A Declaration on the Rights of Magicians – Book Review

A Declaration on the Rights of Magicians – Book Review

A Declaration on the Rights of Magicians – Book Review

Hello friends! I hope you’re all well! This week I’m reviewing A Declaration on the Rights of Magicians (book review) and slowly making my way through all of my Netgalley ARCs. Netgalley is a wonderful place, but it stresses me out. I have so many eARCs to review and I need to stop requesting so many books. Anyhow, let’s go!

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{You might also like: If We Were Us – Book Review}

A Declaration on the Rights of Magicians Book ReviewTitle: A Declaration on the Rights of Magicians

Author: H.G. Parry

Rating: 3 Stars

Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Adult

Content Warnings: Death, slavery, drug use

Format: eARC

Publisher: Redhook

Date Published: June 23rd 2020

Goodreads Description: A sweeping tale of revolution and wonder in a world not quite like our own, A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians is a genre-defying story of magic, war, and the struggle for freedom in the early modern world.

It is the Age of Enlightenment — of new and magical political movements, from the necromancer Robespierre calling for a revolution in France to the weather mage Toussaint L’Ouverture leading the slaves of Haiti in their fight for freedom, to the bold new Prime Minister William Pitt weighing the legalization of magic amongst commoners in Britain and abolition throughout its colonies overseas.

But amidst all of the upheaval of the early modern world, there is an unknown force inciting all of human civilization into violent conflict. And it will require the combined efforts of revolutionaries, magicians, and abolitionists to unmask this hidden enemy before the whole world falls to darkness and chaos.

I received a review copy from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Review

I have a lot of thoughts on A Declaration on the Rights of Magicians (book review) so I’m going to try to organise them into something coherent.

Characters

This book follows a large cast of characters and not all of them are as fleshed out as they could have been. We follow three main perspectives, that of Robespierre, William Pitt and Fina. Most of the character-building is done through dialogue, as not much action happens throughout the book.

I felt very disconnected from the characters and it often felt like I was just reading from their Wikipedia pages. This is a very in-depth historical fantasy based on real people, but we don’t go into their thoughts too deeply. The only story I was really invested in was Fina’s, and she most certainly didn’t get enough page time.

Characters = 5

Atmosphere

This book spans over decades and continents. It’s a big story, so there’s not enough time spent in one place. Once again it was like reading a Wikipedia page on alternative history. Important battles and history are only mentioned in passing and frankly, would have made for a much more interesting story.

The focus of the book was too broad to capture the finer details that make us care for the characters and the world. It’s a brilliant story and very well researched, it just wasn’t my kind of story.

Atmosphere = 5

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Writing

I have no issues with the writing. Parry is a good writer who put a lot of thought and research into this book and it shines through in her writing.

Writing = 6

Plot

Here’s my biggest issue. This book was painstakingly slow and really boring at times. There was a lot of dialogue and not enough action. You’d think that the premise of magic woven into our real history would be amazing to explore. There are so many possibilities. Instead, we get a lot of dialogue, a lot of back-and-forths, and philosophical waxing about slavery (here’s a hint: IT’S BAD).

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I like my stories to the point, and if you beat around the bush I want to beat you with a bush. It was tedious. The POV shifts were also very unbalanced and interesting events (like the vampire wars) are just breezed over. I would read a 500-page book about the vampire kings, but one that’s all talk and no action is not up my alley.

Plot = 4

Intrigue

As I said, the premise is really interesting. However, this is the fourth book I’ve read this year on the French Revolution and frankly, I’m tired of it. History is vast, and I’m tired of being stuck in the 1700s with a bunch of white dudes. Yes, I know this is my own problem and I need to branch out with my historical fiction readings.

While there’s nothing wrong with writing about the time period, I’m just a little over it. I’m not usually a historical fiction reader, so I wasn’t very intrigued by the dialogue and events.

Intrigue = 4

Logic

The magic system was really interesting. The use of the Knights Templar to regulate magic was also really interesting (and now I want to read something about the Crusades). I would have loved to go more in-depth about how magic worked, and I really wanted a Templar POV. It would have made the magic system more tangible and real.

I’m just sad about the lost potential of this premise however, there are loads of 5-star reviews for this one. I’ll link one here for you to read!

Logic = 5

Enjoyment

I did enjoy this book at certain intervals. It has a great premise and lovers of historical fiction and fantasy will enjoy this one immensely.

Enjoyment = 4

CAWPILE = 4.7/10

Stars = 3

Let me know your thoughts on A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians (book review).

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9 thoughts on “A Declaration on the Rights of Magicians – Book Review

  1. I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you. It was so unique and fun for Becky and I but we did love talking about it and are history geeks, so that might have been apart of it.

    Thank you so much for pulling out my review to link back!

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