Series
Collection
Publication
Open Road Young Readers, Kindle Edition, 484 pages
Description
In 1817, two English cousins take a honeymoon "Grand Tour of the Continent" with their new husbands and become entangled in a mysterious plot to create a magical Emperor of Europe.
User reviews
LibraryThing member delphica
(#27 in the 2006 book challenge)
This is the sequel to Sorcery and Cecelia, so more adventures of Cecy and Kate who are two spunky heroines a la Jane Austen, only they have magic in addition to manners. I thought the first book was tons of fun, and enjoyed this second book ... but you know, it's a
Grade: B+
Recommended: To fans of Regency Magic, so people who liked Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell -- although this book is definitely in the chaste YA camp.
This is the sequel to Sorcery and Cecelia, so more adventures of Cecy and Kate who are two spunky heroines a la Jane Austen, only they have magic in addition to manners. I thought the first book was tons of fun, and enjoyed this second book ... but you know, it's a
Show More
hard story for a sequel. Once I have gotten to like a group of characters, I want to keep going back to hang out with them. That's what this book felt like -- spending time with people I like, but the crux of it is that the people aren't doing anything too interesting. This is a great scenario for people in real life, you enjoy spending time with your friends even if you aren't doing much of anything. In books, and in this book in particular, the reason I befriended the characters in the first place was because I was living all their explorations and encounters along with them -- who can be trusted? Who has a secret? What will they discover? In the second book, I already know all that. Anyway, plotwise, Kate and Cecy are now married and they and their delightful husbands go trekking around on a Grand Tour in pursuit of magic thieves.Grade: B+
Recommended: To fans of Regency Magic, so people who liked Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell -- although this book is definitely in the chaste YA camp.
Show Less
LibraryThing member madamepince
Couldn't get into it!
LibraryThing member rocalisa
Cousins Kate and Cecy, along with their new husbands (Thomas and James respectively) set off for a honeymoon "Grand Tour" of Europe as this book begins. Thomas' mother, Lady Sylvia, is accompanying them as far as Paris. But their adventures start the moment they cross the Channel into France, when
Visiting a local ancient Roman Temple, Cecy encounters young Theodore Daventer and his tutor, the unpleasant Mr Strangle who appeared in The Enchanted Chocolate Pot. Mr Strangle appears to have performed some equally unpleasant magic ritual and when this is only the first such encounter, all the newlyweds become further suspicious of Mr Strangle and his charge. On reaching Paris, General Wellington informs them that the Ampoule is not the only piece of European coronation regalia to have been stolen recently and charges them, under the guise of continuing their honeymoon tour, to find out just what is going on.
Soon the four are getting caught up in magic, both new and ancient, a possible plot to restore Napoleon and, of course, discovering what marriage is all about.
Like its predecessor, this book is written in sections by Cecy (Patricia Wrede) and Kate (Caroline Stevermer). Kate is writing in a personal journal, but Cecy is supposedly writing a disposition about their adventures for the (magical) authorities. For something that is supposed to be a report, it is very, very full of personal thoughts and descriptions that really shouldn't be there (I don't think the readers will really want to know every mundane, or even just personal, detail). She also discusses at great length what she is going to use as a focus for her magic. This is supposed to remain a secret so that an unscrupulous magic user cannot take advantage of the knowledge (as happened to Thomas in the first book). Of course, if it really was a stolid report, it would be very boring for the reader. Still, I feel perhaps Wrede should have chosen a different medium for Cecy.
The plot of this book is more convoluted that the first one, but it is also well thought out and very clever. I didn't pick up what was going on until the gang discovered it all (in a singularly easy way, I felt) and I certainly didn't pick out who the chief villain was or what their dastardly plan was.
Once again, the magic has been woven neatly into this near-history and done very cleverly. Kate's first attempt to build a focus in rather spectacular, given a good explanation of why things didn't go exactly as planned, and is important at the resolution of the story.
And if you very want to have great adventures like this, it might be a good idea to learn to knit.
All in all, another enjoyable story by Wrede and Stevermer. It isn't likely to change your life, but it is a very nice way to while away a few hours.
Show More
a strange woman leaves an equally strange parcel for Lady Sylvia. This turns out to be the Sainte Ampoule, a piece of the (now unnecessary) coronation regalia of France. Soon after, their party is attacked by highwaymen and the Ampoule is stolen away. This leads to the discover that Lady Sylvia was once (and still is) a member of the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel and that this in unlikely to be the quiet honeymoon that was planned. Visiting a local ancient Roman Temple, Cecy encounters young Theodore Daventer and his tutor, the unpleasant Mr Strangle who appeared in The Enchanted Chocolate Pot. Mr Strangle appears to have performed some equally unpleasant magic ritual and when this is only the first such encounter, all the newlyweds become further suspicious of Mr Strangle and his charge. On reaching Paris, General Wellington informs them that the Ampoule is not the only piece of European coronation regalia to have been stolen recently and charges them, under the guise of continuing their honeymoon tour, to find out just what is going on.
Soon the four are getting caught up in magic, both new and ancient, a possible plot to restore Napoleon and, of course, discovering what marriage is all about.
Like its predecessor, this book is written in sections by Cecy (Patricia Wrede) and Kate (Caroline Stevermer). Kate is writing in a personal journal, but Cecy is supposedly writing a disposition about their adventures for the (magical) authorities. For something that is supposed to be a report, it is very, very full of personal thoughts and descriptions that really shouldn't be there (I don't think the readers will really want to know every mundane, or even just personal, detail). She also discusses at great length what she is going to use as a focus for her magic. This is supposed to remain a secret so that an unscrupulous magic user cannot take advantage of the knowledge (as happened to Thomas in the first book). Of course, if it really was a stolid report, it would be very boring for the reader. Still, I feel perhaps Wrede should have chosen a different medium for Cecy.
The plot of this book is more convoluted that the first one, but it is also well thought out and very clever. I didn't pick up what was going on until the gang discovered it all (in a singularly easy way, I felt) and I certainly didn't pick out who the chief villain was or what their dastardly plan was.
Once again, the magic has been woven neatly into this near-history and done very cleverly. Kate's first attempt to build a focus in rather spectacular, given a good explanation of why things didn't go exactly as planned, and is important at the resolution of the story.
And if you very want to have great adventures like this, it might be a good idea to learn to knit.
All in all, another enjoyable story by Wrede and Stevermer. It isn't likely to change your life, but it is a very nice way to while away a few hours.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Katissima
One of those books that I waited and waited to come out. Even before I knew Wrede and Stevemer were writing a sequel to Sorcery and Cecilia, I would think, "Boy, they should write a sequel to Sorcery and Cecilia!" I must have gotten my hopes up too much, because I was disappointed with this book.
Show More
It is definitely not as good as its predecessor. If you read Sorcery and Cecilia and feel the need for more like it, read Patricia C. Wrede's duo, Mairelon the Magician and Magician's Ward. Show Less
LibraryThing member montano
I loved Cecelia (the first book of this series) but this one failed to hold my interest.
LibraryThing member Nikkles
The Grand Tour is a solid book. In parts it is absolutly fabulous, but at other times it seems to lag a bit. While this book is amusing it is not as good as the original of the series, however, it was great to revisit the characters. I feel this lacked some of the suspense of the first book. Thomas
Show More
and James also got to dominate too much of the action. All and all a pretty good sequel. Show Less
LibraryThing member vegaheim
part II of "sorcery and cecilia", funny, caroline stevemer is a great writer and so is patricia c. wrede (dealing w/dragons, searching for dragons, calling on dragons,talking to dragons)
LibraryThing member SunnySD
A fine follow-up to Sorcery and Cecelia. Kate, Cecelia and their new husbands get swept up in a plot to do what Napoleon couldn't: conquer all of Europe. Replete with fleas (well, one, although the repeated absence of many is much mentioned), a canal dunking, an Alp crossing, mysterious packages,
Show More
secret knitted codes, Roman ruins, and lost gloves. Although missing some of the charm of the first installment's letter exchanges, Wrede and Stevermer's use of a day journal and Cecy's deposition following the novel's events is still quite entertaining. Show Less
LibraryThing member mabrown2
This is the sequel to "Sorcery and Cecelia" and I have to admit it wasn't as good as the first. Still, it was nice to read about these characters again. We got a little more development for Kate and Thomas but poor Cecy and James were left to the imagination in many instances. The action took a
Show More
little while to build up and for some time I was a bit bored by their travels. It got more exciting as the story progressed though. Not bad but not great. Show Less
LibraryThing member Pagemistress
Kate and Cecy are back, in fine form, and every bit as wonderfully entertaining as in their first adventure. Wrede and Stevermer have dispensed with the epistolary form of the first book, instead reuniting the two formidable cousins for a tour of Europe and allowing each lady to testify directly to
Show More
her observations and experiences. With a plot that includes magical mysteries, missing crown jewels, and highway robbery, this sequel has a little something for everyone, and is at least as good as, and possibly better than, its predecessor. Show Less
LibraryThing member keely_chace
This sequel to Sorcery and Cecilia loses much of the magic of the first. It could be due to the fact that Cecilia and Kate are on there wedding journey together, and therefore, are not intimately entertaining each other with their letters over a distance. Instead, we get Kate's recording of the
Show More
strange events of the trip from her commonplace book, and Cecilia's from her deposition to authorities. What's more, the two of them are such contented newlyweds that they lose most of the girlish sneakiness and defiance that made them such fun characters in the first book. Even so, it's still a pleasant read, and the action gets pretty thrilling in the last 60 pages or so. Show Less
LibraryThing member the1butterfly
This one didn't read quite as quickly as "Sorcery and Cecelia", and took a bit longer to have the same pull. There was a mystery, however, that came together in pieces. The cousins and their husbands were still interesting, and I especially liked details like the use of the wedding ring as a focus.
Show More
The ending was also particularly well put together. Show Less
LibraryThing member bluesalamanders
I enjoyed both this and Cecelia, my only problem being keeping track of which girl was writing which part (letters in the first book, journal entries in the second) and which characters are which. Even though the girls were written by two different authors, the styles were not so distinct that I
Show More
could easily tell them apart, and Thomas and James were such similar characters that I frequently got them confused. Show Less
LibraryThing member francescadefreitas
I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first one. While each couple was sweet on their own, they were tedious together, and it was difficult to tell the men apart.
Telling the story through depositions and diary entries took away the charm of the original story, and it also led to a great deal of
Telling the story through depositions and diary entries took away the charm of the original story, and it also led to a great deal of
Show More
repetition. While it was occasionally played for laughs, for example, varying opinions on the opera, this book lacked the chaotic sense fun I had hoped for. I will read the third book, but my expectations have been lowered. Show Less
LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey
It's not bad. Fluffy, and I'm sorry they stuck to the gimmick - the diary was marginal (too much focus on details that later became important) and the deposition was way too good. She could not possibly have remembered that sort of stuff so much later. It also made it a bit difficult to tell who
Show More
was speaking, since both portions were written (of course) in first person - usually I figured it out by which girl was referred to by name (and that was the _other_ one for that section, of course). The coincidences were humongous, the plot was weird and highly convoluted (even in the original form)... Overall, the most enjoyable parts were the trifling ones, where Kate discovered she loved opera or Cecelia expanded her magical repertoire. Or their interactions with their respective husbands. And that's another problem with the gimmick - Kate can put in the personal details, since she's supposed to be writing for herself. Cecelia's part has much less of those enjoyable details, since she was supposed to be writing an official document. Not bad, overall, but slight at best and hobbled by the epistolary gimmick. I probably will read it again - not soon nor expecting marvels, though. Still, it's better than I was thinking - if I regard it as amusing fluff rather than something marvelous, it's quite pleasant. And it is nice to see more of Kate and Cecelia, Thomas and James. Show Less
LibraryThing member libraryofus
(Amy) The long-awaited sequel to Sorcery and Cecilia, and well worth the wait. Our heroines are, with their new husbands, off on their wedding trip. But of course things cannot go so smoothly as that...
LibraryThing member carlyrose
I enjoyed the portions from Kate's diary/commonplace book more. Of course a private diary would have more personality and depth than a deposition, so no big surprise there. But it did make the book feel more uneven--we get more peeks into Kate and Thomas's relationship and James and Cecy seem more
Show More
distant in comparison. Show Less
LibraryThing member Murphy-Jacobs
Another bit of frothy fun, this time with a tour of Europe just after the Napoleonic wars to add a little interest. What can be said about a book like this? It's pure fun, and if it isn't something you like -- occasionally I do want to shake our two young heroines before I recall that they are,
Show More
indeed, written to be not even 20 yet, so I just let the book rollick along -- then nothing I say will convince you. A good antidote for grey days, colds, and a perfect accompaniment to a comfy chair, cup of tea, and plate of cookies. Show Less
LibraryThing member norabelle414
Kate, Thomas, Cecelia, and James go on their honeymoon together - the "Grand Tour" of Europe. However, trouble of a magical nature seems to follow them wherever they go, and none of them is the type to sit back and not fight against bad guys, whether they be power-hungry magicians or
The same things that made Sorcery & Cecelia so great are the ones that make this sequel fall a bit flat (comparatively). Kate and Cecelia have complementary personalities, which is great! And they fell in love with and married men who have complementary personalities to themselves, which is also great! However, it results in Cecelia being a lot like Thomas and Kate being a lot like James, and they end up having a lot of conversations with and spending time alone with each other's husbands. It is both a) confusing and b) a little weird. Also, the epistolary format that was so spectacular and original in the first book is just awkward when the girls are physically together for the majority of the novel.
However, the writing was good, the plot was good, and the ending was excellent, so I'm eager to read the next installment.
Show More
Bonapartists.The same things that made Sorcery & Cecelia so great are the ones that make this sequel fall a bit flat (comparatively). Kate and Cecelia have complementary personalities, which is great! And they fell in love with and married men who have complementary personalities to themselves, which is also great! However, it results in Cecelia being a lot like Thomas and Kate being a lot like James, and they end up having a lot of conversations with and spending time alone with each other's husbands. It is both a) confusing and b) a little weird. Also, the epistolary format that was so spectacular and original in the first book is just awkward when the girls are physically together for the majority of the novel.
However, the writing was good, the plot was good, and the ending was excellent, so I'm eager to read the next installment.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Yona
Still love these characters. The "newness" of getting to know them can't exist in a sequel, of course. This gets extremely exciting now and then as the first one did and the authors still do the more mundane in an entertaining manner.
LibraryThing member swampygirl
I thought it was a serious let down after The Enchanted Chocolate Pot. The story just isn't as interesting, and neither is the fact that it's a diary rather then letters.
LibraryThing member pussreboots
I finally finished reading The Grand Tour (the sequel to Sorcery and Cecilia) and I enjoyed it thoroughly. As the four main characters are together in their adventure this time the story is far more coherent. The characters are allowed to interact from the get go rather than waiting for the details
Show More
to slowly filter through the back and forth letters. This time the story is told in diary form (again from Cecy and Kate's POV's) and all I can say is that Cecy and Kate are far better diary writers than letter writers! I also found the plot stronger. I'm glad I made it through the first book so I could appreciate the second book. Readers who haven't read Sorcery and Cecilia, will be able to enjoy The Grand Tour. Show Less
LibraryThing member phyllis2779
This novel may have been a little slow but I really enjoyed it. It is a sequel to the The Enchanted Chocolate Pot which I also really liked. There is humor, mystery and romance. Just up my alley. The book may have neem geared to YA but I liked it anyway.
LibraryThing member wealhtheowwylfing
The sequel to [b:Sorcery and Cecilia] is significantly less charming than its predecessor. I had a hard time remember which character was which, and who was married to who. I had an equally difficult time caring about the plot. From Kelly's review of the third book, it doesn't look like the series
Show More
gets much better. Save yourself the effort and reread Dealing with Dragons or Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell. Show Less
LibraryThing member tldegray
I'm taken with the Cecilia and Kate books. I adore epistolary novels, and I also happen to adore magicians who reside in Regency Europe, so this series makes me very happy.
Subjects
Original publication date
2004
Similar in this library
Pages
484