Brother’s Ruin Shows Us the Dark Side of Living in a Magical Reality

I love the way Newman’s writing often shows us a new world from an unexpected point of view, and her latest does not disappoint in that regard. Charlotte and Archie Gunn are brother and sister in a version of Victorian England governed by strict rules about the se of magic. In our world, the idea of belonging to an elite, mysterious magical group sounds enticing. That’s hardly the case here: Charlotte hides her talent for magic, and has no interest in being whisked away by the Royal Society of the Esoteric Arts—those with the gift are purchased from their families, and forced to serve the crown as indentured servants. All Charlotte can see in that future is a loss of freedom, but the risk of discovery is great; the society’s methods of finding and incarcerating hidden magic users are terrifying.

This is fantasy through a feminist lens, but the feminism isn’t about a woman’s freedom to work—it’s about her freedom to choose to work, or to have a family. Charlotte would rather the latter, but if she evades the law and a mandatory test of her magic, she risks losing her freedom and happiness. Even worse, her father mistakes the evidence of magical skill he’s been seeing for her brother’s, so he calls the society to test his son instead. Charlotte and Archie must collude to trick the society into believing he has more talent than he really does.
In the meantime, Charlotte stumbles across a murder mystery while attempting to help her father pay back a secret debt. It’s this debt that has her father considering giving up one of his children to the Society. Unfortunately, Archie isn’t nearly gifted enough, and the family risks dire legal consequences for false reporting.

Charlotte is caught between a rock and hard place. Should she give up her freedom and bring her family out of potential financial ruin, or marry her fiancé and be happy? Coming to a decision will require her to navigate treacherous streets, murdering magicians, and a multitude of secrets—and her journey is just beginning. In a slender page count, Newman develops nuanced characters and the conflicts they face in a compelling world twisted out of our past. She brings the story to a satisfying finish, but the ending is ripe with possibilities for more stories in this setting. I’m eager to see where Charlotte’s choices ultimately lead her.
Brother’s Ruin is available now.