SORCERER TO THE CROWN

Narrator Jenny Sterlin has fun with the playful language used in this genre-crossing fantasy/Regency romance. In the 1800s, the head magician of England, the sorcerer royal, is a freed black man. While struggling to maintain his position in the face of jealous, racist competitors, he meets a talented young woman who should hide her magic but who cannot help but shine with her power. Romance, magic, feminism, race relations—Cho tackles them all with graceful writing, and Sterlin voices them with joy and aplomb. Her raspy yet supple voice creates memorable characters. Magic may be the central concern of this book, and the literary constraints of the Regency romance may limb its fantasy, but fans of both genres will find something to enjoy. G.D. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2016]