Name: Didi Chanoch's review of An Unkindness of Magicians by Kat Howard
Item: An Unkindness of Magicians
Rating: 5
Author: Didi Chanoch

Kat Howard

“A remarkable writer.” —Neil Gaiman, bestselling author of American Gods An Alex Award Winner 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. Sydney comes from the House of Shadows, which controls the magic with the help of sacrifices from magicians.

An Unkindness of Magicians

Caridee Huang

Didi Chanoch

If you loved Howard's ROSES AND ROT - a book about family and art and magic and sisters - I suspect you will also love her second novel, all about magic and family and injustice and revenge. I like Kat Howard's short fiction. It's very good. But novels are where, to my mind, she truly shines. I won't say much, as this is a book that I was fortunate enough to read months before publication, but I'll say this: Read this book, when it comes out. If you haven't yet, read ROSES AND ROT. It has stuck with me since reading it, as much as any book from 2016, and I suspect that will be true of AN UNKINDNESS OF MAGICIANS as well.

Leonor Ribeiro 

Savannah Winchell

I said it once and I’ll say it again:
THIS IS THE BOOK V E SCHWAB THOUGHT SHE WAS WRITING WHEN SHE WROTE VICIOUS AND ADSOM

Fraser Simons

I really liked the contrast and parallels between magic and the factions in the “unseen world” and privilege. There’s quite a few women and they all feel different while contributing to the world building aspects of the fiction. I thought it was pretty clever and well executed, and the initial hook, which was what I was most unsure about at the start, became much more compelling as things were fleshed out. The ending felt well done and perfect for the themes. I was happily surprised by this one. I had kept putting it off because of the generic blurb/hook and am really glad I gave it a shot.

Mia Kern

"Besides." Laurent grinned. "An enormous magic fight? This is going to be fun." p. 12 

This book kind of felt like being on a roller coaster that's missing one of its wheels: fast-paced, exhilarating, a little dangerous, and just missing that final piece to truly make it a spectacular ride.

But, overall, this book was  FUN . This was probably one of the most enjoyable reads I've had in a while, maybe not as deep or as polished as some other books, but really fun nonetheless. It's told from a number of perspectives, which you all know I tend to enjoy in fantasy books. At first this was a lot to keep up with - too many characters sharing too much information at once. But it came together really nicely, and the twists and reveals, while not earth-shattering, were pretty fun.

If I had to name the 'wheel' that this book was missing (shh I'm trying to keep the analogy alive), I'd say that this just needed a bit more polish. Howard wasn't scared to go the distance when it came to dramatic events and consequences, and I definitely commend her for that. But the twists were a little predictable, the characters a little shallow, the plot a little simple. Don't get me wrong, as I've stated before, it was a really fun read nonetheless. It just needed a little bit  more  to turn this from a fun read to a truly spectacular one.

Kiandra Rodgers 

I have very mixed feelings about this book, and ultimately they boil down to one thing- it was too short. The magic battles lasted barely more than a page, and you hardly had time to get to know the characters. Everything happened at light speed. There was no anticipation for big battles. When something big would happen I’d almost miss it because it went by so quickly- you didn’t always realize a big scene was a big deal until it was over. I was super interested to know more, I thought the mystery was enticing, but I think the pacing was just poor, I was always left wanting more

Sheila

3.5 stars, but rounding up to 4 because I'm feeling generous towards this book. 

I'm not gonna lie, this book had me reeled in within the first 30 pages. This is a dark and intense book about a woman hellbent on tearing down the system of exploitation that made her suffer her entire life. We're not talking about metaphorical suffering, this is some real eldritch shit. This is a world of magic that's dark and demanding, twisted and devious. 

There is a very unsubtle subplot involving a serial killer targeting and drugging women that people should be aware of going in, because reading through each incident is a fairly intense experience. 

So many characters are intertwined in the narrative that the story itself felt pretty rushed, something that gave the battles in the book less emotional impact that they might have otherwise had. Apparently there will be a sequel to this book, but I genuinely believe this book was written as a standalone because - if it wasn't - it would've felt far less rushed if that had been planned from the start.

The ending actually threw me for a loop which was a pleasant surprise! I was absolutely not expecting it to end precisely the way it had, but it's pretty bittersweet for the protagonist Sydney. :( Overall I enjoyed this!

Juliette

I listened to this while crocheting and honestly half the time I didn't know what was happening and felt like the ending was rushed and unresolved. Maybe it would've made more since if I read it instead of listening to it.

"A remarkable writer." --Neil Gaiman, bestselling author of American Gods An Alex Award Winner 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. Sydney comes from the House of Shadows, which controls the magic with the help of sacrifices from magicians.

Kendra Jones

TW: Self-harm, harming others, murder, gore
This story follows the different magicians in the Unseen World in New York. There are Houses which every (usually) 20 years holds a set of challenges that they must compete in in order to determine who the ruler of the Unseen World will be for the next 20 years. Each House must choose a candidate to represent them in all challenges; what the candidate does is final. A hundred years ago House Merlin came into power and set up the House of Shadows which provided all of the other Houses with their magical abilities. Enter Sydney, the second person to manage to break out of the Shadows. She becomes the representative for a House that hopes to be established, run by Laurent, another outsider in the Unseen World. There are many battles which must be won in order for Sydney and Laurent to move up the ranks. Just remember, the Shadows always requires payment.
I loved the writing style in this book, however, there were times where the dialogue was clunky and unnatural. The characters were well fleshed out, especially for such a short book.
Sydney played such an integral role in the story and connected the different parts of the story together. She had such different and dynamic relationships with most of the other key players. She reminded me of a mix between Kaz from Six of Crows and Lila Bard from A Darker Shade of Magic, in that she always had a plan and a contingency plan, and her cockiness and arrogance about her powers were off the charts. But I did love her, even if she became insufferable.
The magic system was interesting and different. I loved reading how it worked and how it, at times, couldn't work or worked negatively. My main problem with this book, apart from the dialogue, was that the scenes with the magic duels were very short, usually only lasting a couple of paragraphs, so the extent of what their magic could do was kind of glossed over.
I overall really enjoyed this book and can't wait for what else Kat comes up with next.

sydney 

discount a gathering of shadows by v.e. schwab???

the magic system was cool, but everything in this book happened way too easily for it to be intriguing or for me to really care about any conflicts that popped up, since i knew they'd be over in a few pages. this was a 5 star prediction for me so needless to say i'm disappointed

Tom Turner

Very well plotted

This book is extremely well plotted, and a great story. However, I felt the prose could have been more descriptive, and so for me - and this is very much subjective - lacked the depth that truly hooks me into a story. Apparently there is a sequel on the way, and I will definitely read it. But it won't be something I rush out to read the moment it is published.

Timi Uysingco

2.5 ⭐️ 

I don’t recomment that you listen to the audiobook. It feels like for a complex book, I had a hrd time understainding the plot and all the characters. This rating is for the audiobook but I will definitely reread this book.

Jayarna La Bozzetta

This book had been on my radar but I'd never added it to my Goodreads tbr as I hadn't heard much about it from anyone. But low and behold, mytbr.co sent it to me in a list of custom recommendations I paid for (so freaking fun, I would highly recommend giving it a go!) 

This was the first one I've read and I'm so glad I did this. This book hit so many home runs for me. Interesting, layered characters in complex situations that worked with each other in such interesting ways. A little romance, lots of magic, a cool setting, darkness - omg this was awesome! 

There's a lot of perspectives in this book, although Sydney is definitely the main character, and each scene is well thought out and serves a purpose. Never was I bored because the story was constantly moving forward, and it wasn't that long, but it felt like a great, fleshed out story and I think it was the perfect length. Honestly, I'm blown away. This recommendation was on point.

Vitor Augusto Dal Molin 

[2,5 *] So, this was interesting and fun, whatsoever everything was to EASY (one example : the mc is very powerful and she could do anything and DID, and i was like ???? bro...) oh and the villain was so weak as a character and in question of literary power, the mc is cool, the world is a like wonky but i've seen worse. I rating 2.5 cause i had a good with it. yeah..

Anastaciya

Dang... it was good. I think I might actually give this five stars here. There were some minor things I didn't like (the way the scenes were written in the beginning, for example - so short and clipped, very confusing), but how the story unfolded later on... It's good.

Deborah Kerr

** spoiler alert **
           A Unkindness of Magicians is a great, fun, dark book. It's an easy read with an exceptionally interesting world and characters that keep you drawn in. 

Things that were great:
- the writing
- the Turning
- the characters
- the magic system
- Laurent Beauchamps--Laurent is so wonderful he deserves his own fucking bullet point
- Sydney's unflagging motivations--bitch never wavered and we need more protagonists who know what they are about from page one.
- the side romance that never took over the story but humanized the awe-inspiring, sharp-edged characters
- EXCELLENT pacing. This book does not lag. Howard throws you in the deep end from page one and makes sure you're treading water until the very end.

Things that weren't that great:
- (view spoiler)[where were the rest of the "sacrifices" in the House of Shadows? I understand that they die off quickly but the impression we are given is that Houses give up their first born and that there are a ton of less affluent Houses... so doesn't it stand to reason that there would be a baby or two in the House along with Grace? A toddler? And if there isn't... if Grace (and Sydney up until 6 months previous) are the only ones bearing the weight of the entire Unseen world then that balance doesn't hold water, but I digress... (hide spoiler)]
- I have a fundamental issue with the foundation of this system--that an entire community of people would agree to sacrifice one child per family to make magic easier to use. Like they'd rather sacrifice their child than have a migraine to conduct magic? They are not coerced to give up their kids--some even go out and pay to steal children, but the majority of people just hand over their children so they can brew tea more quickly and perform trivial everyday bullshit tasks with ease. The issue I have is three-fold:
 1. This system was established four generations back...not even in the Middle Ages... the late 1800s. If this system had been inculcated from the inception of magic I would believe 20th century mages accepting it--tradition being what is amongst rich, white people-- but the fact of the matter is is that the system is 100-130 years old and you're telling me that people are willing to give up THEIR CHILD in order to not have to use a regular coffee machine? The fact that the Unseen World resides within our own--even acknowledging our current technology, I find it absolutely unbelievable that no one was questioning having to give up their baby before Sydney came in and shook shit up.
 2. The stakes of magic use. During the tournament these magicians do some insanely cool and complicated shit, but outside of the Turning, they basically hang out and smoke cigars and game the mundane stock market. Outside of the Turning--which admittedly decides who is the Head of the Unseen World until the next Turning--what is the point of having magic if you're not going to use it to do important shit? Or use the magic to assert that power over the mundane world? I don't understand why we never see these magicians use their magic to do anything big and important outside of the Turning. It seems like much too high a price to pay (a kid) for a small reward (magic that you use to make life less inconvenient).
 3. A character mentions that there are other communities of magicians outside of NYC that get their power in different ways. You're telling me that these people know that there are other magicians out there that derive their power from a source that doesn't require them to sacrifice a child and they just said, "Sounds fake," and kept giving up their kids?
- Madison going on a date with Grey when they were younger. No matter how snooty and exclusive a group of people are dating YOUR COUSIN BY BLOOD is still unacceptable.

Luckily this book is well-written enough and light enough (considering the topics covered I can't believe I'm typing that) that I was able to get past my issues and enjoy the ride that Howard took me on.

Melea Mullican

Sydney has lived her life locked away. She is now out on her own and determined to make right what is wrong in the Unseen world. It is time for The Turning, a magical tournament between the Houses in the Unseen world. Sydney is an outsider, a newcomer, and she's going to win.

I loved this book. It has reached my all time favorite books. This story reminded me some of THE NIGHT CIRCUS and THE MAGICIANS. My only complaint is it took me some time to get acclimated to Kat Howard's writing style. It is descriptive and just a little formal. However, as I got further into the story, I realized that it was perfect. Because of the way Sydney grew up, she is a little formal, and very reserved and clipped in her thoughts, reactions, and dialogue. And she should be. This writing style fit her character perfectly. 

It takes Howard some time to truly flush out the magic, but looking back, the way she introduced everything made it even better. She doesn't just tell you everything; she lets you figure it out as you go along, making it seem like you just got plopped into the world yourself. 

There are a lot of supporting characters in this book, and I loved each of them. Even the villains were perfect villains. Not ones you hate but have redeemable qualities. No, I'm talking the ones you hate, and you're perfectly okay with it. There are a lot of characters which can be confusing in the beginning, but once everyone is introduced and starts coming together, I actually enjoyed the large number of characters.

This book has it all: solid characters and character development, a fast paced and action packed story, good world building, a little bit of romance, friendship, and a little bit of mystery. I highly recommend this to fans of adult fantasy that don't mind a few chapters to get acclimated to a some what complicated world.

Heather Killeen

I had some lingering questions about how magic actually works in this world, but overall this was a super creative, dark and wonderfully magical story! The descriptions of the magic are amazing, and I love how the magical "unseen" world is woven through out our "mundane" one. Also, any story with magical contests gets all the stars :D :D I didn't feel really pulled towards any one character (more for Sydney than any of the others though), so I wasn't as invested in the outcome as I would have liked. But still, this was a unique take on a magical realism premise, and made me wish there were more books!

Lauren James

Full review on my blog, Storied Adventures

This was picked for one of my bookclub books and I had never heard of it! So I was VERY surprised to find that I could not put it down! This is highly underrated! The characters were strong, the magic system was good. And the plot! Set in modern day magical games?! YES. So much fun! I do with the fighting scenes were drawn out more. 
I can't wait for the second book!

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An Unkindness of Magicians by Kat Howard

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An Unkindness of Magicians by Kat Howard