I enjoyed Murder, Magic, and What We Wore. It’s a fun regency teen mystery. The mystery was only so-so but I liked the bits of humor added in and our strong plucky female character.

This read is an absolute delight! Lovely Regency YA (with a steampunk genre presence of practical magic) full of tongue-in-cheek fun while staying true to the manners of the times. (And dare I say that the grasp on British society, its behavioural pattern and the period language is as firm as Aunt Cassia’s? I like my books portraying the time period as faithfully as possible!).
Young Annis, armed with her no-nonsense attitude (she definitely is a niece of her capable aunt) and the gift to sew glamours (altering the clothes magically) is decided to solve her father’s suspicious death and to save her country from Napoleon’s possible escape and attack. Luckily, she has her capable maid Millie at her service, too! The young heroines, accompanied by smart Aunt Cassia, are in for many adventures and some well-made dresses!
And I love that the adventures are wittily arranged, with many interesting characters to meet (some are real historical persons while others are the characters from novels - how lovely is that?). Also, the novel deals with less nice, but very nedded subplot of rich men attacking poor female servants - kudos to including that.

The pages flied under my fingers and I have enjoyed every one of them! This novel is precious and funny and I wish it would gather much wider recognition - because I wish for the sequel!

When I requested this book I was expecting a cute en-joyful cozy mystery- perhaps I read the synopsis wrong however for me the beginning just dragged so much that I couldn't really get in to the story. I tried so many times to just keep going to see when the story or plot really took off but in the end I just could not enjoy this novel.

I loved this book! The full review will be posted soon at kaitgoodwin.com/books! Thank you very much for this wonderful opportunity to connect books to their readers!

When Annis Whitworth's father dies leaving her destitute she refuses to marry to protect her position in society but instead opens a dress shop.
Annis isn't just any 1890s young girl, she feels she can do much more and sets out to prove her worth and save herself and her step-mother from poverty. She gets in tight scrapes and discovers many secrets but ultimately will she prevail?

Though I liked the book, I made the decision at the time I finished not to review it on my site. Maybe in the future I will include it in a book list post or another article.

19th century female spies is pretty much always going to get my attention, and I am always up for reading them. This book grabbed my attention, especially with the glamours! I need these clothing. The book balances the Regency period with fantasy aspects well enough, and I am excited to read more.

Miss Annis Whitworth has spent the majority of her life reading gossip columns and advising her friends on what to wear. Her only worries have been the strain her Aunt Cassia is putting on the postal service with her voluminous correspondence and when she might see her father again because he is almost constantly abroad for work. When her father's man of business, Mr. Harrington, arrives one day a rather cryptic greeting reveals that Annis will never see her father again, he has died and left his daughter and his sister destitute. They were completely dependent on his military half-pay and now have nothing, not even his silver pocket watch with his wife's portrait was recovered, only two handkerchiefs which Annis embroidered for his birthday. That watch is an item which could come in handy what with their scarcity of funds, as could access to her father's overseas accounts. Cassia though is practical and has spent her life raising Annis with very unique life lessons in an attempt to make her more self-reliant. Therefore Annis will embrace the horror of shapeless ready-made black mourning gowns and a possible life of employment. Yet Annis knew something about her father she didn't know if it was polite to mention... he was a spy. In fact the handkerchiefs recovered conceal a coded message and she knows that she needs to get them into the hands of the War Office because her father might have died for this intelligence and was possibly murdered for it.

Though Annis shudders to be seen in the black bombazine! Therefore a little tailoring prior to visiting the War Office is necessary... tailoring that her new maid, Millicent O'Leary, points out is actually magic! The best seamstress can't change bombazine to brocade! This gives Annis an idea. What if the War Office could use her skills? What if they need a glamour artist? Then her and Aunt Cassia's life needn't be completely uprooted. A "Mr. Smith" though quickly shuts down Annis's daydreams and instead she must face the bleak future that Cassia is laying out for them, including a trip to an employment agency! Annis would literally chose any future but this, even marrying a man who wears horrid waistcoats! It is Millicent who puts forth the idea of Annis becoming a dressmaker. Though Aunt Cassia and her helpful friend Miss Spencer agree that this would be beyond the pale. Annis would lose her reputation and would never recover. But what if this little experiment were done outside of London and in disguise? A new plan is formed, against Cassia's better judgment. They are to relocate to Flittingsworth, a small town between London and Dover, where Miss Spencer has her own shop, and so soon shall "Madame Martine" the glamour artist! But will Annis have the time to maintain two identities, get all Madame Martine's work done, and solve her father's murder? Perhaps with a little magic.

Murder, Magic and What We Wore is a wonderful addition to the Regency Magic genre. Somehow it complies to all the rules of the genre while simultaneously taking all the building blocks and turning them on their head. Instead of finding a worthy husband when finding herself destitute Annis finds a purpose in an occupation she excels at while sneakily maintaining that ever important reputation. While being the biggest fan of Jane Austen it is a bit depressing that every book is about putting a ring on it. That wasn't a viable option for many women and the whole point about Regency Magic is taking this framework that Austen bequeathed us and making it something more. Yet time and time again while creating this wonderful genre all the stories at the end of the day end with matrimony. As Kelly Jones herself said on my blog "I was craving a Regency fantasy that wasn't a romance. I love romance, but I also love stories about work, and family, and friendship, and responsibilities. I wanted to read about a girl who was too busy with other things to fall in love" and how little did I realize I wanted it too! While there is a possible suitor with Mr. Harrington, he's off to the side, in Annis's rear view mirror. Sure one day she might have time for him, but not right now. Now is Annis's time to shine, to show the world what she can do, not as someone's significant other, but just as herself, for the first time. And Annis is magnificent, and with Aunt Cassia and Millicent we have a comedy of manners that sometimes edges into a level of farce only Blake Edwards and Peter Sellers were capable of.

Yet the humor never detracts from this females first theme that is carried into every aspect of this book. Yes, it might be shocking for some to realize that women can be funny and kick ass at the same time but I defy them to read this book and not come to this conclusion. While being set in 1818 this book is oddly timely with the #MeToo movement. The truth of the matter is #MeToo was a long time coming. Especially in any time period where there are oppressed classes there is a chance for some scum to take advantage. Here it is a rather odious man who happens to be the nephew of a Lady Prippingforth who Millicent worked for, and his habit of taking what he wants from female staff is deplorable. Millie was thankfully spared because he locked her in a cupboard to "save for later" and was able to escape, but many many others weren't so lucky. It just so happens that he is in Flittingsworth and sees Millie and continues his reign of terror. Once Cassia hears of this she helps Millie and Annis learn how to protect themselves from such attacks. If you're a fan of the film Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, you know that visceral thrill seeing Lizzy Bennett kick ass. Instead of a well placed gaze to show disgust, Millie can now take him down with a well placed knife. This pro female empowerment in a time period when you don't usually think of it as such is magnificent. Get that rapist out! The truth is a timely tale can be set anywhen, so long as the message is still relevant.

At the heart of this female empowerment is Cassia. While she is very clever to maintain the outward appearance of a very respectable maiden aunt, through her charitable work and her lessons imparted to her niece you grow to love this modern woman who is able to work within the system and get it to work to her advantage. I couldn't help drawing comparisons to another strong female character in literature, that of Margaret Schlegel of Howards End. While separated by almost a hundred years with Margaret firmly in Edwardian not Georgian England they both have the same animating spirit. Here are two women who believe in expanding their minds through literature and music. They have cultural pursuits, humanitarian pursuits, they believe in thinking and speaking and saying what's on their mind while still understanding discretion. They feel deeply yet are able to keep that stiff upper lip. It's very rare to find a complete connection to a character in literature, especially one that lives in another time. You might see a shifting reflection of yourself but never fully understand them. In all Austen's canon I most connect to Elinor and Fanny, but still I have moments where I diverge. The first time I read Howards End by E.M. Forster though, it was like Margaret and I were one. Murder, Magic and What We Wore let me have that experience all over again with Cassia. Maybe I'm not one hundred percent like her, but I want to be, and having that kind of role model, perhaps Cassia can make me a better person.

While there is so much that I love about this book, from how the theme of female employment perfectly melds with the magical system to how Millie starts to channel her inner Cato Fong, there is one thing I felt was underdeveloped, and that's the villainous shenanigans that follow on the heels of the murder of Annis's father. Unlike many Regency Magic books Kelly Jones nails the history, so that isn't were my issues reside. My quibbles are that all this spycraft doesn't really stand on it's own, it's like a shaky house of cards, you try to analyze it too closely and it collapses. Napoleon is trapped on Elba, first this person on this boat is going to free him, than this other person on this other boat is, too many changes with a slew of people whose names I can not for the life of me remember from one second to the next. It's a confusing profusion of underlings. Whereas the Big Bad was too obvious. I read another review that said the villain was so irredeemably evil that they almost became a caricature. I wouldn't say it that harshly... but, that reviewer had a point. Either hide the puppet master a little more efficiently, or straighten out the ranks of his organization so that they do the heavy lifting and he can more easily hide in plain sight. I do like my Napoleonic spycraft, but the wonderful madcap infectious fun of the rest of the book isn't brought to bear on this rather important piece of the puzzle. We know the what, we know the why, we just get muddled along the way but thankfully it's handily resolved and I await another installment in Annis's adventures!

Annis Whitworth just lost her father and all of her money. Society says she must become a governess to earn her way, but she is certain there must be another possibility. Annis is also convinced that her father's death was no random occurrence, and she will do what she must to find out the truth.

Murder, Magic, and What We Wore is pure fun. Set in an alternate early 19th-century England, this book has as much to do with fashion as it does spy work. Annis is a great character with so much spunk, and I loved the magical elements--sewing glamours is such an interesting magical power. Kelly Jones has written a book that will bring a smile to your face. It really was so fun.

I really hope that there is a second book to this. There was a lot of time spent world building so if there isn't a second, it would change my opinion of the book.

I liked the Miss Whitworths and Millie a lot. The use of magic in the book is fun, but I wish it were explained a little more. What other kind of magic is out there? Overall it was an okay book, but it has the potential to be a good series.

Based solely on the synopsis, I was super excited to read this. It checked almost all the boxes for me: murder, spies, and a strong female lead.

I do have a little bone to pick, though.

It took me a long time to really get to a point in the book where I felt like I liked Annis. I'm the first person to debate about "unlikeable" female characters, and how people dislike certain women in fiction because of qualities that we view as weak or annoying or, in contrast, too bold. But my criticism of Annis isn't that she's an "unlikeable" girl, it's that the entire book I was waiting for the moment where I could say to myself, "wow, she's really grown as a character". Annis is shown to be used to being a city girl with a little bit of entitlement and big dreams for herself, and a great amount of the plot hinges on the fact that after her father dies she loses access to the money that was sustaining her and she doesn't want to stoop below her "status" to a job that's lower on the social rung- specifically a governess. Okay, I can dig that a little bit. This book does take place in Regency-era England, and social status meant a lot. But even at the 80% mark of this book, she's still bemoaning the idea of doing something below her. It's not until the final chapters where you see a marked change in her, and it really takes the last few pages for you to see her fully realized as a character and acting selflessly.

But my feelings about Annis' character development don't change the fact that I think the rest of the book was pretty amazing. The setting was great, and every time I sat down to read a little bit more, I felt like I was given a nice escape.  The magic elements within the book were easy to keep up with, and the actual worldbuilding focuses mostly on the idea that there are spies operating in plain sight all the time, instead of on the fact that magic is a thing that people can do. It was a nice contrast to most books that have fantasy elements, where once the main character discovers that magic exists, all of their attention is drawn to that. In Murder, the fantastical discovery for Annis is that spies exist, which, to me, is just as exciting.

And all of the supporting characters throughout the book- though it was a bit hard to keep up with how Many of them there were, geez- were fleshed out and weren't just props to support Annis' narrative.

Plus, I think this is the first corset-wearing heroine in a book that I've read that never openly complains about wearing a corset. There's never an "I wish I could be free of this ribcage prison" because, like most corset-wearing people in her time, she's used to wearing one.

I do have a warning though, because this is something that, regardless of spoilers, I'm going to mention in a review of any book that I read. So, y'know, skip ahead a little if you don't want to be forewarned. But there are a few mentions of sexual assault within the book, with a heavier emphasis in the last like, two chapters. Plus there is a moment where Annis is attacked, and though no sexual assault takes place, the attack is carried out with the intent of it becoming sexual assault. It was uncomfortable for me and slightly jarring, so I felt the need to mention it for anyone who might want to avoid content like that.

While I enjoyed the initial premise of this story, I struggled to keep interested in the characters. Thank you so much for this opportunity, though!

This was a quick and enjoyable read, but I think there was a lot of great potential that fell flat.

I'm not quite sure if there was a romantic interest in this book? The person who I began to think was supposed to be I first thought was a creepy older guy, and then his advances on her were awkward, but then all of a sudden she's actually interested in him? I'm still really not sure.

There are a lot of characters that I had a hard time keeping straight in my head, and not quite enough plot, it was over before it really began.

That being said, I love the idea of her sewing magic into gorgeous dresses and having no clue how to even sew, and that she can completely disguise someone to look exactly like another. I think this is a brilliant idea that I'd love to see grow in the series (if it continues?).

Oh my gosh! Why did it take me so long to read this!? I LOVED it, and I do not say that often in reviews. This had such a good combination of all things that I like in a good story. It was a regency era YA intrigue, and I enjoyed it immensely!

Murder, Magic, and What We Wore was a middle ground book for me, it wasn't what I thought it would be on the mystery front, it took a while for it to get moving and most of the time I felt like I was just waiting for something to happen, and once it did get moving, and you had the clues, it was pretty easy too figure out, which felt like a let-down.

But, Murder, Magic, and What We Wore had elements that were fun and interesting, like the element of magic - Annis can sew glamour, and you can really imagine from the description how that affected the material and dress she sewed and altered, and how much you use glamour.

Although the characters are not that memorable, I loved the friendship between Annis and Millie’s friendship, and how they helped and supported one another.

This book contains:
An English setting
Jane Austen elements
Magical Realism
Mrs. Doubtfire-like situations
Espionage
Strong, independent women
Mystery
Knife-Throwing
WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT FROM A BOOK?! I loved it. Seriously.

<i>Murder, Magic, and What We Wore</i> by Kelly Jones

<b>Star rating</b>: ★★★☆ ☆ 3/5 stars

<b>Format</b>: ebook galley

<b>Summary</b>: When Annis learns of the death of her father it changes her and her aunt's lives. No longer do they have his money to support them so they must find the means of supporting themselves. Annis discovers her magical talent for sewing glamours into clothing and tries to convince her aunt to let her use these talents.

<b>Review</b>: I wanted to like this book a whole lot more than I did. It has a lot of things that should make me enjoy this book thourghly. It's set in the regency era, has magic and also spies. One would think that's the recipe for a great story. And while, yes, there were a lot of parts I liked it fell short. The main problem was that for huge chunks of the story, nothing at all seemed to happen.

I like the characters, I especially love how many women there are in this book and how powerful they are. The female centered aspect of this book is pretty cool, there are some men but they don't show up very often. But the plot moves so slowly and it feels like by the time you get to the end that you've only just been introduced to the beginning of a story. It ends just as things seem to start happening, which is kind of frustrating.

I like that there isn't really a romance in this. There's a little flirting but Annis doesn't have time for romance and it's not her focus. Which was different and cool to see in a historical fiction, a lot of Regency books I've read seem to center around romance.

A cool thing the author did was make small nods to other books set in this time period, using other characters as background characters. Like when Annis picks up her father's trunk it's from Faber Shipping, referencing the Bloody Jack series by L.A. Meyer. It's some cool homage to authors that came before her and I liked it because it wasn't overdone. Just small Hingis you easily could miss if you don't know the characters.

I like how flawed the main character is and how slow she is as well. It's nice to have characters that aren't perfect.

There is a lot of good potential here but it's bogged down by a lot of non-action or not moving the plot forward. I think if there was a sequel I would probably read it but I don't think this is a book I would reread.

<b>Recommendation</b>: It's a pretty cool historical novel but if you're looking for a fast paced plot then I would seek something else.

A few things about this book right off the bat: first of all, it took me a long time to read. My attention just wasn't held the way I hoped it would have been. Especially because it felt rather like it was going to be a YA historical/almost-cozy mystery, which would have been right up my alley. Still overall regardless of exact genre, the plot moved very slowly.

Secondly, the magic in this book was not very exciting, widespread, nor well explained. Was it unique? Yes. You will never find Harry, Ron, and Hermione sewing glamours. However, that is the <i>only</i> magic in the book and its not shiny magic, its really not magic that Annis is really confident in or that she learns from some great wizard or a secret family recipe or anything like that...she hardly practices in any big, adventurous, fun way except for exhausting herself to save herself from bankruptcy. It was a bummer.

Third, the characters were unextraordinary to me mainly because I never trusted any of them. I never felt like we got a good enough glimpse into any of them because there was just too much going on with Annis and her cherades.

So those are my criticisms. All of that being said, I did enjoy other aspects of the books. I did like the setting of the book and the genre in general. There are not many YA historical mysteries out there. I would LOVE to read more books like this! Especially with young women at the center. The Jackaby books are good as well! I also thought the ending and the resolution in general saved the book in general. I wish the pacing would have been better throughout the book, but I have to say that I thought the ending was well done and I hope there is another book because I would pick it up.

This book was a little slow getting started, but once I got onto is I couldn't put it down. I loved the characters and the little plot twists that kept the story excitong. I haven't checked yet, but I really hope this is the start of a series

Overall, I liked this book okay, but I’m not looking to read more in the series. I thought the main character was pretty annoying, honestly. I wish that there had been more about Millie because she seemed WAY more interesting. At least give us multiple POVs! I could see what this book was trying to do with the plot, but it’s just been done better in other books, honestly (check out the These Vicious Masks books). I thought the magic in this book was really interesting and had a lot of potential, but it was also a little confusing and may have benefited from a bit of an explanation.

Note: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.