Newt's Emerald (2013)

This was a fun and engaging read about Lady Truthful's escapades to recover her stolen emerald!

This was full of excitement and laughs, with a lovely backdrop of regency England that had magic. Basically it fulfilled all of my requirements for a good book and it did not disappoint!

Happy reading! ( )

This novel is a lovely light fantasy novel to read one afternoon.

Truthful, known as Newt, will inherit the Newington Emerald when she comes of age. On her eighteenth birthday, her father shows the emerald to Newt and her three male cousins with whom she has been grown up. A strange storm arrives at the exact moment the emerald is being admired. When the storm knocks out the window, there is a small amount of chaos until Newt’s father orders the storm to abate. Upon looking around, they all discover that the emerald is missing. Her father immediately collapses. When he is able, he explains that the family is tied to the emerald and bad luck will ensue if it’s in another’s hands. He suspects the cousins, but Newt knows it isn’t them. Newt decides to go early to London to find her emerald, for someone may be trying to sell it.

Newt arrives in London and determines that she can only go about her investigations freely if she is a man, so her aunt helps glamour her. She quickly finds a man who knows how investigations work: Major Harnett. Newt and Harnett with the help of Truthful’s aunt follow clues and face dangerous people and situations as they hunt for the thieves and the emerald.

I found the novel to be entertaining to listen to. It’s a mystery, romance, and dangerous investigation all rolled into one. I especially like that Truthful never has to be rescued; she is quite capable on her own and, in fact, saves many lives. Is this a great novel? No. Is it worth reading for a nice, tightly written mystery? Yes. ( )

One the night of her eighteenth birthday, the ancient emerald that is Lady Truthful Newington's birthright disappears mysteriously. Concerned that worry for the missing emerald is damaging her elderly father's health, Truthful sets off for London with her old maid in tow, hoping to find the emerald when the thief pawns it. With all her male relatives gallivanting about on their own silly plans, there are no men Truthful can trust to undertake the search, and so, with her great-aunt's glamour carefully applied to a fake mustache, she dresses as a man and searches London herself. Her not entirely convincing disguise rapidly draws the attention of the British intelligence service, who fears that "he" is a French agent. From there Truthful becomes embroiled in a magical plot against Britain that includes nefarious maids, death curses, and pirates.

In some ways this book is very charming. It is written in the style of Heyer's regency romances, with much of the annoying classism and sexism taken out and replaced with fantasy. Magic in this 1820s England is fairly commonplace and unremarkable, but to my eyes was delightful. I loved the way magic was sprinkled casually throughout the story, like how many people use plated jewelry to avoid touching metals that are hurtful to their fey ancestry, or when Truthful wonders aloud why Napoleon was immured in rock instead of executed, and is told, '"Can't kill him," said Leye shortly. "Hang a master of death magic, that's like giving a thief the key to your front door."' But the writing is sometimes a bit clumsy, as in the climactic scene " Truthful's arrow sped true, sprouting shockingly from Lady Plathenden's eye, the azure fletching no longer the only piece of color, a sudden scarlet spreading down the shaft.". And Truthful herself didn't seem entirely coherent or believable: sometimes she's incredibly prissy and incapable, and then other times she's punching out pirates. I also wish her romance had been built up more (although to be fair, the romance here is at least as fleshed out as most of Heyer's). Basically, I enjoy the premise and overall effect of this novel, but Nix usually writes with far more skill. ( )

GAH THIS WAS AMAZING

Truthful Newington is the spitting image of her long gone mother at the tender age of 19. When she gets the amazing opportunity to show off the coveted Newington Emerald stone to her friends it makes her giddy with joy until everything goes very wrong. In a series of seconds it's gone. At first her well intentioned cousins the Newington-Lacy's place blame on a storm-sprite and her father accuses her cousins but Truthful goes on her own quest to return the emerald back to its rightful place and make her father happy again. Since she has not been officially introduced into society she can't do sleuthing on her own and must be accompanied by a male relative which makes matters difficult since her only available ones are off looking for the stone on their own. What will Truthful do?
This was so good! I didn't know what to expect. Truthful is spunky and clever a sure fire way to get me to keep reading about such a posh girl when I'm normally so turned off by these period stories. Once she makes it to her Aunt Lady Badgery's house she decides to take on the disguise of one of her aunt's distant relatives and it just makes for a fun adventure. Sprinkle in a dash of magic, a teaspoon of romance, half a cup of mystery, and fill the rest with thrills and adventures this book made me not want the journey to end.
The beginning was set up so quickly it was a bit jarring at first but when I quickly reread them I realized that a long intro simply wouldn't have worked and I love the set up more for it.
Charles Otterbrook Colonel the Viscount Lytchett is bae spoiler because this is his real name revealed in 80% ( )

Lady Truthful Newington -- Newt, to her rowdy crew of male cousins -- is looking forward to her first London season, but everything changes one dark and stormy night when the Newington Emerald, the family's most precious (and magically powerful) jewel disappears. Determined to track down the thief, Truthful disguises herself as a man and searches London for clues. During her quest, she meets Major Hartnett. She can't deny her attraction to him, but he's of the firm opinion that all women are heartless and deceitful -- what would he say if he learned of her disguise?

This is a terrifically fun read inspired by Austen, Heyer, and O'Brian. It's different from anything else Nix has ever written, but in no way inferior. Recommended to readers who enjoy both fantasy and Regency romances. ( )