Having taken over as Sorcerer Royal from his adoptive father, Zacharias Wythe will never be accepted by many of the snobbish members of London's magical elite. While the former slave's African heritage would always have been an obstacle in Regency England, the diminished alchemy in the kingdom under his term is all the justification his enemies need to call for his removal. On a visit to a local school for mystically inclined females, Zacharias meets Prudence, a talented young woman whose illegitimate parentage leaves her in an awkward position at the school—neither student nor servant. Zacharias liberates Prudence from the school and takes her with him to the border between England and Faerie, hoping that he will be able to negotiate with the fae to allow more magic into the country. VERDICT Fans of Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell will flock to this historical fantasy debut for its shared setting and be rewarded with an exciting story and nuanced, diverse characters who make this novel soar on its own merits. The Malaysian-born Cho also writes sf/fantasy short stories (Spirits Abroad) and romance novellas (The Perilous Life of Jade Yeo).—MM