Book Review – Newt’s Emerald by Garth Nix

Inspired by the works of Georgette Heyer and Jane Austen, Garth Nix’s Newt’s Emerald is a light hearted Regency romance with a fantasy twist.

After Lady Truthful’s magical Newington Emerald is stolen from her she devises a simple plan: go to London to recover the missing jewel. She quickly learns, however, that a woman cannot wander the city streets alone without damaging her reputation, and she disguises herself as a moustache-wearing man. During Truthful’s dangerous journey she discovers a crook, an unsuspecting ally, and an evil sorceress but will she find the Emerald?

My rating:

Thoroughly enjoyable read. Despite being short, it’s still good fun!

It is full of regency tropes but I enjoyed the adventure nonetheless. Disguises, evil sorceress, pirates, what’s not to like?

Possibly due to the length, there’s not a lot of growth in the characters, and I felt some could have used it a little – or flaws were solved by removing a disguise which is a little too convenient lol. I did like Newt, but her resolve to return to the country and fear of the big city really didn’t mesh well with her running around looking for the emerald for me. I did like her resourcefulness though 🙂 And her great aunt was rocking 😀

Buy Newt’s Emerald from Amazon UK.