Wondering Sight (The Extraordinaries #2)

"Wondering Sight" was a fantastic continuation of the Extraordinaries series, which could also be read as a stand-alone. In this book, we follow Sophia, an Extraordinary Seer, who was discharged from the military after one of her Dreams, which she knows to be true, was shown to be false. The man she accused was prominent in the government and so the investigation was not as thorough as it should have been. Lord Endicott made himself a dangerous enemy. Sophia is determined in her pursuit of him and uncovering his illicit activities.

Things become more complicated as he continues to foil her at every turn- but why and how? Sophia is joined by her long-BFF, Cecy, and Daphne, a young and eager Extraordinary Bounder. She also has an ally of sorts in Mr. Rutledge, who becomes a friend and maybe even more. It was a quick and fascinating read, as we delve into Sophia's mind and her abilities, both to Dream of the near future (she can only see something once a decision has been made or would be made in one way) and Visions where she can see the present through objects possessed by an individual.

Sophia has a scientific mind and applies this to her abilities, studying and learning from them, as we do the same. I really loved that she and Cecy were the clear main characters here, and the book is definitely highly powered by strong women. Although this takes place in an era where women are typically oppressed, Extraordinaries have more privileges and abilities than others, able to join the military and make their own living. Sophia is a wonderful example of this.

The story is brilliantly written and keeps you engaged until the end- it will move far too quickly. It's very clean, not much violence and no sexual content. Overall, this one is another big win for me, and I can't wait to see this series continued further!

Please note that I received an ARC from the publishers. All opinions are my own.

i loved burning bright, the first book in melissa mcshane's extraordinaries series, so i was thrilled to see wondering sight was just released. i mean, literally thrilled, because just like with burning bright the cover is so pretty. at first i kept expecting to see elinor and miles or some of the characters from the first novel, and i spent a lot of time trying to identify connections that weren't there. so eventually i figured that these books weren't necessarily connected, but that they clearly occupied the same world.

and this is a fully fleshed out world, a paranormal version of our own regency england. sophia westlake has just come home from portugal, after years of service as an extraordinary seer. she leaves her government service in disgrace, having accused a peer of embezzlement that there is no evidence for. but sophia knows she is right. she is not just any extraordinary seer, she is among the best. and the doubt about her visions cuts her to the core of who she is. and the fact that lord endicott, the man she accused, her nemesis, is roaming freely about london society makes her blood boil. she is beyond all rationality when it comes to lord endicott. she wants him to suffer and pay for what he has done to her. it goes beyond justice and is simple revenge.

she begins tracking lord endicott's criminal activities, using her dreams to predict his criminal behavior. all her focus is on this one activity, even though she has been offered an alternative outlet for her powers. a mr. rutledge takes it upon himself to proposition her with a job offer, he miscalculates badly, thinking she'd be happy for the work, but sophia is too prideful, and there is no way she would work for someone who thinks she's made a mistake. mr. rutledge turns out to be involved in the search of a counterfeiting ring, one that lord endicott is leading, but sophia is not pleased when she realizes that mr. rutledge has been taking advantage of the overlap.

there are a lot of misunderstanding between sophia and poor mr. rutledge. there were two things i struggled with in this novel, one was sophia's pridefulness, she is so unyielding in her determination to prove everyone is wrong about her, that it becomes infuriating at times. people just want to help, they are on her side, and for a time she treats everyone like an enemy. to her own detriment, since her singular focus on her dreams and vision actually impact her health and mental well-being. and then the other thing is that there isn't a ton of action. after the first novel, with all the battles and warfare, hanging out in dreams and visions about counterfeit money is a little less thrilling. but this is still a wonderful tale, and getting to know more people in this world, and learning more about their abilities, makes for a great read. i'm hoping we see sophia's extraordinary bounder cousin, daphne, in the next book in the series. i, for one, will definitely be checking it out.

Wondering Sight is the second installment in author Melissa McShane's The Extraordinaire's. The author returns to Regency London, circa 1812, where there are some extraordinary people living in this era. From seers, to scorchers, to bounders, sharpers & movers they all have some pretty remarkable abilities & skill sets. This time out, Author McShane writes about an entirely new cast of characters outside of Burning Bright.

Wondering Sight features Sophia Westlake, who readers of Burning Bright should be familiar with. She's a powerful seer who discovered how the pirates were tracking Royal Navy ships and therefore saved the day when things looked bleak. Sophia's visions are said to perfect in accuracy. Which is why when her Dreams show Lord Endicott being guilty of embezzling money from the Army, the War Office releases her. Sophia still doesn't know what happened, but she is sure that her dreams somehow changed.

Now, Sophia faces another reality. One of burning rage, hatred & a desire for revenge on the man she knows is guilty as charged, and at the War Office for not believing her after 3 years of perfect service to the country. Luckily for Sophia, no one really knows how she left the service, and therefore her reputation is pretty sold when it comes to well to do of London Society. Especially since Sophia wears red gloves signifying her extraordinary talents.

Sophia is a entirely different character from Elinor Pembroke. She didn't just wake up one day and find out she was extraordinary. Plus, she has some really interesting friends in Cecilia Barham (speaker), and her cousin Lady Daphne (bounder) who more than makes this story a delight to read. Sophia is definitely driven to drive a stake into the heart of Lord Endicott who plays cat and mouse with her for a large part of this story. You definitely find yourself asking who is the prey, and who is the one being chased because of all the twists, and turns.

There is a sort of brilliance to the authors writing and world building. She can easily put you in a setting like Regency England and get the conversational pieces going so well, that you feel as though you are in the room with these characters. Wondering Sight isn't bogged down with unnecessary romance. It is a back and forth give and take between Sophia and a secretive, older gentlemen named Alexander Rutledge that doesn't smother the story.

Fun fact: According to author Melissa McShane, Lady Daphne St. Clair will be the heroine of the as-yet-untitled book 3 in the series. I loved Daphne, so I eagerly await the release of the title, cover, and release date.

I am an avid reader of both fantasy/magical novels and regency romances, yet it is surprisingly rare to see the two genre combined to such good effect.

This book was definitely greater than the sum of its parts, with likable characters, wonderful dialogue, a worthy romantic interest and an unworthy villain.

I look forward to future installments in this series.

Wondering Sight is a good second entry into Melissa McShane’s new series, The Extraordinaries.

Sophia is a respected Dreamer, a person who with psi abilities who can use dreams and visions to do things like see the immediate future and envision the world through another person’s eyes. However, she feels that her abilities as a Dreamer are in doubt when she is dismissed from military service after she accuses Lord Endicott (one of the villains from the first book) of embezzling and the Army does not believe her. Sophia then embarks on an obsessive quest to prove that Endicott is corrupt by using her dreams to show that he is involved in another criminal enterprise—forging money. In doing so, she risks her health, friendships, and the possibility of finding love with the intriguing Mr. Rutledge.

This entire novel is a game of cat and mouse between Sophia and Lord Endicott. Or maybe it might be more accurate to compare the relationship to one cat stalking another, as each of them tries to bring the other down. The interplay between the two kept me interested in what would happen next.

Readers who really like a lot of action might have a bit of trouble getting through this book, though. Much of the novel literally takes place in Sophia’s head as she dreams. She does go out and actually do things when she can, but as a woman in 19th century England, her ability to act is naturally going to be limited. Sophia is frustrated by her inability to do more, at having to sit around and wait for others to act, and it does get somewhat frustrating for the reader at times as well.

However, the frustration I felt at times over the pacing of the book was counteracted by my enjoyment of how the romance between Sophia and Mr. Rutledge was written. Unlike the first book in the series, where the relationship between the two main characters is kept pretty much in the background for most of the book, Sophia recognizes fairly early on that she has fallen in love. However, Mr. Rutledge’s own actions put a barrier between them in a way that seemed fairly realistic to me. If a person doesn’t believe in you or manipulates you for his benefit, as Mr. Rutledge does to Sophia, it’s going to make it harder to trust in him enough to reveal how you feel about that person. When they both finally reveal their feelings for each other, in the final chapter, the resolution of their romance is quite sweet.

I would recommend this novel to readers who enjoy historical fantasy flavored with a bit of romance. And I’m really looking forward to the next in the series. It will be about Daphne, an Extraordinary Bounder who is a particularly enjoyable character in this book..

An eARC of this novel was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

While I readily admit this is outside my normal Genre, I will also go to record in writing that it was a very interesting read. I had some problems getting into the story for the dialogues were crossed and a little too in depth for me at times. I had to readjust my thinking of normal historical to one of mystery, crime and romance. The book is very well written if a little too wordy for my taste. It has a plot as well as characters that are strong and well thought out. I have to be honest and say though it is not to my taste, it is definitely a good read. I am only taking off one star due to the reason that it was a little too wordy and not enough interaction for myself. I was given this book in return for an honest review. Anna Swedenmom

I adored this book. While I didn't quite love it as much as the first (I think I'm just attached to Elinor), this sequel still had everything I loved about the first book: strong, female protagonist, unique abilities and a great love interest.

With a better understanding of this world after the first book, it was so easy to dive into Sophia's life as she re-enters society after helping in the war overseas and uses her seer abilities to try to regain her reputation and take down the evil Lord Endicott.

I really hope that there will be more books in this series. I can't wait to read more of McShane's work!

I was eager to return to The Extraordinaries world of elegant Regency London, an ongoing war with France, and oh yes, people born with magical gifts that made them a bit of something extra. Wondering Sight shifts the spotlight to a new intrepid heroine, Sophia Westlake, who possesses a different magical gift and a new adventure of her own.

Wondering Sight is book two in The Extraordinaries series, but it is written in such a way that it can be read out of order or standalone though I would encourage the reader not to miss the first and exciting book, Burning Bright.

The story opens with Sophia Westlake dismissed from her work for the Army in disgrace. Only a select few know about her disgrace- a dream that did not turn out true implicating one of the army’s weapon’s suppliers in a crime. Sophia is a Seer and an Extraordinaire at that. Her gift is powerful and never wrong. She can’t fathom how Lord Endicott got away with his scheme and made her look bad.

Now back in London and forced to meet Endicott in society, Sophia is determined to prove she was right and take down Endicott. She is convinced that a slippery character like him would have more than one scheme afoot.

Her friends, Cecy and Daphne worry about her entering her Dream state too much and Endicott is aware of her pursuit of him and taking steps. A mysterious and interesting man wants to hire her for Seer work and just happens to be around each time she needs rescuing. Driven harder each time she is thwarted, Sophia is so determined to catch Endicott that her pursuit of justice just might slip into revenge. Only, the hunter might turn into the prey if she isn’t careful.

Alright, Wondering Sight was vastly different from the earlier book, Burning Bright. The two stories occupy the same world of Regency times blended with magic, but this one takes place mostly against the backdrop of the London Season and the war that was prevalent before is distant background here. There is some excitement, but this one is more of a mystery than adventure.

Sophia’s gift was mentioned in the first book, but now the details about how the Seer magic works is detailed out. Sophia is a powerful Seer and can slip into dreams to gain present or future scenes. She can also touch an object to see visions. Sophia is an impulsive and emotional type who leaps into thought, words, and actions which gets her into trouble more often than not. She is written with deep flaws and much of the story she is oblivious, but slowly she is forced to see them and grow though it is only near the end when she teeters over a real abyss of trouble that she finally listens to her friends and the man she loves.

This one had a cunning plot. The villain and even his scheme is known, but this leads to a cat and mouse game that gets deadly. And the story that was evenly paced really started picking up speed near the end for the exciting finish.

Like the first book, I loved the world of magic users and the camaraderie of friends and a little romance. Sophia is a Seer, but her best friend Cecy has the magical ability to connect with others through mindspeak and her new friend Daphne is a Bounder who can teleport from place to place or ‘skip’ to longer distances. There are also Movers who use telekinesis, fire magic wielders, shapers who can alter their appearances, and more.

I had a good time with this second outing in the series and can’t wait for the next installment hopefully involving the precocious Daphne. Those who enjoy their historicals blended with some magic, some romance, and a cunning adventure should give this book/series a try.

My thanks to Curiosity Quills for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

*I received this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

A few things to confess: I have forgotten some things from the first book, which made me a bit confused in this book, but even without that knowledge I was still able to enjoy the book. Also, I can't believe it took me so long to read this book because it was awesome. When the third one...if a third one comes out I will definitely need to re-read the series, but that might not be a bad thing.

Okay, so what to say about this book. As, I briefly mentioned above, I did not remember some things, which I thought would have been nice to include in the book, such as different talents or powers people can have and (most importantly) what they do. Cecy is a Speaker... I still have no idea the extent of her power or what she can do... A review of how Extraordinaries are treated, how rare they are, etc. would have been nice to include as well.
I was confused on how Dreams and Visions worked... especially when one thing didn't work but another did, even though I thought they were the same thing... it is a bit confusing and if I really tried to understand the mechanics of it, maybe I would have understood? I decided just to roll with it though.

I thought the little romance was... well, little. I am still on the fence on if I liked it or not really. Not much attention was brought to it, but it also definitely was not insta-love which is always a definite PLUS.

I was really hooked by this story. I loved the writing and how the plot unfolded. This is not a whodunnit mystery but, more of a revenge book and trying to find the evidence to put the bad guy away mystery. I thought it was done well-- OH! the banter between Sophia and Lord Endicott was so good. I was ooh-ing and chuckling over the exchanges. I really wanted more. I also liked the atmosphere around Sophia and Mr. Rutledge (?), I liked them. Also, there were some good female friend interactions! Sophia, Cecy, and Daphne were fun to read about. Daphne is probably my favorite, and I do hope she gets a book-- I think she will since she is expanding upon what Bounders can do :D

All in all, this was a great book. I suggest reading the first one <i>Burning Bright</i> which I also enjoyed before reading this one.