Private: The Book of Spells by Kate Brian

Private: The Book of Spells by Kate Brian
Buy Private: The Book of Spells by Kate Brian at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: Teens
Reviewer: Robert James
Summary: The prequel to Kate Brian's Private series is a hit and miss affair which will be devoured by her fans but is only a mild recommendation to the general reader.
Buy? Maybe	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 336	Date: February 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Books
ISBN: 978-0857071293
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Following in her older sister's footsteps after May's return from the exclusive Billings School for Girls to marry the handsome George Thackery III, Eliza Williams is expecting that everyone at the school will remember her sister with affection. But Theresa Billings – as powerful as her name suggests – clearly wasn't a great friend of May's, and Eliza must navigate the rivalries and friendships of school as she tries to settle in. Then the girls find a spell book, and bond over frivolous magic as they help each other and embarrass people they dislike. What could possibly go wrong?

Quite a lot, obviously, and, of course, it does. The initial part of the book is entertaining as the girls play around with magic and Eliza falls for handsome Harrison Knox of the Easton Academy. For my money, things jump the shark slightly once we get to the more serious magic, to be honest, with what should be the major part of the book being fairly condensed compared to the long, and more enjoyable, start.

I'll admit to not having kept up to date with the main Private series – I've read the first three or four but somehow lost track despite quite enjoying them due to Brian's strong characters, especially Reed and Noelle, and Theresa and Eliza in this series are extremely reminiscent of the girls in the original. I'm sure that if I was a long-time Private fan this would have been a completely brilliant book, since it ties into the forthcoming Ominous which will see the Book of Spells reappear. As someone less involved in the goings on at Billings, though, the big supernatural drama here didn't hold my attention as much as I'd have liked it to.

I do have to say, though, that I thought Brian captured the period details of the time really well, and the language used by the girls and staff sounded perfect. Overall it's a very strong recommendation to fans of the Private series and will pass the time perfectly well for the average reader. I'm not sure it will tempt me back to the main Private series – just because there are now so many it would take me months to catch up without ignoring other books – but I'd certainly be interested in a sequel to this prequel.

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to The Bookbag.

Further reading suggestion: For more fantastic historical fiction, although this time without the supernatural bent, I absolutely loved Anna Godbersen's Bright Young Things.

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You can read more book reviews or buy Private: The Book of Spells by Kate Brian at Amazon.com.

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