A Radical Act of Free Magic by H. G. Parry

A Radical Act of Free Magic (Shadow Histories, #2)

by H. G. Parry

A Radical Act of Free Magic is the epic conclusion to the genre-defying Shadow Histories series following A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians; a sweeping tale of revolution and wonder in a world not quite like our own.

The Concord has been broken, and a war of magic engulfs the world.

In France, the brilliant young battle-mage Napoleon Bonaparte and has all but conquered Europe. Britain fights back, protected by the gulf of the channel and powerful fire-magic, but Wilberforce's own battle to bring about free magic and abolition has met a dead end. In Saint Domingue, Fina watches as Toussaint Louverture navigates these opposing forces to liberate the country.

But there is another, even darker war being fought beneath the surface. A blood magician is using the Revolutionary Wars to bring about a return to dark magic. Across the world, only a few know of his existence and the choices they make will shape the new age of magic.

Praise for A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians:

'A rich, sprawling epic full of history and magic' Alix E. Harrow, Hugo award-winning author

'An absolute delight to read' Genevieve Cogman, author of The Invisible Library

'Impressively intricate; fans of the magic-and-history of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell will be delighted' Alexandra Rowland, author of A Conspiracy of Truths


The Shadow Histories
A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians
A Radical Act of Free Magic

For more from H. G. Parry, check out The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep.

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on

4 of 5 stars

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A Radical Act of Free Magic is the second novel in H.G. Parry's The Shadow Histories, an alternate historical fantasy like I've never seen before. I confess that I got so excited by this one that I didn't stop reading the first novel in the series first (bad me, I know), but I still really enjoyed everything I found within these pages.

Napoleon Bonaparte is a dangerous and brilliant battle-mage, and he's commanding an Army of the Dead as part of his plans for domination. He's taken down most of Europe, and yet some still resist. There will always be those that resist.

Yet the war against Napoleon is masking a hidden war, one that is infinitely more dangerous and should never risk being left unchecked.

"Are you smiling?"
"It's a serious frown, but I put it on backward."
"Well, straighten it."

Wow. What? Vampires and Napoleon in the same book? This is something that I never knew I needed, but now I'm not sure how I lived my whole life without it. A Radical Act of Free Magic is an intense and brilliantly unique novel; I can't believe more people aren't talking about it!

I know that to some, the concept might sound a bit...out there, but trust me – H.G. Parry is rocking it, bringing this alternate historical world to life in ways that I would never have even dreamed of.

It's more than enough to keep readers interested from start to finish; I can tell you that much. Better yet, this series is surprisingly approachable for new readers. I didn't read the first book in this series, A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians (I know, shame on me), but I didn't struggle at all. In fact, I was quickly sucked into the world.

I'm obviously going to go back and read the first novel at my earliest convenience because this series is worth a deep dive into!

Thanks to Redhook and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

For more reviews check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 3 September, 2021: Finished reading
  • 3 September, 2021: Reviewed