Murder, Magic, and What We Wore

Murder, Magic, and What We Wore is a young adult novel written by Kelly Jones. I was excited about the opportunity to read this book because it is set in the Regency era, one of my absolute favorite historical periods.

Annis Whitworth is a young woman whose life is thrown into upheaval by her father’s death. She did not know her father very well because he was often traveling, and his sudden death prompts many questions about his occupation. This event also seems to serve as the catalyst for Annis learning that she can sew “glamours” that transform garments and the person wearing them.

Annis sets up a shop in a little village- using a disguise, of course, because no well-bred young woman would ever do something like work in trade. This places her in a position to discover more about what her father did, and who may be responsible for his death.

I loved the setting of this book. I was also fascinated by the element of magic found within this particular interpretation of Regency England. I wish the magic would have been more fleshed out- how much magic is present and what other uses for magic are there? I found the mystery element to be rather well done, and the big reveal was a bit of a surprise for me. Jones also plays a "trick" of sorts, and while I did make note of one coincidence, I did not realize the extent of this trick- well played, Ms. Jones! Naturally, I cannot say any more, and I fear I have already said too much, so I'll have to remain vague on the matter.

I would recommend Murder, Magic, and What We Wore. It’s reminiscent of other Regency-era YA novels like Patrice Kindl’s Keeping the Castle, Cindy Anstey’s books, and Alison Goodman’s Lady Helen books. Annis is a lively protagonist, and I would be interested to see if there is going to be a sequel to this book.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley/the publishers in exchange for an honest review.