Magdalene Nox: The Headmistress, Book 2

So, to say I’m a true fan of Milena McKay is a euphemism at this point. In my humble opinion, Ms. McKay sets the bar, and she sets in high in this genre. She is unrivaled in talent and consistency. All of her books hit the right notes, they are varied, she can find a hidden voice. She is weighed and not wanting as an author, and make no mistake; Ms. McKay is an author. She could probably write in any genre and we are fantastically blessed that she has chosen LWL writing to lay her talents bare. So without further ado, let me warn you, I’m going in and although I usually avoid lengthy reviews (I mean who wants to read a novel review right) I am making an exception as one is decidedly deserved here. I’ve read all her books and certainly the Headmistress is a standout. Magdalene is the iciest of ice queens rivaled only by the others in Ms. McKay’s army of icy and so stone cold female leads, and maybe one other who shall be nameless here because that is not what this is about. Austerity is at its sexiest in the women of Ms. McKay’s novels and Magdalene is no exception. She was deserving of her own story, of her voice, and Ms. McKay does her the highest justice. If I loved her in the Headmistress, I adored her in Magdalene Nox. When the book hits the ground like thunder, you know you’re in for something special. Ms. McKay does not stray away form the controversial topics and handles them with deft, so we see Magdalene faking an orgasm (damnit, we have all been there) but its the…

I'm sitting here in awe. I'm positively stupified. I recently found Milena McKay's work and to say I'm obsessed is putting it very mildly. I'm not even sure how to review this book because I'm not 100% confident that my words will do it justice. As with my review of The Headmistress- you can read the details in the synopsis or in other reviews but I can't help but talk about how this book made me feel. McKay evokes so much feeling from her readers, it's indescribable (but I'm going to try). McKay's writing is enthralling. It's ethereal. Her prose is stunningly beautiful and achingly visceral. The author very softly, lovingly, SEDUCTIVELY, takes you by the wrist, caressing the delicate skin with her sweet, poetic words, and gently lures you into this universe that's labeled contemporary but feels otherworldly. It's almost a fantasy (if McKay wrote a fantasy novel, my chest cavity could explode with joy) the way her words pour over you like warm honey, coating your mind in this sweet, sweet substance and you'd be utterly delighted to endure its perpetually sticky sweetness, reveling in its warmth. McKay's stellar wording and phrasing are unlike anything I've ever read - it's stunning. I adored literally everything about this book, but one thing that I cannot get out of my mind is McKay's chapter titles. They're gold standard level - again- just captivating. "Of Serendipitous Poetry & Momentous Discoveries" "Of Persipicacious Mothers & Fusha Boas" "Of Ruinous Choas & Things…

I was very sure I wanted to read Magdalene Nox. Because, well. Magdalene Nox. But then I was quite uncertain how I’d feel about reading the very same story from Nox point of view. First, because part of the drama unfolding in The Headmistress is already known, and I though it may subtract part of the mystery and excitement from the story. And second because, well, The Headmistress is in my top ten books for the last few years. So reading “another go” at the same story felt somewhat risky. As in, there was no way in heaven or earth that The Headmistress could be matched, Nox’s POV or not… To some extent, I was right. For me, anyway. Other readers may feel differently, but indeed this book didn’t completely annihilate me like The Headmistress did. I guess it’s partly due to what I referred to above earlier –the underlying drama is known and no surprise. The impact diminishes somewhat. I mean, there is no way to unknow that magnificent and iconic entrance… But to a pretty large extent I was also wrong. I found that the only review I took the time to read for this book before I read it myself was from Jude, and they are completely right that this story is not “just” a change of POV. There are a number of extra goodies. For example, we get to hear Nox directly reflect on her feelings for Willoughby –I mean, she didn’t fool anyone in The Headmistress, but in this book we do get to appreciate the care first hand. We also get to realize that her feelings for Sam start earlier and…

Even though parts of it were new, this is the same story just told through Magdalene’s eyes. I was hoping it would pick up where the last book left off, but alas no. Book 1 is the better of the two and though I loved the characters perhaps if I had read the blurb I could have saved myself some money. Not saying it’s a bad story, it’s just mostly book one with a few pages seen from Magdalene’s perspective.

In my review of “The Headmistress” one of my wishes was to hear this story from the POV of Magdalene because it would feel complete, it needed to be done for us to get the full picture of what was unfolding and how HUGE it was. It was marvelous seeing this love come to fruition and being told from the pov of the sweet, daring, kind, brave, and nerdy Sam. Her view of Magdalene made Magdalene so much larger than life, but in a mostly good way even though they seemed to battle “regularly.” This telling made you want to know the inner psyche and workings of this famed and beautiful ice queen. I wasn’t really expecting a side by side companion piece, per se. I am glad that it was. But I was also longing for more information about Timothy, George, Candace, and actually Magdalene, more backstory that I did not get in this addition. I wanted to know more about Magdalene when she actually attended Dragons prior to her removal. It would have been nice to get an actual visual on what falling in love with her first girl was like, kissing her, being caught, and how/whom caught her and what took place? I wanted a bit more backstory on her courtship and marriage to Timothy. He played such a huge part of her life and also in the books as a trustee of Three Dragons. I would have liked to read more interaction between them. Most importantly since George was a HUGE part of Magdalene’s life and was obsessed with her, it would have been nice to see more interactions with her prior to Dragons…