Book Review: Renegade Magic by Stephanie Burgis

• Renegade Magic by Stephanie Burgis
• #2 in the Unladylike Adventures of Kat Stephenson series
• Release Date: April 3, 2012
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
• Pages:336
• Received: ARC from publisher
• Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

This is the second book in a series! 

There are NO spoilers in this review for the first book 

(but if I mention a name, then you kind of know they didn't die in the first book!)

Still worried? Read my Kat, Incorrigible review instead!

Summary

Kat Stephenson is back to cause more chaos! Stepmama drags the family to Bath to find Kat's sister a new suitor. But, unknown to most of its gossipy visitors, Bath is full of wild magic. When Kat uncovers a plot to harness this magic in the Roman Baths, she finds her brother Charles is unwittingly involved. Kat must risk her newfound magical powers as she defies the Order of the Guardians to foil the plot and clear her brother's name. -Goodreads

Review

It is so good to be back with Kat!

Kat is as lovable as ever, but it's clear my little girl is growing up. With responsible big sister Elissa MIA for pretty much all of the story, it's up to Kat to rein in her flaky brother Charles and impulsive sister Angeline. (And much as I love Elissa, it was kind of fun being so unsupervised!)

To say Kat has her work cut out for her is a massive understatement. Plus, Kat also has to contend with her own Guardian problems (and, ugh, Lady Fotherington is SO annoying! But she totally gets hers in the end *cackle*). Kat of course rises to the occasion with pluck and determination.

The deal

After Angeline's fiance's mother arrives on the scene as a new Woman to Loathe and announces that her son will NEVER marry a witch like Angeline (seriously, I mean an actual magical witch), Stepmama whisks Angeline off to Bath to find a replacement man.

Angeline, heartbroken and hellbent on marrying the man she loves, concocts a half-baked plan of ruination that provides fodder for lots of unladylike snickering. I wanted to strangle her because her plan was SO CLEARLY A BAD IDEA. I felt very close to Kat whenever she sighed and moaned about Angeline.

And then there's Charles. Irrepressible gambler, it takes him about two seconds after arriving in Bath to sneak off and get himself into trouble. The imagery created by his oblivious escapades had me laughing out loud at the absurdity of it all. Sadly though, while he's around more often than the first book, I still didn't get to know him nearly as much as I wanted.

The biggest surprises came from Stepmama and Kat's father. While neither play a central part in the story, both pop in and out to provide a ton of laughs and even a few aaaww-inducing moments. In the first book Stepmama filled the role of Woman to Loathe, but I actually loved her in Renegade Magic. I don't know if she's softening, or if Kat's new maturity is presenting Stepmama in a new light, but she was so cool she actually made me fist pump her awesomeness.

I noticed the writing

Just like Kat, Incorrigible, Kat again narrates, though I think her voice is slightly more mature. I'm not complaining either way here, but the first book had more I-want-to-pinch-your-cheeks-you're-so-cute kind of charm. It was the kind of writing where every sentence is carefully constructed for optimal awww-ness.

I love this, but it's also somewhat exhausting after a while. My internal quoter ends up working overtime and I'm so focused on the brilliance of the sentences that I end up getting pulled out of the story. The writing in Renegade Magic is still very clearly Kat's voice, but it's a smidgen less overtly adorable and a little easier to sink into.

Although, that said, there's one line that is one of my favorite sentences I think I've ever read. (When Charles admires his father's stealthy exit).

Bottom line

Throughout the whole book a part of my brain was busy writing up sleepover party invitations for Kat and Theodosia (those two NEED to meet!). I love Kat and hope to read many, many, many more adventures with her.

This is a strong follow up that should please fans of the first book. I very rarely buy a book before reading it and making absolutely sure I want to spend my hard-earned money on it, but Stephanie Burgis has earned herself a spot on my very tiny auto-buy list. I'm already counting down the days for the release of the third book!

Explanation of rating system: Star Rating Key 

Do you have any questions about Renegade Magic that I haven't addressed? 
Feel free to ask in the comments!

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