an unkindness of magicians by kat howard

All of the female characters were pretty great (and OK, fine, a few of the men, but not all of them!). Even when her motives weren’t necessarily 100% pure, I still found myself rooting for her because she was such a badass. I wouldn’t say I identified with Sydney per se, as she’s a powerful Magician hellbent on revenge, but I appreciated her drive and the fact that the best Magician was a woman. The book got a bit dark at times, which I didn’t mind, and there were a few mysteries woven throughout that kept me turning the pages. I think many of us who have read Harry Potter have similar understandings about how magic is “supposed” to work (“Wing-GAR-dium Levi-O-sa”) and I enjoyed reading about a totally different world and types of magic. I loved that this Magician community fit neatly into modern New York several landmarks were repurposed as magical objects which I found fun. I don’t normally read fantasy books, but like most millennials, I devoured the Harry Potter books as a youth, and those definitely qualify as fantasy. Sydney is hired to represent a House in the tournament, and along the way, she makes alliances, discovers secrets about the magicians’ world that they’d rather keep hidden, and basically shows them all who’s boss. Think of The Turning as an amped-up Triwizard Tournament, but with way more Houses participating and duels that can literally lead to death. Sydney appears on the scene right as a generational ritual called The Turning is beginning. (I actually deleted part of the publisher’s synopsis because I felt it contained a mild spoiler.) But they can’t figure out where her power comes from, and that’s part of the mystery.

We first meet Sydney, who is one of the most powerful magicians the magical world has ever seen.

(They just don’t control everything outside of their own world.) (I assume Bill De Blasio is still the mayor…jk, he doesn’t do much.) But seriously, in Kat Howard’s finely drawn world, there is a whole secret society of magicians within New York City, and they live among us, hire lawyers at upscale law firms, drink at local watering holes…you get the picture. Review: So, I know the publisher synopsis says magic controls “everything” in New York City, but that isn’t exactly true in this book. But Sydney doesn’t want to help the system, she wants to destroy it. No one knows what is happening, except for Sydney-a new, rare magician with incredible power that has been unmatched in decades, and she may be the only person who is able to stop the darkness that is weakening the magic. In New York City, magic controls everything.

Publisher Synopsis: There is a dark secret that is hiding at the heart of New York City and diminishing the city’s magicians’ power in this fantasy thriller by acclaimed author Kat Howard.

An unkindness of magicians by kat howard