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The Marrowbone Spells #2
External Forces
A mage for the British royals matches wits with a power-mad old foe in a beguiling novel of enchantments and daring by Shannon Fay, author of Innate Magic.
London, 1957. By crafting magical outfits for his friend, Princess Katherine, cloth mage Paul Gallagher is getting ahead. It’s not a seamless path. Not since the Virtuis Party came to power. The far-right faction is using criminals to create a protective barrier around England. The enchanted uniforms the prisoners wear may beget a demand for mages, but using luckless convicts as tools for warmongering reactionaries isn’t Paul’s dream for cloth magic.
His road to success takes an even darker turn when the unexpected death of a member of the royal family plunges the country into chaos. The Virtuis Party is rising, its mysterious puppet master is gaining control, and Paul and his allies are prepared to do anything to protect the princess, the throne, and ultimately, the soul of the country. That means falling back on the innate magic Paul dreads using again. It’s illegal, dangerous, and so potent it can raise the dead.
But as the fate of the entire nation hangs by a thread, dire times call for extreme magic.
London, 1957. By crafting magical outfits for his friend, Princess Katherine, cloth mage Paul Gallagher is getting ahead. It’s not a seamless path. Not since the Virtuis Party came to power. The far-right faction is using criminals to create a protective barrier around England. The enchanted uniforms the prisoners wear may beget a demand for mages, but using luckless convicts as tools for warmongering reactionaries isn’t Paul’s dream for cloth magic.
His road to success takes an even darker turn when the unexpected death of a member of the royal family plunges the country into chaos. The Virtuis Party is rising, its mysterious puppet master is gaining control, and Paul and his allies are prepared to do anything to protect the princess, the throne, and ultimately, the soul of the country. That means falling back on the innate magic Paul dreads using again. It’s illegal, dangerous, and so potent it can raise the dead.
But as the fate of the entire nation hangs by a thread, dire times call for extreme magic.
507 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 8, 2022
109 people are currently reading
1842 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
November 30, 2022
On my blog.
Rep: bi mc, achillean character, nonbinary side character, Black side character, lesbian side character, gay side character, trans nonbinary side character
CWs: extreme gore, torture
Galley provided by publisher
External Forces is an odd one for me. I really enjoyed Innate Magic when I read it last year, so I was obviously expecting to like this one too. And then I started it.
The book opens about 5 years after the events of Innate Magic, with Lady Fife showing up to collect Thomas from his retirement as a spy for her, because a man they thought had died, turns out not to have. And then. We forget that plotline for a large chunk of the book and switch back to Paul, who finds himself drawn into a conspiracy(ish) involving the Crown Prince and his unborn child.
So, it’s probably pretty clear what my main issue with this book was and that’s the pacing. The actual (conspiracy) plot doesn’t kick in until about a quarter through, and I found it pretty tedious going until that stage. Once it started, though, I thought maybe I could rate this at least 3 stars. Because the middle of this book was genuinely good, and genuinely something I wanted to read instead of forcing myself through. And then I got to the last third.
This is a point at which the excitement should have skyrocketed. They had started a revolution! Gone against the establishment to try bring down the throne! And it was a snoozefest. Instead of doing things, these characters bogged themselves down in conversation after conversation, while the revolution seemed limited to a few radio broadcasts. And the bad guys did nothing in the meantime either! The final third should have been the most exciting part. And yet.
Granted I wasn’t enjoying this one already so much as the first—this, in part, was down to the pacing (especially early on, when it seemed as though nothing was happening). In part, I was simply in the wrong mood for this book. The middle 40% or so (I checked) was great and, if the rest of it had been like this, I’d have probably liked the whole of it as much as I did the first.
But it wasn’t, so I was left with this.
Rep: bi mc, achillean character, nonbinary side character, Black side character, lesbian side character, gay side character, trans nonbinary side character
CWs: extreme gore, torture
Galley provided by publisher
External Forces is an odd one for me. I really enjoyed Innate Magic when I read it last year, so I was obviously expecting to like this one too. And then I started it.
The book opens about 5 years after the events of Innate Magic, with Lady Fife showing up to collect Thomas from his retirement as a spy for her, because a man they thought had died, turns out not to have. And then. We forget that plotline for a large chunk of the book and switch back to Paul, who finds himself drawn into a conspiracy(ish) involving the Crown Prince and his unborn child.
So, it’s probably pretty clear what my main issue with this book was and that’s the pacing. The actual (conspiracy) plot doesn’t kick in until about a quarter through, and I found it pretty tedious going until that stage. Once it started, though, I thought maybe I could rate this at least 3 stars. Because the middle of this book was genuinely good, and genuinely something I wanted to read instead of forcing myself through. And then I got to the last third.
This is a point at which the excitement should have skyrocketed. They had started a revolution! Gone against the establishment to try bring down the throne! And it was a snoozefest. Instead of doing things, these characters bogged themselves down in conversation after conversation, while the revolution seemed limited to a few radio broadcasts. And the bad guys did nothing in the meantime either! The final third should have been the most exciting part. And yet.
Granted I wasn’t enjoying this one already so much as the first—this, in part, was down to the pacing (especially early on, when it seemed as though nothing was happening). In part, I was simply in the wrong mood for this book. The middle 40% or so (I checked) was great and, if the rest of it had been like this, I’d have probably liked the whole of it as much as I did the first.
But it wasn’t, so I was left with this.
Want to read
December 20, 2021Unless there is a lot more Thomas and Paul interactions, I don't want it.
(Also more cloth magic wouldn't hurt).
(Also more cloth magic wouldn't hurt).
November 25, 2022
External Forces improves on a lot of the issues I had with Innate Magic. Set in an alternate post-WW2 London, this historical fantasy is set a few years after the first and once again follows cloth magician with a forbidden talent Paul Gallagher. When a far right faction starts putting their plans in motion to take over the government and monarchy, it is up to him and his allies to stand in the way.
This sequel tells a tighter story with a more straightforward narrative that is much easier to follow than the first book. It has toned down on the proselytizing and odd religious insertions I found so out of place in Innate Magic.
Paul is still the promiscuous bisexual man that he was, but is now far less flighty and with a lot more personal conviction. I thought he was a lot more likable and charming than before, and I did like his interactions with others (maybe except for with Andrew) and his continued moral struggle with his own powers and choices. I do wish we to see more of his best friend Thomas who is absent through half of the book.
The book is surprisingly gory (there’s some pretty descriptive torture scenes) and with far more casual acts of violence and dubious morality even from the “good” side. Racism, sexism, homophobia, and colonialism are just some issues the book brings up but not necessarily giving a solid take on. While the book does contain a self-contained story, it does leave more than enough loose threads for another installment that I will probably check out.
External Forces makes headway on the problems in Innate Magic and tells a better story with more mature characters.
This sequel tells a tighter story with a more straightforward narrative that is much easier to follow than the first book. It has toned down on the proselytizing and odd religious insertions I found so out of place in Innate Magic.
Paul is still the promiscuous bisexual man that he was, but is now far less flighty and with a lot more personal conviction. I thought he was a lot more likable and charming than before, and I did like his interactions with others (maybe except for with Andrew) and his continued moral struggle with his own powers and choices. I do wish we to see more of his best friend Thomas who is absent through half of the book.
The book is surprisingly gory (there’s some pretty descriptive torture scenes) and with far more casual acts of violence and dubious morality even from the “good” side. Racism, sexism, homophobia, and colonialism are just some issues the book brings up but not necessarily giving a solid take on. While the book does contain a self-contained story, it does leave more than enough loose threads for another installment that I will probably check out.
External Forces makes headway on the problems in Innate Magic and tells a better story with more mature characters.
December 13, 2022
What a RIDE.
Paul Gallagher is back and just as charming and brooding as before. I genuinely think he's one of my favourite protagonists - his voice is so distinct and lovely to read.
Shannon Fay has done a masterful job, once again, of reimagining historical events with a magical twist. The magic system is detailed and well thought out, and easy to picture in our own world. The pacing is wonderful, characters are fleshed out and complex, and I found myself reading until 4am because telling myself "one more chapter" just wasn't working the way I intended.
It's worth noting that there are some intense descriptions of violence here which are difficult to stomach. However, they make sense and are entirely plot relevant which, for me, makes them manageable.
I can't WAIT to read more of this world. If you're looking for political intrigue, magic, and clothes (magic clothing!!), please get into this series. You won't be disappointed!
Thank you to NetGalley and 47north for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Paul Gallagher is back and just as charming and brooding as before. I genuinely think he's one of my favourite protagonists - his voice is so distinct and lovely to read.
Shannon Fay has done a masterful job, once again, of reimagining historical events with a magical twist. The magic system is detailed and well thought out, and easy to picture in our own world. The pacing is wonderful, characters are fleshed out and complex, and I found myself reading until 4am because telling myself "one more chapter" just wasn't working the way I intended.
It's worth noting that there are some intense descriptions of violence here which are difficult to stomach. However, they make sense and are entirely plot relevant which, for me, makes them manageable.
I can't WAIT to read more of this world. If you're looking for political intrigue, magic, and clothes (magic clothing!!), please get into this series. You won't be disappointed!
Thank you to NetGalley and 47north for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
February 11, 2023
Having read the first book which I partly enjoyed, I was interested in the follow up. In the first book I loved the magic part but it was too much a crime novel to me, so I wanted to see how it developed. The story follows on some years after the first and the main characters - Paul and Thomas eventually join forces after losing contact before. However this took quite a while. It introduced Thomas at the beginning with hint of what he has been involved in and then we hear nothing as everything is about Paul and the emerging controlling element slowly taking over the country. From a story point of view this is much better and more exciting than the first book - lots more magic and the use of it. The plot twists and turns kept me interested. However just over half way through the book came a BIG turnoff for me that was lack of accuracy about the UK. In the first book I was pleasantly surprised the author could write about a scouser quite naturally, a few little mistakes but OK. The book is set in the 1950s but apparently the characters where able to drive on motorways (didn't exist at the time) and headed to Slough because that is where Windsor Castle is. Absolutely loads of mention of Slough, the surrounding town of Windsor Castle. Much I love to see the town I was born and bought up mentioned in book I prefer it to be in the right place. The town surrounding Windsor Castle is actually, surprise surprise - Windsor. Two towns, nearby each other but which were, at the time, in different counties!! If you can't do your research to get the geography right then I suggest you use a fantasy made up place. This is just too sloppy for me. The first book I felt was 3.5 stars and I rounded it up to 4, and though i enjoyed the actual story of the 2nd book more, I can only give this book 3.5 stars rounded down to 3. Shame.
July 22, 2022
I have been looking forward to reading this sequel and was able to get an advance copy. The narrative focuses largely on the politics of Paul's Britain and has many themes that are relevant today. New characters weave very easily into the story and I think that the dynamics are well written and executed. While I'm not a big fantasy reader, this series is easy to become engrossed in and definitely worth checking out!
August 18, 2023
It was a fun read and enjoyed through many pages. The setting of 1950 London is also great. But the story description in my opinion was unnecessarily long. When I started to understand Paul’s thoughts he suddenly moved to something totally different. This thing kept me confused throughout the book. That’s why I rated it as 3.5 stars.
But the story in my opinion was interesting. The palace politics was described very well. I loved the political aspect of this book and that’s the reason I requested it.
This is the 2nd book of The Marrowbone Spells. But I think this book can be read as a stand alone.
But the story in my opinion was interesting. The palace politics was described very well. I loved the political aspect of this book and that’s the reason I requested it.
This is the 2nd book of The Marrowbone Spells. But I think this book can be read as a stand alone.
May 28, 2023
Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.
External Forces is the second fantasy alternate-history adventure novel by Shannon Fay. Released 8th Nov 2022, it's 507 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free. The first book in the series, Innate Magic , is also currently available on KU.
This is an entirely action driven plot and the ensemble cast careen from drama to crisis and back again without pause, more or less throughout. There's not a lot of dramatic range in the individual characters, and the good ones are misunderstood and generally good and the bad ones are thoroughly despicable more or less throughout. There are a couple of redemption arcs, but for the most part, the characters continue on the path they're on from start to finish.
The world building is quite interesting and the schools of magic and how they work are clearly the product of a lot of work and planning by the author. The basic framework of the world is *very* loosely based on our own world, and despite the stated time setting of 1958, the dialogue, setting, and character interactions really hearken back to a much earlier time period (Georgian or Victorian); so much so that mentions of automobiles or James Dean (for example) are quite anachronistic and jarring.
The draw for many YA/NA readers will be the exploration of gender roles, romance, and romantic entanglements. Several of the primary characters are gay, bi, curious, ace, and/or aro. There is a fair bit of cross dressing and fun inclusion of cloth magic as a tool for cross dressing expression included in a non-judgemental way.
There is some graphic violence, including a shocking disfiguring death-by-fall, consensual and non-consensual torture and body horror, and murder. There's an extended torture scene which sensitive readers will probably want to skim. There's also some undead(ish) horror-lite, as well as a fair bit of consensual strongly implied intimate physical contact.
Well written but often meandering. Worth a look for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Cassandra Clare. It's not explicit or steamy, but there is strongly implied physical contact. It's the second book in the series and doesn't work super well as a standalone read.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
External Forces is the second fantasy alternate-history adventure novel by Shannon Fay. Released 8th Nov 2022, it's 507 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free. The first book in the series, Innate Magic , is also currently available on KU.
This is an entirely action driven plot and the ensemble cast careen from drama to crisis and back again without pause, more or less throughout. There's not a lot of dramatic range in the individual characters, and the good ones are misunderstood and generally good and the bad ones are thoroughly despicable more or less throughout. There are a couple of redemption arcs, but for the most part, the characters continue on the path they're on from start to finish.
The world building is quite interesting and the schools of magic and how they work are clearly the product of a lot of work and planning by the author. The basic framework of the world is *very* loosely based on our own world, and despite the stated time setting of 1958, the dialogue, setting, and character interactions really hearken back to a much earlier time period (Georgian or Victorian); so much so that mentions of automobiles or James Dean (for example) are quite anachronistic and jarring.
The draw for many YA/NA readers will be the exploration of gender roles, romance, and romantic entanglements. Several of the primary characters are gay, bi, curious, ace, and/or aro. There is a fair bit of cross dressing and fun inclusion of cloth magic as a tool for cross dressing expression included in a non-judgemental way.
There is some graphic violence, including a shocking disfiguring death-by-fall, consensual and non-consensual torture and body horror, and murder. There's an extended torture scene which sensitive readers will probably want to skim. There's also some undead(ish) horror-lite, as well as a fair bit of consensual strongly implied intimate physical contact.
Well written but often meandering. Worth a look for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Cassandra Clare. It's not explicit or steamy, but there is strongly implied physical contact. It's the second book in the series and doesn't work super well as a standalone read.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
December 15, 2022
***Thank you to 47North for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience.***
This was such an improvement compared to the first book, Innate Magic. I liked the first book, but its meandering plot felt like it was going nowhere for most of the story. External Forces, on the other hand, had a fairly tight and engaging main story with incredibly high stakes. There was quite a bit of action in this book, and the violence and torture were graphic enough to make me squirm in my seat while reading. The story also deepened the world-building and provided a lot of interesting information about the magic system that makes me excited to see what comes next for this series. The alternate 1950's Britain was still a fun setting, and it allowed for the exploration of some timely topics, including queer and women's rights and the fight against fascism growing under the guise of 'safety.' The characters, especially Paul, seemed much more mature in this book compared to the first. Paul felt less like the stereotypical bisexual man and more well-rounded. He had to grapple with severe challenges to his morals and handled all the crises with a surprising amount of grace. He still made plenty of reckless, selfish choices too, though. I guess he wouldn't be Paul without them. lol. One thing I love about this series is that it centers a bisexual man who primarily pursues long term relationships with women (at least during the time we're with him on the page). This representation is sorely lacking, and it was nice to get a story where the bi guy ends up with a woman even if the romance felt a bit forced at times. Most, if not all, of the bi male rep I've read has the bi man experiencing a bi awakening and choosing to pursue relationships with men. So, it was a nice change of pace to have Paul confident in his identity from the beginning and not shy away from relationships with women in an effort to make the story 'more queer' because bi men in love with a woman are just as queer as gold star gays. ***Steps off soap box.*** The only other qualm I had with this book was the large time gap since the first book. It felt like so much character growth happened during that time, and I was a little let down we didn't get to see it on the page. Overall, I really enjoyed this story and am curious to see where it goes next. Therefore, I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.
See more of my reviews and other bookish content on my blog.
This was such an improvement compared to the first book, Innate Magic. I liked the first book, but its meandering plot felt like it was going nowhere for most of the story. External Forces, on the other hand, had a fairly tight and engaging main story with incredibly high stakes. There was quite a bit of action in this book, and the violence and torture were graphic enough to make me squirm in my seat while reading. The story also deepened the world-building and provided a lot of interesting information about the magic system that makes me excited to see what comes next for this series. The alternate 1950's Britain was still a fun setting, and it allowed for the exploration of some timely topics, including queer and women's rights and the fight against fascism growing under the guise of 'safety.' The characters, especially Paul, seemed much more mature in this book compared to the first. Paul felt less like the stereotypical bisexual man and more well-rounded. He had to grapple with severe challenges to his morals and handled all the crises with a surprising amount of grace. He still made plenty of reckless, selfish choices too, though. I guess he wouldn't be Paul without them. lol. One thing I love about this series is that it centers a bisexual man who primarily pursues long term relationships with women (at least during the time we're with him on the page). This representation is sorely lacking, and it was nice to get a story where the bi guy ends up with a woman even if the romance felt a bit forced at times. Most, if not all, of the bi male rep I've read has the bi man experiencing a bi awakening and choosing to pursue relationships with men. So, it was a nice change of pace to have Paul confident in his identity from the beginning and not shy away from relationships with women in an effort to make the story 'more queer' because bi men in love with a woman are just as queer as gold star gays. ***Steps off soap box.*** The only other qualm I had with this book was the large time gap since the first book. It felt like so much character growth happened during that time, and I was a little let down we didn't get to see it on the page. Overall, I really enjoyed this story and am curious to see where it goes next. Therefore, I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.
See more of my reviews and other bookish content on my blog.
November 24, 2022
This isn't the type of book I normally read, but I was interested to try something new. Cloth mage Paul Gallagher is living in post World War II England with his attractive landlady, Laura Spratt and Laura's precocious daughter Beatrix. He's recently agreed to take on some students for private tutoring in the art of cloth magic.
The country is a monarchy, ruled by King Harold and his spoiled arrogant son, Crown Prince Arthur. Paul has become close to the Princess, Kitty, and has been helping her sneak out from the palace to mingle among her subjects so she can get a taste of the concerns of the common people. At the same time, the country is inching close to a civil war as the ruling party, the Virtuis Party, seeks to put the country into a strong position to take over the world when the United States and Russia inevitably destroy each other. They do this by arresting many people (in the guise of being "tough on crime") and forcing the prisoners wear magic clothes which protect the country from attack -- both from conventional and magical weapons. Paul and his friends and students must work together to keep Princess Kitty safe and to try to keep the Virtuis Party from wreaking havoc in the country. Inevitably, there will be a battle for the soul of the nation.
The whole premise of the book was very strange for me. Paul and the other "mages" are able to do magical things -- put on clothes which transformed their appearances, allowed them to transport to other places, bring back people from the dead, transfer magical abilities to other people, etc. yet at the same time they were unable to get out of situations where they were injured, maimed or killed (someone else had to come along and save them). What good is magic if just anyone can kill you? I guess I never fully grasped the parameters of what was happening in the magical universe. Also, this book went on FOREVER. If you are enchanted with the characters, I suppose that's a good thing, but the story never seemed to really advance, there was just a lot of traveling around from here to there and being double-crossed by first this one and then that one. Characters turned on a dime. At one moment they would be intent on doing something evil to Paul, then just as suddenly and without much thought, drop the plan and be on his side. Maybe if I had started with the first book, it might have made more sense.
I received a copy of this book from a GoodReads giveaway.
The country is a monarchy, ruled by King Harold and his spoiled arrogant son, Crown Prince Arthur. Paul has become close to the Princess, Kitty, and has been helping her sneak out from the palace to mingle among her subjects so she can get a taste of the concerns of the common people. At the same time, the country is inching close to a civil war as the ruling party, the Virtuis Party, seeks to put the country into a strong position to take over the world when the United States and Russia inevitably destroy each other. They do this by arresting many people (in the guise of being "tough on crime") and forcing the prisoners wear magic clothes which protect the country from attack -- both from conventional and magical weapons. Paul and his friends and students must work together to keep Princess Kitty safe and to try to keep the Virtuis Party from wreaking havoc in the country. Inevitably, there will be a battle for the soul of the nation.
The whole premise of the book was very strange for me. Paul and the other "mages" are able to do magical things -- put on clothes which transformed their appearances, allowed them to transport to other places, bring back people from the dead, transfer magical abilities to other people, etc. yet at the same time they were unable to get out of situations where they were injured, maimed or killed (someone else had to come along and save them). What good is magic if just anyone can kill you? I guess I never fully grasped the parameters of what was happening in the magical universe. Also, this book went on FOREVER. If you are enchanted with the characters, I suppose that's a good thing, but the story never seemed to really advance, there was just a lot of traveling around from here to there and being double-crossed by first this one and then that one. Characters turned on a dime. At one moment they would be intent on doing something evil to Paul, then just as suddenly and without much thought, drop the plan and be on his side. Maybe if I had started with the first book, it might have made more sense.
I received a copy of this book from a GoodReads giveaway.
December 6, 2022
This book consumed me!
I could not put it down - no sophomore slump here! I did a very rare thing after reading the first book (Innate Magic), and pre-ordered the 2nd book. I mostly read sci-fi (rarely fantasy, and never near present alternate history fantasy with magic). I also rarely pre-order anything and never from an author with only 1 book to judge by. So that should tell you how good Innate Magic was that I not only read it when it was well outside my typical lane, but also pre-ordered the sequel immediately upon finishing it. That book was so good I had to do it, despite it being a risk.
I regret nothing - everything I loved about the first book (rea/ lived-in places with characters you care deeply about and a story that goes unexpected places which makes you NEED to know how it turns out) are present here in spades.
This is a natural good follow-on to Innate Magic, and it was nice to see how things continue for Paul, Thomas and others, plus some new ones you will come to care about. They are all complex complicated people who will surprise you constantly as you read.
Thank you Shannon Fay for giving me something different and weird and wonderful - an "outside my genre lane" must-read series! I will be pre-ordering the next one as soon as you announce it - and anything else you care to write will join it!
I could not put it down - no sophomore slump here! I did a very rare thing after reading the first book (Innate Magic), and pre-ordered the 2nd book. I mostly read sci-fi (rarely fantasy, and never near present alternate history fantasy with magic). I also rarely pre-order anything and never from an author with only 1 book to judge by. So that should tell you how good Innate Magic was that I not only read it when it was well outside my typical lane, but also pre-ordered the sequel immediately upon finishing it. That book was so good I had to do it, despite it being a risk.
I regret nothing - everything I loved about the first book (rea/ lived-in places with characters you care deeply about and a story that goes unexpected places which makes you NEED to know how it turns out) are present here in spades.
This is a natural good follow-on to Innate Magic, and it was nice to see how things continue for Paul, Thomas and others, plus some new ones you will come to care about. They are all complex complicated people who will surprise you constantly as you read.
Thank you Shannon Fay for giving me something different and weird and wonderful - an "outside my genre lane" must-read series! I will be pre-ordering the next one as soon as you announce it - and anything else you care to write will join it!
October 14, 2022
If you’re looking for something a different then this series might be right up your alley. Not only is the magic super interesting, especially the cloth magic, but there’s an incredibly diverse cast of characters which is 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusive. This book is filled with tons of political intrigue, world changing decisions that never stops till the end. This series has some tough stuff in it so be sure to check the CWs. This is the book two in the Marrowbone Spells series and I would strongly suggest reading the first book, Innate Magic, so that you don’t miss out on anything. I can’t wait to read what Fay comes up with next.
I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and 47North in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.
I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and 47North in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.
February 3, 2023
I'm glad I gave this book a chance after I reluctantly finished Innate Magic. I read this sequel only because one review said it was better than the first one. It definitely was and added more to the story started in the first book. I liked the cloth magic and how it was used. I also was glad to see the same characters grown as adults. The new characters added fit the story well. The violence was definitely toned down thankfully. There are some twist and turns you don't see coming. I did like the ending. The story line was tied up nicely.
What I didn't enjoy was the use of colorful language. Other words in some places would have still got the point across. It was also a little drawn out and long winded. Although I was interested enough to read to the end without skipping ahead.
I will definitely read the next book in this series if the author continues on. Room was left for another book.
What I didn't enjoy was the use of colorful language. Other words in some places would have still got the point across. It was also a little drawn out and long winded. Although I was interested enough to read to the end without skipping ahead.
I will definitely read the next book in this series if the author continues on. Room was left for another book.
August 21, 2024
a struggle to read
Honestly, I’m pretty good at finishing a book in a week, two tops. This book took me almost a month to read and I only finished it because I was hoping it would get better and make up for the first book. There’s way too many plots and storylines going on, many of which don’t have an actual end but just float off into the abyss. The book is supposedly a lgbt magic fantasy romance but all the mlm relationships are just awful and toxic. You can’t even really root for the mc relationship with another woman, which no problem he’s bi love the rep, but even those relationships suck. Really the only thing I like about this book series, and I hope it ends here, is the magic system. I’d love to get some better characters and fleshed out storylines to at expand upon and grow this books magic system.
TLDR magic system awesome, romances toxic, mc flat and boring, and why so many lose ends.
Honestly, I’m pretty good at finishing a book in a week, two tops. This book took me almost a month to read and I only finished it because I was hoping it would get better and make up for the first book. There’s way too many plots and storylines going on, many of which don’t have an actual end but just float off into the abyss. The book is supposedly a lgbt magic fantasy romance but all the mlm relationships are just awful and toxic. You can’t even really root for the mc relationship with another woman, which no problem he’s bi love the rep, but even those relationships suck. Really the only thing I like about this book series, and I hope it ends here, is the magic system. I’d love to get some better characters and fleshed out storylines to at expand upon and grow this books magic system.
TLDR magic system awesome, romances toxic, mc flat and boring, and why so many lose ends.
November 19, 2022
I wrote in my review for the first book that I didn't agree with a number of Paul's choices. That holds true with this book, too. He refers to himself as an "old man" in comparison to his students (who are around 18-19). Paul is 27, I think. No where near an old man, and some of his choices proved that.
However, the plot probably needed him to make those bad choices. Perhaps. I'm not sure.
But I did love the book - it was exciting, especially all the different ways cloth magic was used. The author has quite an imagination! Like with the first book, this one does get gruesome here and there, but it fit with what was going on.
i'm curious if there will be a third book. If so, I'll definitely read it!
However, the plot probably needed him to make those bad choices. Perhaps. I'm not sure.
But I did love the book - it was exciting, especially all the different ways cloth magic was used. The author has quite an imagination! Like with the first book, this one does get gruesome here and there, but it fit with what was going on.
i'm curious if there will be a third book. If so, I'll definitely read it!
June 11, 2025
The first book in this series was about how easily people who are given power become complicit. The book did not shy away from the fact that many who proclaim to provide allyship are quick to abandon their ideals once personal sacrifice is on the table. This book continues to explore the complexities of complicity and power, talking about prison labour and the policing of queer and racialized bodies.
Despite really enjoying this book, my criticisms are surprisingly plentiful. We return to London after a 5-year time jump since the previous novel. In this time, the fascist Virtuis party has begun amassing power through their "tough on crime" policies. To protect Britain from the escalating Cold War tensions, they have begun using prisoners as human batteries to power a cloth magic spell that will protect the country in the event of a nuclear fallout. The narrative does a good job of making it abundantly clear that this is an incredibly evil thing to do. To get a large enough prison population to power the spell, the government has been cracking down on the queer community to feed its growing prison industrial complex. Those that return from the prisons are shells of their former selves, their life-force sapped away by the demands of the cloth magic.
This is a very strong opening and premise. However, this book has a few issues. One of the major ones, that bordered on world-breaking, was the power-creep. In the first book, cloth magic was not very powerful. While there were certainly interesting things that could be done, much of the magic amounted to party-tricks: like walking on water or altering your appearance so people have difficulty recognizing you. Even within that, there were often drawbacks that prevented cloth magic from being supremely useful. For example, the aforementioned walk on water outfit only worked with both feet firmly placed on the surface of the water, forcing the characters to scoot along in a decidedly inelegant and un-Jesus-y way. The magic of the first book felt incredibly scrappy, in part due to the financial troubles faced by our main characters.
If cloth magic in the first book felt scrappy, here it feels god-like and inescapable. The characters are teleporting, stalking people through mirrors, yanking out eyeballs, redirecting planes into the ocean, and cutting people in half with invisible threads without having to lift a God-damn finger. The most egregious work of cloth magic has to be the totally-not-plot-MacGuffin outfit that allows the wearer to switch injuries with a person through a mere touch. I won't spoil it, but obviously this is just a convenient way for the main character to circumnavigate his "I can't directly attack anyone because I'm cursed" spell as he passively gets stabbed to death.
While this book gets a lot of things right in its examination of the rise of fascism, there's a few things that didn't quite land for me. For example, Thomas, my absolutely-based-girlboss-queen brings up prison abolition, but once we get to the "having to fight the fascists part", a lot of the revolutionary zeal fades as compromises are made. While this felt realistic, it was a bit disappointing how quickly the characters were willing to sacrifice their values. Even Thomas, the eternal pessimist, abandons his lofty ideals in the span of a one minute conversation.
Unfortunately my main gripe with this novel, and the thing that prevented this from being an instant favourite, has to be credited to one specific character. Their late-book betrayal gave me pause. I couldn't see a good reason for it, and it turns out neither could the author, because she explains it all away with a simple "this character is a psychopath", which feels antithetical to much of the messaging of the rest of the book. This falls somewhere between a lazy depiction and actively harmful for me, and completely misses the point of everything that came before.
My other major critique has to be the behaviour of our main character, Paul, in the final chapters of the novel. The entire climax of the novel kind of unravels in a telenovela style series of "I can't believe that happened" events. None of Paul's choices made a lot of sense to me. He basically hands himself over to the fascists in order to save his landlord love-interest (yuck) and despite having no plan, manages to land on his feet faster than a white Youtuber addressing black-face allegations. Reasonably, the narrative and messaging really fell apart for me here. One particularly egregious scene had him involuntarily teleporting back and forth between the aforementioned love-interest and a man who literally has a gun pointed at him and wants him dead due to a malfunctioning cloth magic shirt. TAKE. OFF. THE. SHIRT. PAUL.
Despite my many issues with this book, it remains a mostly compelling exploration of power, complicity, and the insidious rise of fascism. The shift in tone and scope from the scrappy, intimate magic of the first book to the grand, almost overwhelming stakes of this book mirrors the story's escalation in theme and scale. However, the uneven execution—particularly in its worldbuilding leaps and over-reliance on ridiculous plot contrivances—hinders it from fully reaching the heights it aspires to. That being said, this sequel's willingness to grapple with complex and uncomfortable questions about systemic oppression and moral compromise makes it a worthy, if imperfect, continuation of the series. It left me pondering my own complicity in unjust systems and the messy realities of resistance, even if it faltered in delivering satisfying answers.
Despite really enjoying this book, my criticisms are surprisingly plentiful. We return to London after a 5-year time jump since the previous novel. In this time, the fascist Virtuis party has begun amassing power through their "tough on crime" policies. To protect Britain from the escalating Cold War tensions, they have begun using prisoners as human batteries to power a cloth magic spell that will protect the country in the event of a nuclear fallout. The narrative does a good job of making it abundantly clear that this is an incredibly evil thing to do. To get a large enough prison population to power the spell, the government has been cracking down on the queer community to feed its growing prison industrial complex. Those that return from the prisons are shells of their former selves, their life-force sapped away by the demands of the cloth magic.
This is a very strong opening and premise. However, this book has a few issues. One of the major ones, that bordered on world-breaking, was the power-creep. In the first book, cloth magic was not very powerful. While there were certainly interesting things that could be done, much of the magic amounted to party-tricks: like walking on water or altering your appearance so people have difficulty recognizing you. Even within that, there were often drawbacks that prevented cloth magic from being supremely useful. For example, the aforementioned walk on water outfit only worked with both feet firmly placed on the surface of the water, forcing the characters to scoot along in a decidedly inelegant and un-Jesus-y way. The magic of the first book felt incredibly scrappy, in part due to the financial troubles faced by our main characters.
If cloth magic in the first book felt scrappy, here it feels god-like and inescapable. The characters are teleporting, stalking people through mirrors, yanking out eyeballs, redirecting planes into the ocean, and cutting people in half with invisible threads without having to lift a God-damn finger. The most egregious work of cloth magic has to be the totally-not-plot-MacGuffin outfit that allows the wearer to switch injuries with a person through a mere touch. I won't spoil it, but obviously this is just a convenient way for the main character to circumnavigate his "I can't directly attack anyone because I'm cursed" spell as he passively gets stabbed to death.
While this book gets a lot of things right in its examination of the rise of fascism, there's a few things that didn't quite land for me. For example, Thomas, my absolutely-based-girlboss-queen brings up prison abolition, but once we get to the "having to fight the fascists part", a lot of the revolutionary zeal fades as compromises are made. While this felt realistic, it was a bit disappointing how quickly the characters were willing to sacrifice their values. Even Thomas, the eternal pessimist, abandons his lofty ideals in the span of a one minute conversation.
Unfortunately my main gripe with this novel, and the thing that prevented this from being an instant favourite, has to be credited to one specific character. Their late-book betrayal gave me pause. I couldn't see a good reason for it, and it turns out neither could the author, because she explains it all away with a simple "this character is a psychopath", which feels antithetical to much of the messaging of the rest of the book. This falls somewhere between a lazy depiction and actively harmful for me, and completely misses the point of everything that came before.
My other major critique has to be the behaviour of our main character, Paul, in the final chapters of the novel. The entire climax of the novel kind of unravels in a telenovela style series of "I can't believe that happened" events. None of Paul's choices made a lot of sense to me. He basically hands himself over to the fascists in order to save his landlord love-interest (yuck) and despite having no plan, manages to land on his feet faster than a white Youtuber addressing black-face allegations. Reasonably, the narrative and messaging really fell apart for me here. One particularly egregious scene had him involuntarily teleporting back and forth between the aforementioned love-interest and a man who literally has a gun pointed at him and wants him dead due to a malfunctioning cloth magic shirt. TAKE. OFF. THE. SHIRT. PAUL.
Despite my many issues with this book, it remains a mostly compelling exploration of power, complicity, and the insidious rise of fascism. The shift in tone and scope from the scrappy, intimate magic of the first book to the grand, almost overwhelming stakes of this book mirrors the story's escalation in theme and scale. However, the uneven execution—particularly in its worldbuilding leaps and over-reliance on ridiculous plot contrivances—hinders it from fully reaching the heights it aspires to. That being said, this sequel's willingness to grapple with complex and uncomfortable questions about systemic oppression and moral compromise makes it a worthy, if imperfect, continuation of the series. It left me pondering my own complicity in unjust systems and the messy realities of resistance, even if it faltered in delivering satisfying answers.
October 9, 2022
Set in cold war era Britain, this is a story full of an alternate history infused with magic.
Our morally grey hero, Paul Gallagher, is a cloth magician who secretly has the ability to do innate magic.
When an ultra Conservative party tries to take over the country in an effort to shut out women, people of color, and progress, Gallagher et al have other plans.
The concept of this book is intriguing and it’s entertaining. Parts of it were a bit dry and honestly it could’ve been shorter and still told a great story. Also be warned there are some fairly gruesome pieces to this story.
Our morally grey hero, Paul Gallagher, is a cloth magician who secretly has the ability to do innate magic.
When an ultra Conservative party tries to take over the country in an effort to shut out women, people of color, and progress, Gallagher et al have other plans.
The concept of this book is intriguing and it’s entertaining. Parts of it were a bit dry and honestly it could’ve been shorter and still told a great story. Also be warned there are some fairly gruesome pieces to this story.
March 31, 2023
Huh! Bemused & Open ended
Thus far, I have enjoyed the series. It's seems as though two different people wrote. Thus books tone, writing, style, and such were different from the first. Not necessarily more confident but different & lighter. It seems have let some lacking in the read. I am left with so many questions, I almost wish this was not wrapped up in 2 books. We are lacking character development & backstories. I need more detail.
Thus far, I have enjoyed the series. It's seems as though two different people wrote. Thus books tone, writing, style, and such were different from the first. Not necessarily more confident but different & lighter. It seems have let some lacking in the read. I am left with so many questions, I almost wish this was not wrapped up in 2 books. We are lacking character development & backstories. I need more detail.
February 11, 2024
Final rating: 3.5 stars. I almost loved the whole series and its unusual concept of cloth magic & innate magic but the action scenes were lackluster for me. Please take this as constructive criticism!
For a fantasy series to have a good ending. I believe it needs a great build-up and heart-stopping action scenes. The twists were good but the execution made me disconnect from it. Regardless, I hope to read more books with similar concept to this!
For a fantasy series to have a good ending. I believe it needs a great build-up and heart-stopping action scenes. The twists were good but the execution made me disconnect from it. Regardless, I hope to read more books with similar concept to this!
May 6, 2024
Not for the faint hearted, but the perfect sequel
For those with weak stomachs, it might be difficult to get through this book. However, if you finished the first book, you will definitely enjoy this one. There is.much suspense and plot twists, but there is an ending that is not only happy but makes perfect sense, in that you realized it couldn't have ended any other way. Both books kept my rapt attention; found it hard to put down.
For those with weak stomachs, it might be difficult to get through this book. However, if you finished the first book, you will definitely enjoy this one. There is.much suspense and plot twists, but there is an ending that is not only happy but makes perfect sense, in that you realized it couldn't have ended any other way. Both books kept my rapt attention; found it hard to put down.
November 19, 2025
Great world building - but the cast made me crazy!
I didn't realize this was book two when I started reading. Reading book one may have helped making sense of the character chaos.
The themes of government corruption and racial supremacy were a bit reflective of current affairs. I read fantasy/fiction to escape from these types of talking points. My issue - not the author's nor the storyline's. It all helped create tension to the environment.
I didn't realize this was book two when I started reading. Reading book one may have helped making sense of the character chaos.
The themes of government corruption and racial supremacy were a bit reflective of current affairs. I read fantasy/fiction to escape from these types of talking points. My issue - not the author's nor the storyline's. It all helped create tension to the environment.
March 10, 2023
The magic in this series is interesting, but I have a hard time with characters who exist only as plot points or are terribly flat. This book is loaded with both. The pacing is weird too; months go by with nothing, then everything happens at once. Were we trying to build up tension? Good enough to finish but not good enough to read another.
August 3, 2023
An exciting sequel to Innate Magic!
The story took off from the beginning. It was action packed and exciting. The story is a bit violent and gory. The characters and environments are well built and keep the reader drawn into the story. I stayed up far too late, far too many nights after work reading this book,
The story took off from the beginning. It was action packed and exciting. The story is a bit violent and gory. The characters and environments are well built and keep the reader drawn into the story. I stayed up far too late, far too many nights after work reading this book,
November 11, 2022
Whoof.
Lol holy moly, this book. It's a bit of a dark fantasy and sometimes rather gruesome. However. I got all caught up in the story and raced along to finish. And now I *have* to know what happens next. Because there is a next, yes?
Lol holy moly, this book. It's a bit of a dark fantasy and sometimes rather gruesome. However. I got all caught up in the story and raced along to finish. And now I *have* to know what happens next. Because there is a next, yes?
February 18, 2023
Well written
The bloodiness in such description ruined my enjoyment of this book. Like the first book, good storyline, interesting characters, and enough twists and turns to keep it interesting. The details of the blood gore was like watching tv, nothing left to the imagination.
The bloodiness in such description ruined my enjoyment of this book. Like the first book, good storyline, interesting characters, and enough twists and turns to keep it interesting. The details of the blood gore was like watching tv, nothing left to the imagination.
April 24, 2023
I really enjoyed the first book in this series, Innate Magic, but I was blown away by the sequel. This was a fantastic follow up with Paul, Thomas, Tanya and company. I cannot wait for the next book in this series to come out so I can find out what happens next!
May 24, 2023
I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first. The plot seemed to meander and the characters were impossible for me to keep straight (I now owe an apology to another book I recently said that about – this one was far worse).
October 14, 2023
Magical political intrigue
This is a great conclusion to the first book. You see the return of fascinating characters, well-developed character growth, and a storyline with many shocking surprises.
This is a great conclusion to the first book. You see the return of fascinating characters, well-developed character growth, and a storyline with many shocking surprises.
August 13, 2024
A great sequel
I love these books. The diverse characters, the relationships, the magic, and even though I'm not a huge gore fan and the dark parts are very descriptive, it's imaginative and awesome
I love these books. The diverse characters, the relationships, the magic, and even though I'm not a huge gore fan and the dark parts are very descriptive, it's imaginative and awesome
August 18, 2025
The author still needs to work on tone, whether this book is light-hearted, casual, serious, dark, grisly, flirty…which one? It’s an entertaining pursuit of justice, at least, as the bad guys are clearly very bad.
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