first place! Sorcerer to the Crown was so good and so adorable, but instead of a true sequel we received an episodic instalment in this magical version of Regency England that gave previous background character Miss Henrietta Stapleton a chance to shine! We love a self-assured queer queen! 

The only serious downside I can even think of for this book is that the jacket design doesn't come close to holding a candle against the first book (which remains my favourite jacket and cover design of all time!). I will clarify that I have the UK versions of these books as the designs were far superior, but still the first outshines the second. I just don't vibe with it, but oh well!

The True Queen

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