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City of Magi
At the heart of Astosen, the city of Dein Astos stands as a bulwark for the free world, always on alert to battle Valania’s attempts to bring the republic under continental dominance. Sophisticated and diverse, driven by magic, money, and information, this city of magi teems with tea houses, government agencies, exclusive clubs and risky districts. Alexander Locke, a great Magi Knight and the hero of the republic, lies dead. His daughter, Zia Locke, reluctantly rises to power, unaware that her father may not have died of natural causes, as everyone believes. That is, until she is artfully maneuvered into meeting the mysterious and abundantly self-assured Grayson Kearney. A keen judge of character and cunning magus, Grayson rocks Zia's world in more ways than one as he helps tear away the veil of ignorance from her eyes. From lifelong friends to sworn enemies, the new leader of the House of Locke is discovering that anyone could be the next to betray her. What Zia needs is a good intelligence officer at her side. But when everyone has a hidden agenda, can she truly place her trust in Grayson?
473 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 25, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 3, 2014
From the title you would expect to find magic seeping off the page from word one and with this fantasy work from Michael McDuffee, you won't be disappointed. Unlike twee stories of magic and mysticism that have flooded the fantasy genre in the last decade, McDuffee joins a need breed of fantasy writers.
Whereas most modern fantasy is merely a poor rewrite of the works of classic fantasy writers including Frank Herbert, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, there is an emerging wave of authors that McDuffee is part of that are redefining modern fantasy with high quality writing that elegantly steers you through the plot and pitfalls that the characters face and has you completely enthralled and engaged in the fresh worlds that have been created.
By the time you finish City of Magi you will be left with the book hangover that all avid bookworms both hungrily search for and dread in equal measure.
McDuffee brings the city of Dein Astos to life in the imagination with vivid reality and leaves you, as the reader, living in constant apprehension of what with happen next and who will betray whom.
The characters are very well written and are effective at driving the plot forward, not merely along for the ride. As likeable as some of the characters are, reading it you never feel like you can completely trust anyone that you meet and will even find yourself mistrusting the main characters of Grayson and Zia.
This book is a great addition to the fantasy genre and as book 1in the series there is a great promise of things to come. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series and can recommend this to all fantasy fans, especially those who have had enough of the wizards of Harry Potter and are looking for something fresh.
Whereas most modern fantasy is merely a poor rewrite of the works of classic fantasy writers including Frank Herbert, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, there is an emerging wave of authors that McDuffee is part of that are redefining modern fantasy with high quality writing that elegantly steers you through the plot and pitfalls that the characters face and has you completely enthralled and engaged in the fresh worlds that have been created.
By the time you finish City of Magi you will be left with the book hangover that all avid bookworms both hungrily search for and dread in equal measure.
McDuffee brings the city of Dein Astos to life in the imagination with vivid reality and leaves you, as the reader, living in constant apprehension of what with happen next and who will betray whom.
The characters are very well written and are effective at driving the plot forward, not merely along for the ride. As likeable as some of the characters are, reading it you never feel like you can completely trust anyone that you meet and will even find yourself mistrusting the main characters of Grayson and Zia.
This book is a great addition to the fantasy genre and as book 1in the series there is a great promise of things to come. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series and can recommend this to all fantasy fans, especially those who have had enough of the wizards of Harry Potter and are looking for something fresh.
October 5, 2014
This Book Was Given To Me By The Author In Exchange For An Honest Review
Who wants a magi stone that will make you invisible? If you want one then visit Grayson or Gerry or whatever alias he is going by at the time in the City of Magi. We meet Grayson as he observes Zia Locke at the funeral of her father. This is part of his plan on becoming the intelligence officer at her side when she takes over power. Be prepared for a fast paced ride with action throughout.
The setting of the City of Magi is magical and pulls you in from page one. The description of the city makes you feel like you are there. It is packed with magic, danger, and fantasy. The deceit of city makes you trust no one. The imagination of this book makes for a great read.
The characters in this book match everything from loyal to deceitful. Grayson is a man of mystery but as the book progresses you begin to peel off some of his layers, but do you every really get to know him. Zia is dealing with tragedy and trying to follow in her fathers footsteps. With Grayson's guidance she soon learns she can't always trust those you thought you could. The secondary characters are just as original as the main characters.
I also love the fact that the different sections of the book went back and forth between Grayson as an adult and Grayson as a child. It helped you understand who he is and what his goals are.
This was a great fantasy book that has me hooked on Michael McDuffee's book.
Review has been done in conjunction with Nerd Girl Official. For more information regarding our reviews please visit our Fansite: www.facebook.com/NerdGirl.com
Who wants a magi stone that will make you invisible? If you want one then visit Grayson or Gerry or whatever alias he is going by at the time in the City of Magi. We meet Grayson as he observes Zia Locke at the funeral of her father. This is part of his plan on becoming the intelligence officer at her side when she takes over power. Be prepared for a fast paced ride with action throughout.
The setting of the City of Magi is magical and pulls you in from page one. The description of the city makes you feel like you are there. It is packed with magic, danger, and fantasy. The deceit of city makes you trust no one. The imagination of this book makes for a great read.
The characters in this book match everything from loyal to deceitful. Grayson is a man of mystery but as the book progresses you begin to peel off some of his layers, but do you every really get to know him. Zia is dealing with tragedy and trying to follow in her fathers footsteps. With Grayson's guidance she soon learns she can't always trust those you thought you could. The secondary characters are just as original as the main characters.
I also love the fact that the different sections of the book went back and forth between Grayson as an adult and Grayson as a child. It helped you understand who he is and what his goals are.
This was a great fantasy book that has me hooked on Michael McDuffee's book.
Review has been done in conjunction with Nerd Girl Official. For more information regarding our reviews please visit our Fansite: www.facebook.com/NerdGirl.com
February 16, 2015
Review to come. Loved this book.
Disclaimer: I received this book in exchange for my honest review on this tour.
First, my apologies to the author. My computer fried a few weeks ago and I've been having difficulty borrowing one to try and get my posts done! So many apologies that this is late on the tour.
On to the review! To start, this was a 5 star read for me. I don't think the blurb does justice to the story lying within the pages of this book. It was truly a wondrous experience! I really like the way the author wrote this novel, starting off in the "present" and whipping back to Grayson's childhood. I felt like the world was built seamlessly as we flipped back and forth between the present and the past, learning about the characters, how relationships were built, etc.
The action was fantastic, but I really loved how Grayson's magic worked - how he sees it, how he masters it, etc. Not to mention to learn about his feats, how he runs his network, etc.
This was a hell of a way to start a series (Note the "Book One" in the byline!) and I, for one, am looking forward to reading the rest. Totally hooked, I'm chomping at the bit for more!
Disclaimer: I received this book in exchange for my honest review on this tour.
First, my apologies to the author. My computer fried a few weeks ago and I've been having difficulty borrowing one to try and get my posts done! So many apologies that this is late on the tour.
On to the review! To start, this was a 5 star read for me. I don't think the blurb does justice to the story lying within the pages of this book. It was truly a wondrous experience! I really like the way the author wrote this novel, starting off in the "present" and whipping back to Grayson's childhood. I felt like the world was built seamlessly as we flipped back and forth between the present and the past, learning about the characters, how relationships were built, etc.
The action was fantastic, but I really loved how Grayson's magic worked - how he sees it, how he masters it, etc. Not to mention to learn about his feats, how he runs his network, etc.
This was a hell of a way to start a series (Note the "Book One" in the byline!) and I, for one, am looking forward to reading the rest. Totally hooked, I'm chomping at the bit for more!
September 4, 2014
Fantasy in a truly unique setting is a rare thing indeed. This is very definitely one. There is nothing medieval about this story. The magic is also thoroughly integrated into the world.
Grayson is a brilliant mage-spy cum underworld boss and who knows what else. He has more identities than even he can remember. He knows something big and clandestine is coming. Something big enough that he's going to have to come out in the open and work with the newest magi-knight in order to deal with it. When he does, sparks fly.
Complex and interesting characters, in a unique setting, with plenty of action. What's not to like?
Grayson is a brilliant mage-spy cum underworld boss and who knows what else. He has more identities than even he can remember. He knows something big and clandestine is coming. Something big enough that he's going to have to come out in the open and work with the newest magi-knight in order to deal with it. When he does, sparks fly.
Complex and interesting characters, in a unique setting, with plenty of action. What's not to like?
October 18, 2015
I’m not going to lie, when I first started reading City of Magi the level of detail was cranked to 11 and that kinda annoyed me. But somewhere around 15 -20% into it that annoyance kind of was swept away in the story.
The setting was fun blend of modernish society with magic supplementing what necessity had us invent. Who needs radios when you can communicate via spells? Gun? Try a fireball on for size.
Great atmosphere and very interesting characters mix into this magical spy story that was a throwback to some of my favorite classic sci-fi/fantasy books. City of Magi is listed as a part 1 in a series, and I for one can’t wait for the rest!
The setting was fun blend of modernish society with magic supplementing what necessity had us invent. Who needs radios when you can communicate via spells? Gun? Try a fireball on for size.
Great atmosphere and very interesting characters mix into this magical spy story that was a throwback to some of my favorite classic sci-fi/fantasy books. City of Magi is listed as a part 1 in a series, and I for one can’t wait for the rest!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews