Shades of Milk and Honey was an accidental find on the library bookshelf when browsing the fantasy section. The author’s quality of the writing was high, and she successfully captured the Jane Austen vibe.

The majority of the book was a little underwhelming. It followed the Jane Austen model so closely it was fairly transparent what was going on among the characters romantically, and this left little mystery to engage the reader. Furthermore, the magic system was mostly undeveloped in the book and was more of a sidebar with the focus being the Jane Austen-style. However, the last fifty pages of the book substantially ramped up the action and magic, and the novel ended strongly.

This is the first book in a series. Although not written specifically for the young adult demographic, Jane Austen fans of any age would enjoy this book.

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language: None

Violence/Gore: Minor injuries from falling/tripping; fainting from exertion after doing magic; life-threatening situation after over-exertion from using magic; report that someone killed another in a duel; character attacks another in anger in emotional stress, pulling out clumps of the person’s hair; character held at gunpoint; characters intend to duel; character shot; character knocked unconscious.

Sex/Nudity: Romantic interests and feelings; engagements; characters embrace.

Mature Subject Matter:

Gambling.

Alcohol/Drug Use:

Characters drink wine, brandy, sherry, etc. at social occasions.