Gr 9 Up—Seventeen-year-old Bryar Rose is one of the Magicorum, which means her life is supposed to follow a traditional fairy-tale "template." Although she lives with three fairy aunties and takes special medication to fight off a sleeping curse, the Sleeping Beauty template has never quite fit her. Bryar Rose is far more interested in translating Egyptian papyri from an ancient Book of Magic than she is in the insufferable "Prince" Philpot. She is supposed to marry him on her 18th birthday. However, Bryar Rose's fascination with the papyri lands her an internship translating it for the incredibly wealthy Alec LeCharme, who is her own age. Soon she is thrust into a larger magical world of wizards, fairies, werewolves, mummy-zombies, and the villainous Julius Caesar. Along the way, the protagonist falls hard for a werewolf named Knox and discovers she may not be the ordinary human she believed she was. It's hard to cram the requisite amount of world-building and development into this fast-moving series debut, but fans of supernatural adventure and romance likely won't mind. This world is a mishmash of fairy-tale conventions, the paranormal, Ancient Rome, and Ancient Egypt—with a playful twist on all of it (e.g., Cinderella, "Elle," is Bryar Rose's bestie and a master con artist).
VERDICT A fun romp for Twilight fans; an additional purchase.
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