Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis (review)

Description: 

Katherine Ann Stephenson has just discovered that she's inherited her mother's magical talents, and despite Stepmama's stern objections, she's determined to learn how to use them.

But with her eldest sister Elissa's intended fiancé, the sinister Sir Neville, showing a dangerous interest in Kat's magical potential; her other sister, Angeline, wreaking romantic havoc with her own witchcraft; and a highwayman lurking in the forest, even Kat's reckless heroism will be tested to the upmost.

If she can learn to control her new powers, will Kat be able to rescue her family and win her sisters their true love?

 

Review:

A delightful historical fantasy romp! Kat is, indeed, incorrigible - in the most amusing and charming of ways. At 12 years old, Kat is about as far from biddable and ladylike as you can get, which causes her stepmother and elder sisters no small measure of aggravation. Courageous, indomitable, independent, and possessed of a imagination and a strong belief in her own intelligence and invulnerability, Kat is determined to learn her mother's magic and protect her family - especially when it comes to her sister's prospective marriage to a man rumored to have killed his first wife.

Burgis takes many of the Regency clichés, blends them with magic, throws in a generous dash of humor, and serves them up in a tale that's completely appropriate for children but will also appeal to adults, especially those familiar with the Regency oeuvre. It's a marvelous mixture sure to bring a smile to your face, and would be a wonderful story to read aloud to your children.

Favorite quote:

     I was 12 years old when I chopped off my hair, dressed as a boy, and set off to save my family from impending ruin.
     I made it almost to the end of my front garden.

 

*   *   *

Rating: 4 stars

Category: MG fantasy
Series: Kat Incorrigible #1
Publisher: Athenium Books for Young Readers (Simon & Schuster)
Release date: Apr. 5, 2011
Book source: public library

About the author:  I grew up in America, but now I live in Wales with my husband, fellow writer Patrick Samphire, our sons, "Mr Darcy" and "Baby X", and our crazy-sweet border collie mix, Maya. My MG Regency fantasy trilogy is being published in the UK and North America, under different titles. My most recent book in the US & Canada is STOLEN MAGIC (Kat Book 3), which was first published in the UK as A RECKLESS MAGICK. I've also published more than thirty short stories for adults in a variety of magazines, anthologies, and podcasts.  (biography source: Goodreads)

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