City of Dark Magic: A Novel (City of Dark Magic Series)

Here, in the land of politicians and military establishments (aka, the DC/NoVA area) there is a unique form of commuting called 'slugging'. People park at the commuter lots nearest their homes and then DCoMproceed to stand in line, waiting for a ride north (or south when returning home). For the driver, it allows for free rides on the 95 Express Lanes recently installed into our heavily wooded areas and suburban living. For the rider, it gives free rides to and from their place of employment without the stress of having to drive in the wretched vile of horribleness that is traffic on the 95 corridor. I am one such individual, happily waiting in line to get rides so that I do not have to wish longingly for a bottle of something that will take away the homicidal urges that erupt when I am forced to drive into the city.In these blessedly stress-free minutes, I am also given liberty to do something extraordinary for an employed mother of four: I CAN READ!More importantly, I can finish the books that I start instead of having to send them back to the library unfinished. eBooks - the marvel of the commuting world!I have finished one such electronic marvel without feeling like I was forcing my way through the end (something that happens far too often with books I pick up recently). I have had the exquisite pleasure of reading City of Dark Magic by Magnus Flyte. It is a very quick, whimsical intrigue that wraps itself in a cloak of inferred history and masterfully worded fiction. There is treasure hunting and music, sex, murder, illicit drug use via toenails (read, it makes sense, I promise), and so much more! Every word had me wanting more. I was never - not once - bored with the narrative or the story being unraveled before my eyes.It's sequel is already loaded onto my Kindle app so that the saga might continue.I rarely recommend books these days as I find many of them to be quite trivial. This one is one I will recommend to anyone who likes romance, fantasy, and intrigue. Even if you only like one of those, the book is still sure to entertain.

Originally posted at TheNovelLife.comFrom the first quote, even before the opening page, I was captured. Sarah is working on her Musicologist PhD. when she is contacted for an exclusive job in Prague. As she’s deciding if she wants to accept the position, strange things start happening. A ”little person” presents her with a small copper box then disappears; the apartment she shares with super-sexy hunk Alessandro is broken into with nothing taken ~ only a symbol left on the kitchen ceiling; and then worst of all ~ she is informed that her beloved mentor has committed suicide and was the musicologist on hand at the castle she is to report to in Prague. With all of the strange happenings, she must go.Allow me to interject a note here ~ I thought I was starting a young adult novel ~ the cover is what threw me. Don’t get me wrong ~ I really like the cover; it just appeared more YA-ish to me. And then I read the novel and realized all of the symbolism on the front cover….but it still looks YA-ish. Truly, my only issue with the novel.I finally figured out I was NOT reading a YA novel when Sarah meets her colleagues for the first time at the shared dinner in the castle’s kitchen and let’s just say her stress, angst and jet lag were all wiped out in one brief interlude in the bathroom. At that point, I do believe I kicked off the covers, sat up a bit more and really started paying attention to what was going on! ;-)To say City of Dark Magic was a fun read would be quite the understatement! The historical aspects seemed well-researched and read truthfully. The cast of characters are quite diverse and bring with them a touch of humor (ok, more than a touch). It’s a smartly sarcastic humor that’s thrown in times least expected, which, I believe, made the novel. The sexual anecdotes also thrown in when I least expected were hilarious and at times true to form. The mystery along with the magical realism kept me captivated and glued to my recliner until I read the last sentence.

The characters were interesting and captivating, but leads were not well followed. The writing wasn't great. There were many things that never made sense.

City of Dark Magic is a fun book to read - especially if you know Prague and some of its history - I recommend it!

Das Buch ist spannend, unterhaltsam und vor allem klug geschrieben. Prag als Stadt wirklich toll dargestellt - der Fortsetzungsroman spielt ebenfalls in Prag und in Wien. Musikliebhaber kommen voll auf ihre Rechnung.

Book itself is quite tacky to be honest.

From the blurb this book sounded right up my street, a bit of magic, Prague, and an intelligent heroine; however, it turned out to be one of the worst written books i've ever read. The writing is poor and so disjointed that I decided to look up the author, to see whether they had received a head injury, and wasn't surprised to find that it is actually written by two people. There is also a ridiculous amount of gratuitous sex scenes, so much so that I actually wondered if I had picked up some third rate Fifty Shades of Grey - and I say third rate because the repetitive nature of the writing is even worse than that of EL James. If you are looking for this type of book but a million times better, please save yourself the trouble and read 'A Discovery of Witches' by Deborah Harkness