The Twelfth Enchantment by David Liss

Miss Lucy Derrick is a young woman in Regency England who is living with her uncle, who does not want her there. And trust me, she does not want to be there either, but she has no choice. While there, a particular ordinary day becomes extraordinary when a deranged young man arrives at her uncle's door, demanding Lucy's audience. He tells her not to marry the man she's engaged to, a Mr. Olsen, and then proceeds to collapse.

This sets off a series of events that changes Lucy's life forever, changes that she might not particularly want. She finds herself caught up in a dangerous predicament that involves more than just her.

Magical realism, done right, works well with historical fiction. We're still shown the sign of the times, while also witnessing some extraordinary events. The Twelfth Enchantment seamlessly weaves real historic events and people with magic.

The characters were well drawn out. All of them, besides Lucy, seemed to be not what they seemed. The true mystery was who was good and who was bad. And, in some cases, who was an actual person and who wasn't.

And Lucy was a strong character, yet flawed, which made her real. Sometimes she overestimated herself, sometimes she underestimated herself. In the end, she found who she really was.