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Arcane History #2
Elemental
Everything has consequences, even magic.
A year after bringing magic back, researcher Charles Graham finds himself at the centre of forces that crave the power he holds and doesn't even want.
There's a god in the city, mysterious objects in the mail, and a ship at the docks missing its crew.
Ancient dangers awaken as Charles sorts through the fallout of a changed world, leaving him with no one to trust and no way to protect the people he loves.
It's 1916 and the world's at war, but the real danger's at home.
A year after bringing magic back, researcher Charles Graham finds himself at the centre of forces that crave the power he holds and doesn't even want.
There's a god in the city, mysterious objects in the mail, and a ship at the docks missing its crew.
Ancient dangers awaken as Charles sorts through the fallout of a changed world, leaving him with no one to trust and no way to protect the people he loves.
It's 1916 and the world's at war, but the real danger's at home.
333 pages, Paperback
Published December 14, 2019
17 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
April 18, 2021
*** 3.5 stars ***
In the second installment of this urban fantasy set in WWI-era Toronto, our hapless MC discovers that sitting on his ass for the past year rather than learning how to utilize his new magic-wielding abilities was perhaps not the wisest of decisions. But then, making wise decisions is not exactly Charlie's forte. During that year he's been a bit of a dick (okay, possibly a huge dick) to everyone in his life, preoccupied with his feelings and fears about the blessing/curse bestowed upon him in the first book.
Charlie's secrecy and self-absorption threaten his relationship with his long-time lover, Henry -- as the reader can see, but Charlie himself can't. I enjoyed spending time with such a flawed and bumbling MC, who has a long learning curve ahead of him on how to get his head out of his ass.
But not everyone will share my affection. I started this series in the company of four buddy readers, but half have bailed out, and I seem to be the only one left with any enthusiasm. I'm trusting that the author is deliberately making the MC into a morally grey, ethically dubious, self-involved jerk -- and I'm here for it. One action Charlie took late in the story made me downright gleeful, both for the audacious wrongness of it, and for the price he'll surely eventually have to pay for it. Consequences. I'm looking forward to them.
So, in a nutshell, I'm enjoying the characterization. But the book is not without flaws. My biggest gripe is that there's a character . Charlie needs to grow a pair and put that bastard in his place -- but that would require a level of courage he doesn't have yet. I'm counting on his character arc taking him there before the series ends.
Also: typos. There are TOO MANY of them. I've been choosing to buy these books when I could be reading them for free on KU. But if the text isn't cleaner in book 3, I'll revert to KU in protest. Writers owe readers their best effort at quality control, and I don't see that effort being put in here.
I'm torn between rounding up from 3.5 stars, or rounding down. I predict I'll keep waffling, changing the rating depending on my feelings du jour. One (and maaaaaybe two?) of my buddy reader friends and I will be continuing on to the next book in the series. I already know it's a cliffhanger, so unless things go seriously off the rails I expect I'll be reading book 4 too.
In the second installment of this urban fantasy set in WWI-era Toronto, our hapless MC discovers that sitting on his ass for the past year rather than learning how to utilize his new magic-wielding abilities was perhaps not the wisest of decisions. But then, making wise decisions is not exactly Charlie's forte. During that year he's been a bit of a dick (okay, possibly a huge dick) to everyone in his life, preoccupied with his feelings and fears about the blessing/curse bestowed upon him in the first book.
Charlie's secrecy and self-absorption threaten his relationship with his long-time lover, Henry -- as the reader can see, but Charlie himself can't. I enjoyed spending time with such a flawed and bumbling MC, who has a long learning curve ahead of him on how to get his head out of his ass.
But not everyone will share my affection. I started this series in the company of four buddy readers, but half have bailed out, and I seem to be the only one left with any enthusiasm. I'm trusting that the author is deliberately making the MC into a morally grey, ethically dubious, self-involved jerk -- and I'm here for it. One action Charlie took late in the story made me downright gleeful, both for the audacious wrongness of it, and for the price he'll surely eventually have to pay for it. Consequences. I'm looking forward to them.
So, in a nutshell, I'm enjoying the characterization. But the book is not without flaws. My biggest gripe is that there's a character . Charlie needs to grow a pair and put that bastard in his place -- but that would require a level of courage he doesn't have yet. I'm counting on his character arc taking him there before the series ends.
Also: typos. There are TOO MANY of them. I've been choosing to buy these books when I could be reading them for free on KU. But if the text isn't cleaner in book 3, I'll revert to KU in protest. Writers owe readers their best effort at quality control, and I don't see that effort being put in here.
I'm torn between rounding up from 3.5 stars, or rounding down. I predict I'll keep waffling, changing the rating depending on my feelings du jour. One (and maaaaaybe two?) of my buddy reader friends and I will be continuing on to the next book in the series. I already know it's a cliffhanger, so unless things go seriously off the rails I expect I'll be reading book 4 too.
April 18, 2021
1.5 stars
Charles, our POV, is barely aware of anyone existing outside himself, and yet for some reason he has a yen to save the world, even though he spent an entire year with his head in the sand ignoring the new dangers around him. He's willing to manipulate, use and abuse anyone he needs to in order to reach his goal. He never talks to his boyfriend, the supposed love of his life; I suspect he's more afraid of losing Henry's money than Henry himself, and I really don't understand what Henry sees in him. The psychology of Charles's characterization is all over the place. I had these same issues with him in the first book too, but he was dying and all so I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and see where he went here. Unfortunately, he didn't learn anything and continues to make the same mistakes and be incredibly obtuse to basic human needs besides his own. He's just a chore. If there were any indication that the author is planning to have Charles end up being the bad guy that everyone else has to take down, that might make more sense, but I see nothing in these first two books that the author is aware of how his protagonist's contradictions and flaws make him so unlikable.
So he fails at his various relationships, he's not very good at his job and barely earns enough to feed himself, and he's done jack squat to prepare for this new world around him. He is bad at everything but excels at mooching off his boyfriend. At the very end, there's a line that indicates that maybe he's finally ready to grow up, but I just don't trust it.
Combined with the dry, emotionless writing, the numerous typos, the constant repetition of information, and the dragging pace, and this was a chore to slog through. I did start skimming heavily in the last 20% or so just to get through it, and even then it felt like it would never end. It didn't help that around the 90% mark my feelings towards Charles went from vague antipathy to seething hatred due to an action of his. It made Charles irredeemable for me.
I did like Betty and Henry, and Vincent was an interesting new character with potential, so it wasn't a complete waste of my time, but I think I'll be stopping here to save what's left of my sanity, especially after reading some reviews for the fourth book.
Charles, our POV, is barely aware of anyone existing outside himself, and yet for some reason he has a yen to save the world, even though he spent an entire year with his head in the sand ignoring the new dangers around him. He's willing to manipulate, use and abuse anyone he needs to in order to reach his goal. He never talks to his boyfriend, the supposed love of his life; I suspect he's more afraid of losing Henry's money than Henry himself, and I really don't understand what Henry sees in him. The psychology of Charles's characterization is all over the place. I had these same issues with him in the first book too, but he was dying and all so I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and see where he went here. Unfortunately, he didn't learn anything and continues to make the same mistakes and be incredibly obtuse to basic human needs besides his own. He's just a chore. If there were any indication that the author is planning to have Charles end up being the bad guy that everyone else has to take down, that might make more sense, but I see nothing in these first two books that the author is aware of how his protagonist's contradictions and flaws make him so unlikable.
So he fails at his various relationships, he's not very good at his job and barely earns enough to feed himself, and he's done jack squat to prepare for this new world around him. He is bad at everything but excels at mooching off his boyfriend. At the very end, there's a line that indicates that maybe he's finally ready to grow up, but I just don't trust it.
Combined with the dry, emotionless writing, the numerous typos, the constant repetition of information, and the dragging pace, and this was a chore to slog through. I did start skimming heavily in the last 20% or so just to get through it, and even then it felt like it would never end. It didn't help that around the 90% mark my feelings towards Charles went from vague antipathy to seething hatred due to an action of his. It made Charles irredeemable for me.
I did like Betty and Henry, and Vincent was an interesting new character with potential, so it wasn't a complete waste of my time, but I think I'll be stopping here to save what's left of my sanity, especially after reading some reviews for the fourth book.
April 14, 2021
DNF at 19%
I’ve tried my best to give this book and this series a fair chance, but it’s just not working.
Charlie is still unlikable and self-centered and his relationship with Henry is starting to feel like a joke. They’re grown men, they’ve been together years and they’re supposedly the love of each other’s life, but they don’t talk about anything important.
All that could even be manageable if it wasn’t that when I’m not annoyed for one reason or another, I’m bored out of my mind.
The magic system still doesn’t hold my interest at all, I still can’t take the seriously and the writing feels so dry that I don’t care about anything that’s happening or about any of the characters, Henry excluded. But since he has so little page time and what I feel when it comes to Henry is that I’ve no idea why he and Charlie are together and what he even sees in Charlie——that’s not encouraging either. Add to that the typos, missing words, things getting repeated and the characters smirking all the time, and reading this is starting to feel like a chore.
I’m glad I peeked at reviews for the following books, because now I’m absolutely certain that there’s no way this series will ever work for me and I can stop trying. I hope it finds a more appreciative audience than me, but I’m relieved to let it go.
The second star is only because I’ve read less than 20%.
I’ve tried my best to give this book and this series a fair chance, but it’s just not working.
Charlie is still unlikable and self-centered and his relationship with Henry is starting to feel like a joke. They’re grown men, they’ve been together years and they’re supposedly the love of each other’s life, but they don’t talk about anything important.
All that could even be manageable if it wasn’t that when I’m not annoyed for one reason or another, I’m bored out of my mind.
The magic system still doesn’t hold my interest at all, I still can’t take the seriously and the writing feels so dry that I don’t care about anything that’s happening or about any of the characters, Henry excluded. But since he has so little page time and what I feel when it comes to Henry is that I’ve no idea why he and Charlie are together and what he even sees in Charlie——that’s not encouraging either. Add to that the typos, missing words, things getting repeated and the characters smirking all the time, and reading this is starting to feel like a chore.
I’m glad I peeked at reviews for the following books, because now I’m absolutely certain that there’s no way this series will ever work for me and I can stop trying. I hope it finds a more appreciative audience than me, but I’m relieved to let it go.
The second star is only because I’ve read less than 20%.
April 21, 2021
I'm not sure if I liked this one or not, but it took me forever to finish... Charlie was more selfish than ever, and when I thought I was warming up to him he did something that cured me of that feeling fast. I'm not sure if I'll continue this series or not, I'm still on the fence about it, let's see...
I want to thank to my fellow BReaders for bearing with my snail pace, it would have been pure torture without you all.
I want to thank to my fellow BReaders for bearing with my snail pace, it would have been pure torture without you all.
March 7, 2020
Getting interesting
This series is really moving along. Charles and Henry are having ups and downs mostly downs in this book. I love how this book is getting us closer to understanding the new magic. I just love this series.
This series is really moving along. Charles and Henry are having ups and downs mostly downs in this book. I love how this book is getting us closer to understanding the new magic. I just love this series.
April 16, 2020
This book is even more intense than the first one.
Here, almost everything depends on Charlie. He is the true hero, but of course with a little help from his friends 😊 I wish there was more of Henry, tho. Pestle is still a bit of a mystery.
I was slightly disappointed in one character being too obvious and the other... well, I did suspect that everything was not so black and white with them. Turned out true enough.
Some minor editorial hiccups, but nothing really stands in the way of 5 stars from me 😊
PS Typing on my phone (again), so there will be edits later, just wanted to write some thoughts down, while it’s all still fresh in my head.
Here, almost everything depends on Charlie. He is the true hero, but of course with a little help from his friends 😊 I wish there was more of Henry, tho. Pestle is still a bit of a mystery.
I was slightly disappointed in one character being too obvious and the other... well, I did suspect that everything was not so black and white with them. Turned out true enough.
Some minor editorial hiccups, but nothing really stands in the way of 5 stars from me 😊
PS Typing on my phone (again), so there will be edits later, just wanted to write some thoughts down, while it’s all still fresh in my head.
March 22, 2020
Even better than the first!
I really enjoyed this book. It was better than the first with the main characters already drawn out. I loved how Henry had a more prominent role and hope that he in Charlie stick together as he is the rock and support in their relationship. There was action, drama and some angst. Love Charlie, he is a great character. He tries to do his best to solve the problems crashing around him, but still makes many mistakes. I love that he is not the all powerful, perfect hero. He is human, well mostly. I enjoyed the introduction of Vincent, and the further development of characters like Betty and Jane. Looking forward to the next book and can't wait to see where this story leads.
I really enjoyed this book. It was better than the first with the main characters already drawn out. I loved how Henry had a more prominent role and hope that he in Charlie stick together as he is the rock and support in their relationship. There was action, drama and some angst. Love Charlie, he is a great character. He tries to do his best to solve the problems crashing around him, but still makes many mistakes. I love that he is not the all powerful, perfect hero. He is human, well mostly. I enjoyed the introduction of Vincent, and the further development of characters like Betty and Jane. Looking forward to the next book and can't wait to see where this story leads.
December 28, 2021
Elemental (Arcane History 2)
By Scott Thrower
Published by the author, 2019
Five stars
Question: What’s the difference between a grave-robber and an archaeologist?
Answer: Time.
“Just because a white man digs something up, it doesn’t mean it’s his.”
I kept this book hoarded on my Kindle backlog for too long, and now there are two more books in the series—both of which I’ve bought after finishing this. The first book in this series was so very satisfying, I’d sort of lost track of the ongoing volumes. How much fun to rediscover them! This is a distinctive and creative story arc, sophisticated in its plotting, its period setting, and in the moral questions it poses (but doesn’t fully answer, appropriately enough).
In his Arcane History series, Scott Thrower creates a unique spin on magic, its nature and its sources. Magic is sort of like nuclear power—its potential both catastrophic for and beneficial to the human race. The similarity doesn’t stop there: the wrong kind of people are drawn to magic and for the wrong reason. Power. Magic could save the earth, or destroy it, depending on who gets their hands on it.
Charles Graham, a graduate student in Toronto in 1916, is sidelined by the diabetes that is slowly killing him. That disease also keeps him out of the increasingly appalling war raging in Europe, a war into which Canada and its troops have recently been drawn (the U.S. won’t enter the war for another year). Charlie’s interest in arcane history leads him to inadvertently release magic back into the world, along with a god who is its source, sealed away for all of recorded human history.
Oops.
The second book explores further the physical and moral puzzle of magic. Charlie is cured of his diabetes, but only as long as he stays with reasonable distance of the source of magic in Toronto. Awkwardly, Charlie is also immortal. As he notes several times, he can’t die, but he can be damaged. He can suffer—eternally, if things go wrong. The problem with Charlie’s magic—he is a wizard, one of t hose humans who can use magic—is that he can’t control it very well; and it’s also selfish, meaning that its prime directive is to protect Charlie from harm. Charlie wants to help others with his power, but his power doesn’t care.
When a mysterious ancient carved stone disk begins to arrive in pieces by mail at the Royal Ontario Museum, Charlie and his friends are caught up in the meaning of this new magical mystery. Even as he and his beloved Henry, a medical student, try to calculate building a life together in the hostile world of 1916 (hostile for all gay men, that is), the mysterious disk and its purpose becomes increasingly fraught. Even the god that Charlie released into the world—in the form of a willowy young blond man who calls himself Benedict—can’t answer the questions Charles poses to him.
The book is really an adventure-thriller, as Charles races against time to figure out his own magical capabilities, possibly at the cost of the various relationships important to him. The book is replete with that special kind of deceit that people seeking power fall back on, and spiced up with the kinds of plot twists that you might expect when you realize that you’re not the only immortal person in the game.
Charles and Henry’s relationship is the hub around which the plot turns. It provides the ironic counterpoint that the two men trying to save the world (again) are themselves marginalized by their very nature within the world they’re trying to save. Even at the climactic finale of the story, the core conundrums of the larger narrative are not resolved. That’s why I had to buy the next two books. I so admire when an author satisfies the reader but leaves them hungry for more.
By Scott Thrower
Published by the author, 2019
Five stars
Question: What’s the difference between a grave-robber and an archaeologist?
Answer: Time.
“Just because a white man digs something up, it doesn’t mean it’s his.”
I kept this book hoarded on my Kindle backlog for too long, and now there are two more books in the series—both of which I’ve bought after finishing this. The first book in this series was so very satisfying, I’d sort of lost track of the ongoing volumes. How much fun to rediscover them! This is a distinctive and creative story arc, sophisticated in its plotting, its period setting, and in the moral questions it poses (but doesn’t fully answer, appropriately enough).
In his Arcane History series, Scott Thrower creates a unique spin on magic, its nature and its sources. Magic is sort of like nuclear power—its potential both catastrophic for and beneficial to the human race. The similarity doesn’t stop there: the wrong kind of people are drawn to magic and for the wrong reason. Power. Magic could save the earth, or destroy it, depending on who gets their hands on it.
Charles Graham, a graduate student in Toronto in 1916, is sidelined by the diabetes that is slowly killing him. That disease also keeps him out of the increasingly appalling war raging in Europe, a war into which Canada and its troops have recently been drawn (the U.S. won’t enter the war for another year). Charlie’s interest in arcane history leads him to inadvertently release magic back into the world, along with a god who is its source, sealed away for all of recorded human history.
Oops.
The second book explores further the physical and moral puzzle of magic. Charlie is cured of his diabetes, but only as long as he stays with reasonable distance of the source of magic in Toronto. Awkwardly, Charlie is also immortal. As he notes several times, he can’t die, but he can be damaged. He can suffer—eternally, if things go wrong. The problem with Charlie’s magic—he is a wizard, one of t hose humans who can use magic—is that he can’t control it very well; and it’s also selfish, meaning that its prime directive is to protect Charlie from harm. Charlie wants to help others with his power, but his power doesn’t care.
When a mysterious ancient carved stone disk begins to arrive in pieces by mail at the Royal Ontario Museum, Charlie and his friends are caught up in the meaning of this new magical mystery. Even as he and his beloved Henry, a medical student, try to calculate building a life together in the hostile world of 1916 (hostile for all gay men, that is), the mysterious disk and its purpose becomes increasingly fraught. Even the god that Charlie released into the world—in the form of a willowy young blond man who calls himself Benedict—can’t answer the questions Charles poses to him.
The book is really an adventure-thriller, as Charles races against time to figure out his own magical capabilities, possibly at the cost of the various relationships important to him. The book is replete with that special kind of deceit that people seeking power fall back on, and spiced up with the kinds of plot twists that you might expect when you realize that you’re not the only immortal person in the game.
Charles and Henry’s relationship is the hub around which the plot turns. It provides the ironic counterpoint that the two men trying to save the world (again) are themselves marginalized by their very nature within the world they’re trying to save. Even at the climactic finale of the story, the core conundrums of the larger narrative are not resolved. That’s why I had to buy the next two books. I so admire when an author satisfies the reader but leaves them hungry for more.
May 23, 2024
I did enjoy this for the most part, and as I read the last two chapters, I appreciated it more. That's a nice effect, particularly for the second in a series. That said, the messiness of so many moving pieces and no clear direction weighed on me. This will never be my favorite, but it's good.
July 10, 2020
3.5 stars
For some reason, this second book just failed to grip me. It wasn't bad, but I just didn't feel it. The occasional typo and repetitive sentence structure didn't help matters either...
For some reason, this second book just failed to grip me. It wasn't bad, but I just didn't feel it. The occasional typo and repetitive sentence structure didn't help matters either...
September 17, 2020
I enjoyed this follow up alt-history-paranormal very much. MC Charlie is still struggling to come to terms with his immortality status and still trying to come to terms with his world-changing actions/decisions impacting his loved ones, colleagues and the people of Toronto. This is not a superhero in full flight/action ... we have a conflicted individual struggling to understand how magic works in and through his ability to work the runes. He gets little to no support having ignored friends and colleagues and emotionally distanced himself from stalwart boyfriend Henry.
Charlie's troubles are further exacerbated by the presence of a mainly self-focused god running uncontrolled in city, wild magic triggering all manner of unexplained phenomena, and yet more strangers seeking Charlie's assistance to unlock the magical mayhem of another magical artifact; and we know what resulted from the last time this happened in the previous year! The action is fast-paced, the baddies/monsters are all too real and powerful, people still get killed/hurt, and Charlie has to make yet more awful decisions as he puts himself and others in harms way to avert yet another 'end of the world as we know it' disaster.
The M-M romance is present but all action is of the 'fade to black' variety. Henry is still his adorable protective self despite his physical wounds. Betty is coming into her own as a character in her own right (I can see a spin-off series with her as the feisty no-nonsense lead). I also love new secondary character Vincent and hope he gets more prominence in future books of the series - maybe there's something in the offing romance-wise with the pesky/enigmatic Simon Pestle.
A 4 solid star read.
Charlie's troubles are further exacerbated by the presence of a mainly self-focused god running uncontrolled in city, wild magic triggering all manner of unexplained phenomena, and yet more strangers seeking Charlie's assistance to unlock the magical mayhem of another magical artifact; and we know what resulted from the last time this happened in the previous year! The action is fast-paced, the baddies/monsters are all too real and powerful, people still get killed/hurt, and Charlie has to make yet more awful decisions as he puts himself and others in harms way to avert yet another 'end of the world as we know it' disaster.
The M-M romance is present but all action is of the 'fade to black' variety. Henry is still his adorable protective self despite his physical wounds. Betty is coming into her own as a character in her own right (I can see a spin-off series with her as the feisty no-nonsense lead). I also love new secondary character Vincent and hope he gets more prominence in future books of the series - maybe there's something in the offing romance-wise with the pesky/enigmatic Simon Pestle.
A 4 solid star read.
April 1, 2024
Here we find Charlie, Henry, and crew dealing with the consequences of magic let loose upon the world. Word of caution for those reading the stories in large part for the relationship between the two men - this book cheats us at the end of an essential emotional conversation, and its outcome. (Ending with the words "We need to talk." And when I dove into book 3 to see that scene, it opened several months later.) So expect some level of frustration from that authorial choice.
I still enjoyed this story as Charlie wrestles with magic and how he can use it, how to reduce the harm it does, and how it has impacted everyone from Jane, the weredog, to the Mindles' infant, to a ship found floating unmanned in the harbor. There's another magical artifact in play, and this one has the potential to ignite an epic battle of the gods across 1919 Toronto. The authorities are still playing off the effects of magic as "gas leaks" and "sabotage by German sympathizers" and Charlie agrees with the decision to keep magic as far under wraps as they can. Which, as damage escalates, isn't easy.
Charlie once again has the stalwart Henry at his shoulder, and again treats him badly, which is a stress on my enjoyment of these stories (and a reason I was so frustrated we don't see Charlie make the move to redeem himself on-page at the end. Or give Henry the chance to express himself, either.) But the cast of fallible characters is interesting enough to keep me reading, and the ending is again HFN with that cliffhangery emotional caveat.
I still enjoyed this story as Charlie wrestles with magic and how he can use it, how to reduce the harm it does, and how it has impacted everyone from Jane, the weredog, to the Mindles' infant, to a ship found floating unmanned in the harbor. There's another magical artifact in play, and this one has the potential to ignite an epic battle of the gods across 1919 Toronto. The authorities are still playing off the effects of magic as "gas leaks" and "sabotage by German sympathizers" and Charlie agrees with the decision to keep magic as far under wraps as they can. Which, as damage escalates, isn't easy.
Charlie once again has the stalwart Henry at his shoulder, and again treats him badly, which is a stress on my enjoyment of these stories (and a reason I was so frustrated we don't see Charlie make the move to redeem himself on-page at the end. Or give Henry the chance to express himself, either.) But the cast of fallible characters is interesting enough to keep me reading, and the ending is again HFN with that cliffhangery emotional caveat.
February 7, 2021
I really liked this story. I'm enjoying a lot the world-building in this series, the different characters that show-up here were all interesting, and I liked how we spent a lot of time getting to know Betty. She's really a great, strong character.
Charles is growing a bit in this book, although he is still acting in a very selfish way, his kind of magic being the main clue about his deeper motivations. And I still don't see the romance here. They both care about each other, that's true. But any time Charles talks or thinks about Henry is more about what Henry can do for him than about Henry as a person. And Henry seems the kind of man who only thrives on helping others but we still don't know a lot about him.
And I'm really curious about Mary and Benedict link, and about what will come from it. And I'm curious about Jane, too. About how she will cope with her condition and with having lost the Lady.
I'm enjoying this series very much :)
Charles is growing a bit in this book, although he is still acting in a very selfish way, his kind of magic being the main clue about his deeper motivations. And I still don't see the romance here. They both care about each other, that's true. But any time Charles talks or thinks about Henry is more about what Henry can do for him than about Henry as a person. And Henry seems the kind of man who only thrives on helping others but we still don't know a lot about him.
And I'm really curious about Mary and Benedict link, and about what will come from it. And I'm curious about Jane, too. About how she will cope with her condition and with having lost the Lady.
I'm enjoying this series very much :)
September 14, 2020
I'm enjoying this series generally, but have a few issues:
Maybe I'm reading too late at night, but I feel like I'm not getting the full picture:
1) Important details are left out of the story or there are inconsistencies. I'm not sure whether of those possibilities are true, but there are times when I feel a bit lost:
2) I wish the story were a bit more engaging throughout the book rather than just the last 10%;
3) There are a few consistent grammatical errors, mostly hypercorrection for objects of prepositions (e.g., "with Henry and I" instead of the correct "with Henry and me").
Otherwise, these are interesting stories introducing interesting ideas, and I look forward to the third book.
Maybe I'm reading too late at night, but I feel like I'm not getting the full picture:
1) Important details are left out of the story or there are inconsistencies. I'm not sure whether of those possibilities are true, but there are times when I feel a bit lost:
2) I wish the story were a bit more engaging throughout the book rather than just the last 10%;
3) There are a few consistent grammatical errors, mostly hypercorrection for objects of prepositions (e.g., "with Henry and I" instead of the correct "with Henry and me").
Otherwise, these are interesting stories introducing interesting ideas, and I look forward to the third book.
May 12, 2020
Incredible!
This book started out at a run and hardly let up! So much happening. We get to meet new gods (!), wizards, crazies, you name it! What a blast I had reading this. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for Henry and Charles next.
This book started out at a run and hardly let up! So much happening. We get to meet new gods (!), wizards, crazies, you name it! What a blast I had reading this. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for Henry and Charles next.
May 18, 2020
Great read.
A fun book and a real page turner. Some great pacing and a fun premise that plays out great in a city I’m rather fond of.
A fun book and a real page turner. Some great pacing and a fun premise that plays out great in a city I’m rather fond of.
December 1, 2020
What a fantastic book! I enjoyed it as much as the first one and I'm so glad I found this series. Now I'm onto the next book!
Read
December 21, 2020Too much smirking.
December 24, 2020
Charles and Henry are back and this time fighting 2 elementals.
Their relationship needs work as Charles is yet to tell him he is immortal.
Their relationship needs work as Charles is yet to tell him he is immortal.
February 15, 2021
This is a great story and a fantastic sequel. Thrower really nails all the elements here, giving a wonderful tale with some wonderfully developed characters. The use of magic expands perfectly after what began in the first book. Well done!
January 23, 2023
Interesting concept though a little complicated in places. Well written with likeable characters. The historical aspect is very interesting especially the medical references.
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