Read This Book . . .

Back in 2016, I read Roses and Rot by Kat Howard. It was a delightful dark fairy story based in a prestigious artist residency. A year later, Howard came out with An Unkindness of Magicians, a novel about a secret society of magicians who use dark methods to create their magic. The novel begins with The Turning, a competition between different houses of magicians. The winner becomes the ruling house of the Unseen World.

A mysterious magician named Sydney shows up and is hired to compete in The Turning. She’s incredibly powerful, and the leaders of the different magical houses are determined to take her down before she can win the tournament.

Now I LOVE a good magical competition, and The Turning is so dark and mysterious. In the final rounds, the magicians fight to the death. Sydney is a character full of steel and determination, and as we learn more about her difficult past, we begin to understand why she’s so invested in the outcome of The Turning.

Sydney survives and returns in Kat Howard’s latest novel, A Sleight of Shadows. Sydney’s magic just isn’t the same, and for the first time in her life, she feels cut off from magic completely. But the dark power that provided the Unseen World with its magic begins regrowing while Sydney remains powerless.

Since first reading about Howard’s world of magicians, I’ve read a lot of similar stories. But Howard’s captures my attention in such a unique way. It examines class, and what the privileged are willing to do to hold on to their power. 

If you haven’t read any of Howard’s work, I highly recommend you start with An Unkindness of Magicians and move straight on through to A Sleight of Shadows. Madeleine Maby narrates both audiobooks, giving such a wonderful performance and perfectly capturing the mysterious feel of the stories.