Review--Without A Summer

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Without a Summer (Glamourist Histories, #3)Without a Summer by Mary Robinette Kowal
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've been enjoying Robinette Kowal's "Glamour" books set in an alternate Regency Universe. As much as I love Naomi Novik's dragon books set during the Napoleonic Wars, I think R. Kowal's worldbuilding holds up better under scrutiny.

Sir David Vincent and Jane, Lady Vincent, are back in England after the Battle of Waterloo. They've taken on a valuable commission, but one that brings them back into contact with Vincent's estranged family and brings Jane's family into involvement as well.

Regency fans will enjoy the scenes in familiar London settings, and lovely descriptions of clothing, Almack's (of course) and other venues. Fantasy fans will find R. Kowal's worldbuilding satisfying, and her use of "glamour" to show a society quite different, yet also quite familiar.


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