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City of Dark Magic #1
City of Dark Magic
Once a city of enormous wealth and culture, Prague was home to emperors; alchemists; astronomers; and, as it’s whispered, hell portals. When music student Sarah Weston lands a summer job at Prague Castle cataloging Beethoven’s manuscripts, she has no idea how dangerous her life is about to become. Prague is a threshold, Sarah is warned, and it is steeped in blood.
Soon after Sarah arrives, strange things begin to happen. She learns that her mentor, who was working at the castle, may not have committed suicide after all. Could his cryptic notes be warnings? As Sarah parses his clues about Beethoven’s “Immortal Beloved,” she manages to get arrested, to have tantric sex in a public fountain, and to discover a time-warping drug. She also catches the attention of a four-hundred-year-old dwarf, the handsome Prince Max, and a powerful U.S. senator with secrets she will do anything to hide.
Soon after Sarah arrives, strange things begin to happen. She learns that her mentor, who was working at the castle, may not have committed suicide after all. Could his cryptic notes be warnings? As Sarah parses his clues about Beethoven’s “Immortal Beloved,” she manages to get arrested, to have tantric sex in a public fountain, and to discover a time-warping drug. She also catches the attention of a four-hundred-year-old dwarf, the handsome Prince Max, and a powerful U.S. senator with secrets she will do anything to hide.
464 pages, Paperback
First published November 27, 2012
314 people are currently reading
14364 people want to read
About the author
Magnus Flyte
2 books389 followersMagnus Flyte is a pseudonym for the writing duo of Meg Howrey and Christina Lynch. Howrey is a former dancer with the Joffrey II and the winner of an Ovation Award. She is the author of the novels The Cranes Dance and Blind Sight and lives in Los Angeles. Lynch is a television writer and former Milan correspondent for W Magazine. She lives near Sequoia National Park in California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,727 reviews
November 28, 2012
See this review and others like it at BadassBookReviews.com!
I’ve got to admit, when I saw City of Dark Magic on Netgalley, I was lured in by the pretty cover and promise of dark magic. I thought I was getting a fantasy novel set in menacing Prague that would be full of magic and portals to other worlds. This book actually turned out to be more of a contemporary spy novel with some alchemy thrown in to explain a few things. Personally, I didn’t connect with this novel or its characters and couldn’t really recommend it to anyone looking for a fantasy or even urban fantasy read, but other reviewers seem to have enjoyed the book much more than me. I think it helps to know what you are getting into from the beginning instead of expecting one type of book and getting another.
The writing in this book was a little off-putting for me. It felt like I was reading a YA novel, but there were some pretty descriptive sex scenes that negated that notion. The writing just didn’t flow very well and the conversations felt especially stilted. The pacing was also oddly inconsistent; I never felt a sense of urgency until the last thirty or so pages of the book. I did think the descriptions of Prague and its historical landmarks were well done though, so the writing wasn’t a totally unpleasant.
City of Dark Magic had a strange and somewhat convoluted plot. We begin thinking that Sarah will be investigating the death of her mentor but that is wrapped up pretty quickly; then it seems to connect to Beethoven’s Immortal Beloved letters, but that doesn’t really go anywhere. Another thread begins with the American senator, Charlotte Yates. We are given her inside POV and she is setup as the bad guy from the get-go, so no real mystery for the reader. As Sarah and Max are learning about her background, the reader already knows everything so their reactions don’t have much of an impact. Finally, Max is searching for the Golden Fleece and that remains a loose end. The plot was just not very cohesive at all and many pieces felt extraneous. The alchemy and time-travel felt more tacked on as an outside “air of mystery” than actually central to the story. I am entirely grossed out by the thoughts that Sarah and Max were eating toenails at the beginning of the story in order to ingest the time-travel drug. Yes, actual toenails that had residual amounts of the drug from the original user. Not toenail-shaped pills, actual toenails. Yuck!
The main heroine is Sarah Weston, a doctoral candidate who ends up in Prague for the summer after receiving a mysterious job offer. I never really connected to Sarah and didn’t believe her as a “sleuth.” She seemed to learn everything by accident or just happened to be in the right place at the right time. The fact that she used her nose to make judgments was weird as well. She could smell when she was attracted to other people, she could smell when things were fishy, and she almost literally sniffed out a bomb. These weren’t hypothetical smellings either; she actually used odors to make her decisions. It was more than a little strange. Her original characterization made it seem like she was a smart, no-nonsense kind of girl, but she made some really bad choices right off the bat that made it hard to take her seriously for the rest of the book.
Max was the main love interest, and it bothered me that other characters were telling Sarah she was in love with him after she had only met him twice. I don’t have any clue where that came from. Overall, Max was a pretty bland character. Nothing about him really stood out to me. Even thinking back right now, I couldn’t describe him to you for the life of me. Most of the other characters in this book also suffered from a one-dimensional characterization. There are many other scholars with Sarah and Max, but they all just blend together into an unimportant smarty soup.
The most intriguing characters in this book were Nico, an immortal dwarf, and Pols, a blind child prodigy. Of course we only got to spend a little time with each of them, but I would have been interested to learn more from their points of view. Nico is trying to find a way to die. He took an eternal life potion unknowingly and he has been alive for more than 400 years now. Pols is an absolute wonder on the piano but her condition has kept her mostly at home where she has become deeply religious and even thinks she can feel Beethoven when she is playing. I enjoyed all of their plot time immensely.
All in all, this book wasn’t for me. The changing characteristics of the plot didn’t do it many favors, and it seemed the writers couldn’t decide what type of story they wanted to tell. The paranormal aspects weren’t strong enough for me to recommend this to fantasy readers, and the mystery wasn’t developed well enough for me to recommend this to readers of thrillers or spy novels. I would maybe recommend this to adult YA readers, but only with the caveat that it is more spy games than fantasy.
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Books for providing an ARC copy of this book!
I’ve got to admit, when I saw City of Dark Magic on Netgalley, I was lured in by the pretty cover and promise of dark magic. I thought I was getting a fantasy novel set in menacing Prague that would be full of magic and portals to other worlds. This book actually turned out to be more of a contemporary spy novel with some alchemy thrown in to explain a few things. Personally, I didn’t connect with this novel or its characters and couldn’t really recommend it to anyone looking for a fantasy or even urban fantasy read, but other reviewers seem to have enjoyed the book much more than me. I think it helps to know what you are getting into from the beginning instead of expecting one type of book and getting another.
The writing in this book was a little off-putting for me. It felt like I was reading a YA novel, but there were some pretty descriptive sex scenes that negated that notion. The writing just didn’t flow very well and the conversations felt especially stilted. The pacing was also oddly inconsistent; I never felt a sense of urgency until the last thirty or so pages of the book. I did think the descriptions of Prague and its historical landmarks were well done though, so the writing wasn’t a totally unpleasant.
City of Dark Magic had a strange and somewhat convoluted plot. We begin thinking that Sarah will be investigating the death of her mentor but that is wrapped up pretty quickly; then it seems to connect to Beethoven’s Immortal Beloved letters, but that doesn’t really go anywhere. Another thread begins with the American senator, Charlotte Yates. We are given her inside POV and she is setup as the bad guy from the get-go, so no real mystery for the reader. As Sarah and Max are learning about her background, the reader already knows everything so their reactions don’t have much of an impact. Finally, Max is searching for the Golden Fleece and that remains a loose end. The plot was just not very cohesive at all and many pieces felt extraneous. The alchemy and time-travel felt more tacked on as an outside “air of mystery” than actually central to the story. I am entirely grossed out by the thoughts that Sarah and Max were eating toenails at the beginning of the story in order to ingest the time-travel drug. Yes, actual toenails that had residual amounts of the drug from the original user. Not toenail-shaped pills, actual toenails. Yuck!
The main heroine is Sarah Weston, a doctoral candidate who ends up in Prague for the summer after receiving a mysterious job offer. I never really connected to Sarah and didn’t believe her as a “sleuth.” She seemed to learn everything by accident or just happened to be in the right place at the right time. The fact that she used her nose to make judgments was weird as well. She could smell when she was attracted to other people, she could smell when things were fishy, and she almost literally sniffed out a bomb. These weren’t hypothetical smellings either; she actually used odors to make her decisions. It was more than a little strange. Her original characterization made it seem like she was a smart, no-nonsense kind of girl, but she made some really bad choices right off the bat that made it hard to take her seriously for the rest of the book.
Max was the main love interest, and it bothered me that other characters were telling Sarah she was in love with him after she had only met him twice. I don’t have any clue where that came from. Overall, Max was a pretty bland character. Nothing about him really stood out to me. Even thinking back right now, I couldn’t describe him to you for the life of me. Most of the other characters in this book also suffered from a one-dimensional characterization. There are many other scholars with Sarah and Max, but they all just blend together into an unimportant smarty soup.
The most intriguing characters in this book were Nico, an immortal dwarf, and Pols, a blind child prodigy. Of course we only got to spend a little time with each of them, but I would have been interested to learn more from their points of view. Nico is trying to find a way to die. He took an eternal life potion unknowingly and he has been alive for more than 400 years now. Pols is an absolute wonder on the piano but her condition has kept her mostly at home where she has become deeply religious and even thinks she can feel Beethoven when she is playing. I enjoyed all of their plot time immensely.
All in all, this book wasn’t for me. The changing characteristics of the plot didn’t do it many favors, and it seemed the writers couldn’t decide what type of story they wanted to tell. The paranormal aspects weren’t strong enough for me to recommend this to fantasy readers, and the mystery wasn’t developed well enough for me to recommend this to readers of thrillers or spy novels. I would maybe recommend this to adult YA readers, but only with the caveat that it is more spy games than fantasy.
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Books for providing an ARC copy of this book!
June 26, 2017
This book (received from Netgalley) did not get off on the right foot with me. The publisher apparently thought it would be oh-so-amusing to put this little note at the very beginning:
"The manuscript of the book you are about to read arrived in the mail one day at Penguin headquarters in New York with no cover letter. It was written on stationery from the Hotel La Mamounia in Marrakech using a manual typewriter, and postmarked on the Isle of Mull. The return address was simply 'Flyte, Magnus.' When the editors sought details about the author, they found them to be conflicting. He may be American. He may have ties to one or more intelligence organizations, including a radical group of Antarctic separatists. He may be the author of a monograph on carnivorous butterflies. He may live in Venice, Vienna, Vladivostok, or Vermont. City of Dark Magic may be his first novel."
I hate cutesy author profiles. This has an archness to it, an aren't-we-clever-ness, which I find completely off-putting – and that's without even bothering to bring up the little fact that a writer sending in a book as described would have their manuscript circular-filed before the echoes of the manual typewriter died. This just … isn't funny. In point of fact, a pair of women wrote it. Just say so.
Adding to the bad taste that left in my mouth - The Goodreads ad that keeps popping up for it:
"What do a music student, a U.S. senator, a 400 year-old dwarf, and a time-traveling prince have in common? A mystery in Prague. 'This deliciously madcap novel has it all' – Conan O'Brien"
(Really? Conan O'Brien a) reviewed a book and b) called it "deliciously madcap"? Are we talking about the same Conan O'Brien?)
It irritated me because the "400 year-old dwarf" thing was a complete spoiler for me. I was going to put spoiler tags on it, but it's in the ad, and in the GR synopsis, so … *shrug* OK. Whatever. The other irritation is – "madcap"? I … no. No, it's not. Madcap: wildly or heedlessly impulsive; reckless; rash: a madcap scheme. Synonyms: Farce, romp, frolic. Bringing Up Baby is the first movie to come to mind and also in a search. Bringing Up Baby does not have a body count. (Arsenic and Old Lace, also a madcap comedy, does certainly have a body count, but all those killed are a) killed off-screen, b) are complete strangers to the viewer, and c) are killed by sweet, well-meaning old ladies. And it's very well written. Also, A&OL is funny, which is often considered helpful in a comedy.)
A body count racked up by government baddies and the CIA and the KGB and whatever else is in here (what isn't in here?) and including among its number a loved one of a main character and someone rather nice and inoffensive who unlike the main characters never did anything to annoy me - ? Not madcap.
Sarah Weston is a music student in Boston; her mentor went off to Prague to work for the straggling heirs of a Czech royal family on the music section of a brand new museum, being created from a massive amount of treasure that had either survived or been recovered from the Nazis and the communists. There are hand-written papers from Beethoven in the collection, which is how Sarah's mentor got involved, and he has recommended her to come and assist him. This job offer comes hand-delivered by a dwarf retainer of the Lobkowicz family, and is followed shortly by word of Sarah's mentor's death by suicide.
There is some good stuff in here. The writing was solid. It just wasn't "madcap", or altogether consistent. Or enjoyable. I seem to say this a lot lately, but – I wanted to like Sarah. One stumbling block for that is … well, she's a sl- no. I'll be nice. She is an enthusiastic connoisseur of the sex act. The – no, I have to say it: the sluttiness didn't really seem to fit in with the rest of her personality, but there is an Encounter on her very first evening in the Palace. Two, really, with two different men, one at the table in the middle of dinner with someone she met a few minutes before, followed by one in a bathroom – and the male partner in the latter remains a mystery to her for several chapters. I'm sorry. I don't like starting off a book completely disgusted with the main character I'm expected to spend the next couple hundred pages with.
As for the rest of it … I don't see farce here. I don't see madcap. If this had been written as a serious mystery/fantasy/whatever with a sense of humor, it might have worked; the reason this made it to three stars instead of less was that there were moments that actually had me by the metaphorical lapels, and had me fascinated. But … it was trying to be a farce. Actually, I think it was trying to be The Pink Panther – and I hate to admit it, I didn't find that terribly funny, either. Either time. Most of the impulsive behavior (see "madcap" definition above) encompasses sex, which just annoyed me more than anything. Perhaps the fact that Sarah is given the ability to see Beethoven, and he farts a lot - ? Maybe that was supposed to be funny. Gas is always funny, right? Wait, there's a dwarf – is that supposed to be inherently funny? What looks like a toenail in a box, which Our Heroine ingests? Tee hee? Yeah – no. I didn't think so. It was all of a piece with that weird little intro – trying to be arch and coy and amusing. And failing.
I don't know. I said there was some good stuff in here; there certainly was a lot of stuff in here – kind of like the masses of all kinds of treasure and artifact the experts are combing through in the Palace. But where they ended up with a beautiful, elegant museum showcasing all the wonderful things, this – this was just a bit of a mess.
Spy caper? Comedy? Fantasy? Mystery? Political commentary? Tick off "All of the above". If the writer(s) (or editors) had just picked one - even two - of these and concentrated on doing that well, this could have been good.
At least now I can live the rest of my life knowing Beethoven was gassy. Yay me.
"The manuscript of the book you are about to read arrived in the mail one day at Penguin headquarters in New York with no cover letter. It was written on stationery from the Hotel La Mamounia in Marrakech using a manual typewriter, and postmarked on the Isle of Mull. The return address was simply 'Flyte, Magnus.' When the editors sought details about the author, they found them to be conflicting. He may be American. He may have ties to one or more intelligence organizations, including a radical group of Antarctic separatists. He may be the author of a monograph on carnivorous butterflies. He may live in Venice, Vienna, Vladivostok, or Vermont. City of Dark Magic may be his first novel."
I hate cutesy author profiles. This has an archness to it, an aren't-we-clever-ness, which I find completely off-putting – and that's without even bothering to bring up the little fact that a writer sending in a book as described would have their manuscript circular-filed before the echoes of the manual typewriter died. This just … isn't funny. In point of fact, a pair of women wrote it. Just say so.
Adding to the bad taste that left in my mouth - The Goodreads ad that keeps popping up for it:
"What do a music student, a U.S. senator, a 400 year-old dwarf, and a time-traveling prince have in common? A mystery in Prague. 'This deliciously madcap novel has it all' – Conan O'Brien"
(Really? Conan O'Brien a) reviewed a book and b) called it "deliciously madcap"? Are we talking about the same Conan O'Brien?)
It irritated me because the "400 year-old dwarf" thing was a complete spoiler for me. I was going to put spoiler tags on it, but it's in the ad, and in the GR synopsis, so … *shrug* OK. Whatever. The other irritation is – "madcap"? I … no. No, it's not. Madcap: wildly or heedlessly impulsive; reckless; rash: a madcap scheme. Synonyms: Farce, romp, frolic. Bringing Up Baby is the first movie to come to mind and also in a search. Bringing Up Baby does not have a body count. (Arsenic and Old Lace, also a madcap comedy, does certainly have a body count, but all those killed are a) killed off-screen, b) are complete strangers to the viewer, and c) are killed by sweet, well-meaning old ladies. And it's very well written. Also, A&OL is funny, which is often considered helpful in a comedy.)
A body count racked up by government baddies and the CIA and the KGB and whatever else is in here (what isn't in here?) and including among its number a loved one of a main character and someone rather nice and inoffensive who unlike the main characters never did anything to annoy me - ? Not madcap.
Sarah Weston is a music student in Boston; her mentor went off to Prague to work for the straggling heirs of a Czech royal family on the music section of a brand new museum, being created from a massive amount of treasure that had either survived or been recovered from the Nazis and the communists. There are hand-written papers from Beethoven in the collection, which is how Sarah's mentor got involved, and he has recommended her to come and assist him. This job offer comes hand-delivered by a dwarf retainer of the Lobkowicz family, and is followed shortly by word of Sarah's mentor's death by suicide.
There is some good stuff in here. The writing was solid. It just wasn't "madcap", or altogether consistent. Or enjoyable. I seem to say this a lot lately, but – I wanted to like Sarah. One stumbling block for that is … well, she's a sl- no. I'll be nice. She is an enthusiastic connoisseur of the sex act. The – no, I have to say it: the sluttiness didn't really seem to fit in with the rest of her personality, but there is an Encounter on her very first evening in the Palace. Two, really, with two different men, one at the table in the middle of dinner with someone she met a few minutes before, followed by one in a bathroom – and the male partner in the latter remains a mystery to her for several chapters. I'm sorry. I don't like starting off a book completely disgusted with the main character I'm expected to spend the next couple hundred pages with.
As for the rest of it … I don't see farce here. I don't see madcap. If this had been written as a serious mystery/fantasy/whatever with a sense of humor, it might have worked; the reason this made it to three stars instead of less was that there were moments that actually had me by the metaphorical lapels, and had me fascinated. But … it was trying to be a farce. Actually, I think it was trying to be The Pink Panther – and I hate to admit it, I didn't find that terribly funny, either. Either time. Most of the impulsive behavior (see "madcap" definition above) encompasses sex, which just annoyed me more than anything. Perhaps the fact that Sarah is given the ability to see Beethoven, and he farts a lot - ? Maybe that was supposed to be funny. Gas is always funny, right? Wait, there's a dwarf – is that supposed to be inherently funny? What looks like a toenail in a box, which Our Heroine ingests? Tee hee? Yeah – no. I didn't think so. It was all of a piece with that weird little intro – trying to be arch and coy and amusing. And failing.
I don't know. I said there was some good stuff in here; there certainly was a lot of stuff in here – kind of like the masses of all kinds of treasure and artifact the experts are combing through in the Palace. But where they ended up with a beautiful, elegant museum showcasing all the wonderful things, this – this was just a bit of a mess.
Spy caper? Comedy? Fantasy? Mystery? Political commentary? Tick off "All of the above". If the writer(s) (or editors) had just picked one - even two - of these and concentrated on doing that well, this could have been good.
At least now I can live the rest of my life knowing Beethoven was gassy. Yay me.
January 9, 2013
Good Lord, this was bad. more later.
Back now. Having slept on it, the book didn't improve. The main character seems to waver between "average grad student" and "clueless tramp". There's a reason you don't often see those phrases describing the same person.
I have to admit: I was disgusted in the first couple of chapters of the book, and that colored my outlook on the rest of it. Sarah, our hapless protagonist sets out to Prague to take over the study of original Beethoven material in Prague started by her mentor/advisor, recently (mysteriously) deceased. The first night there, she gets felt up by a man she doesn't know, then has sex in a bathroom with what turns out to be a different man. Because, really, who doesn't do that? Indiscriminate sex with a stranger in a foreign country? Sure! What could go wrong?
But the real problem here is that the book was too long. It's implausible that this many intelligent people would fail to handle their own business, instead leaving crucial assignements in the hands of rank amateurs. The villain in the story is a complete bust as a villain, just because any woman who aspires to the kind of power she wants couldn't possibly be this naively trusting. The book could have been wrapped up at right about novella length just by having everyone do their own job.
Note: The authors seem to have either some sort of political agenda, or maybe they hope to break into the Tom Clancy/Brad Metzler genre. Here's a pro-tip: Only one Senator in recent history has gotten away with changing his political affiliation after an election. Charlotte Yates seems to be changing parties every third page. Or maybe she just thinks everyone in every party is an imbecile. Pick a side and stay on it. Second pro-tip: Senators don't get Secret Service protection unless they're the Speaker of the House a Majority or Minority leader, or a candidate for President. There are constant references to Charlotte Yates as being "the most powerful Senator", but she isn't called out as Speaker or Majority Leader or anything else. It took me 3 minutes on google to find that, and I'm not publishing a novel. "Powerful" and "arrogant" aren't the same thing.
And speaking of jobs, I am certain that Sarah never did a stroke of work on this project. I therefore found the ending implausible too.
If you want to talk about it, message me. I won't put spoilers out, because SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE might enjoy this book. I can't imagine who, but it has to be someone.
Back now. Having slept on it, the book didn't improve. The main character seems to waver between "average grad student" and "clueless tramp". There's a reason you don't often see those phrases describing the same person.
I have to admit: I was disgusted in the first couple of chapters of the book, and that colored my outlook on the rest of it. Sarah, our hapless protagonist sets out to Prague to take over the study of original Beethoven material in Prague started by her mentor/advisor, recently (mysteriously) deceased. The first night there, she gets felt up by a man she doesn't know, then has sex in a bathroom with what turns out to be a different man. Because, really, who doesn't do that? Indiscriminate sex with a stranger in a foreign country? Sure! What could go wrong?
But the real problem here is that the book was too long. It's implausible that this many intelligent people would fail to handle their own business, instead leaving crucial assignements in the hands of rank amateurs. The villain in the story is a complete bust as a villain, just because any woman who aspires to the kind of power she wants couldn't possibly be this naively trusting. The book could have been wrapped up at right about novella length just by having everyone do their own job.
Note: The authors seem to have either some sort of political agenda, or maybe they hope to break into the Tom Clancy/Brad Metzler genre. Here's a pro-tip: Only one Senator in recent history has gotten away with changing his political affiliation after an election. Charlotte Yates seems to be changing parties every third page. Or maybe she just thinks everyone in every party is an imbecile. Pick a side and stay on it. Second pro-tip: Senators don't get Secret Service protection unless they're the Speaker of the House a Majority or Minority leader, or a candidate for President. There are constant references to Charlotte Yates as being "the most powerful Senator", but she isn't called out as Speaker or Majority Leader or anything else. It took me 3 minutes on google to find that, and I'm not publishing a novel. "Powerful" and "arrogant" aren't the same thing.
And speaking of jobs, I am certain that Sarah never did a stroke of work on this project. I therefore found the ending implausible too.
If you want to talk about it, message me. I won't put spoilers out, because SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE might enjoy this book. I can't imagine who, but it has to be someone.
September 17, 2012
Okay, I managed to take a peek at the other reviewers beforehand so I was guarded. I had no idea what the paranormal aspect of the book would be (if any) so I just took my time and just savored it. I usually find "dead" spots in a book, probably as fillers or some sort of wayward thinking of the author, but this book in my opinion, didn't have any! I was hooked from the beginning! It has a Dan Brown feel to it with the cryptic symbols, famous historical figures (hello Beethoven!), and the magnificent landmarks (reads like a tourist guide to Prague). I definitely liked the main character Sarah. She's smart, knowledgeable, and very interesting (she's a woman who is not afraid of her sexuality!). The writing is very good; it provides plenty of detail to let you imagine the scene, but not too much that it gets lost. I definitely appreciated the pseudo time traveling concept that made me think of ghosts and even had a believable feel to it. You can't help but imagine the past when the same structures and objects are still around. I don't like visiting museums, but this book made me rethink that now. Another sign of a good book based on historical events usually propels the reader to look up more info on the real history behind it (which I already did). Worthwhile book that should not only be read but put on your shelf for a fast-paced adventure read that you can turn to again and again.
Review copy provided by Penguin Debut Author Program.
Review copy provided by Penguin Debut Author Program.
Read
October 1, 2012The description for this book is fantastic, and I was so excited to receive it through Penguins First Reads program. I could tell, however, after the first 15 pages that this was not going to deliver. City of Dark Magic is poorly written, includes gratuitous sex, and fails to provide any sort of development or motivation in characters. Prague is fascinating - after I read Daughter of Smoke and Bone, I have added it to my list of places to see. This book does not induce the same reaction. Bleh. Unfinished.
February 17, 2015
So, that just happened.
Debating between 1 and 2 stars.
***
Some DaVinci Code-esque kinda thing with an American senator, some lost Prague royalty, Beethoven, time-altering-drugs (with some sci-babble about energy signatures and glial cells), a blind musical prodigy and her Mexican butler/nanny/friend, random sex - , former KGB secrets, an dwarf, hidden rooms, secret keys, Tycho Brahe, the Golden Fleece, more random sex - , fucking beneath the streets of Prague- which I wish were actual , alchemy - and some other random shit... not necessarily in that order.
A hot mess of a story with no point that I could discern (certainly no suspense or give-a-fuck-it-ness), lots of loose threads (for a sequel, I guess, gods help us), and and ending impression of "what the fuck did I just read?"
As I was reading, and telling my husband about random things - (oh gods, the toenails.... why with the fucking toenails?) - he asked, "Why are you reading this?" and I laughed hysterically and said, "I don't even fucking know!"
But for some reason, I had to finish it. And I have. So there's that.
***
So I feel like I need to explain the toenails:
And, well, I have this thing about feet. 'Cause they're gross. And whatever hope, however scant, I may have had for this book sort of disappeared with the toenails. Because ewww.
***
ETA: I don't even know what shelf to put this on. It's not even really fantasy - certainly nothing like what I expected from the title, the blurb, and the first couple chapters. Very misleading.
Debating between 1 and 2 stars.
***
Some DaVinci Code-esque kinda thing with an American senator, some lost Prague royalty, Beethoven, time-altering-drugs (with some sci-babble about energy signatures and glial cells), a blind musical prodigy and her Mexican butler/nanny/friend, random sex - , former KGB secrets, an dwarf, hidden rooms, secret keys, Tycho Brahe, the Golden Fleece, more random sex - , fucking beneath the streets of Prague- which I wish were actual , alchemy - and some other random shit... not necessarily in that order.
A hot mess of a story with no point that I could discern (certainly no suspense or give-a-fuck-it-ness), lots of loose threads (for a sequel, I guess, gods help us), and and ending impression of "what the fuck did I just read?"
As I was reading, and telling my husband about random things - (oh gods, the toenails.... why with the fucking toenails?) - he asked, "Why are you reading this?" and I laughed hysterically and said, "I don't even fucking know!"
But for some reason, I had to finish it. And I have. So there's that.
***
So I feel like I need to explain the toenails:
And, well, I have this thing about feet. 'Cause they're gross. And whatever hope, however scant, I may have had for this book sort of disappeared with the toenails. Because ewww.
***
ETA: I don't even know what shelf to put this on. It's not even really fantasy - certainly nothing like what I expected from the title, the blurb, and the first couple chapters. Very misleading.
January 9, 2013
LOVED LOVED LOVED LOVED LOVED. Ok. Done.
LOVED despite:
1) My confusion until about 1/3 of the way through. It took me awhile to adjust to the language and style of writing and the chapters dealing with Charlotte Yates.
Reasons why this book was crazy awesome:
1) The world build was amazing. Being set in Prague with castles and death and magic made it automatically cool. (And Charlotte was correct. I had to look up the location of Prague)
2) Alchemy. This subject has always intrigued me.
3) It was set in modern time with all the charm of earlier times.
4) It was the sort of magic that was believable. This book could have happened yall.
5) Sarah wasn't a lame excuse for a heroine. She wasn't clumsy. She wasn't incompetent. She wasn’t a doormat.
6) There was a midget.
7) There was a blind child prodigy.
8) I actually starting caring about music history and Beethoven. (His last piano concerto being Opus III)
9) SECRETS AND MYSTERY. Secret rooms, secret passages, secret lovers, secret formulas, secret drugs, secret notes, secret alchemy symbols, mysterious deaths, mysterious correspondence, mysterious plots, mysterious magic
10) The amount of vocabulary I learned and or understood. (golem, rampart, etc)
Quotes that I loved:
1) "It’s a lot of responsibility in a way. I can't even throw away an old moth-eaten pillow because maybe it once propped up the 6th Princess Lobkowicz's head or some damned thing. Maybe it was woven by a master of the lost needlepoint style that some academic will jizz over."-Max
2) "I admit that despite Oksana, up till now this century has been a little dull. Forgive me for not falling into a frenzy of excitement over Facebook or American Idol. I admit iTunes is very useful. And Oksana is good at sexting.” –Nico
Similar reading: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern and Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore
LOVED despite:
1) My confusion until about 1/3 of the way through. It took me awhile to adjust to the language and style of writing and the chapters dealing with Charlotte Yates.
Reasons why this book was crazy awesome:
1) The world build was amazing. Being set in Prague with castles and death and magic made it automatically cool. (And Charlotte was correct. I had to look up the location of Prague)
2) Alchemy. This subject has always intrigued me.
3) It was set in modern time with all the charm of earlier times.
4) It was the sort of magic that was believable. This book could have happened yall.
5) Sarah wasn't a lame excuse for a heroine. She wasn't clumsy. She wasn't incompetent. She wasn’t a doormat.
6) There was a midget.
7) There was a blind child prodigy.
8) I actually starting caring about music history and Beethoven. (His last piano concerto being Opus III)
9) SECRETS AND MYSTERY. Secret rooms, secret passages, secret lovers, secret formulas, secret drugs, secret notes, secret alchemy symbols, mysterious deaths, mysterious correspondence, mysterious plots, mysterious magic
10) The amount of vocabulary I learned and or understood. (golem, rampart, etc)
Quotes that I loved:
1) "It’s a lot of responsibility in a way. I can't even throw away an old moth-eaten pillow because maybe it once propped up the 6th Princess Lobkowicz's head or some damned thing. Maybe it was woven by a master of the lost needlepoint style that some academic will jizz over."-Max
2) "I admit that despite Oksana, up till now this century has been a little dull. Forgive me for not falling into a frenzy of excitement over Facebook or American Idol. I admit iTunes is very useful. And Oksana is good at sexting.” –Nico
Similar reading: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern and Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore
November 24, 2012
I got this book from Penguin through Goodreads First Reads.
This book is entirely driven by the plot. There are no strong characters and the writing is nothing special. That being said, it is a compelling read. The writing is lazy and clunky, but it manages to tell an intriguing story nonetheless.
The character development is clumsy and not subtle in the least. Characters feel more like caricatures - a brilliant, eccentric professor; a passionate Italian roommate; an over-sexed lesbian; a cold-hearted, conservative American senator; and perhaps worst of all, a wealthy, sickly child prodigy who wears white dresses with sashes and lives with her butler in a mansion full of heirlooms.
Sarah herself could be anybody. The writers clumsily drop in references to her father's death, but I really couldn't care less. Sarah doesn't have any kind of distinct personality. Random thoughts and ideas do not make up a well-rounded character. And Max is just a prince - that's about it.
The authors also seem to think they're cleverer than they really are. "Religion might be a pretty dubious gift from our ancestors, Sarah thought, gazing upward, but it did come in some fairly ass-kicking wrapping paper." Really? Faux-witty comments aren't enough to create a tough, spunky heroine.
This novel works best when the authors let the plot take over. When they try to be profound or give us deep insight into Sarah's character, it falls completely flat. Nowhere is this more true than in the conclusion, when Sarah reflects on how her adventure has changed her. It rings completely false.
The last line of the novel is also eye-rollingly bad: "Her nose was already twitching."
It's a pretty good story, but an entirely mediocre novel.
Update: Having since read A Discovery of Witches, I can say that I liked this novel better because it wasn't trying to be weighty or important. This novel is full of fun and the authors know it. It's also mercifully much shorter.
This book is entirely driven by the plot. There are no strong characters and the writing is nothing special. That being said, it is a compelling read. The writing is lazy and clunky, but it manages to tell an intriguing story nonetheless.
The character development is clumsy and not subtle in the least. Characters feel more like caricatures - a brilliant, eccentric professor; a passionate Italian roommate; an over-sexed lesbian; a cold-hearted, conservative American senator; and perhaps worst of all, a wealthy, sickly child prodigy who wears white dresses with sashes and lives with her butler in a mansion full of heirlooms.
Sarah herself could be anybody. The writers clumsily drop in references to her father's death, but I really couldn't care less. Sarah doesn't have any kind of distinct personality. Random thoughts and ideas do not make up a well-rounded character. And Max is just a prince - that's about it.
The authors also seem to think they're cleverer than they really are. "Religion might be a pretty dubious gift from our ancestors, Sarah thought, gazing upward, but it did come in some fairly ass-kicking wrapping paper." Really? Faux-witty comments aren't enough to create a tough, spunky heroine.
This novel works best when the authors let the plot take over. When they try to be profound or give us deep insight into Sarah's character, it falls completely flat. Nowhere is this more true than in the conclusion, when Sarah reflects on how her adventure has changed her. It rings completely false.
The last line of the novel is also eye-rollingly bad: "Her nose was already twitching."
It's a pretty good story, but an entirely mediocre novel.
Update: Having since read A Discovery of Witches, I can say that I liked this novel better because it wasn't trying to be weighty or important. This novel is full of fun and the authors know it. It's also mercifully much shorter.
December 16, 2012
1,5 stars
What is it with authors/publishers and wrong labelling of books? This book is a fiction with suspense and historical elements.
Contrary to what the title might let you think, there is no magic and despite what is said in the blurb "City of Dark Magic could be called a rom-co paranormal suspense novel—or it could simply be called one of the most entertaining novels of the year." this is NOT a paranormal novel. Same goes for the romance part.
Saying that a city is a threshold is in no way sufficient to make a book a paranormal one. Needless to say that the book failed to entertain me.
I did not like the author's style, there is a lot of lengths and sadly, I couldn't feel concerned for the characters. IMO the fact that we know the bad "guy" (who was such a caricature) from the beginning deprived us of a suspense that would have been welcome in the first part. Also, this book has some of the worst sex scenes I’ve ever read.
The only things I liked in this book are the historical references (especially those to Beethoven and Tycho Brahe).
What is it with authors/publishers and wrong labelling of books? This book is a fiction with suspense and historical elements.
Contrary to what the title might let you think, there is no magic and despite what is said in the blurb "City of Dark Magic could be called a rom-co paranormal suspense novel—or it could simply be called one of the most entertaining novels of the year." this is NOT a paranormal novel. Same goes for the romance part.
Saying that a city is a threshold is in no way sufficient to make a book a paranormal one. Needless to say that the book failed to entertain me.
I did not like the author's style, there is a lot of lengths and sadly, I couldn't feel concerned for the characters. IMO the fact that we know the bad "guy" (who was such a caricature) from the beginning deprived us of a suspense that would have been welcome in the first part. Also, this book has some of the worst sex scenes I’ve ever read.
The only things I liked in this book are the historical references (especially those to Beethoven and Tycho Brahe).
August 23, 2013
Recently someone wondered why you should review something you couldn’t finish. The implication in that statement is that such a review is unfair because things change. There’s truth in that – of course a bad book can get better and a good book can be ruined. Additionally if a reader, for whatever reason, finds it impossible to continue a book, isn’t important to know? The reviewer can determine if the review is of any help.
I do try to be fair when I review books I don’t finish. If I stop at the first page, I usually don’t note the book here, unless it was SOOOOO bad that people should run and that charging money for the book violates all types of international treaties and should be considered cruel. If the reason I stop reading is totally mine then I usually don’t star the book. I do, however, reserve the right to dislike a book intensely and then writing about even if I just read page one.
I made it past page one with this book. And there is even an aspect of this book I strongly like. Yet I couldn’t finish it.
The aspect I liked was – Sarah Weston enjoys sex and she is not a slut. Too often in books, women who enjoy sex with more than one men do so because (1) they are possessed by something (2) they are damaged in some way or (3) they are the bad women. Nice to see otherwise.
However, despite this very strong aspect, I found problems with the book. Problems that needless to say, made me stop reading, though I also learned suppression of disbelief and what violates it are rather strange. The first hiccup occurred when Sarah describes her meeting with Pols for the first time. Sarah is in high school, yet her reaction to Pols is that of a far older person. And how do you confuse a mastiff with a lion? The hiccup became a belch when Sarah looks around her apartment for weapons and considers the Unabridged Oxford Dictionary – which runs several volumes. I can understand panic leading to a consideration of this as a weapon, but how could a poor grad student afford it? My eyebrows short up when a graduate student never considered using the internet to find a story she was read as a child. She thinks to ask librarians (who can’t help her) but never the internet? I might have been able to forgive all that tied with the repetitive writing, worthless detail, and stereotypical special snowflake status of the heroine simply because of the sex thing and the fact that heroine does recognizes her limitations (and consider Pols, not herself, a genius). That’s worth much in today’s urban fantasy novels. The final straw was the fact that Sarah’s Italian roommate and Pols’ Mexican butler speak the same way. I never knew that the two accents were so similar, so identical. I never knew that an Italian graduate student in science would forget certain key words and confuse subject/verb agreement. The Italians I’ve meet, who have not been graduate students, don’t do that very often. Sarah’s roommate averages twice every sentence.
Oh well.
I do try to be fair when I review books I don’t finish. If I stop at the first page, I usually don’t note the book here, unless it was SOOOOO bad that people should run and that charging money for the book violates all types of international treaties and should be considered cruel. If the reason I stop reading is totally mine then I usually don’t star the book. I do, however, reserve the right to dislike a book intensely and then writing about even if I just read page one.
I made it past page one with this book. And there is even an aspect of this book I strongly like. Yet I couldn’t finish it.
The aspect I liked was – Sarah Weston enjoys sex and she is not a slut. Too often in books, women who enjoy sex with more than one men do so because (1) they are possessed by something (2) they are damaged in some way or (3) they are the bad women. Nice to see otherwise.
However, despite this very strong aspect, I found problems with the book. Problems that needless to say, made me stop reading, though I also learned suppression of disbelief and what violates it are rather strange. The first hiccup occurred when Sarah describes her meeting with Pols for the first time. Sarah is in high school, yet her reaction to Pols is that of a far older person. And how do you confuse a mastiff with a lion? The hiccup became a belch when Sarah looks around her apartment for weapons and considers the Unabridged Oxford Dictionary – which runs several volumes. I can understand panic leading to a consideration of this as a weapon, but how could a poor grad student afford it? My eyebrows short up when a graduate student never considered using the internet to find a story she was read as a child. She thinks to ask librarians (who can’t help her) but never the internet? I might have been able to forgive all that tied with the repetitive writing, worthless detail, and stereotypical special snowflake status of the heroine simply because of the sex thing and the fact that heroine does recognizes her limitations (and consider Pols, not herself, a genius). That’s worth much in today’s urban fantasy novels. The final straw was the fact that Sarah’s Italian roommate and Pols’ Mexican butler speak the same way. I never knew that the two accents were so similar, so identical. I never knew that an Italian graduate student in science would forget certain key words and confuse subject/verb agreement. The Italians I’ve meet, who have not been graduate students, don’t do that very often. Sarah’s roommate averages twice every sentence.
Oh well.
April 30, 2022
This mystical mystery was compelling, wry, interesting and just weird enough to be fun and fantastical. Initially, I did expect a bit more "magic" in this book ala witches, warlocks, mages or shamans (well, maybe not shamans in Prague...). The magic in this book is a bit more psychedelic although not of a traditional pharmaceutical persuasion. Given the alchemy that has taken place in Prague over the centuries one has attribute some of the magic to the city itself.
This story had a strong beginning as we meet the main character Sarah. We are introduced into her life in Boston with a flash of a typical day and a whisper of her aspirations. Then a dwarf from Prague comes with a gift and an invitation. Intrigue and a summer in Prague ensues and Sarah is knee deep in her passion...Beethoven's music, life and artifacts.
The history, setting, mysticism, strange characters and subsequent mysteries of City of Dark Magic were well paced and intriguing. The friendships, romances and rivalries formed under brief and intense circumstances proved to be interesting and entertaining.
As always I love the character of Prague...she can show up in any of my novels. Always gorgeous, mysterious, dangerous and seductive.
This story had a strong beginning as we meet the main character Sarah. We are introduced into her life in Boston with a flash of a typical day and a whisper of her aspirations. Then a dwarf from Prague comes with a gift and an invitation. Intrigue and a summer in Prague ensues and Sarah is knee deep in her passion...Beethoven's music, life and artifacts.
The history, setting, mysticism, strange characters and subsequent mysteries of City of Dark Magic were well paced and intriguing. The friendships, romances and rivalries formed under brief and intense circumstances proved to be interesting and entertaining.
As always I love the character of Prague...she can show up in any of my novels. Always gorgeous, mysterious, dangerous and seductive.
September 6, 2025
I'm not sure how to write a review about this novel without giving away all sorts of spoilers. It was one wild ride with a whole lot of events that made me raise my eyebrows. But it was entertaining enough that I simply went with it. The book did gain Brownie points simply because it involved Ludwig van Beethoven, my favourite composer. This story pressed a few of my happy buttons, but I can see why many people would be irritated with it and not enjoy the book as much as I did.
Sarah Weston lands a summer job at Prague Castle cataloging Beethoven’s manuscripts for a not-quite prince.. She is replacing her mentor who apparently committed suicide by jumping out of a window. Sarah apparently has a very good nose for pheromones, and what other reviewers term "a healthy sex life", but which had me wondering at the beginning if this was the story of a border-line nymphomaniac's adventures in Prague. Fortunately, as the novel progressed and events started getting wild, the main character's libido took a back seat. There are all sorts of things going on in this novel. The not-quite prince looking for some missing family heirloom, Nico who keeps popping up all over the place, Sarah trying to find out why her mentor would commit suicide and do some academic research at the same time, some freaky historical vision/hallucination thing (these parts were pretty cool), a blind child pianist (with former bomb-sniffing "guide" dog and Mexican...butler?... in tow), a former CIA agent up to no good (there is obviously a KGB agent somewhere as well), and a whole menagerie of scholars of one sort or another cataloguing all the not-quite prince's family possessions with the aim of opening a museum. Oh, and a murder or two, and a hell portal. I'm not quite sure what happened to the hell portal at the end. I liked the musical bits and those historical sections related to Beethoven, and the interesting way they were incorporated into the novel. This novel doesn't quite tie up all the loose ends, and there is a sequel that I need to track down.
Sarah Weston lands a summer job at Prague Castle cataloging Beethoven’s manuscripts for a not-quite prince.. She is replacing her mentor who apparently committed suicide by jumping out of a window. Sarah apparently has a very good nose for pheromones, and what other reviewers term "a healthy sex life", but which had me wondering at the beginning if this was the story of a border-line nymphomaniac's adventures in Prague. Fortunately, as the novel progressed and events started getting wild, the main character's libido took a back seat. There are all sorts of things going on in this novel. The not-quite prince looking for some missing family heirloom, Nico who keeps popping up all over the place, Sarah trying to find out why her mentor would commit suicide and do some academic research at the same time, some freaky historical vision/hallucination thing (these parts were pretty cool), a blind child pianist (with former bomb-sniffing "guide" dog and Mexican...butler?... in tow), a former CIA agent up to no good (there is obviously a KGB agent somewhere as well), and a whole menagerie of scholars of one sort or another cataloguing all the not-quite prince's family possessions with the aim of opening a museum. Oh, and a murder or two, and a hell portal. I'm not quite sure what happened to the hell portal at the end. I liked the musical bits and those historical sections related to Beethoven, and the interesting way they were incorporated into the novel. This novel doesn't quite tie up all the loose ends, and there is a sequel that I need to track down.
July 15, 2017
City of dark magic is a fun 'magical realism' style of novel that is humourous, lighthearted and does not take itself too seriously. It also has a fairly formidable amount of real life knowledge of a number of interesting things.
Prague is one of those things, I suspect (I have never been there) that the author knows parts of the city rather well, the descriptions of the city are coherent, interesting and convincing but are not dwelt on in any great detail that would obscure the fast paced events they form a backdrop for.
Our main character, Sarah, is a postgraduate in Beethoven studies and she is offered a summer job cataloging his manuscripts for a private museum opening in Prague. When she arrives she finds that her lecturer and prospective supervisor met his death there under suspicious circumstances. The amount of information on Beethoven was pretty significant, I suspect I now know a lot more about him than previously. Also some of the other collections for the museum were very well written.
The plot is intricate, convoluted and very entertaining. The characters are multiple, diverse and interesting. I did feel a bit as though, a lot of effort went into establishing the characters in the beginning but that once they were established they were pretty much abandoned by the author, to be put through the motions of the adventures with little extra development or attention.
I feel that the publishing house did few favours for the novel however; the cover is lovely, but the descriptions are misleading. The whole 'steeped in blood' on the back might make a prospective reader think it was much more of a murder thriller than it is. The emphasis on the 'fabric of time being thin' and 'strange events' might fool one into thinking there was a lot more uncanny and magical about it than was the case - it certainly fooled me into thinking that. Once again I am left wondering if a publishing house ever bothered to read the novel they published?
Nevertheless, this is a well written, well plotted book which is a lot of fun if you start it with few expectations, as I did. It is probably at least a three and a half stars, but I did not feel that the treatment of the characters was quite four-star. The early, promising sketches of Sarah's character were never filled in enough I feel, she remained two dimensional. The 'bad guy' was downright tongue in cheek farcical a lot of the time, which did nothing for me, and the remainder of the characters did not get to much fleshing out.
So three stars from me, but it was fun for a casual read.
Prague is one of those things, I suspect (I have never been there) that the author knows parts of the city rather well, the descriptions of the city are coherent, interesting and convincing but are not dwelt on in any great detail that would obscure the fast paced events they form a backdrop for.
Our main character, Sarah, is a postgraduate in Beethoven studies and she is offered a summer job cataloging his manuscripts for a private museum opening in Prague. When she arrives she finds that her lecturer and prospective supervisor met his death there under suspicious circumstances. The amount of information on Beethoven was pretty significant, I suspect I now know a lot more about him than previously. Also some of the other collections for the museum were very well written.
The plot is intricate, convoluted and very entertaining. The characters are multiple, diverse and interesting. I did feel a bit as though, a lot of effort went into establishing the characters in the beginning but that once they were established they were pretty much abandoned by the author, to be put through the motions of the adventures with little extra development or attention.
I feel that the publishing house did few favours for the novel however; the cover is lovely, but the descriptions are misleading. The whole 'steeped in blood' on the back might make a prospective reader think it was much more of a murder thriller than it is. The emphasis on the 'fabric of time being thin' and 'strange events' might fool one into thinking there was a lot more uncanny and magical about it than was the case - it certainly fooled me into thinking that. Once again I am left wondering if a publishing house ever bothered to read the novel they published?
Nevertheless, this is a well written, well plotted book which is a lot of fun if you start it with few expectations, as I did. It is probably at least a three and a half stars, but I did not feel that the treatment of the characters was quite four-star. The early, promising sketches of Sarah's character were never filled in enough I feel, she remained two dimensional. The 'bad guy' was downright tongue in cheek farcical a lot of the time, which did nothing for me, and the remainder of the characters did not get to much fleshing out.
So three stars from me, but it was fun for a casual read.
November 14, 2012
City of Dark Magic by Magnus Flyte — the pseudonym of authors Meg Howrey and Christina Lynch — had an interesting concept. Flyte obviously did their research of Beethoven’s life, and the twist with his “Immortal Beloved” was an interesting take on it.
However, that’s unfortunately about the best I can say about City of Dark Magic, It was through sheer force of will that I finished this novel. The writing seems to be at an amateur level at best; the plot scattered and in general, just a mess. There’s little to no character development throughout the story, and the dynamics between characters seems to fall flat.
With an antagonist who seems entirely power hungry, and just killing for the sake of killing, and a protagonist who is nothing special except for having a nose sensitive enough to smell things like danger, evil and pheromones, and has an extensive knowledge of Beethoven’s music, there wasn’t really much to the characters, nothing that makes you feel sympathy for their quest, or takes you on an emotional ride through their trials and triumphs.
While the book and the writing does seem to improve somewhat about half-way through; there are still sections in which it seems the authors forgot what genre they were writing, with segments which seem like they’d be better suited for an erotica novel – coupled with their style and word usage making the book feel like it was intended for young readers — made those scenes awkward to read and completely unnecessary.
(Note: I have absolutely no issue with sex in novels, but when it’s out of the blue and goes into great detail where it’s completely out of place, it’s probably best to leave it out.)
A lot of what was hinted at and referenced through the novel also fell short and were quite disappointingly executed, seeming rushed at best, or not given more than a few words of mention when they were finally shown.
This isn’t a book I would recommend at all, but perhaps others will see what I failed to in this novel, and will enjoy it.
I received a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
However, that’s unfortunately about the best I can say about City of Dark Magic, It was through sheer force of will that I finished this novel. The writing seems to be at an amateur level at best; the plot scattered and in general, just a mess. There’s little to no character development throughout the story, and the dynamics between characters seems to fall flat.
With an antagonist who seems entirely power hungry, and just killing for the sake of killing, and a protagonist who is nothing special except for having a nose sensitive enough to smell things like danger, evil and pheromones, and has an extensive knowledge of Beethoven’s music, there wasn’t really much to the characters, nothing that makes you feel sympathy for their quest, or takes you on an emotional ride through their trials and triumphs.
While the book and the writing does seem to improve somewhat about half-way through; there are still sections in which it seems the authors forgot what genre they were writing, with segments which seem like they’d be better suited for an erotica novel – coupled with their style and word usage making the book feel like it was intended for young readers — made those scenes awkward to read and completely unnecessary.
(Note: I have absolutely no issue with sex in novels, but when it’s out of the blue and goes into great detail where it’s completely out of place, it’s probably best to leave it out.)
A lot of what was hinted at and referenced through the novel also fell short and were quite disappointingly executed, seeming rushed at best, or not given more than a few words of mention when they were finally shown.
This isn’t a book I would recommend at all, but perhaps others will see what I failed to in this novel, and will enjoy it.
I received a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
October 5, 2012
Prague is a wonderful setting for a mystery, a romance, a well, just about anything. Unfortunately, "City of Dark Magic" might as well have been set in Rhinebeck, NY for all the atmosphere it had. While ostensibly we are following the increasingly mysterious adventure of music grad student, Sarah Weston, she's just not that interesting. Her love interest is pretty lame and about as dull as she is. The two most interesting characters in the book, Pols and Nico, seemed wasted as we followed around our singularly clueless protagonist who, as far as I could tell, didn't spend any time doing any actual work even though she was supposed to be super smart as well as super sexy. How her part of the museum ever got finished is the real mystery.
And while I don't have any problem with a belching, farting Beethoven, the whole thing with his toenail clippings being a psychotropic drug was kind of disgusting. Sure, lead and arsenic show up in clippings of hair and nails, but eating them? No.
The writing was awkward, and the villain was a cartoon character that took the novel, or tried to, into a whole other spy-thriller dimension that for me, fell flat.
I really wanted to like this novel. It had a lot of things that looked like fun: Prague, Beethoven, Tycho Brahe, a mysterious castle, strange deaths, a five-hundred year old dwarf. There's a lot to love there. Unfortunately, the execution didn't meet the promise, which made me a little sad.
And while I don't have any problem with a belching, farting Beethoven, the whole thing with his toenail clippings being a psychotropic drug was kind of disgusting. Sure, lead and arsenic show up in clippings of hair and nails, but eating them? No.
The writing was awkward, and the villain was a cartoon character that took the novel, or tried to, into a whole other spy-thriller dimension that for me, fell flat.
I really wanted to like this novel. It had a lot of things that looked like fun: Prague, Beethoven, Tycho Brahe, a mysterious castle, strange deaths, a five-hundred year old dwarf. There's a lot to love there. Unfortunately, the execution didn't meet the promise, which made me a little sad.
September 20, 2012
Wow! What a great book! I actually stayed up until midnight one night reading this book- it was that good. Sarah Weston is a P.h. D. candidate in musicology who grew up on the tough streets of South Boston. She is hired to work at the Lobkowicz Castle in Prague to catalog and perform archival work on sheets of music penned by Beethoven. While in Prague, she learns of her beloved professor's "suicide" and vows to look into the circumstances of his death. While performing her job duties, she is surrounded by the drama of Czech politics and history and falls hard for the prince of Lobkowicz Castle. Alas, the castle has secrets of its own- a conniving U.S. senator with ties to the KGB, a 400 year old dwarf, and a drug that lets you see into the past. Read and you'll agree with me and the book jacket: "one of the most entertaining novels of the year."
**Shameless plug alert- You can read more of my book reviews at www.thesouthernbookworm.blogspot.com.
**Shameless plug alert- You can read more of my book reviews at www.thesouthernbookworm.blogspot.com.
October 28, 2018
Whoa. Writing duo Magnus Flyte have produced the most outrageous time-travel historical thriller about Beethoven's toenails ever.
Prague and its tourist sites feature heavily throughout the novel. Moderately fun, but unrepentantly goofy and just occasionally all-out trashy.
Sorry, wrong Beethoven.
March 28, 2016
This book was terrible, and I actually don't even feel like going too much into it, except to say that the main character was beyond stupid and annoying.
The only reason I finished this book is that it sort of started off with promise, and I was on holiday, and then I was half way before I realised I really loathed it, but then it seemed lame not to finish it.
That is all.
The only reason I finished this book is that it sort of started off with promise, and I was on holiday, and then I was half way before I realised I really loathed it, but then it seemed lame not to finish it.
That is all.
April 6, 2013
Okay...so the thing you have to understand about this book is you can't take it too seriously (don't let the cover art fool you). Now that I know that, I like it better. It is a fun book masaquerading as a well thought-out historical, cerebral, diabolical, espionagal, everythingal, Tom Clancyal, etc.al, piece of 21st Century Literature. It is not.
It took me a while to figure this out. First, being a little slow on the draw, I didn't realize that Magnus Flyte was really two women writing the book. I somehow believed this was going down the path of a Carlos Ruiz Zafon-esque book (Barcelona. Prague.) I admit I must be guilty of some sort of sexism but there were several times while reading that I asked myself "a man wrote this?"
Now that I know that this was written by two women -- which explains why there were undeveloped characters and storylines running all over the place (not because they are women but because there are TWO of them) -- and that it is the beginning of a series,I can firmly put this in the category of fun romp like a Janet Evanovich Wicked series.
With all of that being said, I wish I could split my ratings. Clearly the author(s) didn't know what kind of book they wanted to write. As a serious work of literature I give it 1 star. As a fun romp I give it 4 stars. They are trying to have it all but it actually just ruins both of the books.
Read any of the 5 star reviews for what it good...the 2 star reviews for what is bad. There were some great one-liners, some great time "travel" sequences, some great vision, some great fantasy ideas and the KGB stuff kind-of bored me. (Charlotte's character was completely unbelievable and irritating. Insulting to the reader, actually. In fact, they mostly wrote her part as separate chapters. My advice...ax those chapters and just make her a shallow villian.)
I will look for the next book in this series because I want to know about that portal, Nico, Pol, glial cell "time travel", and I like the setting. (For the record: The sex didn't bother me... I thought it was fun and doesn't dominate. Toenails? Seriously? Ick.)
Oh and the book would benefit from a new cover design.
It took me a while to figure this out. First, being a little slow on the draw, I didn't realize that Magnus Flyte was really two women writing the book. I somehow believed this was going down the path of a Carlos Ruiz Zafon-esque book (Barcelona. Prague.) I admit I must be guilty of some sort of sexism but there were several times while reading that I asked myself "a man wrote this?"
Now that I know that this was written by two women -- which explains why there were undeveloped characters and storylines running all over the place (not because they are women but because there are TWO of them) -- and that it is the beginning of a series,I can firmly put this in the category of fun romp like a Janet Evanovich Wicked series.
With all of that being said, I wish I could split my ratings. Clearly the author(s) didn't know what kind of book they wanted to write. As a serious work of literature I give it 1 star. As a fun romp I give it 4 stars. They are trying to have it all but it actually just ruins both of the books.
Read any of the 5 star reviews for what it good...the 2 star reviews for what is bad. There were some great one-liners, some great time "travel" sequences, some great vision, some great fantasy ideas and the KGB stuff kind-of bored me. (Charlotte's character was completely unbelievable and irritating. Insulting to the reader, actually. In fact, they mostly wrote her part as separate chapters. My advice...ax those chapters and just make her a shallow villian.)
I will look for the next book in this series because I want to know about that portal, Nico, Pol, glial cell "time travel", and I like the setting. (For the record: The sex didn't bother me... I thought it was fun and doesn't dominate. Toenails? Seriously? Ick.)
Oh and the book would benefit from a new cover design.
September 27, 2012
At first I was going to give this book a higher rating, but as I started writing my review I remembered more and more of the little things that annoyed me. First the good: the book was an engaging read, with fabulous use of the history of Prague and the many quirky figures that have lived there. The alchemy tossed throughout was great fun, and far more interesting than if it had been straight magic.
This book is a spy thriller in fantasy wrappings. The title, author's pseudonym, and cover shout "Magic! Fantasy!" and even the set up for the plot feels like the beginning of a trip into a fantastical world, but then switches gears into spies and intrigue. This isn't a bad thing, but I admit to going through some genre confusion at the beginning. I'm curious about the choice to market it this way - perhaps the thought was that some of the playing with time and alchemy was too much for readers of straight up spy thrillers?
After our heroine, Sarah, makes some stupid choices at the beginning of the novel, it took a long time for me to take her seriously as a character again. She is never fully believable in the international intrigue parts - and because of this the plot gives her every deus ex machina possible. She has convenient conversations right before she needs that information, she happens to be in the right place to overhear vital clues, and she stumbles over everything that she needs. I would have rather heard the same plot told from Nico's point of view - he was be far the most interesting person in the whole thing.
It isn't too far of a stretch to compare City of Dark Magic to the The Da Vinci Code; the plot is thick with historical interest, but the characters barely exist. But there is also a lot of inconsistent pacing, with almost no sense of urgency throughout most of the book, then sudden crises at the end.
I'd place this book as a borrow - don't look for anything other than fluff, but a fun way to pass a few hours.
This book is a spy thriller in fantasy wrappings. The title, author's pseudonym, and cover shout "Magic! Fantasy!" and even the set up for the plot feels like the beginning of a trip into a fantastical world, but then switches gears into spies and intrigue. This isn't a bad thing, but I admit to going through some genre confusion at the beginning. I'm curious about the choice to market it this way - perhaps the thought was that some of the playing with time and alchemy was too much for readers of straight up spy thrillers?
After our heroine, Sarah, makes some stupid choices at the beginning of the novel, it took a long time for me to take her seriously as a character again. She is never fully believable in the international intrigue parts - and because of this the plot gives her every deus ex machina possible. She has convenient conversations right before she needs that information, she happens to be in the right place to overhear vital clues, and she stumbles over everything that she needs. I would have rather heard the same plot told from Nico's point of view - he was be far the most interesting person in the whole thing.
It isn't too far of a stretch to compare City of Dark Magic to the The Da Vinci Code; the plot is thick with historical interest, but the characters barely exist. But there is also a lot of inconsistent pacing, with almost no sense of urgency throughout most of the book, then sudden crises at the end.
I'd place this book as a borrow - don't look for anything other than fluff, but a fun way to pass a few hours.
Read
January 11, 2013An unusual title, “City of Dark Magic” is the debut brainchild of Christina Lynch and Meg Howrey—writing under the pseudonym Magnus Flyte—and is a difficult book to classify into one specific genre. Murder and suspense are key, but dashes of paranormal and undertones of fantasy take this book into not often seen territory. For suspense and thriller fans, I’d compare “City of Dark Magic” to King’s The Dark Tower series or to Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” solely because when you think you know where the story is headed, you’re sure to be wrong.
Musicologist Sarah Weston couldn’t have seen the wild direction her life would take when offered a summer position at Prague Castle cataloguing Beethoven’s manuscripts. Though gifted at her chosen path, she’s still a student and shocked by the loss of her mentor, Professor Sherbatsky, who coincidentally died in an ‘accident’ while working on the same project she’s slated to continue in Prague. Personally tasked with trying to discover more about the tragedy that befell her friend, Sarah quickly finds herself entangled in a century’s old mystery while tagging along with a newly titled prince and a four-hundred-year-old dwarf. She soon realizes that the mysteries of the past aren’t their only problems. A cold and calculating U.S. senator with her eye on a loftier position has a secret, and the key is hidden in Prague Castle. She’ll stop at nothing, even the destruction of priceless antiques and the death of countless others, to reach her career objective and hide a past dalliance.
At times, I felt like Alice, slipping down the rabbit hole, though I hung on and it was certainly an unconventional, yet interesting ride. The characters—specifically Sarah and her motley crew—combined with the essence of the city and its past, made for a very interesting read. With this kind of imagination, I can’t even speculate at the surprises these authors will bring out next.
Reviewed by Shannon Raab for Suspense Magazine
Musicologist Sarah Weston couldn’t have seen the wild direction her life would take when offered a summer position at Prague Castle cataloguing Beethoven’s manuscripts. Though gifted at her chosen path, she’s still a student and shocked by the loss of her mentor, Professor Sherbatsky, who coincidentally died in an ‘accident’ while working on the same project she’s slated to continue in Prague. Personally tasked with trying to discover more about the tragedy that befell her friend, Sarah quickly finds herself entangled in a century’s old mystery while tagging along with a newly titled prince and a four-hundred-year-old dwarf. She soon realizes that the mysteries of the past aren’t their only problems. A cold and calculating U.S. senator with her eye on a loftier position has a secret, and the key is hidden in Prague Castle. She’ll stop at nothing, even the destruction of priceless antiques and the death of countless others, to reach her career objective and hide a past dalliance.
At times, I felt like Alice, slipping down the rabbit hole, though I hung on and it was certainly an unconventional, yet interesting ride. The characters—specifically Sarah and her motley crew—combined with the essence of the city and its past, made for a very interesting read. With this kind of imagination, I can’t even speculate at the surprises these authors will bring out next.
Reviewed by Shannon Raab for Suspense Magazine
January 21, 2013
Prague is a great backdrop for a fantasy novel. Sarah Weston is recruited to help catalog the original works of Beethoven for the Lobkowicz family musuem when her thesis advisor dies under mysterious circumstances. Like many of today's musical geniuses, it is implied that Beethoven was a drug addict, which Sarah discovers while mentally time-traveling under the influence herself. Throw in a little espionage, a lot of sex and murder, cover-ups, and you have the makings of this novel. From the writing, I was able to discern that this book was written by two women, using a nom de plume. This should have been better.
February 7, 2015
THIS BOOK WAS ABSOLUTELY PERFECT!
I feel so happy about starting february (my favourite time of the year, btw) with awesome books!
The book has it all - magnificent cover, it`s told in 3rd person, a KICK-ASS heroine, outstanding characters, heart stopping action and engaging mystery and drama WITH ONE OF THE MOST MAGICAL CITIES - PRAGUE - AS IT`S BACKGROUND!
The main heroine Sarah Weston is so funny and light-hearted. She`s also very smart and dedicated to her work and her studies of music history. I may not be very interested in music (my inclinements are more towards art :P ), but MUSIC HISTORY fascinates me! So I was sucked right on page 1. Also, as the WHOLE WORLD PRACTICALLY COLLAPSED ON HER, she got her shit together and solved one problem after another instead of dedicating herself to love drama jama. YOU GO, GIRL!
A nice refreshment was to read from the POV of a girl who is not afraid to swear loudly, talk about her sex life or the quirky fact that she chooses her partners by the way they smell and in the same time have a sexy spanish roommate, who likes going around in towels. (and she is not in love with him, OMG can you believe it!)
As there are almost 400 pages for the reader to get to know Sarah better, it wasn`t at all difficult to care for her when you saw her vulnerable side as she mourned for her favourite music history professor Sherbatsky, or when she talked about the painful way her father had died, or when she visited her favourite pupil Pollina.
There is also the difference that Sarah is an atheist and has never been in love, so her love life consist of one big "just sex, no feelings" situation. Not that she is complaining. Not that I am too. It was so interesting to be in her head, because of those two things.
Pollina a.k.a. Polls is one that makes this book stand out. She is a blind 11 year old girl barely going out of her mansion, with archeologist parents who are always on an expedition. To complete the picture are Jose, the gay Spanish steward who isn`t good with English and the old dog that is supposed to guard her, but she loves it anyway. And let`s not forget that at the age of 4 she already knew how to play most of Beethoven and Mozart`s works and started composing on her own. She would also recite whole passages from books and poems. And I won`t say more, because it`s a spoiler! Basically, you can`t help it, but love this kid! She brought so much intensity to the story.
Vey important was Prince Max Lobkowitz Anderson. (wo-hoo, I got the name right!) Because of him there was a collection to sort and a museum and palace to organise! So he made the book! :D :P
Now let me say that I ship him and Sarah very hard. There wasn`t an actual romance in this book. There was A HILLARIOUS friends-with-benefits situation between the two of them. But it was pulled out SO GOOD! The banter, the innuedos, the funny lines, EVERYTHING led you to want them together. And seriously, they have the perfect chemistry! This book has the one of the most brilliantly written sex scenes I`ve read! Obviously, I`m not here to read about the sex, I can always pick up 50 shades of grey if I was so desperate, but this made me blush so hard, which never happens with me!
And I`ll say this, because it`s in the premise - I honestly wondered, HOW DOES ONE HAVE TANTRIC SEX IN A PUBLIC FOUNTAIN? A FOUNTAIN? WHAT, LIKE IN A JACUZZI?
And when I got to that part, well...I LAUGHED FOR A LONG LONG TIME. Especially when the police came and had them parted... *bursts laughing* And the premice had lied...IT WAS NOT IN A FOUNTAIN! IT WAS NEXT TO A STATUE AND THE FOUNTAIN!!! AND I REALLY WANTED TO SEE THAT IN A FOUNTAIN!!! *sigh*
"It was such a downer" as Sarah said. But honestly, YOU CAN`T JUST GO AND FUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF PRAGUE CASTLE! WHAT WERE YOU TWO THINKING???
Then comes the part when Max had to prove himself to Sarah, because "Oh, Sarah, I did not murder your professor, I`m not insane and I`m totally NOT on drugs! You have to believe me!" does not sound very convenient! He was such a sweetie!
Charlotte Yates and Marchesa Elisa Lobkowitz DeBenedetti (LOL this book really does well in making you remember the names!) were the villians of the story. And most importantly Charlotte, as the marchesa had her desires, killed mercifully, but in the end she was just a pawn in the hands of the bigger villian. And with Charlotte, EVIL was on another level. It had nothing to do with the charming evil of Loki or Professor Doofenschmerz. This woman, being a former KGB agent, would kill, blackmail, replace and destroy lifes all in the sake of getting a bunch of her compromising love letters back into her hands. AND THE MOST DISTURBING THING WAS THAT SHE HONESTLY BELIEVED SHE WAS DOING THE BEST POSSIBLE THING AND WAS A TRUE PATRIOT AND AMERICA HAD TO CONGRATULATE HER ON THAT! SHE WANTED TO BLOW UP HALF PRAGUE, OH MY, I GOT SHUDDERS EVERYTIME WE WERE IN HER POINT OF VIEW! And also, I`m so very satisfied with the way she ended up! And the marchesa too! Those bitches needed that!
For the top I left my favourite character: the 400 year old dwarf Nicolas Pertusatto/Jepp! I must say that in the beggining I thought he was going to be a villian and bring only trouble, but I turned out wrong for good. Nico was the funniest (knowing that Sarah and Max were funny too, this is a skill!) and also helpful character. I won`t say much, but he`s something that Peter Dinklage would die to play in a movie!!! He`s THE BEST!
I was wrong for good for another thing. I thought Nicolas will somehow be pull a "I`m in love with you, Sarah." I thought that "the senator", who is Charlotte, would be a man, also interested in Sarah. And in the end, as the premise said, she would be head over heels for the "handsome prince Max" and IT WOULD BE A LOVE SQUARE! Luckily, none of this happened. There was no love drama jama, just awesome friends-with-benefits. GOOD JOB ON THAT!!!
This story is amazing, the alchemists, the music, the murders, the past, the present and the drug, BEETHOVEN, the relics, THE MAP IN THE FRONT (which made me all happy with memories, as I was looking at it and thinking: "Yes, I have been there...", the web and complicated story as all characters had so many secrets, the haunting passageways, the visions, the letters, THE UNEXPECTED SWITCHES FROM ENGLISH TO GERMAN (and me being satisfied with understanding both languages ^^ ), MY TEARS, MY SHUDDERS, MY LAUGHS AND THAT GODDAMN CLIFFHANGER provided this book with SHINY 5 STARS! And I would gladly give it more if I could!
After Ensnared I felt slightly hesitant towards other books, but this got me back on the track! AND IT`S GOING STRAIGHT TO FAVOURITES!!! I shall get to Book 2 and it`s ALSO BEAUTIFUL COVER tommorow and just eat it from cover to cover, I can feel it.
P.S. Many people can feel discouraged by the hateful 2 and 1 star review that pop up in the section. My advise to you is that everyone has an oppinion, so you must not believe the stars and just pick it fot yourself, give it time to unfold, to form a mystery and then solve it, because it does it perfectly and I believe you won`t be disappointed!
----------------------------
Firstly,
LOOK. AT. THIS. COVER.
Secondly,
The story takes place in P R A G U E...That`s like...one of the most beautiful cities in the world!!!!!! Right after Paris! (as nothing can compare to Paris in my heart)
Prague was home to emperors, alchemists, astronomers, and, as it’s whispered, hell portals.
OHHH, UNLEASH HELL IN PRAGUE DEARIE, I WANT TO SEE THAT!!!!! I`VE ALWAYS WANTED TO READ A BOOK SET IN PRAGUE!!!
Thirdly,
Sarah Weston lands a summer job at Prague Castle cataloging Beethoven’s manuscripts
BOOK AND COVER HAVE ACTUAL FUCKING BEETHOVEN!!!
As Sarah parses his clues about Beethoven’s “Immortal Beloved,”
BEETHOVEN HAD A LOVE STORY...
she manages to get arrested,
TO HAVE TANTRIC SEX IN A PUBLIC FOUNTAIN,
and to discover a time-warping drug. --> !!!!!!!
She also catches the attention of a four-hundred-year-old dwarf, (I`m sure that wont be for good)
the handsome Prince Max,
and a powerful U.S. senator with secrets she will do anything to hide.
IS THIS A FUCKING LOVE SQUARE???
Fourtly,
THIS IS A DUOLOGYYY! EXACTLY WHAT I`VE BEEN DIGGIN` RIGHT NOW!!!!!
Fifth,
THAT GUY`S NAME IS MAGNUS, YOO!
I feel like I should mention that I usually don`t swear like that at all, but THIS SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE!!!
I feel so happy about starting february (my favourite time of the year, btw) with awesome books!
The book has it all - magnificent cover, it`s told in 3rd person, a KICK-ASS heroine, outstanding characters, heart stopping action and engaging mystery and drama WITH ONE OF THE MOST MAGICAL CITIES - PRAGUE - AS IT`S BACKGROUND!
The main heroine Sarah Weston is so funny and light-hearted. She`s also very smart and dedicated to her work and her studies of music history. I may not be very interested in music (my inclinements are more towards art :P ), but MUSIC HISTORY fascinates me! So I was sucked right on page 1. Also, as the WHOLE WORLD PRACTICALLY COLLAPSED ON HER, she got her shit together and solved one problem after another instead of dedicating herself to love drama jama. YOU GO, GIRL!
A nice refreshment was to read from the POV of a girl who is not afraid to swear loudly, talk about her sex life or the quirky fact that she chooses her partners by the way they smell and in the same time have a sexy spanish roommate, who likes going around in towels. (and she is not in love with him, OMG can you believe it!)
As there are almost 400 pages for the reader to get to know Sarah better, it wasn`t at all difficult to care for her when you saw her vulnerable side as she mourned for her favourite music history professor Sherbatsky, or when she talked about the painful way her father had died, or when she visited her favourite pupil Pollina.
There is also the difference that Sarah is an atheist and has never been in love, so her love life consist of one big "just sex, no feelings" situation. Not that she is complaining. Not that I am too. It was so interesting to be in her head, because of those two things.
Pollina a.k.a. Polls is one that makes this book stand out. She is a blind 11 year old girl barely going out of her mansion, with archeologist parents who are always on an expedition. To complete the picture are Jose, the gay Spanish steward who isn`t good with English and the old dog that is supposed to guard her, but she loves it anyway. And let`s not forget that at the age of 4 she already knew how to play most of Beethoven and Mozart`s works and started composing on her own. She would also recite whole passages from books and poems. And I won`t say more, because it`s a spoiler! Basically, you can`t help it, but love this kid! She brought so much intensity to the story.
Vey important was Prince Max Lobkowitz Anderson. (wo-hoo, I got the name right!) Because of him there was a collection to sort and a museum and palace to organise! So he made the book! :D :P
Now let me say that I ship him and Sarah very hard. There wasn`t an actual romance in this book. There was A HILLARIOUS friends-with-benefits situation between the two of them. But it was pulled out SO GOOD! The banter, the innuedos, the funny lines, EVERYTHING led you to want them together. And seriously, they have the perfect chemistry! This book has the one of the most brilliantly written sex scenes I`ve read! Obviously, I`m not here to read about the sex, I can always pick up 50 shades of grey if I was so desperate, but this made me blush so hard, which never happens with me!
And I`ll say this, because it`s in the premise - I honestly wondered, HOW DOES ONE HAVE TANTRIC SEX IN A PUBLIC FOUNTAIN? A FOUNTAIN? WHAT, LIKE IN A JACUZZI?
And when I got to that part, well...I LAUGHED FOR A LONG LONG TIME. Especially when the police came and had them parted... *bursts laughing* And the premice had lied...IT WAS NOT IN A FOUNTAIN! IT WAS NEXT TO A STATUE AND THE FOUNTAIN!!! AND I REALLY WANTED TO SEE THAT IN A FOUNTAIN!!! *sigh*
"It was such a downer" as Sarah said. But honestly, YOU CAN`T JUST GO AND FUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF PRAGUE CASTLE! WHAT WERE YOU TWO THINKING???
Then comes the part when Max had to prove himself to Sarah, because "Oh, Sarah, I did not murder your professor, I`m not insane and I`m totally NOT on drugs! You have to believe me!" does not sound very convenient! He was such a sweetie!
Charlotte Yates and Marchesa Elisa Lobkowitz DeBenedetti (LOL this book really does well in making you remember the names!) were the villians of the story. And most importantly Charlotte, as the marchesa had her desires, killed mercifully, but in the end she was just a pawn in the hands of the bigger villian. And with Charlotte, EVIL was on another level. It had nothing to do with the charming evil of Loki or Professor Doofenschmerz. This woman, being a former KGB agent, would kill, blackmail, replace and destroy lifes all in the sake of getting a bunch of her compromising love letters back into her hands. AND THE MOST DISTURBING THING WAS THAT SHE HONESTLY BELIEVED SHE WAS DOING THE BEST POSSIBLE THING AND WAS A TRUE PATRIOT AND AMERICA HAD TO CONGRATULATE HER ON THAT! SHE WANTED TO BLOW UP HALF PRAGUE, OH MY, I GOT SHUDDERS EVERYTIME WE WERE IN HER POINT OF VIEW! And also, I`m so very satisfied with the way she ended up! And the marchesa too! Those bitches needed that!
For the top I left my favourite character: the 400 year old dwarf Nicolas Pertusatto/Jepp! I must say that in the beggining I thought he was going to be a villian and bring only trouble, but I turned out wrong for good. Nico was the funniest (knowing that Sarah and Max were funny too, this is a skill!) and also helpful character. I won`t say much, but he`s something that Peter Dinklage would die to play in a movie!!! He`s THE BEST!
I was wrong for good for another thing. I thought Nicolas will somehow be pull a "I`m in love with you, Sarah." I thought that "the senator", who is Charlotte, would be a man, also interested in Sarah. And in the end, as the premise said, she would be head over heels for the "handsome prince Max" and IT WOULD BE A LOVE SQUARE! Luckily, none of this happened. There was no love drama jama, just awesome friends-with-benefits. GOOD JOB ON THAT!!!
This story is amazing, the alchemists, the music, the murders, the past, the present and the drug, BEETHOVEN, the relics, THE MAP IN THE FRONT (which made me all happy with memories, as I was looking at it and thinking: "Yes, I have been there...", the web and complicated story as all characters had so many secrets, the haunting passageways, the visions, the letters, THE UNEXPECTED SWITCHES FROM ENGLISH TO GERMAN (and me being satisfied with understanding both languages ^^ ), MY TEARS, MY SHUDDERS, MY LAUGHS AND THAT GODDAMN CLIFFHANGER provided this book with SHINY 5 STARS! And I would gladly give it more if I could!
After Ensnared I felt slightly hesitant towards other books, but this got me back on the track! AND IT`S GOING STRAIGHT TO FAVOURITES!!! I shall get to Book 2 and it`s ALSO BEAUTIFUL COVER tommorow and just eat it from cover to cover, I can feel it.
P.S. Many people can feel discouraged by the hateful 2 and 1 star review that pop up in the section. My advise to you is that everyone has an oppinion, so you must not believe the stars and just pick it fot yourself, give it time to unfold, to form a mystery and then solve it, because it does it perfectly and I believe you won`t be disappointed!
----------------------------
Firstly,
LOOK. AT. THIS. COVER.
Secondly,
The story takes place in P R A G U E...That`s like...one of the most beautiful cities in the world!!!!!! Right after Paris! (as nothing can compare to Paris in my heart)
Prague was home to emperors, alchemists, astronomers, and, as it’s whispered, hell portals.
OHHH, UNLEASH HELL IN PRAGUE DEARIE, I WANT TO SEE THAT!!!!! I`VE ALWAYS WANTED TO READ A BOOK SET IN PRAGUE!!!
Thirdly,
Sarah Weston lands a summer job at Prague Castle cataloging Beethoven’s manuscripts
BOOK AND COVER HAVE ACTUAL FUCKING BEETHOVEN!!!
As Sarah parses his clues about Beethoven’s “Immortal Beloved,”
BEETHOVEN HAD A LOVE STORY...
she manages to get arrested,
TO HAVE TANTRIC SEX IN A PUBLIC FOUNTAIN,
and to discover a time-warping drug. --> !!!!!!!
She also catches the attention of a four-hundred-year-old dwarf, (I`m sure that wont be for good)
the handsome Prince Max,
IS THIS A FUCKING LOVE SQUARE???
Fourtly,
THIS IS A DUOLOGYYY! EXACTLY WHAT I`VE BEEN DIGGIN` RIGHT NOW!!!!!
Fifth,
THAT GUY`S NAME IS MAGNUS, YOO!
November 30, 2021
Exactly my kind of book! A smart, sexy heroine who is a music historian obsessed about Beethoven? Instant attraction. Then comes the side characters: the blind young genius Pollina (I love Pols), Prince Max (seems like a bit of a silly goose to me but he's honest and wholehearted so fine, alright), a lot of eccentric nerds (nerd heaven!), and a dwarf that reminds me of Tyrion Lannister. All this is bound to create an absolutely off-the-wall adventure.
Then add in the location - a big castle in Prague, and some time travelling? You have a wild recipe there. And Magnus Flyte combines it in a way that really doesn't disappoint.
This is a reading for someone who likes to be surprised and enjoys unconventional reads. I am so happy there is a sequel and will be digging prestissimo into it.
Then add in the location - a big castle in Prague, and some time travelling? You have a wild recipe there. And Magnus Flyte combines it in a way that really doesn't disappoint.
This is a reading for someone who likes to be surprised and enjoys unconventional reads. I am so happy there is a sequel and will be digging prestissimo into it.
May 29, 2017
City of Dark Magic is a contemporary mystery-thriller-romance with a few supernatural elements thrown in. Of its type it is clever and moves along fairly quickly. Musicologist Sarah Weston has been summoned to Prague after the death of her mentor there to catalog and analyze a collection of mostly Beethoven-related artifacts belonging to a Czech princeling. She lands among a motley collection of researchers and art restorers, all bent on working up other elements of the collection in preparation for their display in a new museum. The princeling is there too (in reality an American who came into the inheritance unexpectedly), and Sarah immediately finds him both baffling and attractive.
The main story alternates with scenes involving a U.S. senator, who is a particularly ruthless and ambitious exemplar of the type. I found her inner thoughts amusing and not quite as sociopathic as I was supposed to, but as things went along, her role in the action became less and less believable.
There have already been some unexplained deaths by the time Sarah arrives in Prague, and there will be more. The action rushes from Prague to the countryside and back again, and the mysteries multiply—perhaps in the end their number is excessive, giving the story a bit of a kitchen-sink feeling. Still, the characters are interesting and I liked the games played with history. Those who enjoy a taste of alchemy and magic in their drama will find much to please them here.
Advisory about a certain amount of explicit sex in the early going—to my taste gratuitous, and it left me feeling differently about the protagonist than I might otherwise have done.
The main story alternates with scenes involving a U.S. senator, who is a particularly ruthless and ambitious exemplar of the type. I found her inner thoughts amusing and not quite as sociopathic as I was supposed to, but as things went along, her role in the action became less and less believable.
There have already been some unexplained deaths by the time Sarah arrives in Prague, and there will be more. The action rushes from Prague to the countryside and back again, and the mysteries multiply—perhaps in the end their number is excessive, giving the story a bit of a kitchen-sink feeling. Still, the characters are interesting and I liked the games played with history. Those who enjoy a taste of alchemy and magic in their drama will find much to please them here.
Advisory about a certain amount of explicit sex in the early going—to my taste gratuitous, and it left me feeling differently about the protagonist than I might otherwise have done.
May 30, 2019
I like this book. It reminded me of Deborah Harkness's book without the vampires thankfully. I think it was well done, well thought out. An interesting take on some history that makes it feel more real, dealing with Beethoven. It was not too paranormal, but just enough to give it kind of a fun, quirky feel. I did think that the relationship between the two protagonists was good. Little bit of gratuitous sex or kind of uncomfortably described sex. It was sort of out of place almost.
August 11, 2019
I really enjoyed this book! A fun read for anyone who is a fan of Shadow of Night. The characters and story in this book are not as well written as Diana and Matthew's, but the history and historical figures of Prague come to life (literally) in this story. I would love to follow more historical adventures with Sarah, Max and Nico.
May 30, 2025
I can’t fault this book for how long it took me to get into it. I think that was more of a my life thing than a plot thing.
Hornier and more violent than I expected but rarely unnecessarily or forcefully so.
And while I was going to finish the duology regardless, the fact I’m left glad and not frustrated that there’s more story to be told is a good sign.
Hornier and more violent than I expected but rarely unnecessarily or forcefully so.
And while I was going to finish the duology regardless, the fact I’m left glad and not frustrated that there’s more story to be told is a good sign.
June 1, 2013
Disappointing!
The cover is wonderful and the title sounds like I am going to be reading a wonderful story of dark magic. This story was nothing like I had expected and not in a good way.
Billed as a fantasy, it contained very little elements of this genre to be a true fantasy novel. Magic? It barely contained any magical elements that lived up to the title. Dark magic? Nah, not much of that either. It was more of a mystery but the authors gave so much of the plot secrets away ahead of time that there was nothing mysterious about the story.
I honestly thought that this was a YA novel in the beginning until the first sex scene popped up. Then, the rest of the book featured descriptive sex scenes that seemed added on to make the book seem more "adult." I wasn't sure if they were added on for shock value but they really didn't seem to fit. The cursing in the book also seemed odd and out of place. Again, it seemed placed there for shock value.
I found the beginning of the book very boring and difficult to get through - in fact, it took me over a week to get up to page 80. The only reason why I finished the book is because the book was due back at the library today and I had to see if it ever got better.
The main character, Sarah Weston, was a boring, flat, horny, promiscuous, accidental "sleuth" who was unbelievable and unremarkable. Did she really love Max? I didn't see any proof of that - she just seemed to use him for sex and for answers to her nosy questions.
I really could not figure out Max. Was he supposed to be a forceful character? A weak character? Someone who was just having sex with Sarah?
Charlotte Yates was the main antagonist and I feel like she was just added into the story after it was written to make sure the storyline had a "bad" character. She really had no main purpose to the plot. There were letters that she exchanged with a KGB lover while she was an American CIA agent in the 1970s. She wanted these letters desperately. A museum worker found the letters. No one really read the letters - not Sarah and not Max. Miles, the head of the museum, took the letters to Charlotte so she got them with no problem. No drawn out drama to add real tension to the book, no reason for Charlotte to be bad, no cool letters for Sarah and Max to read - just Charlotte wants the letters and now Charlotte has the letters. Problem neatly solved. Also, her "big moment" was at the very end seemed like it was thrown in there so there would be some big climax (no pun intended) at the end.
The very end of the story was also pretty lame. The last chapter was like the epilogue. It read like a brief summary of what happened after the "big ending" and it was a real letdown. Plus, we never found out about the Golden Fleece (Max's major quest that we only learn about towards the end of the book).
The entire story line had problems with flow. Parts seemed smooth while other areas were very choppy. Problems/issues were left unresolved, solutions to problems were either too convenient or too boring. The characters didn't always seem consistent and neither did the plot. I also couldn't decide if it was supposed to be a historical novel, a YA novel, a spy novel, a mystery or a wannabe fantasy. I felt like the authors just kept throwing ideas into the book in hopes that they would stick and turn into a plot.
I would have given this novel one star but I did like Pollina - now she was a well rounded character that I would have loved to have seen more of, especially how she seemed to know things and connect with people from other times.
If you are looking for a fantasy novel filled with magic, this is not the book for you. If you are looking for a mystery/spy novel that challenges you to read on to seek the answers, this is not the book for you.
By the way, try not to get grossed out when Sarah eats a toenail clipping from Beethoven.
The cover is wonderful and the title sounds like I am going to be reading a wonderful story of dark magic. This story was nothing like I had expected and not in a good way.
Billed as a fantasy, it contained very little elements of this genre to be a true fantasy novel. Magic? It barely contained any magical elements that lived up to the title. Dark magic? Nah, not much of that either. It was more of a mystery but the authors gave so much of the plot secrets away ahead of time that there was nothing mysterious about the story.
I honestly thought that this was a YA novel in the beginning until the first sex scene popped up. Then, the rest of the book featured descriptive sex scenes that seemed added on to make the book seem more "adult." I wasn't sure if they were added on for shock value but they really didn't seem to fit. The cursing in the book also seemed odd and out of place. Again, it seemed placed there for shock value.
I found the beginning of the book very boring and difficult to get through - in fact, it took me over a week to get up to page 80. The only reason why I finished the book is because the book was due back at the library today and I had to see if it ever got better.
The main character, Sarah Weston, was a boring, flat, horny, promiscuous, accidental "sleuth" who was unbelievable and unremarkable. Did she really love Max? I didn't see any proof of that - she just seemed to use him for sex and for answers to her nosy questions.
I really could not figure out Max. Was he supposed to be a forceful character? A weak character? Someone who was just having sex with Sarah?
Charlotte Yates was the main antagonist and I feel like she was just added into the story after it was written to make sure the storyline had a "bad" character. She really had no main purpose to the plot. There were letters that she exchanged with a KGB lover while she was an American CIA agent in the 1970s. She wanted these letters desperately. A museum worker found the letters. No one really read the letters - not Sarah and not Max. Miles, the head of the museum, took the letters to Charlotte so she got them with no problem. No drawn out drama to add real tension to the book, no reason for Charlotte to be bad, no cool letters for Sarah and Max to read - just Charlotte wants the letters and now Charlotte has the letters. Problem neatly solved. Also, her "big moment" was at the very end seemed like it was thrown in there so there would be some big climax (no pun intended) at the end.
The very end of the story was also pretty lame. The last chapter was like the epilogue. It read like a brief summary of what happened after the "big ending" and it was a real letdown. Plus, we never found out about the Golden Fleece (Max's major quest that we only learn about towards the end of the book).
The entire story line had problems with flow. Parts seemed smooth while other areas were very choppy. Problems/issues were left unresolved, solutions to problems were either too convenient or too boring. The characters didn't always seem consistent and neither did the plot. I also couldn't decide if it was supposed to be a historical novel, a YA novel, a spy novel, a mystery or a wannabe fantasy. I felt like the authors just kept throwing ideas into the book in hopes that they would stick and turn into a plot.
I would have given this novel one star but I did like Pollina - now she was a well rounded character that I would have loved to have seen more of, especially how she seemed to know things and connect with people from other times.
If you are looking for a fantasy novel filled with magic, this is not the book for you. If you are looking for a mystery/spy novel that challenges you to read on to seek the answers, this is not the book for you.
By the way, try not to get grossed out when Sarah eats a toenail clipping from Beethoven.
June 11, 2014
I…honestly have no idea what to think about this book. It was just so…strange. Not always in a good way.
Though this book had some interesting concepts in it, none of them really came together well. The plot had too many subplots, and instead of coming together, most of these just sort of…existed in the same space. What did time travel and KGB agents have to do with each other? Not a damn thing. Seriously. In fact, I’m not sure why the ‘time travel’ was included, other than for some fun descriptions. Or, since it seems like it’ll be a series with more focus on the time travel plot, why the KGB agents?
Speaking of those KGB agents, the inclusion of the antagonists POV once again ruined all tension in the book. The sections focusing on the academics had them trying to figure out who (what why where), but since we already knew because of the POV switches, there was no tension for us, no ‘reveal,’ and really very little to get us invested in this lack-of-a-mystery.
In fact, there was very little payoff for anything in this book. There are things to figure out, but either they are left for the sequel, they’re given away too soon, or their just…sort of tepid.
And to add to that…why was there sex in this book? It’s not that I’ve got anything against sex (clearly) but it’s just so random in here. Sarah just occasionally gets super horny out of the blue and then they screw, and it’s soulless and pointless and (since it’s usually done in vague summary) really dull. If the sex isn’t in there for character development, and if it’s not there to be salacious, what is it there fore? Speaking of a lack of character development, that wasn’t just with the sex, that was throughout the book. Supposedly at the end Sarah and Max are in love and Sarah learns all these life lessons…which it’s a good thing she out and out told me because I wouldn’t have gotten that from the actual novel at all.
I did like a lot about this book, and it had some very fun concepts that it played around with. The setting was vivid and the history was fascinating. But it was too fractured to really make for a compelling read.
Though this book had some interesting concepts in it, none of them really came together well. The plot had too many subplots, and instead of coming together, most of these just sort of…existed in the same space. What did time travel and KGB agents have to do with each other? Not a damn thing. Seriously. In fact, I’m not sure why the ‘time travel’ was included, other than for some fun descriptions. Or, since it seems like it’ll be a series with more focus on the time travel plot, why the KGB agents?
Speaking of those KGB agents, the inclusion of the antagonists POV once again ruined all tension in the book. The sections focusing on the academics had them trying to figure out who (what why where), but since we already knew because of the POV switches, there was no tension for us, no ‘reveal,’ and really very little to get us invested in this lack-of-a-mystery.
In fact, there was very little payoff for anything in this book. There are things to figure out, but either they are left for the sequel, they’re given away too soon, or their just…sort of tepid.
And to add to that…why was there sex in this book? It’s not that I’ve got anything against sex (clearly) but it’s just so random in here. Sarah just occasionally gets super horny out of the blue and then they screw, and it’s soulless and pointless and (since it’s usually done in vague summary) really dull. If the sex isn’t in there for character development, and if it’s not there to be salacious, what is it there fore? Speaking of a lack of character development, that wasn’t just with the sex, that was throughout the book. Supposedly at the end Sarah and Max are in love and Sarah learns all these life lessons…which it’s a good thing she out and out told me because I wouldn’t have gotten that from the actual novel at all.
I did like a lot about this book, and it had some very fun concepts that it played around with. The setting was vivid and the history was fascinating. But it was too fractured to really make for a compelling read.
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