Shades of Milk and Honey - Mary Robinette Kowal

Fills in the Magical Realism square

 

This should of been titled Shades of Pride and Prejudice. It was okay to read, but as soon as I finished reading it, I started to think about everything I didn't like about the book. The characters were just awful; I didn't mind, but also didn't connect at all, with the MC (Jane Ellsworth)  a true mix of boring Jane Bennett and Mary Bennett). Her relationship with her dad was great to read, but the rest of her family (Melody, the younger sister was such a Lydia) (Mrs. Ellsworth, a complete rip-off of Mrs. Bennett) were tedious to read due to their ugliness. And the Ellsworths NEED to marry off their daughters as the land/home they share is entailed and their are no male heirs in their family to inherit (gee, where have I read that before...)

 

There is of course the Darcy-type hero (Mr. Vicent). There was the sister/brother duo, the Dunkirks, who abused Jane while also being her friend (Elizabeth) or wooing her subtly (Edmund). There was a Lady FitzCameron (stand in for Lady Catherine and just as bitchy), her daughter (rival against Ellsworth sisters for bachelors' affections), and her nephew Captain Livingston (villain).

 

There was very little plot other than the generic Regency "gotta land a husband, preferably rich" scheming. The writing was repetitive, using the same words over and over again in the same paragraph, same page. Sometimes the writer would try to get fancy as use the word  "shew" for show or "chuse" for choose....and other times the modern spellings of those were used. No rhyme or reason. I wouldn't recommend this book even to the most die-hard Austen readers. 1.5 stars.