An Unkindness of Magicians by Kat Howard

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An Unkindess of Magicians came out a few years ago and I just recently heard of it from one of my many, many bookish podcasts that I listen to. Sorry, I have no idea which one it was. I love magical worlds and bonus points for setting those magicians in the real world where they have to hide their talents. This book combines magic, rich people problems, and a strong female main character who is out to cause some serious hurt. But don’t expect anything light and fluffy. This is a really dark book. 

Those with magical gifts are part of the Unseen World and in New York City, the most powerful magicians are divided into Houses who fight for power every twenty years during the Turning. However, the Turning has been triggered early, only thirteen years since the last, and this will be the battle that brings every dark secret to light. During the Turning, each House appoints a champion who will duel other champions in a deadly competition to gain one House power over all the others. Sydney, raised by the House of Shadows and unknown to the Unseen World,  has been chosen by a candidate House after an incredible display of magic in downtown NYC that went completely unnoticed by the mundane (non-magical) residents. She literally sent cars and buses floating through the air and no one noticed. No one. 

As the champions begin their duels, fought over many nights and with much fanfare, it becomes apparent that something is wrong with Magic itself. Spells go haywire or don’t happen at all, and no one can figure out what is going on. During these duels, already dangerous as many are fought to the death, the wealthy members of the Houses look on while holding champagne and finger foods. As more spells go wrong and champions die, dark secrets begin to surface about the history of the Houses, the sacrifices made to magic, and Sydney’s true ties to the Unseen World come to light. 

This is a gorgeously written story that is chilling in its ability to slowly uncover the horrors of the Unseen World. The ability of the wealthy and powerful to overlook and justify their cruelty was both shocking and yet, unsurprising. The world building is absolutely incredible. I love how less time is spent explaining how a spell is cast and more about the effects of the spells. There are some really wild things these magicians can do. The politics of the Houses and their power structures were really interesting and I loved how some characters were so good at illustrating both the dark and lighter sides of the society.  Sydney is the most powerful magician that has been seen for some time and how and why she is so powerful is a gut punch. But throughout everything she has to go through, she is able to still stay true to herself. Best part-the actual houses that the Head of a House lives in is magically connected to them and will rearrange and redecorate itself to suit the person’s needs and desires. It’s pretty amazing. 

If you love revenge thrillers, this is the perfect book. I love watching the powerful get knocked down and oh boy, do they get knocked down. The book moves pretty quickly and I finished it in one sitting because I just had to know how Sydney was going to bring everyone down. 

Want to give this one a try? You can find ordering information here:

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