Magic & Malice: Mairelon the Magician / Magician's Ward

Magic & Malice: Mairelon the Magician / Magician's Ward by Patricia C. Wrede. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9781568656847.

Imagine a Regency England where magic is studied at the Royal College of Wizards. It is this England that is home to Kim, a London street thief who passes as a boy to survive. At nearly 17, Kim knows she won’t be able to keep up the masquerade for long and worries about her uncertain future. So when an opportunity arises to make a little money, she grabs it, only to have it blow up in her face – literally. Charged with searching the wagon of Mairelon the Magician for a particular silver bowl, Kim is thrown to the floor by a magical explosion. Too late she realizes that Mairelon is no mere stage magician, but a true wizard. Captured by the charming mage, Kim suspiciously agrees to travel along with him, trading her thieving skills for the tricks of his trade. But Mairelon is much more than he seems, and Kim has no idea that she’s been launched on an adventure complete with mishap, mayhem and a dizzying cast of characters. Includes: Mairelon the Magician The Magician’s Ward