Bel Reviews: Stephanie Burgis's - "Kat the Incorrigible" Series

This middle grade trilogy is set in the early 1800’s and is and is very much Jane Austen-esk with it’s emphasis on etiquette, propriety and high society.

Book one Kat, Incorrigible, brings us in on a typical middle class British blended family. Four children, widowed father and a step mother who’s only concern is marrying off her stepdaughters to wealthy gentlemen. However Kathrine (Kat) has other ideas. She discovers the mother she never knew has left her a legacy of magical talent and she will stop at nothing to keep her family safe… even if it is improper and not at all ladylike.

Book 2 Renegade Magic, Kat is happy enough to see one sister happily married, however now her other sister has gone and created a situation where their step mother has shipped them all off to Bath to find her a suitor. Heavens above! How will Kat fix this?

Book 3 Stolen Magic, What to do, What to do? Somebody is out to get Kat. She’s being followed and her family seems to be in the line of fire. Can Kat save the day before her sister’s big day?

I enjoyed this series immensely and I think it’s my love for strong female protagonists that really sealed the deal. Katherine is delightfully persistent and unashamed of her family history. Her sisters are of the same vein, however they’ve realised their place in society, and in the 1800’s status was everything. As for Charles… well you’ll have to find out for yourselves.

I’ve never been to the UK, so the settings seem real and plausible to my naive mind. The thought of travelling to a Castle anywhere seems like such an adventure all on it’s own, but to add magic and high society to the mix made me quite excited to read on.

I’m not really a die hard fan of the accuracy of the era, so shows like Lost in Austen and this Kat Incorrigible book trilogy, add a level of normalcy and rebellion that make it far easier to consume.

I found myself day dreaming about the possible outcomes in certain scenes and Stephanie Burgis kept me on my toes for a good part of the series.

I would suggest this book to middle graders and older who want to wade gently into the era of Jane Austen and see how they find it, or for those who want to take a lighter journey through the early 1800’s from a young girls perspective.

It would be perfect on a rainy, dreary day when you can imagine yourself in England and not so very far away from the heart of the action.

http://www.stephanieburgis.com/

Kat, Incorrigible Paperback, 295 pages

Published April 3rd 2012 by Atheneum Books for Young Readers (first published January 1st 2010)

ISBN: 1416994483 (ISBN13: 9781416994480)

Renegade Magic Paperback, 352 pages

Published March 5th 2013 by Atheneum Books for Young Readers (first published August 1st 2011)

ISBN: 1416994505 (ISBN13: 9781416994503)

Stolen Magic Hardcover, 400 pages

Published April 2nd 2013 by Atheneum Books for Young Readers (first published October 1st 2012)

ISBN: 1416994513 (ISBN13: 9781416994510)