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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
I felt like there were flaws in this book which prevented it from getting a full five stars. I thought it might be the authors first book, although it is not. The book however, was a total blast as far as the story went. I'm not really a fan of Urban Fantasy so I feel like those that are should sit up and take notice of this book. I can't wait to read the sequels.
EDIT: Apparently this is the author's first novel. I don't know why I said that.
EDIT: Apparently this is the author's first novel. I don't know why I said that.
Four and a half stars. This is one of those books that's about the setting as much as it's about the story. London itself becomes a character in this book, for Matthew Swift is a true urban sorceror. He pulls electricity from streetlights, uses the contract on a subway token to ward off a monster, and pulls himself into a telephone line to avoid death. Other magicians make graffiti come to life, form monsters from street trash, and open faucets to bring water to use as a weapon. Great, original ideas. Sorcery is really a point of view, and Matthew loves the city, so he draws his power from there.
It's not really spoiling anything to say Matthew has returned from the dead, and the book is about his wish for revenge. It's not exactly a mystery, more a tour of London and an unveiling of some very cool and original ideas for magic. Some of the writing is lyrical. Some of it does get a bit overly corny with dry British humor. For that and for the relatively simple plot, I remove half a star. But it was a great visit to a magical place, and I will definitely read more in the series.
It's not really spoiling anything to say Matthew has returned from the dead, and the book is about his wish for revenge. It's not exactly a mystery, more a tour of London and an unveiling of some very cool and original ideas for magic. Some of the writing is lyrical. Some of it does get a bit overly corny with dry British humor. For that and for the relatively simple plot, I remove half a star. But it was a great visit to a magical place, and I will definitely read more in the series.
I really wanted to like this as it had its good parts and a cool concept but after almost 200 pages it still hasn't fully hooked me and the angel 'reveal' wasn't as good as I thought it was going to be so I'm moving on
Recommended to me by my wife & son. Paranormal urban fiction. Decent story, but like a lot of urban paranormal fiction, a bit gritty and unrelenting. Coupled with the teenage hero's and the accompanying angst, I found this book a bit a too overbearing. I am impressed with the author's maturity and attention to detail. I won't go out of my way to read the other books in this series, but never say never.Oh yeah, I thought the demon cycles were cool.
[4.25] masterful writing and plot like it is hard to weave an intricate world while also juggling a mystery. I love the complicated and expansive use of pronouns and perspectives as we grapple with a character that is both singular and multiple. Matthew Swift/the electric blue angels were a treat to follow as they burned a path of fire, light, and revenge through London. I wish there was slightly more explanation for some things and digging into the inner workings of characters but hey it was a fun read regardless
Much more dense than the average urban fantasy novel, but that's a good thing. Excellent characters, setting, magic, world building. Everything is pretty darn awesome. The writing is superb, both serious and funny at the same time.
It's hard to say this because of the nature of the character, but I would have liked to have seen a little more Matthew. I'd also like to see a little less of the near-infinite power of the Electric Blue Angels. Super-omege-I-beat-everything special powers kinda suck. Actually, they suck a lot
I did mention that this is more dense and that it was a good thing. That's most of the time. Every once in a while it would get a little tedious reading about every little thing having it's own magic. I got that point pretty early on. Or every street being mentioned and every random thing associated with said streets. Sometimes it was just... a little too much. So, yeah, it was great that there was so much detail and care put into the story, but sometimes it was a bother as well.
OYE.
It's hard to say this because of the nature of the character, but I would have liked to have seen a little more Matthew. I'd also like to see a little less of the near-infinite power of the Electric Blue Angels. Super-omege-I-beat-everything special powers kinda suck. Actually, they suck a lot
I did mention that this is more dense and that it was a good thing. That's most of the time. Every once in a while it would get a little tedious reading about every little thing having it's own magic. I got that point pretty early on. Or every street being mentioned and every random thing associated with said streets. Sometimes it was just... a little too much. So, yeah, it was great that there was so much detail and care put into the story, but sometimes it was a bother as well.
OYE.
Mathew Swift wakes up from being dead with a tendency to call himself 'we' and a determination to exact revenge on the person who set in motion the events leading up to his death.
But despite the intricacy of the story that unfolds about who does what and why to whom among the sorcerors and magic users of London (who live among us), what this story truly was for me was a stately symphony of love for the city of London itself; to the curry sellers, the pigeons, the traffic, the old and unused bits, all conveyed in a descriptive language that draws you in and makes you smell the carbon dioxide and feel the concrete yourself.
And the power of that descriptive language is both the strength and weakness of this book. While action and bloodshed with interesting foes there is aplenty, and a concept of sorcery that is a drawing of power from the very nature of a city itself, the plot is slow and ponderous, like the beating of a bell tower.
And two thirds of the way through the book, while I still felt bathed in the beautiful prose, I began to get wrinkles from the water and wished for things to speed up a bit.
Still, for those who like to immerse themselves in a world (in this case the actual city of modern London) I couldn't recommend a better book.
This Book's Food Designation Rating: A slow-simmered take away Indian chicken curry for the richness of the broth and myriad of flavors that sweeps away your palate.
But despite the intricacy of the story that unfolds about who does what and why to whom among the sorcerors and magic users of London (who live among us), what this story truly was for me was a stately symphony of love for the city of London itself; to the curry sellers, the pigeons, the traffic, the old and unused bits, all conveyed in a descriptive language that draws you in and makes you smell the carbon dioxide and feel the concrete yourself.
And the power of that descriptive language is both the strength and weakness of this book. While action and bloodshed with interesting foes there is aplenty, and a concept of sorcery that is a drawing of power from the very nature of a city itself, the plot is slow and ponderous, like the beating of a bell tower.
And two thirds of the way through the book, while I still felt bathed in the beautiful prose, I began to get wrinkles from the water and wished for things to speed up a bit.
Still, for those who like to immerse themselves in a world (in this case the actual city of modern London) I couldn't recommend a better book.
This Book's Food Designation Rating: A slow-simmered take away Indian chicken curry for the richness of the broth and myriad of flavors that sweeps away your palate.
This is a tricky one to review, not least because it was a tricky one to read. Conceptually I loved it. In actuality I found it the reading equivalent of molasses: sure, it's rich and deep and all, but I just didn't find it very fun to be wading through it. I ended up skim-reading after about the half way mark because I just couldn't take the glacial pace bogged down by the gorgeous but unnecessary detailed prose.
We have a sorcerer, Matthew Swift, who's just woken from being dead for two years. He can't decide if he's an "I" or a "we", and that has nothing to do with gender pronoun preference and everything to do with the voices in his head. He needs to find the person who a) killed him, and b) brought him back. And then do something particularly nasty to them. But there are others with similar ideas, and yet more who want him back in the grave. In this gritty, spark-spattered London, life is magic - and not everyone wants to share or play nice to have it.
The writing style is at once both captivating and the problem. I was utterly entranced by the strange ways in which everything is described, be it visual, physical sensation or emotional. Matthew's narration is formal, educated and aloof, which I could find a bit off-putting, but it's the thread of madness that the title hints at that keeps you interested.
Sadly after about 200 pages I found my interest fading, if just because all those wonderful descriptions bogged us down so much. We've got action - tons of action - but I found it laborious to read because it was just so wordy. I started to forget just what was going on, what the motivations were, who was who, because there was so much description in between the sections of plot that didn't serve to move it on.
It's also one of those somewhat frustratingly mysterious setups; a main character who knows more than they let on, leaving us several paces behind in understanding the urban fantasy world. It's not terrible by any means, as it does drip-feed inferences here and there, but again for me it was the pacing. It took too long to really understand what was going on. I also just didn't find any of the side characters particularly engaging (nor apparently did Matthew - he and his voices are rather cold when it comes to others) or the big nasty villains very interesting.
Maybe hard-bitten detective-like urban fantasies just aren't for me, no matter how imaginative they are with their settings or how curious I am about their ideas. Maybe heavy prose just isn't my thing. With great regret I guess this is a series I'll be breaking up with after all.
We have a sorcerer, Matthew Swift, who's just woken from being dead for two years. He can't decide if he's an "I" or a "we", and that has nothing to do with gender pronoun preference and everything to do with the voices in his head. He needs to find the person who a) killed him, and b) brought him back. And then do something particularly nasty to them. But there are others with similar ideas, and yet more who want him back in the grave. In this gritty, spark-spattered London, life is magic - and not everyone wants to share or play nice to have it.
The writing style is at once both captivating and the problem. I was utterly entranced by the strange ways in which everything is described, be it visual, physical sensation or emotional. Matthew's narration is formal, educated and aloof, which I could find a bit off-putting, but it's the thread of madness that the title hints at that keeps you interested.
Sadly after about 200 pages I found my interest fading, if just because all those wonderful descriptions bogged us down so much. We've got action - tons of action - but I found it laborious to read because it was just so wordy. I started to forget just what was going on, what the motivations were, who was who, because there was so much description in between the sections of plot that didn't serve to move it on.
It's also one of those somewhat frustratingly mysterious setups; a main character who knows more than they let on, leaving us several paces behind in understanding the urban fantasy world. It's not terrible by any means, as it does drip-feed inferences here and there, but again for me it was the pacing. It took too long to really understand what was going on. I also just didn't find any of the side characters particularly engaging (nor apparently did Matthew - he and his voices are rather cold when it comes to others) or the big nasty villains very interesting.
Maybe hard-bitten detective-like urban fantasies just aren't for me, no matter how imaginative they are with their settings or how curious I am about their ideas. Maybe heavy prose just isn't my thing. With great regret I guess this is a series I'll be breaking up with after all.
I've read very little urban fantasy, so I don't know how this compares. I found the magical system fascinating and I really liked the core conceit of the book. The execution of it was really aggravating, though. Over all , it's too dense, overwritten, tiresome. The pacing drags. There's no character development. And the implication that a stroke would turn someone evil is entirely offensive.
That said, there's some really good description, some fascinating characters, and, as I said, a really nice conception of magic and *city*.
...3 days later, I'm still thinking about the 'verse. That's good. But at the same time, I'm still sitting here wishing the book had been *better*. Sigh.
That said, there's some really good description, some fascinating characters, and, as I said, a really nice conception of magic and *city*.
...3 days later, I'm still thinking about the 'verse. That's good. But at the same time, I'm still sitting here wishing the book had been *better*. Sigh.
I enjoyed the world-building more than the characters, I think - Griffin comes up with her own flavor of urban magic and there are some genuinely clever bits.