The Midnight Queen (#1)
In a nineteenth-century Britain where magecraft has directed the course of history, a ruthless conspiracy plots intrigue, treason, and murder. Only a pair of brilliant misfits suspect anything is wrong. And to avert disaster, they’ll have to solve a royal mystery more than a decade cold.
As the term at Oxford’s Merlin College ends, shy, bookish Gray Marshall accompanies his tutor to the country with nowhere else to go. A misadventure has left him in disgrace with his friends and—temporarily?—without magick. He overheard what sounded like a plan to murder the Master of Merlin. But he has no way to investigate his suspicions, and no one to trust. Until his professor’s odd, neglected middle daughter, Sophie, befriends him, and he realizes there is far more to her than meets the eye.
According to her father, Sophie’s dreams of education are unsuitable to a woman. So her midnight library excursions to learn despite him have left her with subtle skills in gathering information, plenty of daring, and even more frustration. As Sophie and Gray begin to guess the aims of the conspirators, they know they must act. But for any chance at justice, they must risk all they have—and change who they are to each other forever…
Reviews
“Debut novelist Sylvia Izzo Hunter renders both the setting and characters in vivid detail. The structured system of magick gives the fictional world weight, and Hunter manipulates the seemingly disparate plot elements to create tension that culminates in a satisfying conclusion.”
“THE MIDNIGHT QUEEN is, above all else, a powerfully atmospheric novel, and a huge reason why is because of Hunter’s writing [...] The atmosphere is incredible, and the characters are fantastically believable and delightfully developed [...] THE MIDNIGHT QUEEN is a love story that will warm your heart, and a story of magic and struggle, truth and might, in the face of all odds, with some stunning writing that will really hook readers and brings them into the colorful world that Hunter has created.”
“In THE MIDNIGHT QUEEN, Hunter pulls from a multitude of mystical tales and myths to create her own magical version of Britain that is both innovative and intriguing. The plot is creative and suspenseful — and never predictable. Your affection for the dynamic heroes will only grow as Hunter’s characters face challenge after unexpected challenge. The MIDNIGHT QUEEN is a novel that readers will be unable to put down.”RT Book Reviews
“[MIDNIGHT QUEEN is a] well balanced, fantasy/historical read […] With a breathtaking cover and a great slow to start romance this one will have you reading until the owls hoot. I have to say that Sylvia blew me away with this debut novel and I will definitely be looking for more. Each element in this story grows and becomes important as the story progresses. It was a great read.”Night Owl Reviews
“A great fantasy introductory book […] THE MIDNIGHT QUEEN sets up a storyline with intrigue, magic and romance […] [that is] a really fun ride.”Seattle Geekly
“The world felt very realistic with a current of magic running throughout. It is a setting that I really take to. I love imagining our world (or historical London) as a magical place with wizards and spells and intrigue around every corner […] The Midnight Queen is an interesting story and will be great for readers of historical and fantasy lovers a like.”
“This is a great book especially if you appreciate historical fiction paced like a Jane Austen novel […] It is a simple and lovely story and I certainly hope to read more in the same vein.”Not Yet Read
“I found The Midnight Queen a very enjoyable read. It certainly lived up to my hopes from the blurb and then some. I wasn’t expecting the complexity of the plot but I am glad it was there because Gray, Sophie and their allies were able to shine in a variety of ways. I have added Hunter to my list of authors to keep checking for new releases.”
“Hunter pulls off the affected and mannered speech very well, both in dialogue and narrative […] Sylvia Izzo Hunter has crafted an impressive debut novel and begun a provocative series.”
“The book’s charm lies in its complex setting and plot […] [Hunter has] created an alternate world where everything seems familiar, but has been tweaked just enough to create a truly fantastical background […] This was MY sort of book and I really can’t praise it enough.”
“An enthralling and magical story! […] THE MIDNIGHT QUEEN was such a well crafted and magical story that kept me hooked until the very last page.”
“A well-balanced blend of fantasy with a historical fiction-type setting, overlaid with a story laced with a heavy dose of the kind of chaste, slow-burn romance one might find in a traditional Regency novel […] The Midnight Queen is a very beautiful, very atmospheric novel about young love.”
“Readers will enjoy the chess like plotting and conniving, the disguises and secrets, and the love story aspect.”Whatchamacallit Reviews
“This novel should appeal to those who like their fantasy grounded in a world based on hard fact but definitely carrying that touch of the fantastic […] he Midnight Queen delivers enough action and intrigue that it should be a hit with readers.”Owlcat Mountain
“The most enjoyable feature of the book was the world itself, well realized and clearly the work of much effort by the author.”MyShelf
“The Midnight Queen is insanely original and imaginative, and it’ll give you that feeling when you want to visit the world […] see the sights […] and it’ll let you get completely lost in the book.”
“Hunter does a splendid job of confounding my expectations [and] […] The Midnight Queen keeps taking fresh turns. A fresh and inventive historical novel […] I can’t wait to see what Sylvia Izzo Hunter does next.”Marie Brennan, author of A Natural History of Dragons
“[THE MIDNIGHT QUEEN is] elegantly written, fast-paced and highly original – a stunning story of magic, scholarship, and true love. Sylvia Izzo Hunter brings both rural Brittany and an alternative Regency England to vivid life. A remarkably assured debut.”Juliet Marillier, national Bestselling Author of the Sevenwaters Novels