Book Review: "An Unkindness of Magicians" by Kat Howard
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.
In New York City, magic controls everything. But the power of magic is fading. 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. But Sydney doesn’t want to help the system, she wants to destroy it.
Rating (out of 5): 4.5
Review: So, I know the publisher synopsis says magic controls “everything” in New York City, but that isn’t exactly true in this book. (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. (They just don’t control everything outside of their own world.)
We first meet Sydney, who is one of the most powerful magicians the magical world has ever seen. But they can’t figure out where her power comes from, and that’s part of the mystery. (I actually deleted part of the publisher’s synopsis because I felt it contained a mild spoiler.)
Sydney appears on the scene right as a generational ritual called The Turning is beginning. 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 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. There’s also a murder mystery.
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. I loved that this Magician community fit neatly into modern New York; several landmarks were repurposed as magical objects which I found fun. 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. 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 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. Even when her motives weren’t necessarily 100% pure, I still found myself rooting for her because she was such a badass. All of the female characters were pretty great (and OK, fine, a few of the men, but not all of them!).
The book ends up exploring some themes such as sacrificing oneself for the greater good, how willing one is to stand up for what is right, and pushing back against those in power—some of which are particularly relevant in 2019. Definitely recommend.
Trigger Warnings: a few murder scenes that were a bit unsettling
TL;DR: A finely drawn magical world within New York gets upended during a competition to find the best House and Magician. Recommend even to those who aren’t totally into fantasy, as there are also several mystery elements.
pssst: Elizabeth also reviewed this one in Accelerated Reader.
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