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Magicals Anonymous #2
The Glass God
Sharon Li: apprentice shaman and community support officer for the magically inclined. It wasn't the career Sharon had in mind, but she's getting used to running Magicals Anonymous and learning how to Be One With The City.
When the Midnight Mayor goes missing, leaving only a suspiciously innocent-looking umbrella behind him, Sharon finds herself promoted. Her first task: find the Midnight Mayor. The only clues she has are a city dryad's cryptic message of doom and several pairs of abandoned shoes...
Suddenly, Sharon's job feels a whole lot harder.
When the Midnight Mayor goes missing, leaving only a suspiciously innocent-looking umbrella behind him, Sharon finds herself promoted. Her first task: find the Midnight Mayor. The only clues she has are a city dryad's cryptic message of doom and several pairs of abandoned shoes...
Suddenly, Sharon's job feels a whole lot harder.
447 pages, Paperback
First published July 9, 2013
27 people are currently reading
1084 people want to read
About the author
Kate Griffin
20 books829 followersKate Griffin is the pen name under which Catherine Webb writes fantasy novels for adults. She also uses the pen name Claire North.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews
February 6, 2017
Absolutely perfect for a two-airplane flight–I noticed nothing but the book, making it a five-star read. But after all, that was an airplane, so I thought it deserved a more balanced impression, one not colored by the background noise of jet engines and willingness to suspend disbelief. You know what? Still satisfying. It feels like Griffin has found the perfect vehicle for her voice; the well-intentioned, actualizing Sharon, shaman of the city and coordinator of a support group for magicals. Sharon, who “exuded the brightness of a firefly, the confidence of a double-decker bus, the optimism of a hedgehog and the tact of a small thermonuclear missile.” Sharon’s been seeking advice from self-help books, and doing her best to bring their approach into her life, but not everyone around her agrees:
“‘Don’t try your self-help crap on me!’ shrilled the goblin. ‘I’m the second greatest frickin’ shaman to ever walk the earth!’
‘Self-help would be you realising that you’ve got a problem with your social skills and trying to fix it,’ she sighed. ‘This is an intervention.’ In reply, Sammy kicked her shins again. ‘See,’ she went on wearily, barely noticing the pain. ‘That’s just so hostile.’“
Unfortunately, the current Midnight Mayor has gone missing. As the entity in charge of defending the city of London against magical destruction, it’s crucial he be returned to the position. That is, if he is really missing:
“‘Usually when he disappears it’s to blow things up, or engage in nefarious acts with dark forces, but this time there’s been none of that, and I’m a little concerned.’
‘You’re concerned that things aren’t blowing up?’
‘You have met him,’ Kelly pointed out.”
Until he returns, Sharon has been deputized, so any temporary inclinations she might have towards avoiding the responsibility are effectively thwarted.
Many of the group first introduced in Stray Souls make an appearance here, including Kevin, the germaphobe vampire, (“Sharon, then Rhys, seized the raised edge of the metal, while Kevin lurked behind them with a cry of, ‘So I’ll just, like, keep watch?’“), Greta the troll, Sally the banshee and Mr. Roding the necromancer. Several more ominous creatures are introduced, but Sharon tries to enlighten the Alders about monster discrimination:
“‘Amazing!’ said Kelly. ‘You know, I hadn’t even thought about it. Now that you point it out, the idea of having tea with a creature capable of rending me limb from limb had been something that bothered me. But now that I think about it, that’s just a social stereotype, isn’t it?’”
There’s shades of Douglas Adams in Griffin’s writing, the mocking social commentary that goes beyond party lines and makes fun of convention: “A potted plant in its reception area assured visitors that no matter how bleak, functional and cold this place might seem, they were, in fact, welcome guests in a dynamic environment.” Yet Griffin sneaks in the poetry of a city as well, in moments that just lead me to say, ‘Ah. Perfect.’ For instance, when Sharon is using her shaman skills to investigate:
“Every part of the city, every corner, was, she knew, infused with a kind of life. No necessarily sentient, not always something that would come out of the walls and secret places and tell her its secrets face to face, although that too, could happen… but a life which left its scars on the very stones and which, if you knew how to use it, could be a kind of magic.”
Overall, it kept me engrossed every time I read it. There’s a wide variety of characters that generally transcend social stereotype, particularly the urban fantasy kind of werewolves, witches and vampires. Including the group from Magicals Anonymous, the Alders, and various contacts they make while investigating, there’s a wide variety of people that help make the world feel populated with more than just one little power pocket of magicals. While depth in these surrounding characters is somewhat sacrificed for Sharon’s growth, Griffin does give some complexity to the secondary characters. I particularly enjoyed the times Sharon strayed from her optimistic pep-rally, the kind of friend you like that much more after catching her cursing under her breath.
The plot is fast moving, and if the search for Swift is relatively straightforward, at least it doesn’t dally with exposition and portentous dialogue. Narrative is largely third-person and focused on Sharon, although it does slip into first person for a couple of brief sections, providing some insight into other characters. It works better than the prior book, which had the tendency to be somewhat staccato, even including characters were only plot points. I’m looking forward to the next book Griffin puts out, and hoping that Sharon puts in an appearance.
Update 1/16/16: Read again, part of welcoming a new book into my home. Remains entertaining, although I'm not sure it's quite five stars.
Update 2/04/17: Still delicious.
Great moments in detecting:
"Sharon paused, irritating at having her flow interrupted... "Look, I'd give you the full story, but I kinda feel like I'm here doing the deductive bit and you're supposed to be doing the helpful bit so can we just focus on that?"
A lovely explanation of prejudice:
"You guys are so prejudiced! I mean, the worst part is, you don't even know how prejudiced you are, and that makes you, like even more prejudiced, because you're not even thinking about it. But I know you mean well, and once you guys have noticed the problem, I know you'll all try and deal with it, in your own groovy way."
“‘Don’t try your self-help crap on me!’ shrilled the goblin. ‘I’m the second greatest frickin’ shaman to ever walk the earth!’
‘Self-help would be you realising that you’ve got a problem with your social skills and trying to fix it,’ she sighed. ‘This is an intervention.’ In reply, Sammy kicked her shins again. ‘See,’ she went on wearily, barely noticing the pain. ‘That’s just so hostile.’“
Unfortunately, the current Midnight Mayor has gone missing. As the entity in charge of defending the city of London against magical destruction, it’s crucial he be returned to the position. That is, if he is really missing:
“‘Usually when he disappears it’s to blow things up, or engage in nefarious acts with dark forces, but this time there’s been none of that, and I’m a little concerned.’
‘You’re concerned that things aren’t blowing up?’
‘You have met him,’ Kelly pointed out.”
Until he returns, Sharon has been deputized, so any temporary inclinations she might have towards avoiding the responsibility are effectively thwarted.
Many of the group first introduced in Stray Souls make an appearance here, including Kevin, the germaphobe vampire, (“Sharon, then Rhys, seized the raised edge of the metal, while Kevin lurked behind them with a cry of, ‘So I’ll just, like, keep watch?’“), Greta the troll, Sally the banshee and Mr. Roding the necromancer. Several more ominous creatures are introduced, but Sharon tries to enlighten the Alders about monster discrimination:
“‘Amazing!’ said Kelly. ‘You know, I hadn’t even thought about it. Now that you point it out, the idea of having tea with a creature capable of rending me limb from limb had been something that bothered me. But now that I think about it, that’s just a social stereotype, isn’t it?’”
There’s shades of Douglas Adams in Griffin’s writing, the mocking social commentary that goes beyond party lines and makes fun of convention: “A potted plant in its reception area assured visitors that no matter how bleak, functional and cold this place might seem, they were, in fact, welcome guests in a dynamic environment.” Yet Griffin sneaks in the poetry of a city as well, in moments that just lead me to say, ‘Ah. Perfect.’ For instance, when Sharon is using her shaman skills to investigate:
“Every part of the city, every corner, was, she knew, infused with a kind of life. No necessarily sentient, not always something that would come out of the walls and secret places and tell her its secrets face to face, although that too, could happen… but a life which left its scars on the very stones and which, if you knew how to use it, could be a kind of magic.”
Overall, it kept me engrossed every time I read it. There’s a wide variety of characters that generally transcend social stereotype, particularly the urban fantasy kind of werewolves, witches and vampires. Including the group from Magicals Anonymous, the Alders, and various contacts they make while investigating, there’s a wide variety of people that help make the world feel populated with more than just one little power pocket of magicals. While depth in these surrounding characters is somewhat sacrificed for Sharon’s growth, Griffin does give some complexity to the secondary characters. I particularly enjoyed the times Sharon strayed from her optimistic pep-rally, the kind of friend you like that much more after catching her cursing under her breath.
The plot is fast moving, and if the search for Swift is relatively straightforward, at least it doesn’t dally with exposition and portentous dialogue. Narrative is largely third-person and focused on Sharon, although it does slip into first person for a couple of brief sections, providing some insight into other characters. It works better than the prior book, which had the tendency to be somewhat staccato, even including characters were only plot points. I’m looking forward to the next book Griffin puts out, and hoping that Sharon puts in an appearance.
Update 1/16/16: Read again, part of welcoming a new book into my home. Remains entertaining, although I'm not sure it's quite five stars.
Update 2/04/17: Still delicious.
Great moments in detecting:
"Sharon paused, irritating at having her flow interrupted... "Look, I'd give you the full story, but I kinda feel like I'm here doing the deductive bit and you're supposed to be doing the helpful bit so can we just focus on that?"
A lovely explanation of prejudice:
"You guys are so prejudiced! I mean, the worst part is, you don't even know how prejudiced you are, and that makes you, like even more prejudiced, because you're not even thinking about it. But I know you mean well, and once you guys have noticed the problem, I know you'll all try and deal with it, in your own groovy way."
October 14, 2021
Kate Griffin gets better and better. Sharon Li is a brilliant creation - allowing the author to continue the marvellous Matthew Swift London series now Swift has got so powerful he's unbalancing his own books. This was funny, involving, scary, well plotted, compelling. Hugely enjoyable.
Second read and this holds up terrifically. Good place to end the series but I'm sad there were only two.
Second read and this holds up terrifically. Good place to end the series but I'm sad there were only two.
November 3, 2014
I loved this book! Okay I love everything this author writes but I have a particular affection for the Midnight Mayor and he was very prominent in this story even though it was not really about him. I am growing to really like Sharon too especially as in this book she develops some serious magical abilities. And I could rave on all day about the author's own magical abilities when she describes London. I was bouncing in my seat when Sharon and her crew got off the train at London Bridge Station and walked past the Borough Markets. I knew exactly where they were going! But the best part of all was at the end when Matthew and the Blue Electric Angels . I sincerely hope Kate Griffin is writing the next book right now and that it is about Matthew and Sharon joining their magical forces together to defeat some new and terrible sorcery.
August 8, 2013
The Glass God is the second novel from Griffin in her Magicals Anonymous series. I’m torn between giving this book 3 or 4 stars. In essence I love the storyline and characters Griffin has going here but this book didn’t quite reach my expectations.
Just when Sharon Li was settling into her new job as Community Support Worker and Shaman, She finds herself landed with a new and unexpected job role when the Midnight Mayor goes missing. If that wasn’t enough, once again it seems the fate of the City rests with Sharon and her motley crew from Magicals Anonymous. This time round the City is under threat from a rather unhappy and un-‘fed’ Old Man Bone and a disgraced wizard seeking power. Oh and did I mention she has to find the Midnight Mayor before it’s too late, and before Old Man Bone has her own shoes?
Again, Griffin has developed an interesting storyline but somehow it doesn’t contain the level of detail I expected. Compared to Stray Souls this book lacked action and complexity. I found the plot rather straight forward and almost uneventful. It wasn’t until the final third that things started picking up for me, but even then it felt predictable. Obviously the storyline has potential. Griffin seems to have a knack for conjuring original and detailed fantasy worlds and plots. However, it feels as though she hasn’t quite given herself the time needed to expand this one to its full capacity.
I was also disappointed not to read more of the self help group for magical misfits. This was a great source of humour during the first book, so I was looking forward to delving into the minds of the magical community again but it wasn’t to be. Griffin barely touches upon the group meetings despite having ample opportunity to do so within their weekly/monthly get-togethers. I was also a little disappointed to find that Griffin hadn’t expanded her bunch of magical anomalies. Don’t get me wrong, I love Kevin the germ-phobic Vampire, Sally the modern art enthusiast Banshee, Mr Roding the decaying necromancer with odour problems, Gretel the gourmet food loving Troll, Rhys the hyper-allergic Druid and Sammy the Shaman Goblin with an attitude problem, but it would have been nice to add some new characters, especially as Griffin seems to have a way with developing in-depth, well thought-out personalities. Having said that the Aldermen were a new addition for me and although they were fairly understated, they did provide something extra.
The chapters in this book were less staccato than in Stray Souls which I thought I’d like. However, I found myself missing the short autobiographical chapters of each characters and realised that perhaps Griffin’s writing style is more suited to the punchy short chapters. I have to admit I struggled with Griffin’s writing this time around. Her sentences were frequently far too long and rambling. I found myself getting bored and lost within some of her elaborate constructs. For instance, I counted 120 words in one sentence alone. Unfortunately for me this made the book hard-reading. Her quirky writing style from Stray Souls seems to have disappeared and in its wake is a desperate attempt at humour and world building, leaving me wishing Griffin would just get on with it.
When starting this series I was originally worried at having never read the Swift novels, which honestly wasn’t a problem in Stray Souls. However I couldn’t help but feel like I was missing too much from The Glass God and wonder if perhaps knowledge of the Swift novels would have been beneficial. This is disappointing as I really thought it had potential to remain as a standalone series.
I would still recommend reading The Glass God bearing in mind it’s not quite at the same standard as Stray Souls. Hopefully Griffin can save the day and come back with an awesome third novel to top them both. Watch this space…
Just when Sharon Li was settling into her new job as Community Support Worker and Shaman, She finds herself landed with a new and unexpected job role when the Midnight Mayor goes missing. If that wasn’t enough, once again it seems the fate of the City rests with Sharon and her motley crew from Magicals Anonymous. This time round the City is under threat from a rather unhappy and un-‘fed’ Old Man Bone and a disgraced wizard seeking power. Oh and did I mention she has to find the Midnight Mayor before it’s too late, and before Old Man Bone has her own shoes?
Again, Griffin has developed an interesting storyline but somehow it doesn’t contain the level of detail I expected. Compared to Stray Souls this book lacked action and complexity. I found the plot rather straight forward and almost uneventful. It wasn’t until the final third that things started picking up for me, but even then it felt predictable. Obviously the storyline has potential. Griffin seems to have a knack for conjuring original and detailed fantasy worlds and plots. However, it feels as though she hasn’t quite given herself the time needed to expand this one to its full capacity.
I was also disappointed not to read more of the self help group for magical misfits. This was a great source of humour during the first book, so I was looking forward to delving into the minds of the magical community again but it wasn’t to be. Griffin barely touches upon the group meetings despite having ample opportunity to do so within their weekly/monthly get-togethers. I was also a little disappointed to find that Griffin hadn’t expanded her bunch of magical anomalies. Don’t get me wrong, I love Kevin the germ-phobic Vampire, Sally the modern art enthusiast Banshee, Mr Roding the decaying necromancer with odour problems, Gretel the gourmet food loving Troll, Rhys the hyper-allergic Druid and Sammy the Shaman Goblin with an attitude problem, but it would have been nice to add some new characters, especially as Griffin seems to have a way with developing in-depth, well thought-out personalities. Having said that the Aldermen were a new addition for me and although they were fairly understated, they did provide something extra.
The chapters in this book were less staccato than in Stray Souls which I thought I’d like. However, I found myself missing the short autobiographical chapters of each characters and realised that perhaps Griffin’s writing style is more suited to the punchy short chapters. I have to admit I struggled with Griffin’s writing this time around. Her sentences were frequently far too long and rambling. I found myself getting bored and lost within some of her elaborate constructs. For instance, I counted 120 words in one sentence alone. Unfortunately for me this made the book hard-reading. Her quirky writing style from Stray Souls seems to have disappeared and in its wake is a desperate attempt at humour and world building, leaving me wishing Griffin would just get on with it.
When starting this series I was originally worried at having never read the Swift novels, which honestly wasn’t a problem in Stray Souls. However I couldn’t help but feel like I was missing too much from The Glass God and wonder if perhaps knowledge of the Swift novels would have been beneficial. This is disappointing as I really thought it had potential to remain as a standalone series.
I would still recommend reading The Glass God bearing in mind it’s not quite at the same standard as Stray Souls. Hopefully Griffin can save the day and come back with an awesome third novel to top them both. Watch this space…
August 24, 2013
I am a huge Kate Griffin fan. Having said that, I am having a problem with this latest series of books from her. As much as I loved the Matthew Swift books, I am not as fond of the Sharon Li books.
My perception is that she is trying to write in a lighter style, and I think she is mostly successful at it: There were a few good laughs for me in this book. Unfortunately, I don't feel the strong connection with the characters in this story, who far too often come across as simply manifesting their one-sentence descriptions, i. e. the vampire with food issues, the banshee who loves modern art, etc., etc.
I perceive this author as having a massive amount of potential, and I view these books as a pretext to augment her skill set. I perceive it to be difficult to write fast-paced, light fiction with genuine humor -- essentially the beach read. That's not my taste, surprisingly, and my hope is that after possibly one more of these (all I will have patience for) she will move on to the next phase of her writing career.
My perception is that she is trying to write in a lighter style, and I think she is mostly successful at it: There were a few good laughs for me in this book. Unfortunately, I don't feel the strong connection with the characters in this story, who far too often come across as simply manifesting their one-sentence descriptions, i. e. the vampire with food issues, the banshee who loves modern art, etc., etc.
I perceive this author as having a massive amount of potential, and I view these books as a pretext to augment her skill set. I perceive it to be difficult to write fast-paced, light fiction with genuine humor -- essentially the beach read. That's not my taste, surprisingly, and my hope is that after possibly one more of these (all I will have patience for) she will move on to the next phase of her writing career.
July 28, 2013
Sharon Li is just starting to come to grips with being a shaman, her role as protector of London, community support officer and head of Magicals Anonymous - the self help group for the magical misfits of London. Sharon even has an office and an IT manager in the form of Rhys the druid. Things are going well until she finds out the Midnight Mayor, Matthew Swift, has gone missing. Just before disappearing Swift promotes Sharon to deputy Midnight Mayor and leaves her an old umbrella as a very tenuous clue as to what might have happened to him. With the help of Swift's PA Kelly, the Aldermen, Rhys, and the 'magical gang' Sharon sets out to rescue not just the Midnight Mayor but all of London in the process.
I really enjoyed Book 1 in the Magicals Anonymous series, Stray Souls. I thought it had a kooky cast of characters, an engaging plot and a lot of well timed humour. While I enjoyed The Glass God my very first reaction was that it wasn't quite as funny and that there wasn't enough time given to my favourite characters. Although it has been a while since I read Stray Souls I remember there being chapters more or less dedicated to the secondary characters including Kevin - the germaphobic vampire, Gretel the troll who likes gourmet food, Sally - the harpy who loves fine art, and Mr Roding - a necromancer who is decaying before everyone's eyes. I especially liked Kevin. Sharon was my least favourite character, albeit being the star of the show. As I write this review I realise that I am not being exactly fair to poor Sharon and perhaps, more importantly to Kate Griffin. While the plot focusses mainly on Sharon and by association Rhys, there are chapters or parts of chapters involving the other characters. Individually, each character helps to develop the plot by revealing clues to the mystery surrounding Swift's disappearance, as well as providing comic relief. We also get to meet a few new characters and get to know others from Book 1 such as Kelly who is Swift's overly efficient PA. Kelly probably has some of the best lines in the book. Griffin concentrates her efforts on developing Sharon as a character and there are some 'really cool' new things in store for the shaman as her powers grow.
Griffin, writes very much as a Londoner. While I thoroughly enjoy following the characters across London on their adventures I wonder how well non-Londoners relate to her depiction of the city. I guess the same could be said of any book based in any well known city but in this case Griffin has infused Sharon's London with her personal viewpoint. I am not completely sure whether anyone other than residents or people really familiar with the city would 'get' some of the jokes and locational references. Personally, I love reading about what part of London Sharon is going to go to next and sometimes even think (in my own sad way) 'hey that's where Sharon did xyz' when I pass by a landmark from the book. London is a superb setting for these books and Griffin has done an excellent job of using London's landmarks and folklore to her advantage.
It's not necessary to have read the Matthew Swift books but it may help to have read at least the first one to understand who/what Swift is. Overall, this is a great book in a great series. It has almost everything you could want in light hearted paranormal mystery with funny characters, a great mystery and a unique, innovative plot.
You can also read the review here
http://qwillery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/0...
I really enjoyed Book 1 in the Magicals Anonymous series, Stray Souls. I thought it had a kooky cast of characters, an engaging plot and a lot of well timed humour. While I enjoyed The Glass God my very first reaction was that it wasn't quite as funny and that there wasn't enough time given to my favourite characters. Although it has been a while since I read Stray Souls I remember there being chapters more or less dedicated to the secondary characters including Kevin - the germaphobic vampire, Gretel the troll who likes gourmet food, Sally - the harpy who loves fine art, and Mr Roding - a necromancer who is decaying before everyone's eyes. I especially liked Kevin. Sharon was my least favourite character, albeit being the star of the show. As I write this review I realise that I am not being exactly fair to poor Sharon and perhaps, more importantly to Kate Griffin. While the plot focusses mainly on Sharon and by association Rhys, there are chapters or parts of chapters involving the other characters. Individually, each character helps to develop the plot by revealing clues to the mystery surrounding Swift's disappearance, as well as providing comic relief. We also get to meet a few new characters and get to know others from Book 1 such as Kelly who is Swift's overly efficient PA. Kelly probably has some of the best lines in the book. Griffin concentrates her efforts on developing Sharon as a character and there are some 'really cool' new things in store for the shaman as her powers grow.
Griffin, writes very much as a Londoner. While I thoroughly enjoy following the characters across London on their adventures I wonder how well non-Londoners relate to her depiction of the city. I guess the same could be said of any book based in any well known city but in this case Griffin has infused Sharon's London with her personal viewpoint. I am not completely sure whether anyone other than residents or people really familiar with the city would 'get' some of the jokes and locational references. Personally, I love reading about what part of London Sharon is going to go to next and sometimes even think (in my own sad way) 'hey that's where Sharon did xyz' when I pass by a landmark from the book. London is a superb setting for these books and Griffin has done an excellent job of using London's landmarks and folklore to her advantage.
It's not necessary to have read the Matthew Swift books but it may help to have read at least the first one to understand who/what Swift is. Overall, this is a great book in a great series. It has almost everything you could want in light hearted paranormal mystery with funny characters, a great mystery and a unique, innovative plot.
You can also read the review here
http://qwillery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/0...
May 20, 2018
4,5 stars
While I still hold the Matthew Swift series higher than Magicals Anonymous, I really felt this book you know?
I really love this wonderful, magical London that Griffin has created, and I will miss it and all its inhabitants (and also pray for the day she may return to it).
Please read these books, starting with A Madness of Angels. You will thank me.
While I still hold the Matthew Swift series higher than Magicals Anonymous, I really felt this book you know?
I really love this wonderful, magical London that Griffin has created, and I will miss it and all its inhabitants (and also pray for the day she may return to it).
Please read these books, starting with A Madness of Angels. You will thank me.
August 14, 2013
Originally posted at :http://thebookplank.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-glass-god.html
Stray Souls re-invited us back to the same universe as the Matthew Swift novels, but this time around following a new protagonist, Sharon Li. Sharon had just recently found out that she was a shaman, able to walk through doors and connect with the soul of the city. Stray Souls had build nicely upon the foundation that was laid down in the Matthew Swift series, but still producing a fresh, interesting and quite humorous new entry. In the end of the books our main protagonist Sharon found herself from being a coffee barista to working for the Midnight Mayer and still running herself help talk group for the "magical inflicted" that don’t know how to handle their abilities and the likes.
To start off I really have to give Kate Griffin praise that even though she has written 5 books so far in this universe each and everyone just stand out amongst each other and amongst the urban fantasy genre in itself. Each time Kate manages to create a unique story that feels new, refreshing and is highly addictive, which taken together creates the perfect setting to her stories . Part comedy, part horror, part thriller. Just spot on. With The Glass God she again managed to pull me in her imagined London from the start.
Sharon thought that she had a hard time in Stray Souls, but this time around in The Glass God she is in even more than she had bargained for. The Midnight Mayor, Matthew Swift, has gone missing. The only clues she has are an old umbrella and shoes... Sharon, with only a few months of experience in being a shaman, still under guidance of Sammy the Elbow her shamanic goblin tutor, she is all of a sudden promoted to deputy Midnight Mayor. Promoted might not be the good word, more or less forced. This task of having to find out where Matthew Swift has run off too was well fitted for Sharon, from the first book you could learn that she is a natural leader, find things out and help everyone. Though she is reluctant to accept it on the first go saying she has other stuff to do like organizing bingo nights, social events for and run The Magicals Anonymous, it was good to see her jump to the occasion and take the reins in this investigation.
As for the other characters in the story so far, there were a quite few “misfits” introduced in Stray Souls, and though you still have the occasional get together of the Magicals Anonymous group, the focus isn’t necessarily on that part any more. However each of the characters introduced in the first book are still there and make their occasional appearance. One of them, Rhys the allergic druid, is now Sharon’s sidekick/ IT-manager. Rhys’ character is just quite the opposite of Sharon’s and that makes them a great duo when they are carrying out there investigation. Sharon is this peppy, let’s go do it kind girl while Rhys is more hesitant lets sleep over it kind of guy. It also seems that Rhys might have fallen for his boss... besised the recurrent cast of Stray Souls there are also a few new secondary characters and those are the Alderman that you had gotten to know in the Matthew Swift books, of which one serves as a minion for Sharon.
Like I mentioned above storywise, The Glass God is just spot on. There are some usual tropes that are often used in urban fantasy like: heaven, hell, apocalypse, gods and nefarious corporations etc. Stray Souls had a brilliant take on a nefarious corporation that was run by a wendigo. In The Glass God as the name implies, we are dealing with a God. I must say that the setting in Stray Souls, with all the introduction of the different characters and Sharon growing more into her power was more on the comedy side than the horror and thriller. In The Glass God, Kate re-introduces the horror and thriller part right, next to the humor that made Stray Souls superb. Early on the book there are several chapters where you see things happening to several characters, that just disappear leaving there shoes behind, the frequency of this increases and these chapters are alternates by a much darker storyline that focus on the group behind the God aspect of the book. Another part of the book also gave the horror and gritty aspects another spin were the introduction of The Tribe, cast offs living in the sewers of London, scarred, broken, mutilated etc though with how they communed was with a humorous twist to it. This re-introduction gave a great establishment of the direction of the story and did gave that rather gritty urban fantasy feeling back.
The Glass God was just a terrific read in all, but there are some scenes that really stand out of the rest and shows how masterfully Kate can write. The first is using Matthew Swift in her plot, if you have read his series, he is quite established already with being the Midnight Mayor and what his powers are and just how dangerous he is. Even though he is now one of the powers in London it was great to see that he is still vulnerable. Especially his separation was done in such a brilliant manner, it was so cool to read about how Kate has planned this out and just comes to show that she neatly blends both series together and let them take each other not a small step further but a giant leap.
Another scene that stands out is one at the end when Sharon together with her tribe makes the introduction to Arthur, giving around of introductions of who each and everyone was, and what directly sprang to my mind was a bit fireworks and flashing light and all the individual members striking a pose with "TADAA! here we are scum ready to kick some"... sorta like… just cool. Kate writes her stories in full color, they stand out heads above shoulders.
Hands down Kate Griffin is the voice in Urban Fantasy. All her previous works have shown this so far and The Glass God proves it once again. Her stories never get tired. The Glass God re-introduced her darker writing style which created a perfect spooky ambiance in her envisioned alternate London, however she does still adds the occasional puns and jokes just to make the story more approachable. The new direction that Kate Griffin took with Magicals Anonymous is paying off full swing. The introduction of the urban shaman Sharon in Stray Souls was fresh and she grew into her part as main protagonist and in The Glass God her character only becomes further established into the series. On her site Kate Griffin mentioned she is working on a super secret project of which she cannot tell anything. If I were you I would keep a close eye on her. You never know what’s in store for you with her books, but it has been a thrilling ride so far. I hope she does continue with either Matthew Swift or Magicals anonymous.
Stray Souls re-invited us back to the same universe as the Matthew Swift novels, but this time around following a new protagonist, Sharon Li. Sharon had just recently found out that she was a shaman, able to walk through doors and connect with the soul of the city. Stray Souls had build nicely upon the foundation that was laid down in the Matthew Swift series, but still producing a fresh, interesting and quite humorous new entry. In the end of the books our main protagonist Sharon found herself from being a coffee barista to working for the Midnight Mayer and still running herself help talk group for the "magical inflicted" that don’t know how to handle their abilities and the likes.
To start off I really have to give Kate Griffin praise that even though she has written 5 books so far in this universe each and everyone just stand out amongst each other and amongst the urban fantasy genre in itself. Each time Kate manages to create a unique story that feels new, refreshing and is highly addictive, which taken together creates the perfect setting to her stories . Part comedy, part horror, part thriller. Just spot on. With The Glass God she again managed to pull me in her imagined London from the start.
Sharon thought that she had a hard time in Stray Souls, but this time around in The Glass God she is in even more than she had bargained for. The Midnight Mayor, Matthew Swift, has gone missing. The only clues she has are an old umbrella and shoes... Sharon, with only a few months of experience in being a shaman, still under guidance of Sammy the Elbow her shamanic goblin tutor, she is all of a sudden promoted to deputy Midnight Mayor. Promoted might not be the good word, more or less forced. This task of having to find out where Matthew Swift has run off too was well fitted for Sharon, from the first book you could learn that she is a natural leader, find things out and help everyone. Though she is reluctant to accept it on the first go saying she has other stuff to do like organizing bingo nights, social events for and run The Magicals Anonymous, it was good to see her jump to the occasion and take the reins in this investigation.
As for the other characters in the story so far, there were a quite few “misfits” introduced in Stray Souls, and though you still have the occasional get together of the Magicals Anonymous group, the focus isn’t necessarily on that part any more. However each of the characters introduced in the first book are still there and make their occasional appearance. One of them, Rhys the allergic druid, is now Sharon’s sidekick/ IT-manager. Rhys’ character is just quite the opposite of Sharon’s and that makes them a great duo when they are carrying out there investigation. Sharon is this peppy, let’s go do it kind girl while Rhys is more hesitant lets sleep over it kind of guy. It also seems that Rhys might have fallen for his boss... besised the recurrent cast of Stray Souls there are also a few new secondary characters and those are the Alderman that you had gotten to know in the Matthew Swift books, of which one serves as a minion for Sharon.
Like I mentioned above storywise, The Glass God is just spot on. There are some usual tropes that are often used in urban fantasy like: heaven, hell, apocalypse, gods and nefarious corporations etc. Stray Souls had a brilliant take on a nefarious corporation that was run by a wendigo. In The Glass God as the name implies, we are dealing with a God. I must say that the setting in Stray Souls, with all the introduction of the different characters and Sharon growing more into her power was more on the comedy side than the horror and thriller. In The Glass God, Kate re-introduces the horror and thriller part right, next to the humor that made Stray Souls superb. Early on the book there are several chapters where you see things happening to several characters, that just disappear leaving there shoes behind, the frequency of this increases and these chapters are alternates by a much darker storyline that focus on the group behind the God aspect of the book. Another part of the book also gave the horror and gritty aspects another spin were the introduction of The Tribe, cast offs living in the sewers of London, scarred, broken, mutilated etc though with how they communed was with a humorous twist to it. This re-introduction gave a great establishment of the direction of the story and did gave that rather gritty urban fantasy feeling back.
The Glass God was just a terrific read in all, but there are some scenes that really stand out of the rest and shows how masterfully Kate can write. The first is using Matthew Swift in her plot, if you have read his series, he is quite established already with being the Midnight Mayor and what his powers are and just how dangerous he is. Even though he is now one of the powers in London it was great to see that he is still vulnerable. Especially his separation was done in such a brilliant manner, it was so cool to read about how Kate has planned this out and just comes to show that she neatly blends both series together and let them take each other not a small step further but a giant leap.
Another scene that stands out is one at the end when Sharon together with her tribe makes the introduction to Arthur, giving around of introductions of who each and everyone was, and what directly sprang to my mind was a bit fireworks and flashing light and all the individual members striking a pose with "TADAA! here we are scum ready to kick some"... sorta like… just cool. Kate writes her stories in full color, they stand out heads above shoulders.
Hands down Kate Griffin is the voice in Urban Fantasy. All her previous works have shown this so far and The Glass God proves it once again. Her stories never get tired. The Glass God re-introduced her darker writing style which created a perfect spooky ambiance in her envisioned alternate London, however she does still adds the occasional puns and jokes just to make the story more approachable. The new direction that Kate Griffin took with Magicals Anonymous is paying off full swing. The introduction of the urban shaman Sharon in Stray Souls was fresh and she grew into her part as main protagonist and in The Glass God her character only becomes further established into the series. On her site Kate Griffin mentioned she is working on a super secret project of which she cannot tell anything. If I were you I would keep a close eye on her. You never know what’s in store for you with her books, but it has been a thrilling ride so far. I hope she does continue with either Matthew Swift or Magicals anonymous.
January 25, 2014
**edit 01/25/14: I'm no longer posting reviews on GR, but I just realized I left an old squee-I-want-to-read-this in place of a review, so here's the update.
Sharon Li is just beginning to settle into her new position as "community support officer for the magically inclined." She's getting the hang of office life (her tricks include the book Management For Beginners, multicoloured highlighters, post-it notes, and having only one subordinate, her IT-manager/ druid/ lackey/ admirer Rhys), and she's finally getting around to setting up speed-dating for the polymorphically unstable and bingo for retired witches. It's all going so well--of course, it can't last. The first discordant note is a cryptic warning from a lamp-post druid. Then Kelly Shirling, PA to the Midnight Mayor (aka guardian of the night, protector of the city, sorcerer, electric angel, creature of the telephone wires, muleheaded little pillock named Matthew Swift, etc, etc), turns up in Sharon's office, gushing, proffering donuts, and casually mentioning that Sharon has been "promoted" to Deputy Midnight Mayor and that, oh, yes, the Midnight Mayor has mysteriously disappeared. Congratulations and have a donut and, when you get a moment, do you think you can find the Mayor and also figure out why all he left behind was a blue umbrella?
...
Due to my disapproval of GR's new and highly subjective review deletion policy, I am no longer posting full reviews here, even for books I really like.
The rest of this review can be found on Booklikes.
"Grown as a person. I like that. It's like growing as a mushroom, or growing as a bit of mould in a damp bathroom or something, only better."
Sharon Li is just beginning to settle into her new position as "community support officer for the magically inclined." She's getting the hang of office life (her tricks include the book Management For Beginners, multicoloured highlighters, post-it notes, and having only one subordinate, her IT-manager/ druid/ lackey/ admirer Rhys), and she's finally getting around to setting up speed-dating for the polymorphically unstable and bingo for retired witches. It's all going so well--of course, it can't last. The first discordant note is a cryptic warning from a lamp-post druid. Then Kelly Shirling, PA to the Midnight Mayor (aka guardian of the night, protector of the city, sorcerer, electric angel, creature of the telephone wires, muleheaded little pillock named Matthew Swift, etc, etc), turns up in Sharon's office, gushing, proffering donuts, and casually mentioning that Sharon has been "promoted" to Deputy Midnight Mayor and that, oh, yes, the Midnight Mayor has mysteriously disappeared. Congratulations and have a donut and, when you get a moment, do you think you can find the Mayor and also figure out why all he left behind was a blue umbrella?
...
Due to my disapproval of GR's new and highly subjective review deletion policy, I am no longer posting full reviews here, even for books I really like.
The rest of this review can be found on Booklikes.
January 22, 2016
This is the second in the Magicals Anonymous series, itself a spin off of the Matthew Swift books.
This time, the Midnight Mayor (Matthew Swift) has gone missing and shaman and community outreach support for the supernaturally inclined Sharon Li is deputised and tasked with finding him. I loved Sharon and her ragtag group of colleagues; Sharon in particular with her determinedly optimistic approach to "challenges" (never problems) and her belief that the answers to all life's questions are in her management manual; they are brilliant and endearingly British. I was also incredibly happy to see a return of the world's best personal assistant, Kelly Shiring. I aspire to be as positive and organised as her.
Together the team get to the bottom of the mystery of Swift's disappearance along with the disappearances of dozens of others, the only trace left being their shoes, tied together by the laces and slung over the nearest lamppost. Make no mistake, this is not your usual urban fantasy, which is basically (and I say this as a fan) fantasy in an urban setting; this is urban fantasy dialled up to eleven, finding modern magic in the everyday things like Oyster cards, neon lights and seeing a pair of trainers hanging over a railing. I love the irreverent humour too, which makes it feel like if Neverwhere had been co-written with Terry Pratchett. I very much hope that Griffin will return to this world at some point, very highly recommended.
This time, the Midnight Mayor (Matthew Swift) has gone missing and shaman and community outreach support for the supernaturally inclined Sharon Li is deputised and tasked with finding him. I loved Sharon and her ragtag group of colleagues; Sharon in particular with her determinedly optimistic approach to "challenges" (never problems) and her belief that the answers to all life's questions are in her management manual; they are brilliant and endearingly British. I was also incredibly happy to see a return of the world's best personal assistant, Kelly Shiring. I aspire to be as positive and organised as her.
Together the team get to the bottom of the mystery of Swift's disappearance along with the disappearances of dozens of others, the only trace left being their shoes, tied together by the laces and slung over the nearest lamppost. Make no mistake, this is not your usual urban fantasy, which is basically (and I say this as a fan) fantasy in an urban setting; this is urban fantasy dialled up to eleven, finding modern magic in the everyday things like Oyster cards, neon lights and seeing a pair of trainers hanging over a railing. I love the irreverent humour too, which makes it feel like if Neverwhere had been co-written with Terry Pratchett. I very much hope that Griffin will return to this world at some point, very highly recommended.
July 21, 2013
I think this book worked better than the first of the 'Magical Anonymous' series. I feel Sharon Li was more established. Additional characters such as Miles, Kelly and Sammy were used perfectly. As always, certain lines cracked me up and literally made me laugh out loud.
The best part? This book included way more of the Original man himself, Matthew Swift. His inclusion will always win me over. His character was developed in a very inventive way. The guy is a super-powerful dude and I love him!
The best part? This book included way more of the Original man himself, Matthew Swift. His inclusion will always win me over. His character was developed in a very inventive way. The guy is a super-powerful dude and I love him!
July 28, 2013
This was entertaining but the series hasn't been really the same for me since Matthew Swift was replaced with Sharon Li as the main character. That aside this book contains laughs, interesting characters and possibly Matthew's worst bungle yet as Midnight Mayor.
September 21, 2014
I LOVE these books!
Finished reading again on 9/21/2014
Finished reading again on 9/21/2014
October 4, 2022
still a firm favourite!
February 19, 2022
Very disappointing to have to downgrade this to three stars; I remember loving it deeply the first time around. It's no exaggeration to say that this book series changed my mind on London. Being a country person at heart (or maybe a small town person), the overwhelming nature of such a huge conglomoration of people and concrete and noise was always pretty offputting for me. The magic written in to these books by Kate Griffin (A.K.A. Catherine Webb/Claire North) opened my eyes to the magic of life around me. There can be a joy in the rhythms of a city, and these are the rhythms of modern life. There's a very real point at which we have to take things in life as they are, and do our best to enjoy life, every element of it. Even the grimy bits, or the confusing bits, and especially the uncomfortable bits. Life may well be a bit shit, but we can always choose to find the goodness in things. So was London; a slowly lumbering beast, the likes of which I'd always tried to avoid. By following in Matthew Swift and Sharon Li's footsteps I did my best to mantle the city- I walked like it until it walked like me. And as Sharon in particular would be at great pains to point out, even great lumbering beasts are often just misunderstood. So before I knew it, I was finding the pockets of good things in London- enjoy the rare green spaces, immersing myself in the lights and sounds, and going to a board game pub on Tuesday nights. Without Kate Griffin and this series, I'm not sure I would have managed it.
What an utter shame then to return to this last entry in the magical London series and find that it limps rather pathetically across the finish line. The overall feeling is rote; maybe the publisher needed just one more book in the series, and Griffin obliged. Gone is the deep pathos and empathy of the previous entries; characters replaced with straightforward character traits, oftentimes at odds with how they've previously been portrayed. Not a single character in this book is treated to an arc- they are all unfortunately static. Missing are the sumptuous descriptions of London, the treatment of the streets and boroughs with so much detail and evocative language, that made the City feel like a beautiful fantasy land and yet also entirely real. The humour falls flat far more often than it succeeds. The plot is perfunctory and predictable, and short; prolonged by far too frequent episodes of characters recapping the plot up to that point to each other. One of the main mysteries of the novel ultimately sorts itself out without any input from the characters, and feels decidedly weak.
The plot, such as it is, follows one Sharon Li (Hi, Sharon...); leader of the mystical self-help group Magicals Anonymous and budding shaman. When one day the Midnight Mayor (mystical protector of the city) goes missing, she finds herself reluctantly deputised and needs to find out where he's gone, as well as why shoes keep appearing tied to phone lines, and why there is an unsettling stench of decay in the city's graveyards. She bumbles around London with her bungling IT support/druid friend Rhys, following the clues and attempting to unravel the mystery. It's a familiar setup, allowing us to tour London and the magical underworld thereof, meeting bizarre characters and mysical creatures. Perhaps this familiarity is part of the problem; it feels too close to previous books and almost paint-by-numbers. It seems like we at times revisit bits from previous books and therefore lose out on the wondrous discovery, and at others the sheer volume of magical stuff going on in every street in London makes you question somewhat how the world hangs together. This isn't an issue I've ever had with another Griffin/Webb/North book before or since- she is usually magnificent at creating fully realised worlds, where the consequences of everything extraordinary are fully explored.
In summary, re-reading this mostly made me sad. There are still glimmers of that Webb/Griffin/North brilliance, but this entry feels distinctly phoned in.
What an utter shame then to return to this last entry in the magical London series and find that it limps rather pathetically across the finish line. The overall feeling is rote; maybe the publisher needed just one more book in the series, and Griffin obliged. Gone is the deep pathos and empathy of the previous entries; characters replaced with straightforward character traits, oftentimes at odds with how they've previously been portrayed. Not a single character in this book is treated to an arc- they are all unfortunately static. Missing are the sumptuous descriptions of London, the treatment of the streets and boroughs with so much detail and evocative language, that made the City feel like a beautiful fantasy land and yet also entirely real. The humour falls flat far more often than it succeeds. The plot is perfunctory and predictable, and short; prolonged by far too frequent episodes of characters recapping the plot up to that point to each other. One of the main mysteries of the novel ultimately sorts itself out without any input from the characters, and feels decidedly weak.
The plot, such as it is, follows one Sharon Li (Hi, Sharon...); leader of the mystical self-help group Magicals Anonymous and budding shaman. When one day the Midnight Mayor (mystical protector of the city) goes missing, she finds herself reluctantly deputised and needs to find out where he's gone, as well as why shoes keep appearing tied to phone lines, and why there is an unsettling stench of decay in the city's graveyards. She bumbles around London with her bungling IT support/druid friend Rhys, following the clues and attempting to unravel the mystery. It's a familiar setup, allowing us to tour London and the magical underworld thereof, meeting bizarre characters and mysical creatures. Perhaps this familiarity is part of the problem; it feels too close to previous books and almost paint-by-numbers. It seems like we at times revisit bits from previous books and therefore lose out on the wondrous discovery, and at others the sheer volume of magical stuff going on in every street in London makes you question somewhat how the world hangs together. This isn't an issue I've ever had with another Griffin/Webb/North book before or since- she is usually magnificent at creating fully realised worlds, where the consequences of everything extraordinary are fully explored.
In summary, re-reading this mostly made me sad. There are still glimmers of that Webb/Griffin/North brilliance, but this entry feels distinctly phoned in.
June 9, 2018
I'm very sad this is the last Matthew Swift/Sharon Li book (at least so far). I love Kate Griffin's take on urban magic and magic of cities, and can't help but want more.
September 18, 2015
je suis fan de l'éciture de Kate Griffin J'apprécie que son univers soit moderne que dis-je contemporain ; qu'elle plonge ses mythes dans les détails d'une ville et d'une communauté urbaine avec ce que cela comporte d'ombres et de lumières Sa société de l'ombre est vivante et bien construite Le lecteur n'a aucun mal à se la représenter Ses personnages, magiciens, vampires, shaman et autres ne sont plus figés dans le passé mais se sont adaptés à notre quotidien
"every part of the city, every corner, was, she knew, infused with a king of life. Not necessarily sentient, not always something that could come out of the walls and secret places and tell her its secrets face to face, although that, too, could happen, when the situation was right - but a life which left its scars on the very stones and which , if you knew how to use it, could be a kind of magic ( p53)
Dans cet opus, Sharon est le personnage principal plus "fun" que Matthiew Ses réflexions et ses commentaires sont souvent drôles en restant percutants, son équipe est particulièrement divertissante (même sens du mot décalé) même dans les moments les plus tendus
C'est une qualité mais aussi un défaut Dans la série de A Madness of Angels j'avais apprécié le fond sombre Ici, malgré les puissances nuisibles évoquées, on est moins impressionné, plus dans les effets que dans le ressenti même si à la réflexion, Sharon est parfois effrayante dans ses capacités, quelqu'un capable d'extrêmes décisions.
"But that was then and this was now. Now is old and alone, and people ignore him, as though time had stripped away all he ever was, could ever be" (p 443)
Une série qui restera dans ma bibliothèque et que je n'aurais aucune difficulté à recommander chaudement.
I am a great fan of the books and style of Kate Griffin I appreciate that her universe is contemporary; that she plunges her myths in the every day detail of a city and the urban community with its shadows and lights Her company of the "other side" is alive and well built The reader has no problem to imagine the characters The magicians, vampires, shaman and others aren't any more congealed in the past but adapted themselves to our everyday life
In this opus, Sharon is a most "funny" central figure than Matthiew was. Her reflections and her comments are often really funny by remaining hard-hitting, her team is particularly entertaining (they got the same sens of fun) even in the tensest moments
It is a quality but also a defect In the series of A Madness of Angels I had appreciated(estimated) the dark side Here, in spite of the evoked harmful powers, we are less impressed, more in the effects than in the felt even if on second thought, Sharon is sometimes terrible in her capacities, she is somebody capable of extremes decisions.
A book which will stay in my bookcase and that I would have no difficulty recommending warmly.
"every part of the city, every corner, was, she knew, infused with a king of life. Not necessarily sentient, not always something that could come out of the walls and secret places and tell her its secrets face to face, although that, too, could happen, when the situation was right - but a life which left its scars on the very stones and which , if you knew how to use it, could be a kind of magic ( p53)
Dans cet opus, Sharon est le personnage principal plus "fun" que Matthiew Ses réflexions et ses commentaires sont souvent drôles en restant percutants, son équipe est particulièrement divertissante (même sens du mot décalé) même dans les moments les plus tendus
C'est une qualité mais aussi un défaut Dans la série de A Madness of Angels j'avais apprécié le fond sombre Ici, malgré les puissances nuisibles évoquées, on est moins impressionné, plus dans les effets que dans le ressenti même si à la réflexion, Sharon est parfois effrayante dans ses capacités, quelqu'un capable d'extrêmes décisions.
"But that was then and this was now. Now is old and alone, and people ignore him, as though time had stripped away all he ever was, could ever be" (p 443)
Une série qui restera dans ma bibliothèque et que je n'aurais aucune difficulté à recommander chaudement.
I am a great fan of the books and style of Kate Griffin I appreciate that her universe is contemporary; that she plunges her myths in the every day detail of a city and the urban community with its shadows and lights Her company of the "other side" is alive and well built The reader has no problem to imagine the characters The magicians, vampires, shaman and others aren't any more congealed in the past but adapted themselves to our everyday life
In this opus, Sharon is a most "funny" central figure than Matthiew was. Her reflections and her comments are often really funny by remaining hard-hitting, her team is particularly entertaining (they got the same sens of fun) even in the tensest moments
It is a quality but also a defect In the series of A Madness of Angels I had appreciated(estimated) the dark side Here, in spite of the evoked harmful powers, we are less impressed, more in the effects than in the felt even if on second thought, Sharon is sometimes terrible in her capacities, she is somebody capable of extremes decisions.
A book which will stay in my bookcase and that I would have no difficulty recommending warmly.
April 6, 2014
I have to admit to barely putting this book down, reading it whenever I had a spare moment (and even when I didn't), wanting to finish it and find out what had happened.
While I enjoyed Stray Souls a lot, I did have a few issues with the main characters, and the way it was written. This book rectified every problem I may have had, by having longer chapters, better written speeches (whilst still maintaining that naturalistic charm hat Griffin is so talented at) and by finally endearing me with the main characters.
This book is where you really see Sharon come into her own, investigating, with the help of Rhys (who I am also very happy to say, grew on me), missing shoes, a missing needle like blade and a missing midnight mayor. She is capable and actually turns around to some people and tells them where to get off. It is also slightly darker, with Sharon (and Kelly, who I adore for so many reasons) having to lead a group of people and make the hard decisions that come with that.
I am not normally a fan of romance in my plotted stories, and in my review of the previous book I was rather against the idea of anything developing between Rhys and Sharon, because of the fawning impression I got from Rhys (which was actually a basis for my being somewhat ambivalent to his character), however, this book has proved me wrong. It develops nicely, and in such an adorable way, I couldn't help but root for it.
I cannot write a review for a book in this universe without at least a passing mention of our loveable screw up, Matthew Swift. For obvious reasons, he is not actually present for a large period of the book, but as always, what I love about this series is the view it gives into the background running of the Alderman and the lives of the people who have to deal with him, particularly because his books are more action and mayhem! All I can say is, he must be a nightmare of a boss!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I have barely any criticisms at all. The ones I do have are more at missing the other characters like Penny, who has yet to appear and not getting a large amount of interaction with the Magical's anonymous crew in comparison to the previous book. Without them, there is a slight drop in the banter and humour but in a way, I think that Sharon and Rhys had to do some work on their own, to fully develop them as characters. I fully look forward to where she could take this series in the future!
While I enjoyed Stray Souls a lot, I did have a few issues with the main characters, and the way it was written. This book rectified every problem I may have had, by having longer chapters, better written speeches (whilst still maintaining that naturalistic charm hat Griffin is so talented at) and by finally endearing me with the main characters.
This book is where you really see Sharon come into her own, investigating, with the help of Rhys (who I am also very happy to say, grew on me), missing shoes, a missing needle like blade and a missing midnight mayor. She is capable and actually turns around to some people and tells them where to get off. It is also slightly darker, with Sharon (and Kelly, who I adore for so many reasons) having to lead a group of people and make the hard decisions that come with that.
I am not normally a fan of romance in my plotted stories, and in my review of the previous book I was rather against the idea of anything developing between Rhys and Sharon, because of the fawning impression I got from Rhys (which was actually a basis for my being somewhat ambivalent to his character), however, this book has proved me wrong. It develops nicely, and in such an adorable way, I couldn't help but root for it.
I cannot write a review for a book in this universe without at least a passing mention of our loveable screw up, Matthew Swift. For obvious reasons, he is not actually present for a large period of the book, but as always, what I love about this series is the view it gives into the background running of the Alderman and the lives of the people who have to deal with him, particularly because his books are more action and mayhem! All I can say is, he must be a nightmare of a boss!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I have barely any criticisms at all. The ones I do have are more at missing the other characters like Penny, who has yet to appear and not getting a large amount of interaction with the Magical's anonymous crew in comparison to the previous book. Without them, there is a slight drop in the banter and humour but in a way, I think that Sharon and Rhys had to do some work on their own, to fully develop them as characters. I fully look forward to where she could take this series in the future!
April 4, 2014
A little while ago, Sharon Li developed the unexpected and not particularly welcome ability to walk through walls. When self-help books and mantras couldn't offer any more guidance, she started a support group for other people experiencing strange or supernatural phenomena. After defeating spirit-enslaving hedge fund managers in Stray Souls, Sharon and the group have settled into a comfortable groove. But then Matthew Swift disappears, and Sharon is appointed deputy Midnight Mayor. She only has one clue to Swift's disappearance: an ordinary blue umbrella. But despite her complete lack of experience, eventually she stumbles onto the truth.
Here's the thing. I really want to like Sharon Li, who is good-hearted and good-natured and tries hard. But she, and most of Magicals Anonymous, are SO ANNOYING. They ramble and babble and never get to the point without first spouting a good three paragraphs of tangents. The first few hundred pages of this book were painful to read, because I love the magical London Griffin has created, and all the different types of magical systems and supernatural beings trying to live in an urban environment, but I was very frustrated by the characters. But I have to admire that when it really comes down to it, Sharon and her compatriots can shut up and do some serious damage. The epic battle near the end of the book had me reading furiously fast. (Griffin writes action very well, and magical battles even better.) I thought this section of Sharon's dialog, near the end, demonstrates both what I really like and really dislike about this series.
Here's the thing. I really want to like Sharon Li, who is good-hearted and good-natured and tries hard. But she, and most of Magicals Anonymous, are SO ANNOYING. They ramble and babble and never get to the point without first spouting a good three paragraphs of tangents. The first few hundred pages of this book were painful to read, because I love the magical London Griffin has created, and all the different types of magical systems and supernatural beings trying to live in an urban environment, but I was very frustrated by the characters. But I have to admire that when it really comes down to it, Sharon and her compatriots can shut up and do some serious damage. The epic battle near the end of the book had me reading furiously fast. (Griffin writes action very well, and magical battles even better.) I thought this section of Sharon's dialog, near the end, demonstrates both what I really like and really dislike about this series.
'You know,' she murmurs, 'if this whole deputy Midnight Mayor thing sticks, and I, like, get lumbered with this job forever, then people are gonna talk about me and Swift, and how we worked all that. And everyone's going to be like, "wow, Matthew Swift, he's such a bad-ass, such a firebrand, look at all the stuff he blows up" and they're gonna go "jeez, Sharon, she's so like 'let's work through our issues' and shit and so kinda 'cuppa tea in the afternoon' and that" and they'll be right, of course, because that's what I'm like and that's what I think people should do.
But the thing is, you gotta remember that all this doesn't make me the good cop.'
January 25, 2016
Whereas The Night Mayor is a powerful magician who's also opinionated and a bit of a tit, Sharon Li is the nicest, most helpful person you would want to be on your side. She cares about you, the real you, not the you that you present at work, or at family gatherings, or when that salesman is talking to you.
So of course when the Night Mayor went missing, the problem of where he went and what caused him to go missing fell into her lap. With the help of her faithful IT manager Rhys, she doggedly retraced the Night Mayor's steps to find the culprit, a construct called the glass god.
Unlike the first Magicals Anonymous book, the focus of this book is all on Sharon Li, and a little bit on Rhys. The rest of the group gets short shrift, which is unfortunate since a lot of the first book's charm comes from the interaction of the group members.
The book's focus is on Sharon Li and her growth from a caring, emphatic, sympathetic group leader to someone who's willing and able to mark someone for death. Or as near death as magically possible. It makes for an interesting journey. I wonder how Kate Griffin is going to write her in the next book.
Would Kate Griffin also do the same for Matthew Swift? Now that he has "grown up as a person" as he himself said, would he take his job more seriously? Would he be less of an arse?
The first Magicals Anonymous book gave a hint at future plotlines when the Night Mayor spoke of a serous force or agent, and how the Night Mayor was able to avert disaster sort of only by accident. I wonder if that plot line will make an appearance in the next book, whether it be a Night Mayor book or a Magical Anonymous one.
All in all, an enjoyable romp, though it might have been a bit more enjoyable if the rest of the gang could've been more prominent in the book.
So of course when the Night Mayor went missing, the problem of where he went and what caused him to go missing fell into her lap. With the help of her faithful IT manager Rhys, she doggedly retraced the Night Mayor's steps to find the culprit, a construct called the glass god.
Unlike the first Magicals Anonymous book, the focus of this book is all on Sharon Li, and a little bit on Rhys. The rest of the group gets short shrift, which is unfortunate since a lot of the first book's charm comes from the interaction of the group members.
The book's focus is on Sharon Li and her growth from a caring, emphatic, sympathetic group leader to someone who's willing and able to mark someone for death. Or as near death as magically possible. It makes for an interesting journey. I wonder how Kate Griffin is going to write her in the next book.
Would Kate Griffin also do the same for Matthew Swift? Now that he has "grown up as a person" as he himself said, would he take his job more seriously? Would he be less of an arse?
The first Magicals Anonymous book gave a hint at future plotlines when the Night Mayor spoke of a serous force or agent, and how the Night Mayor was able to avert disaster sort of only by accident. I wonder if that plot line will make an appearance in the next book, whether it be a Night Mayor book or a Magical Anonymous one.
All in all, an enjoyable romp, though it might have been a bit more enjoyable if the rest of the gang could've been more prominent in the book.
April 7, 2014
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It follows the usual formula for the books in this universe, where a powerful magical entity rises up in secret and threatens to destroy London, and the protagonist must defeat it and save the city. What improves this book from Stray Souls is its tighter focus on Sharon rather than the whole Magicals Anonymous group, though we do see all of its founding members. Following the mysterious disappearance of Matthew Swift, Sharon is made deputy Midnight Mayor and must take on the responsibility of not only finding Swift but stopping whoever took him.
I don't enjoy Sharon as a protagonist as much as I enjoyed Matthew (the way she talks in these huge unfiltered word dumps kind of annoys me and is hard to read in tense situations). She is growing on me and I'd actually like to see them work together in a future book rather than having Swift be out of commission for whatever reason so Sharon has to handle it. She tempers him pretty well in the rare scenes they have together.
I don't enjoy Sharon as a protagonist as much as I enjoyed Matthew (the way she talks in these huge unfiltered word dumps kind of annoys me and is hard to read in tense situations). She is growing on me and I'd actually like to see them work together in a future book rather than having Swift be out of commission for whatever reason so Sharon has to handle it. She tempers him pretty well in the rare scenes they have together.
January 29, 2016
I love, love, love the Blue Electric Angels series by this author, but although the Magicals Anonymous series is set in the same universe and features walk-ons from Matthew Swift (protagonist of the other series) and associated characters, I find this series much harder to get into. The lighter tone and fluffier characters of Magicals Anonymous just don't draw me in the way Matthew's slightly-alien, slightly-melancholy personality did.
Thus, the first half of this book was a bit of struggle for me, but I'm glad I stuck with it, because once the Big Bad finally showed up, this book started to get darker and more emotionally-fraught, and that's exactly when it all started to seem, to me, like the good ol' days of Matthew Swift and his mad mayhem.
Kelly, the relentlessly-cheerful personal assistant, is better when she occasionally reminds you she's a matter-of-factly ruthless killer when she needs to be. Sharon Li--apprentice shaman, I'm-okay-you're-okay do-gooder, and protagonist of this series--is better when she gently points out that "all this doesn't make me the good cop".
In short, I like this author's work better when she puts an edge on the characters. In the first half of this book (and in the previous book of the Magicals Anonymous series), everyone was a bit too twee and cute. As soon as they started seeming scary too, I liked it much better.
Thus, the first half of this book was a bit of struggle for me, but I'm glad I stuck with it, because once the Big Bad finally showed up, this book started to get darker and more emotionally-fraught, and that's exactly when it all started to seem, to me, like the good ol' days of Matthew Swift and his mad mayhem.
Kelly, the relentlessly-cheerful personal assistant, is better when she occasionally reminds you she's a matter-of-factly ruthless killer when she needs to be. Sharon Li--apprentice shaman, I'm-okay-you're-okay do-gooder, and protagonist of this series--is better when she gently points out that "all this doesn't make me the good cop".
In short, I like this author's work better when she puts an edge on the characters. In the first half of this book (and in the previous book of the Magicals Anonymous series), everyone was a bit too twee and cute. As soon as they started seeming scary too, I liked it much better.
March 16, 2017
Oh man, Kate Griffin. So good. I stayed up late finishing this, which I haven't done in a very long time. Short chapters, which can seem abrupt and choppy if not done well, kept me thinking, "The chapters are short, just one more . . . the chapters are short, just one more . . . ." I do think this book could be read as a standalone without reading the first in the series, which is a nice change to some other urban fantasy series that I've been reading. You get more from it if you've read the first one, obviously, but I think Griffin did a great job of re-establishing the characters for new readers while not being repetitive for those who've read Stray Souls.
I think one thing I really like about Griffin's work is that everyone, from the goblins to the banshees, are people. They all have their own, distinct personalities. Even the villains in both of the Magicals Anonymous books, even the non-human ones, have a personality more complex than just "Me evil. Me do bad things!" I like that. Now to go back and re-read The Madness of Angels and the read the rest of that series!
I think one thing I really like about Griffin's work is that everyone, from the goblins to the banshees, are people. They all have their own, distinct personalities. Even the villains in both of the Magicals Anonymous books, even the non-human ones, have a personality more complex than just "Me evil. Me do bad things!" I like that. Now to go back and re-read The Madness of Angels and the read the rest of that series!
dropped-gave-up
July 30, 2013The attempts at humor detract much from the headlong-into-an-oncoming-train attraction of the Matthew Swift series. Creepy shadows, blood, gods in pain, things-alive-that-should-not-be, are far less affecting when held against the backdrop of light comedy. The whole thing collapses on a heap of its own frivolity. And why does everyone either cannot ever say what they mean, or talk in breathless spiels?
Could not finish.
Could not finish.
Read
July 10, 2013Twisty, frenetic, loaded with fun quotes and neat imagery, and with a more interesting, more character focused story potentiating at the margins but never emerging. So, as usual.
November 17, 2016
Darker than #1, less fresh, but still excellent. I may have to break down and read Matthew Swift after all.
January 7, 2018
Wonderful book, nice twist ending, very easy to keep track of characters.
October 21, 2017
fluffy, fun Dresden-like, without the power creep.
February 7, 2020
This is the second installment in the Sharon Li, shaman entry into the Midnight Mayor universe. In this book, Swift's PA Kelly has been instructed to announce Sharon's promotion to Deputy Midnight Mayor in the event Swift disappears, which he has. Sharon feels unprepared for the job. She has been managing her life and job as community service person through self help and junior manager books. I think the book and the previous one are intended to be a little humorous with their commentary on self help and management styles. Magicals Anonymous is a self help group for mystical people and creatures with "issues."
Sharon reluctantly takes on the duty of finding Swift, following up on Swift's left behind clues. Most of the book is Sharon catching up with Swift's progress. Many tied together shoes, representing missing persons have been found, which leads to a grave digger ghoul who has historically buried London's dead during plagues, fires, and the blitz. He sleeps in the interim as long as his due is paid (and it has not been). She builds a relationship with the Tribe. As she gets closer, the enemy tries to off her and her team.
Along the way, Sharon gains confidence in herself and realizes the books she has read don't cover all the situations she encounters. She is maturing and she is forging her support group into an effective force backed by the Aldermen.
its a decent enough story, although I think it helps to be a Anglophile and even better a Londonphile. If you like the Midnight Mayor universe and Kate Griffin's style of writing, this is another worthwhile entry.
Sharon reluctantly takes on the duty of finding Swift, following up on Swift's left behind clues. Most of the book is Sharon catching up with Swift's progress. Many tied together shoes, representing missing persons have been found, which leads to a grave digger ghoul who has historically buried London's dead during plagues, fires, and the blitz. He sleeps in the interim as long as his due is paid (and it has not been). She builds a relationship with the Tribe. As she gets closer, the enemy tries to off her and her team.
Along the way, Sharon gains confidence in herself and realizes the books she has read don't cover all the situations she encounters. She is maturing and she is forging her support group into an effective force backed by the Aldermen.
its a decent enough story, although I think it helps to be a Anglophile and even better a Londonphile. If you like the Midnight Mayor universe and Kate Griffin's style of writing, this is another worthwhile entry.
Read
November 16, 2020 No one can keep up the humor indefinitely, not even Pratchett, and Kate Griffin is not at that level yet. Missing from this book were the vignettes from each of the anonymous magicals that were so entertaining, and some of the gimmicks which were amusing in the first book have grown stale when repeated too often.
One bit that I found rather inventive was the idea that dryads, once residents in trees, have now moved to the London street lamps. Other than that, nothing stands out.
When the Midnight Mayor goes missing, shaman Sharon Li is tasked with finding out what's become of him. Her investigation leads her and her pet druid, Rhys, into some pretty unsavory and quite smelly places, but leads us as readers nowhere in particular. Unfortunately, the pace dragged me down and I had to return the book to the library before I got round to finishing it to find out what happens at the end.
A writer with promise has lost me, I'm afraid.
One bit that I found rather inventive was the idea that dryads, once residents in trees, have now moved to the London street lamps. Other than that, nothing stands out.
When the Midnight Mayor goes missing, shaman Sharon Li is tasked with finding out what's become of him. Her investigation leads her and her pet druid, Rhys, into some pretty unsavory and quite smelly places, but leads us as readers nowhere in particular. Unfortunately, the pace dragged me down and I had to return the book to the library before I got round to finishing it to find out what happens at the end.
A writer with promise has lost me, I'm afraid.
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