I’ve actually opted to not give this book a star rating (I’ll probably set it to three stars in the places that don’t let you leave things blank so if you spy that anywhere that will be why) mostly because I don’t think I can judge this book particularly well as a white lady in the UK.

So this book is described in the authors note/acknowledgements as “a mythologisation of the real history of Britain, France and Haiti in the eighteenth century” – and knowing that was the aim did help me to get my head around this book a little.

The aspect of these three storylines about which I know the most is the British history portion – not only did I do a ‘Pitt to Peel’ paper for A level history (which sounds like it is about fruit but is in fact about British Prime Ministers) – but I also had what may have been an unhealthy obsession with the film Amazing Grace detailing William Wilberforce’s involvement in the abolition movement in Britain – I did a lot of reading around the subject at the same time and I’d say I have a fairly good handle on the way events are presented in the history books.* What I didn’t know much about was the French and Haitian aspects of this story – in some ways, this book was an interesting ‘bounce off’ point for research in that regard, I wanted to know how much was ‘mythologising’ and what was ‘real’. I like a historical fantasy that inspires me to go and look at that period of history and in that sense, this book was a success.

I suppose my difficulty is questioning whether this is an area of history we ought to be mythologising? While this book does deal with magic and slavery as separate things (at one point I feared it was a ‘find and replace slavery for magic’ job but thankfully it was not) it still entwines the two in a way that I’m not sure works. I suppose my fear is that by pushing even a small amount of the abolition movement into myth then it paves the way for the entire thing to start to feel like a fantasy story. Especially given that, while this was some two centuries ago, the ramifications are still being felt around the world today. The book tackles the abolition of the slave trade in England – but not only were we still paying back those families who benefitted from the slave trade with taxes until 2015, there is also a lot of current discourse around modern slavery. To push slavery into the stuff of myth, to place it alongside vampires and armies of the undead feels…just a little off to me. Hence my lack of a rating, I know I’m not the person who gets to decide what is problematic or not, and I certainly don’t want to get into a ‘who is the most woke’ discussion. I’m genuinely posing the question – where historical fantasy is involved how do we draw the lines?

Setting that aside for a moment to discuss the actual book, I still think H G Parry is a very talented speculative fiction author. This book had the same huge scope that her first book had, managing to handle a large number of interconnecting plot threads and also managing to keep the most important cards close to the metaphorical chest – only revealing them at the most intense and devastating moments. It’s good writing (though the book did drag a little at the start so one to definitely press on with). One issue I did have was in how the fantasy and historical elements were blended. Again I can only speak to the British aspect of the book but I found it jarring to have one scene where it depicted a genuine moment from history that we know happened with people who did exist and lived saying things that they actually said…and in the next chapter you have characters from history heading off to fight vampires? I didn’t feel the same disconnect with the French and Haitian portions – but I wonder if that is because of my distance from that historical narrative? I’d be interested to hear from both those who know those narratives well and those who don’t have the same British knowledge as I do – whether this is a product of ‘knowing too much’ or if the British segment is, in fact, more disparate?

Should you read this? I would say if you’re able to think critically about the material then it is an interesting take on a period of history. As I say it did provide some jumping-off points for me personally – I’ll be looking to learn more about the Haitian revolution for sure – so if that is why you read historical fiction/fantasy then I would say that might be a good thing as well. But if you’re looking to learn about Britain’s role in the slave trade and the arduous journey towards abolition – it sounds obvious but I think you need to head on over to the non-fiction aisle.

*This is an odd phrasing intentionally – as an ancient history/archaeology student I’d say the biggest thing I learned is that history changes.

I received a free digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians is out now!

In a contest for "The book you don't want to end" (2020 edition) this story would win. I'm usually a fast reader but I was reading it slowly because it was like drinking a fine wine that you have to savour a bit at a time,
I wanted to appreciate the great characters, the amazing world building and the style of writing.
It's hard to express how much I loved this story and how hard it was to let it go hoping to read soon the second part in this duology.
I can't find any fault to this book because everything is perfect: the style of writing, the character development, the storytelling and the well researched and vivid historical background.
I enjoyed what I read and I learned a lot about some historical fact I didn't know.
I can't wait for the next book and to read again the second part of this great story.
Fun, entertaining and brilliant: it's strongly recommended.
Many thanks to Orbit and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Firstly thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians.

This is historical fiction with a seam of fantasy that tells a very, very dark tale of control, injustice and repression.

Set in the late 18th century, the story crosses England, France and Haiti, illustrating a society of injustice controlled by those with money and power.

This is a well researched and very detailed story, that definitely requires your full attention. It doesn’t shy from distinct and strong scenes of repression, cruelty and injustice, which at times were difficult to read.

The plot itself addresses in detail the politics of the time, both in detail and length, cutting between these and the more active events in Haiti. The research and detail are well enunciated, but it does challenge the pace of the story, which I found to be a challenge., but I must compliment the subtle weaving of the strands of the stories together.

I refuse to detract from what is a strong, well researched, cleverly woven story, but unfortunately it just wasn’t for me at this time.

I found declaration of the rights of magicians too political I couldn't get into it. Shame it sounded great and I normally love books with anything magical, wizardry I'm them.

This book was not at all what I was expecting. I opened it thinking it would be a light fantasy about magicians. It is not. It is about politics, specifically the politics of slavery. The book is well written, the prose flowing and detailed. As I read it I thought “oh this is like Johnathan Strange and Mr Norrel” and lo and behold the authors cats have been named after those two characters. I was not surprised. It owes a great debt to that book. However by writing about known historical figures all the tension is drawn out of he plot. I know the history so as I read I was just ticking boxes. The magic is secondary to the history and might as well not be there at all. A lot of the book is just set ups for debates between Pit and Wilberforce who are engaging characters and their friendship is absolutely charming but they are little more mouth pieces. They also agree about the outcome they want but not how to get it.
Robespierre was slightly more interesting, we get to see his rise and ultimate downfall as he gets caught in a trap of his own making. Sympathy for Robespierre shows how well written the book is. But again the magic is a side bar. Yes the big bad is influencing him but what is more terrifying is that all this stuff actually happened without magic. It’s was a bloody period of history and the addition of magic is hardly worth the bother.
There are also few women in this book. The main one and arguably the most interesting character in the whole book is a slave who we follow from Africa to Jamaica but then as soon as she escapes and becomes an actual protagonist she is paired with a male character with more power and she becomes a observer again. It was so frustrating.
The big bad is also tiresome. He never seemed to come to fruition and I couldn’t see the point of him at all but I have since read that this is to be a duo-logy so he must come to the fore later but by god it’s a slow build. I have no idea who he is or what he wants and I don’t particularly care. Which is a crying shame because the writing is splendid.
This is a sprawling, dense novel covering a large chunk of time where a lot happened and focusing the action on three fronts does nothing to help pacing or build tension to make me want to keep reading what is solid characterisation and good dialogue. I like these characters but I wish they would get to the point!

This book, for me, was approximately 500 pages of boredom. I say 500, because for the first 50 or so pages, I thought I might be interested in it. I was quickly disillusioned, and then dragged myself through the rest of the book, in the vain hope that something might actually happen.

Spoiler alert: it did not.

A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians is an almost exact retelling of history as we know it, but with vampires, necromancers, and other magic users. Now, you might think that doesn’t sound so bad. But when I say “almost exact retelling”, I do mean it quite literally. About the only thing that changed about it was exact motivations for things.

I don’t know about you, but I’d have thought that, in a world with magic, history would not happen to unfurl in exactly the same manner as our world. Not to mention there’s a good two millenia plus of development before all this supposedly takes place. And I’m supposed to believe that, under conditions so drastically different from our own, there would be the exact same history unfolding in the exact same way?

And, honestly, that’s what made it most boring to me. That, and the fact that it spans so many years before we even get to the crux of the plot (which is only just revealed right at the end of the book, besides), and in those years, what do we get? Literally just intensely detailed political manoeuverings, a million minutiae on how exactly the very tiniest details of the world had changed.

It was, quite frankly, one of the most boring books I’ve ever had to drag myself through.

It’s not like it was badly written either, so I couldn’t just blame my boredom on not getting along with the writing. It was well-written, but dense and so bogged down in the details, I couldn’t even effectively skim-read it.

I was so bored by this book that, halfway through, I went and googled William Wilberforce, only to find out he had a direct hand in the creation of the Society for the Reformation of Manners, themselves a big player in the raids on molly houses in the 19th century. So yeah.

That nixed any chance of me liking his fictional representation and definitely nixed any chance of me liking this book.

But beyond the boredom, there were some other aspects I didn’t really like. Firstly, I don’t particularly enjoy reading about real historical people but fictionalised. It just feels like it can easily edge into smoothing out any nuance. Like how, apparently, Wilberforce was anti-unionist (and also, judging by the Society he formed, homophobic), but of course we don’t get presented with that here.

Oh and then there was the fact that the Haitian slave revolution was written as being initiated by a white man. With the caveat that I know very little about that, only what I’ve read online, it didn’t exactly feel great.

But then again, the whole “slavery but let’s make it even worse by having the characters bound within their bodies and controlled by the masters, because magic” part of this book didn’t feel so good at all.

So maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised.

It is the Age of Enlightenment — of new and magical political movements, from the necromancer Robespierre calling for revolution in France to the weather mage Toussaint L’Ouverture leading the slaves of Haiti in their fight for freedom, to the bold new Prime Minister William Pitt weighing the legalization of magic amongst commoners in Britain and abolition throughout its colonies overseas.

But amidst all of the upheaval of the early modern world, there is an unknown force inciting all of human civilization into violent conflict. And it will require the combined efforts of revolutionaries, magicians, and abolitionists to unmask this hidden enemy before the whole world falls to darkness and chaos.

This week I’m taking a look at the latest novel from H G Parry. A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians is a reimagining of a key moment in European history, with the addition of some distinctly more fantastical elements.

Taken from Africa as a small child Fina, is a slave on a British plantation in Jamaica. Magic is used to control the workforce as they are forced to toil in back breaking conditions. Fina has learned to internalise everything as the magic that binds her ensures complete, unyielding compliance of her body. The only place where Fina is free is in her thoughts. I loved how Fina’s character evolves in the tiniest of increments. She learns she is different from many of the other slaves. Her mental strength allows her to unlock latent abilities that have the potential to change the world. This process doesn’t happen overnight, it takes years. Each step Fina took forward made me want to cheer. Fina’s is a harrowing journey and as she escapes her bonds, she begins to understand just how truly powerful she actually is.

Meanwhile Paris in the late 1700s is a powder keg. The divide between the aristocracy and the commoners is wider than ever. Maximilien Robespierre is a particularly fascinating character. He finds himself in the unenviable position of doing dark deeds for what he considers to be the best of reasons. The further he is drawn into the revolutionary cause the worse things he is forced to do. You get a real sense that this is a man being pulled apart by his own internal conflict. For all the revolutionary rhetoric and rabble rousing, all Robespierre really wants to do is make life better for the masses. The problem is that the more powerful he becomes, the more his mental state unravels. Robespierre has the ability to raise the dead to do his bidding, but necromancy and mesmerism come at a cost. After earning the nickname “The Incorruptible”, to use a modern analogy, he starts to believe his own press. I sort of felt like I was watching a terrible car accident unfold in slow motion. There was an inevitability about it all, his fate was decided from the outset, but I couldn’t look away.

In Britain, William Pitt and his compatriot, William Wilberforce, are trying to change the system from within. Blessed with mesmeric skills, Pitt has started a career in politics. A staunch believer in the abolitionist movement, Wilberforce is Pitt’s moral compass. Their thread of the narrative provides context and comparison with the situation in France and the West Indies.

Parry’s main characters are perfectly executed. Alternating chapters between their viewpoints ensures the reader learns how magic and politics have defined the nations of the world. The plot seamlessly blends together historical fact and fantastical fiction. Though known as the Age of Enlightenment these were turbulent, bloody times. Society preyed on society and evil was commonplace. People may have tried to justify their actions as being for the greater good, but it is difficult to reconcile that view with modern eyes. Though this is a work of fiction, the French Revolution happened, slavery happened. Imperialism and colonialism are the root cause of many issues still experienced today. Parry’s fiction not only entertains, it also informs.

There are brief mentions of Europe’s alternate history that leave the reader hungry for more. It is only touched upon a handful of times, having taken place hundreds of years in the past, but I know I would happily read an entire novel based around something referred to as “the Vampire Wars”. Admit it, that sounds all kind of awesome. Parry’s world building is first rate, it grabs your attention from page one and refuses to let go. The Reign of Terror and the slave trade become even bleaker prospects when necromancy is suddenly a factor.

Ultimately, I think this is a novel about the nature of change. Fina yearns for the right to be free, to be the equal of others. Pitt recognises the system he is part of is fundamentally wrong, and that his country is complicit. Meanwhile, Robespierre will do absolutely anything, legal or otherwise, to achieve a just society. They all want to reach the same destination but the roads they travel to get there could not be more different.

Parry’s The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep was a thoroughly entertaining debut, but A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians is an author hitting their stride. The scope of the novel maybe vast but it is delivered with masterful skill. Though this is a work set in a historical context, many of the themes discussed feel timely. I strongly advise checking this out. This is definitely going to be one of my books of the year.

A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians is published by Orbit and is available now. Highly recommended. I am left with a single question – is there going to be a sequel? There needs to be a sequel. I need to read it immediately, if not sooner. There are so many tantalizing, unanswered questions.

My musical recommendation to accompany this novel was the easiest choice in the world. The soundtrack for Assassin’s Creed: Unity by Chris Tilton perfectly captures the tone of revolution and conspiracy that appears throughout the novel. The fact that the game is set during the same time period and in France is the happiest of coincidences.

This ... was not for me. I'm gutted as it sounded like such a great read, right up my alley as I'm getting more and more into historical and fantasy and this sounded like a great way to ease into the genre but it just didn't work for me. The pacing was too slow for my likes and there were some pretty hard-to-read and not-that-necessary slavery scenes which felt in bad taste.

Thankyou so much to netgalley for the kindle version.
I love magic and history in books and this has both, it's set in the late 18th century and the historical element is done so well. I loved forgetting the real world and letting myself get lost in this engrossing magical setting. I look forward to the second!

This was a great read! I loved the history, the story, the historical elements of the story grabbed my attention and held me close. I would tell every single person to read this if they are looking for a dark, historical story that explores various themes.

R E V I E W. Happy publication day to A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians by H. G. Parry. - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thank you so much to @orbitbooks_uk & @netgalley for an advanced copy!

Think the abolition of slavery, think the French Revolution, but think of them in a world full of magic where people are not only fighting for their own personal freedoms, but also for the right to freely practice their own magic. Some people are born with magic, and some are not. Aristocrats across Europe are free to practice their magical inheritance, but commoners are not - they’re braceleted with a device that both causes them terrible pain, and alerts the authorities if they practice magic, which is illegal and could land them with a life sentence.
First, the writing and dialogue in this book is ingredients, engaging and clever. At times with a very complicated plot that is being set up, rather than actually getting started for about the first 1/3 of the book you can feel like you’re in the long weeds a bit, but if you persevere you’ll be rewarded with a smart, intelligent and beautiful book about revolution, freedom, friendship and differences that is a lot more relevant to the world we live in now than it was when I started reading it. It’s about doing what is right, who gets to decide what is right, and what lengths is it right for you to go to to impose what you believe is right on others.

This is a book that follows three main plot lines that converge at the end: William Pitt the Younger and his friend William Wilberforce trying to keep the nation safe from the brewing war of magic whilst attempting to push the abolition bill through the House of Commoners, Camille Desmoulins and Maximilien Robespierre at they usher in France’s Republic of Magicians, and Fina, a young slave out on her Jamaican plantation who starts to resist her owners as her magic awakens. You’ll enjoy it if you love historical novels with a twist, smart retellings, and literary fiction.

Set in France, Britain and the colonies, we transported into a world of marvellous magic at the time of change throughout Europe. H G Parry has created a fantastic story that mixes magic, conflict and revolution. With strong characters and dazzling scenes throughout this novel, not many authors have succeeded in combining history and magic, but this author most certainly does.
A brilliant story from a writer that will have you turning pages at a rapid pace.

I absolutely loved this book (which is very good because I have a Goldsboro’s edition preordered) Parry is an artist of the written word, using it to enthrall me and weave it’s web around my imagination. I really didn’t want to leave this world whenever I had to put it down because reality called. The research that has gone into writing this future classic to me is evident in the reading, it’s just perfect, intelligent and creative. It’s humorous, dark and also emotional. You need to read this book. If I could give it more stars I would.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

In the late 1700s, revolutions are brewing around the world and magic belongs to the upper class. 'Commoners' with the gift must be registered and wear bracelets that stops them from using their power. Is there an evil force causing the turmoil? Pulling the strings of different key players?

The author is quite eloquent in her descriptions and I enjoy a lot of details when it comes to historical fiction. Gifted with intelligent characters and engrossing stories, interwoven, but never confusing. Also the way the evil lurks in the background is very effective in amping up the suspense.

A well structured world with an interesting magic system, this story concentrates on the politics of a world with magic, the fight for a better life. Known political figures appear, like Robespierre and William Pitt with the author's magical spin on them.

The depiction of every day struggle is powerful. You may have thought that this book would be too 'heavy' but actually the 'breezy' narrative makes it easy to devour. There is smirk-worth humor peppered in a lot of the dialogues. I love Pitt's and Wilberforce's friendship, how they support each other. And their progressive and enlightening for their world conversations.

A slow burner, sometimes the philosophical musings of the characters or the narrative seem to take a while to get to the point. But like it is said in the book itself "I do enjoy your ideological gymnastics"

Some of the main themes are equality, human rights and freedom. There are scenes where you want to whoop and pump your fist in the air. Filled with visions of a better world and live for everyone, a subject that resonates strongly today. If you like political machinations and engaging conversations, than this is your cup of tea.

The abrupt ending and all the unanswered questions promise us an intriguing sequel.

My thanks to Little, Brown Book Group U.K. - Orbit for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians’ by H. G. Parry in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this novel from the beginning so expect me to lavish plenty of praise. I quickly preordered its U.K. paperback edition due out on 25 June and expect to add its audiobook edition to my library when it becomes available.

This is the first in Parry’s Shadow Histories duology. In her Acknowledgements she writes: “This book is a mythologization of the real history of Britain, France, and Haiti in the eighteenth century, which is more interesting and dramatic and downright weird than anything I could make up.”

Clearly the title references the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of 1789. It is an epic reimagining of this turbulent period of European history as in addition to the social issues of the time those born with magical powers are strictly controlled by the State through various means.

France is on the verge of Revolution fired up by Maximilien Robespierre and Camille Desmoulins. In Great Britain the new Prime Minister William Pitt is worried about events across the channel while joining with his friend William Wilberforce to seek the abolition of the slave trade.

In the French controlled colony of Saint-Domingue (now Haiti), the weather mage Toussaint L'Ouverture leads the slaves in their fight for freedom and establishes the Republic of Magicians. He is aided by Fina, a young African girl who had escaped from slavery in Jamaica and fled to Saint-Domingue. Fina has unique magical gifts.

This is the kind of work of historical fiction that I adore. Parry has clearly deeply researched the history of the period and then added magic, vampires, and the like. Simply brilliant!

In some instances it was only tweaking history as the role played by practitioners of Vodou in the Saint-Domingue slave revolution of 1793 has been well documented and esoteric philosophy had played a significant role in establishing the Age of Enlightenment; though in the novel this has been translated to more overt magical practices.

It is a long novel with a great deal of serious political discourse alongside its magical and supernatural themes. Given its focus upon those who had passionately campaigned for the abolition of slavery, it is also a timely one.

I certainly appreciated Parry’s skill in blending these themes and bringing historical figures and the period vividly to life. I found it a well written, intelligent novel.

I would have welcomed more chapters focusing on the events on Saint-Domingue. However, as the novel closes in July of 1794 with the conclusion of the Reign of Terror in France there is plenty of unrest in the Caribbean into the early nineteenth century to inform the final volume.

While the time period and blend of history and magic was bound to draw comparisons with Susanna Clarke’s wonderful magical alternative history, ‘Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell’, which based on her guinea pigs’ names is likely a favourite of the author, I feel that ‘A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians’ stands on its own merits and is an impressive work of historical fantasy incorporating much actual, rather than alternative, history.

I will be eagerly awaiting the concluding volume, which I expect from the foreshadowing provided will focus upon the Napoleonic Wars.

Very highly recommended.

HG Parry’s, A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians is an astounding book, and I really can’t say when I last read a novel as good as this one. I try, to the best if my ability, to only post recommendations for books I love, and I’m always writing reviews full of praise, so it might sound like this is just par for the course, but seriously: you have to read this book.

If only it were just meticulously researched, gorgeously characterised with real respect and affection for its subjects, drenched in elegantly realised myth and magic, and then structured and written with effortless confidence: all that would make it an instant and future classic. But this is also one of the most timely reads possible, reimagining the past to speak directly into our troubled present, with a story rooted in the origins of slavery and the abuse of black Africans that weaves directly to current revolutions. A story about abuses of power, of suppressing the truth, of the manipulation of journalism, of the weighing of economies over lives and how politics serves the wealthy and the powerful, not just in their greed, but also in making them believe that their philosophies and world views are somehow magically correct, despite them never looking much further than their narrow clubs and parlours.

Following and reshaping the events surrounding the French Revolution, the Haitian Revolution and the Abolitionist movement in the Age of Enlightenment, Parry places magic as the essential element underpinning all debates of freedom, morality and what it means to be human in her alternate 18th century. It is a right afforded solely to the aristocracy in Europe, where it is everywhere else policed by the Knights Templar, inflexibly, with common folks who inherit magic being chained and controlled from birth to prohibit its use. Magic is both the very essence of privilege and the greatest taboo. Some dark magics aren’t tolerated from any class: necromancy, or vampiric blood magic. And if you’re a black African, used to seeing it used freely in your home culture, then captured and transported and sold to labour in French or English plantations, magic becomes an alchemical poison that robs you of any will, leaving you physically capable of only what you’re expressly told to do. Magic and race play back and forth to highlight how horrifically we treat our fellow humans.

The story centres on four focal characters: in England, British prime minister William Pitt the Younger and Pitt’s close friend, and fellow MP, William Wilberforce, an abolitionist and evangelist; in France, the French revolutionary leader Maximilien Robespierre; and far from a Europe, a Jamaican slave woman called Fina, who comes to play an important part in the army of Toussaint Louverture in Saint-Domingue (now Haiti). Through the eyes of these central figures we see the histories of the revolution in France, the campaign for the abolition of slavery in Britain, the madness of King George III, the revolt in the Caribbean, and then war in Europe as all interconnected to a shadow war being waged by an unseen figure of unique power and ambition.

Parry loves her characters, who are all rendered with warmth and respect. It is a very male dominated book, but when Fina takes centre stage, she more than holds her own, witness to incredible horror while also the vessel and focus of her black community’s ideas of love and family. She is, in some ways, the only character to gain unfettered agency, which is an extraordinarily powerful path to take. Pitt, Wilberforce and Robespierre are no less warmly drawn, especially Wilberforce, who is a genuinely good person and manages to face a host of darknesses with a faith that is considered and tested, rather than blind and meaningless for that. Pitt and Robespierre are men of incredible integrity and vision, each hiding troubling secrets they have no control over, each seeking to serve their nation. Each are led into darkness because of their convictions.

If all this history sounds dry, it is continuously shot through with miracles, battles, assassins in the night, secret rendezvous in dreamlands and buckets of humour and wit. It’s also one of the best written pieces of English I’ve ever encountered, effortlessly confident with the language of the time but alro compulsively easy to read. The balance between the viewpoints is just perfect—indeed, there are sections where Pitt and Wilberforce, as focal characters, pass the narrative viewpoint between themselves so beautifully you often miss the switch and these scenes are so much deeper and more meaningful for the shared perspectives. The world building, laced over history, is so assured and uncannily appropriate that one can’t imagine how these things happened without the magic to animate them.

By the end, you’re feeling every single hurt and threat in this book like the burn of the bracelets they put on commoner magicians to stop them using magic, and dying for the next instalment.

I simply adore this book. It has echoes of Susanna Clarke and Jeanette Ng to it, and the vampire histories of Kim Newman as well. Only it’s better.

But it rings so particularly, utterly, brilliantly itself because it was a meant to be read now. Right now. This very moment in time. When it will shatter the walls you’re hiding behind and throw fireballs to light up the fears and guilts you’re facing right now.

Please, read it now. All the stars.

This is such a hard book to rate. It’s a mix of historical fiction with a heavy dose of fantasy, plus it’s the book that has taken me the looooongest in living memory where I have been reading it consistently (rather than putting it down and reading something else in the middle and then coming back to it (Netflix doesn’t count!!)) .

The historical aspect has been well-researched and the French Revolution well-articulated and with great precision (give or take the odd magical tweak to add to the story). But it just took SO long. Minute detail of every conversation between every protagonist- If you’d have asked, we would probably have known what William Wilberforce, William Pitt the Younger, Fina, Maximilian Robespierre and all their entourages had for breakfast. Yes it adds tension, yes it builds the story and provides the context but there was just too much of it.

And then the magic... I was really enjoying the intrigue of the book ... the opening chapters were spellbinding (pun intended) with Fina’s sorry tale of her abduction at the age of 6. The tussle between evil and those wanting to use their magic for good... and the power of the magic was really engaging. So far so good.

But then I got bored. I’ve studied the French Revolution, I know what happened! I’ve read Descartes and Robespierre’s writings (very dull in places) and all too often this felt like a thesis on a zuzzed-up version of the French Rev. with a bit of an insight into the workings of the British Parliament in the late 18th century.

The book seemed to lose its way about 50% in. The pace slowed to that of a snail. Glimmers of hope appeared when we switched to St Domingue with Fina and Toussaint but these moments were few and far between.

A great story but far too long. It has the potential to be utterly fabulous but would need to be speeded up in quite a few places to remain as engaging as it was at the start. I hated the ending, I’m still not 100% as to what I think is going to happen next ... because there’s a sequel! Will I read it - part of me thinks I might but the other part thinks I could have read 5 or 6 books in the time it took me to read this one.

But will I still remember this one in years to come? Hell yes! So on balance it’s probably a very generous 3.5* Good for lovers of historical fiction and fantasy/magic but definitely not for everyone.

I loved this book, while it does compare slightly to Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell in that it's alt-history with magicians, but beyond that it's completely different.
Vividly imaginative, funny, dark and sad, just very good all round.
Roll on book 2!

A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians should be simple enough. So should abolishing slavery. So should a great many things, like friendship. It never is. Parry interweaves the situations in Britain, France and the West Indies that are actually in the history books with a healthy dose of magic-using or not-magic-using. Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. This book is mostly about freedom. Parry makes political discussions interesting and the narrative voice is distinct enough to hold everything together as events propel themselves forwards, this is much more a conversations book than action driven, although plenty of things happen alright - mostly revolutions. The House of “Commoners” walls singing after speeches are made is a beautiful touch that probably explains the style best.

With thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy - I’m definitely waiting for the other book to come out...

An immersive tale of revolution, politics, friendship and magic, A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians is a fantastic, beautifully original and factually accurate retelling of history seeped with magic. It is the first book in a duology, the sequel of which is scheduled to release in 2021.

It is a slow, intricate and in-depth tale of the histories of France, London and Caribbean through the late eighteenth century. The environment in France is rife with revolution against the injustices of the current social system, which forbids magicians who are not aristocracy to use magic – even to protect their loved ones from imminent danger to life. On the other hand, London is on the path to abolish slavery, albeit slowly, under the leadership of the bold, young and revolutionary Prime Minister William Pitt and MP William Wilberforce. The Caribbean is under the clutches of slavery, the slaves magically spellbound to be under complete control of their masters.

As someone who hasn’t read this period in much detail, I was gripped by the story and the characterization of the prominent historical figures. The concept of recreating everything in an alternative, magical universe is brilliant and fit perfectly. Everything from the story and the characters to the world-building comes across as unbelievably real, and I can almost vouch that this must have happened in some parallel universe.

The characters and their relationships depicted are fascinating and very impactful. I absolutely loved the verbal exchanges between Robespierre and Camille, and between Pitt and Wilberforce. Though tedious to read at times, these conversations quite prominently reflected their political and social beliefs, the motivations behind their actions and the way they saw things. It was immensely fascinating to observe how people with the same ends in mind can see things so very differently.

If you are a fan of morally grey characters and philosophical discussions, this book is for you! Almost all the conversations reflect on moral dilemmas and questions of what is right and what is wrong, and how thin and easily overlooked is the line between them. All the characters have a vision of freedom and equality and go extreme lengths to realize it, but do the ends always justify the means? Where does one draw a line? How many times is “just this one time” justified?

While the story is based on actual facts, it runs high on emotions. The ending took me by surprise and left me an emotional wreck. Parry does a brilliant job of breathing life into characters and I was heartbroken to witness how things ended, although in hindsight, I should have expected nothing less. The cruel realities of revolution are made glaringly obvious in this epic saga.

To be very honest, this book isn’t for everyone. It will bore some people to death and be hugely loved by others. For one, it is hugely political and historical in nature. There is lengthy and philosophical dialogue, including speeches, quite often running a few pages, with long sentences difficult to comprehend if you are not paying full attention. It is dark and intense and slightly unnerving with the depiction of slavery and dark magic. But I can surely say that the ones who will love this book will be life-long fans and would not stop talking about it!

I'll be eagerly awaiting the sequel next year. I hope to see more of Fina and am curious to see how the fates of all the characters will intertwine.