Book Review: Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis

US Cover

At First Sight: Kat Stephenson's family is in a fix. Her older brother Charles has gambled the family into ruin, her father is rarely concerned with much other than his studies, her stepmother is always scowling at Kat's improper behaivor, and her older sisters Elissa and Angeline are keeping secrets from her. 

But Kat is good at digging out secrets, and she soon discovers Elissa and Angeline's. First, Elissa is planning on sacrificing herself for the family and marrying an older, by all accounts nasty man called Sir Neville. And second, Angeline is dabbling with their mother's legacy: Magic. 

Mr. Stephenson's first wife - the girls and Charles' mother - was a notorious witch who caused many scandals in her life, but there was a lot more to her than that. She was not only a witch but also a Guardian - a member of an Order of Magic Workers, more powerful than ordinary witches, who work to keep evil witches from hurting innocent people. 

And, while Angeline might inherited the witch-powers, it's Kat who became the heir to the guardian legacy, which is currently landing her in all sorts of mishaps. 

UK Title and Cover

Throw in a house party, some besotted suitors, an evil witch, and a lot of improper behavior, and Kat is knee deep in trouble.

Second Glance: Kat, Incorrigible is a sweet story about Magic and Sisterhood. I loved the Stephenson sisters, and I think Stephanie Burgis did a great job portraying their bond - how they got on each other's nerves, how different they were, and how much they loved one another. 

The story is set in 1803, and I loved the period and the descriptions, and just the over all feel of time that I got. I could feel Kat's annoyance with proper behavior and how she sometimes felt a little left out -as all baby sisters feel, I think, at some point or another - without ever questioning that her sisters loved her.

This is a story that grabbed me from the first page and it only took me a chapter  to know I was going to love it, it was just love at first sight for me and Kat.

Bottom Line: A great story about sisters and magic, with a dash of romance and an adventurous young narrator. I can't wait to read the second book in the series -Renegade Magic - which will be published in the UK in August 2011.

Favorite Quote: "I couldn't hide the books from Angeline, or keep her from finding out that I'd looked at them. But I had something better than secrecy now. 

I had the perfect opportunity for blackmail."

1/2 

Full Cover of Kat, Incorrigible. Isn't it Lovely? From left to right: Angeline, Elissa and Kat