This was a good book,Sorcery & Cecelia was better.This one was a bit wordy it finally picked up at the end.but to get to the end was slow going. ( )

This sequel to Sorcery and Cecilia loses much of the magic of the first. It could be due to the fact that Cecilia and Kate are on there wedding journey together, and therefore, are not intimately entertaining each other with their letters over a distance. Instead, we get Kate's recording of the strange events of the trip from her commonplace book, and Cecilia's from her deposition to authorities. What's more, the two of them are such contented newlyweds that they lose most of the girlish sneakiness and defiance that made them such fun characters in the first book. Even so, it's still a pleasant read, and the action gets pretty thrilling in the last 60 pages or so. ( )

Although I really enjoyed Sorcery and Cecelia, I'd never gotten around to reading this sequel. At the end of the first novel, Kate and Cecy had thwarted the evil plan of a wicked sorcerer and married the men of their dreams. As The Grand Tour begins, they set off on a tour of Europe on their joint honeymoon. At first, the girls are simply excited to be seeing the world (and, of course, shopping), but soon they stumble on a sinister plot: someone has been collecting ancient magical artifacts from all the royal families of Europe with the intent to create a new Napoleon. The plot is very exciting and propels the book forward, as Cecy and James, Kate and Thomas travel breathlessly throughout Europe to try and catch the culprit. Cecy works on her wizarding skills, and Kate works on overcoming her social awkwardness as the wife of the Marquis of Schofield. I really enjoyed revisiting these characters, but I thought that the two halves of the story were a bit uneven: in the first book, both Kate and Cecy told their stories through letters. In this book, Kate's part is told through diary entries, while Cecy's is told through an official deposition to British authorities. For this reason, we learn next to nothing about Cecy and James's marriage or their private thoughts - Kate's story is much more developed. There are some sweet interludes between Kate and Thomas, and I hope that the next book will explore a bit more of Cecy and James's private life. In all, though, I'm really enjoying this series and look forward to reading The Mislaid Magician.

This is the sequel to "Sorcery and Cecelia" and I have to admit it wasn't as good as the first. Still, it was nice to read about these characters again. We got a little more development for Kate and Thomas but poor Cecy and James were left to the imagination in many instances. The action took a little while to build up and for some time I was a bit bored by their travels. It got more exciting as the story progressed though. Not bad but not great. ( )

In the first book, Sorcery and Cecelia, the feisty cousins Kate and Cecelia were drawn into a magical intrigue when Kate, in London for her first Season, attended their neighbor’s induction into the Royal College of Wizards and there stumbled upon a dangerous plot. In the course of their letters (for Cecy was home at Rushton Manor in the country), the girls had uncovered an evil magical scheme with the help of the Mysterious Marquis (Thomas) and his stealth-impaired friend James Tarleton. At the end, Thomas and Kate decided their sham engagement should be real, and James proposed to Cecy. The two couples were married in one ceremony, and The Grand Tour is the story of their wedding tour in Europe.

Of course with Kate and Cecy, trouble seems to follow with disturbing regularity, and very shortly after they set off, a mysterious vial — the Saint Ampoule — is left for them at their hotel, and other odd things begin happening. Why would someone give them this ancient kingmaking oil? What is the odious Strangle doing at all the antiquaries that the couples are visiting? How should one handle footpads? And how does one go about hiring a French maid without making a goose of oneself?

The characters become more fleshed-out in this tale (told again as excerpts from Kate’s “commonplace book” and from a deposition by Cecy). It’s delightful to watch the four interact with one another, and to see how they adjust to matrimony. I was a little surprised at the references to physical intimacy (there seemed to be quite a few of them at the beginning), but we were never “on the spot,” and overall I would say it was tastefully handled.

One thing I found very striking was a scene between Kate and Thomas. Thomas reminds Kate that she promised to obey him, and instead of lashing back with a stereotyped, spunky-gal answer, Kate replies that she will obey, out of love. This of course melts Thomas (who was only mentioning obedience in a lighthearted way in the first place). What an unusual little exchange to find in a modern YA book! And it carries credibility too, because Kate and Cecy are anything but docile little wives who do nothing but echo their husbands.

The writing style matches the quality of the first book, and I could tell Wrede and Stevermer had a fun time writing these excerpts back and forth to one another. The one complaint I would make about the plot was that it seemed to move very, very slowly for the first 200 pages or so. It was still quite diverting and fun with the well-written characters and witty dialogue, but I kept waiting for things to really start happening. I enjoyed the second part of the book much more than the first because the mystery picked up.

I think most people prefer the first book to the sequels, and I have to agree. Sorcery and Cecelia was just better. But this one was quite a fun trip too, and I would recommend it. ( )

This is the middle volume of a series of three epistolary novels, the other two books being Sorcery and Cecelia and The Mislaid Magician. It suffers the fate of many middle novels ... it drags. Part of my difficulty with this book may have been the success of the first: High expectations were established and failed of. The key missing ingredient for me here was the sense of fun in the writing that permeated the first. The authors lost the Georgette Heyer bubbly quality they reproduced so well in Sorcery and Cecelia; without that, because the story line was unremarkable, so was the book. It wasn't bad; it just wasn't all that good. It failed the "I will definitely be re-reading this sometime" test. I still recommend the first novel in the series as it stands alone well. No cliff hangers. ( )

I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first one. While each couple was sweet on their own, they were tedious together, and it was difficult to tell the men apart.
Telling the story through depositions and diary entries took away the charm of the original story, and it also led to a great deal of repetition. While it was occasionally played for laughs, for example, varying opinions on the opera, this book lacked the chaotic sense fun I had hoped for. I will read the third book, but my expectations have been lowered. ( )

The sequel to Sorcery and Cecelia, this takes up only a few weeks after that book leaves off. For their honeymoon trip, Kate, Cecy, and their new husbands have decided to go on the Grand Tour, with Kate’s mother-in-law, Lady Silvia, accompanying them across the Channel to Paris. In Calais, however, a package left for Lady Silvia proves to contain an important and valuable artifact. All five know that it must not fall into the wrong hands, but this knowledge does them little good when the artifact is stolen by highwaymen on the road to Paris. The two couples continue their journey, but now in an attempt to foil a sinister plot.

I liked this almost as much as Sorcery and Cecelia, but not quite. It was a good deal longer, partly because the plot was more complex, but partly because the story was slower-paced. I’m also not that fond of watching couples fawn over each other, in real life or in books, because I find it boring and kind of annoying. There wasn’t a lot of it in The Grand Tour, but still too much for me.

The story was marvellously entertaining, though. I’m a little surprised by how much I liked both books, because if there’s one thing I don’t like, it’s a story told entirely through letters or diary entries. Kate and Cecy have such vivid personalities, though, and it comes through in their writing, so instead of being a little dull and removed from the action, their accounts are full of life.

I definitely recommend both books, and I hope I come across a copy of the third book sometime soon! ( )

A fine follow-up to Sorcery and Cecelia. Kate, Cecelia and their new husbands get swept up in a plot to do what Napoleon couldn't: conquer all of Europe. Replete with fleas (well, one, although the repeated absence of many is much mentioned), a canal dunking, an Alp crossing, mysterious packages, secret knitted codes, Roman ruins, and lost gloves. Although missing some of the charm of the first installment's letter exchanges, Wrede and Stevermer's use of a day journal and Cecy's deposition following the novel's events is still quite entertaining. ( )

part II of "sorcery and cecilia", funny, caroline stevemer is a great writer and so is patricia c. wrede (dealing w/dragons, searching for dragons, calling on dragons,talking to dragons) ( )

A little bit of fluffiness rarely did any harm. The sequel to Sorcery and Cecelia, the creation of this book renders it a bit more fascinating than otherwise. Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer wrote this book and the other in a series of letters to each other. The main characters are cousins and the first book was almost entirely correspondence. The Grand Tour is told through Kate's diary and Cecy's deposition. A better, more understandable mystery than the first (or perhaps I read it more slowly). Quite enjoyable!
Originally posted November 7, 2005

I enjoyed both this and Cecelia, my only problem being keeping track of which girl was writing which part (letters in the first book, journal entries in the second) and which characters are which. Even though the girls were written by two different authors, the styles were not so distinct that I could easily tell them apart, and Thomas and James were such similar characters that I frequently got them confused. ( )

(#27 in the 2006 book challenge)

This is the sequel to Sorcery and Cecelia, so more adventures of Cecy and Kate who are two spunky heroines a la Jane Austen, only they have magic in addition to manners. I thought the first book was tons of fun, and enjoyed this second book ... but you know, it's a hard story for a sequel. Once I have gotten to like a group of characters, I want to keep going back to hang out with them. That's what this book felt like -- spending time with people I like, but the crux of it is that the people aren't doing anything too interesting. This is a great scenario for people in real life, you enjoy spending time with your friends even if you aren't doing much of anything. In books, and in this book in particular, the reason I befriended the characters in the first place was because I was living all their explorations and encounters along with them -- who can be trusted? Who has a secret? What will they discover? In the second book, I already know all that. Anyway, plotwise, Kate and Cecy are now married and they and their delightful husbands go trekking around on a Grand Tour in pursuit of magic thieves.

Grade: B+
Recommended: To fans of Regency Magic, so people who liked Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell -- although this book is definitely in the chaste YA camp.

I loved Cecelia (the first book of this series) but this one failed to hold my interest. ( )

It took me a while to get through this, probably not helped by the fact that I hardly remembered Sorcery and Cecelia. The Letter Game and epistolary style are still interesting, although perhaps not terribly effective, as I despaired of being able to figure out if it was supposed to be Kate or Cecy writing without double checking every time. I did love the concept of knitting secret messages!

The Grand Tour is a solid book. In parts it is absolutly fabulous, but at other times it seems to lag a bit. While this book is amusing it is not as good as the original of the series, however, it was great to revisit the characters. I feel this lacked some of the suspense of the first book. Thomas and James also got to dominate too much of the action. All and all a pretty good sequel. ( )

A fun romp but not nearly as good as its predecessor, Sorcery and Cecelia. Since the characters are all together on their honeymoon, there's no need to write letters, so the story is told in excerpts from Kate's diary and Cecy's deposition on the event. The authors do their best to give everyone some distinguishing icharacteristics, but Kate and Cecy, and James and Thomas remain largely interchangeable. This novel didn't have enough "historical" to its historical fiction - the first one had the lovely blending of manner comedy and magic, and this one largely lacked the social situations and conventions. The magical intrigue, also, is not quite as immediate to the characters, and so not quite as interesting to the reader. So, still lighthearted fun, but it didn't recapture the magic of the first. ( )

One of those books that I waited and waited to come out. Even before I knew Wrede and Stevemer were writing a sequel to Sorcery and Cecilia, I would think, "Boy, they should write a sequel to Sorcery and Cecilia!" I must have gotten my hopes up too much, because I was disappointed with this book. It is definitely not as good as its predecessor. If you read Sorcery and Cecilia and feel the need for more like it, read Patricia C. Wrede's duo, Mairelon the Magician and Magician's Ward.

Cousins Kate and Cecy, along with their new husbands (Thomas and James respectively) set off for a honeymoon "Grand Tour" of Europe as this book begins. Thomas' mother, Lady Sylvia, is accompanying them as far as Paris. But their adventures start the moment they cross the Channel into France, when a strange woman leaves an equally strange parcel for Lady Sylvia. This turns out to be the Sainte Ampoule, a piece of the (now unnecessary) coronation regalia of France. Soon after, their party is attacked by highwaymen and the Ampoule is stolen away. This leads to the discover that Lady Sylvia was once (and still is) a member of the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel and that this in unlikely to be the quiet honeymoon that was planned.

Visiting a local ancient Roman Temple, Cecy encounters young Theodore Daventer and his tutor, the unpleasant Mr Strangle who appeared in The Enchanted Chocolate Pot. Mr Strangle appears to have performed some equally unpleasant magic ritual and when this is only the first such encounter, all the newlyweds become further suspicious of Mr Strangle and his charge. On reaching Paris, General Wellington informs them that the Ampoule is not the only piece of European coronation regalia to have been stolen recently and charges them, under the guise of continuing their honeymoon tour, to find out just what is going on.

Soon the four are getting caught up in magic, both new and ancient, a possible plot to restore Napoleon and, of course, discovering what marriage is all about.

Like its predecessor, this book is written in sections by Cecy (Patricia Wrede) and Kate (Caroline Stevermer). Kate is writing in a personal journal, but Cecy is supposedly writing a disposition about their adventures for the (magical) authorities. For something that is supposed to be a report, it is very, very full of personal thoughts and descriptions that really shouldn't be there (I don't think the readers will really want to know every mundane, or even just personal, detail). She also discusses at great length what she is going to use as a focus for her magic. This is supposed to remain a secret so that an unscrupulous magic user cannot take advantage of the knowledge (as happened to Thomas in the first book). Of course, if it really was a stolid report, it would be very boring for the reader. Still, I feel perhaps Wrede should have chosen a different medium for Cecy.

The plot of this book is more convoluted that the first one, but it is also well thought out and very clever. I didn't pick up what was going on until the gang discovered it all (in a singularly easy way, I felt) and I certainly didn't pick out who the chief villain was or what their dastardly plan was.

Once again, the magic has been woven neatly into this near-history and done very cleverly. Kate's first attempt to build a focus in rather spectacular, given a good explanation of why things didn't go exactly as planned, and is important at the resolution of the story.

And if you very want to have great adventures like this, it might be a good idea to learn to knit.

All in all, another enjoyable story by Wrede and Stevermer. It isn't likely to change your life, but it is a very nice way to while away a few hours. ( )

Many years ago, I picked up Sorcery and Cecelia, a delight book that mixed Regency romance with magic, humor, and mystery. Since then, I reread this book at least once a year, as it is a perfect antidote to a drab day. At long last, there is a sequel and The Grand Tour gives me a second book with a touch of Jane Austen, bit of Agatha Christie and a dash of magic.
As in the earlier work, the story is told by Kate and Cecelia, now Lady Schofield and Mrs. James Tarleton respectively. We follow their adventures through Kate’s commonplace book (a diary) and Cecelia’s deposition to various British ministries. Obviously the two ladies and their new husbands are more than just touring Europe on their honeymoon trip. While traveling to Paris, a mysterious lady in blue gives Cecelia a bottle of oil. It is, of course, no ordinary bottle but the oil used during coronations of French kings. It has not been of much use since the French Revolution and while it is unknown on how it reached our band of newlyweds, it does lead them to confer with Lord Nelson, who sends them across Europe seeking other missing pieces of royal regalia.
Kate and Cecelia may now be adult married women, but they still have a nose for trouble. While Cecelia begins her training to be a magician, Kate is adjusting to her new title and status. Both still enjoy days shopping and a leisurely tea, but unlike the average Regency lady, they also insist on joining their husbands in following the trail of clues that lead them from Paris to Vienna to Rome. Along the way, interesting tidbits are revealed, including why Kate is so clumsy and why you should not cast spells in Venice.
Stevermer and Wrede have created a magical piece: one of romance, mystery and a good bit of fun. The description of the journeying through Europe adds to the atmosphere, especially the trouble the characters have when traveling out of season through the Alps. A well-researched work, this will appeal to historical fiction fans who enjoy learning about the details of living and traveling in the 19th century.
If you have had the good fortune to read Sorcery and Cecilia, this book will be a must read. The wonderful interact between the two cousins continues, as does their ability to stumble into the center of a mystery. But unlike many sequels, this book is not a mirror of the first, but a next step in the characters lives and as in real life, our heroines mature and grow.
So take your own grand tour back to the world of Kate and Cecelia and enjoy exploring a magical time.
Originally published in The Alexiad: contact jtmajor[at]iglou.com for more information. ( )

http://tamaranth.blogspot.com/2005/01... ( )

A long-awaited sequel to "Sorcery & Cecelia." It lacks the novelty of the letter-based original, but it was fun to revisit these characters on a tour of Europe. Along the way, as you might expect, they discover a conspiracy and work to foil it. ( )