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aml1's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
kusine's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
aceinit's review against another edition
4.0
I will post a longer review of this when time permits. The short one is as follows
There are no words for my love of Griffin's urban magic system. It is wildly original, wonderfully explained and I love the concept of what are essentialyl man-made creations (cities, technology, industry, etc) being able to fuel magic.
I love how Griffin handled the I/We dynamic of Matthew and the angels and how, though they are technically one, they still have two very distinct personalities.
What I did not like was the formatting of the novel itself. There are no standard chapters, and the book is instead broken into 3 or 4 parts with a few interludes thrown in. The lack of natural stopping points was a distraction.
I am very much looking forward to continuing with this series. It is already one of my favorites.
There are no words for my love of Griffin's urban magic system. It is wildly original, wonderfully explained and I love the concept of what are essentialyl man-made creations (cities, technology, industry, etc) being able to fuel magic.
I love how Griffin handled the I/We dynamic of Matthew and the angels and how, though they are technically one, they still have two very distinct personalities.
What I did not like was the formatting of the novel itself. There are no standard chapters, and the book is instead broken into 3 or 4 parts with a few interludes thrown in. The lack of natural stopping points was a distraction.
I am very much looking forward to continuing with this series. It is already one of my favorites.
breq's review against another edition
someone whose book opinions I trust really talked this one up but it is just NOT working for me right now
amnesiack's review against another edition
4.0
What I always wanted from The Dresden Files and then some.
rosieclaverton's review
3.0
I struggled to get into this book, but I have difficulty with first person POV and weighty description. However, the style grew on me and the description had a meta element that excused some of the more verbose passages.
Exciting plotting, with good twist elements - I will keep reading!
Exciting plotting, with good twist elements - I will keep reading!
belanna2's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
2.75
The author got her degree in English, and she wants everyone to know it! The writing in this book is what drags it down; there's descriptive writing and there's overtly, unnecessary descriptive writing, which this book falls firmly into. Purple Prose galore awaits the reader brave enough to wade through sentences of unneeded dialog--I felt like screaming, just get to the point already; you don't need to over describe every little, minute detail in the book. This book was massive, and if you got rid of all the purple pose, it would be half the size it is. The story was average but okay. I had to force myself to finish this book.
bbgreenie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
jon_a's review against another edition
5.0
A Madness of Angels is a tale of resurrection, revenge and a whole heaping buttload of magic. But rather than use the almost standardized tropes of Urban Wizardry, Griffin creates whole world almost out of whole cloth, fleshing in the bones of London with the fruits of her creativity.
The protagonist, Matthew Smith, is a great blend of wise-cracking competence and quiet desperation, always in complete control of the situation and just this side of total chaos. His voice and character were just great to read.
The real star of this book is the City of London. Every line reveals some new piece of occult mysticism hidden around each corner. From bag ladies that have shopping carts loaded with things more dangerous than rotten vegetables to a train that is always leaving the station but never quite arrives, London takes on a new life that draws the reader in.
In conclusion, this is a good book.
The protagonist, Matthew Smith, is a great blend of wise-cracking competence and quiet desperation, always in complete control of the situation and just this side of total chaos. His voice and character were just great to read.
The real star of this book is the City of London. Every line reveals some new piece of occult mysticism hidden around each corner. From bag ladies that have shopping carts loaded with things more dangerous than rotten vegetables to a train that is always leaving the station but never quite arrives, London takes on a new life that draws the reader in.
In conclusion, this is a good book.
daveparry67's review
3.0
I was drawn to this by a friend who enjoyed the very British references & London town setting & shared that appreciation… I’ve not read anything quite like this... the main character wakes up, but not from sleep; it’s some sort of regeneration, back to life as before but so much is different…. It’s all a bit weird & dislocated & gradually we’re introduced to an underworld of magic which we’re not all able to see where different beings have different powers & rivalries & power struggles lead to ultimate battles to save the world, all set in an electrified urban landscape, unmistakably London but with a whole new perspective…
So he’s a sorcerer who’s been brought back by his former teacher, who also killed him, to extract the electric blue magic he has inside him... & he’s looking for revenge & encountering enemies & allies in various, brutal, magical battles in the streets of London as he goes... Magic flows through the city, like the arterial movement & the language of tickets & barriers & fares & journeys in the underground; he calls up spirits for protection & the electric blue magical power runs through the ‘phone lines & his blood... it’s all quite rhythmic & flowing to be honest, he taps in to the well worn traces of history’s legacy as he tracks his prey...
I’m torn between finding the ‘ally who’s really an enemy’ (or ‘enemy who’s really an ally’) thing either a clever look at the mixed motivations that come from stress/threat or just a bit confusing & worn out... makes for a bit of intrigue in the action though, which continued apace... Allegiances were not as they seemed, as if our perspective was being toyed with, I even wondered if maybe our hero is really the villain & his target for assassination really the good guy... sadly the title of the book on Goodreads suggests this isn’t the only book in a series, so we suspect he’s bound to survive...
Is this any more than a gory, fiery, magical romp through a series of battles with conveniently, successively more tricky adversaries that’s just intended to distract us from real life or are there any deeper observations & lessons to draw from it? If not, it’s no less entertaining or worthwhile! It’s a long book & I suppose if I’m honest I wanted a bit more; there was a bit of a twist in the conclusion but I was ready to stop long before we got there; it was a bit of a slog by the last third of the book. All the same I did enjoy inhabiting this world; I’d like a computer generated virtual reality version of the London depicted here to explore at my leisure...
So he’s a sorcerer who’s been brought back by his former teacher, who also killed him, to extract the electric blue magic he has inside him... & he’s looking for revenge & encountering enemies & allies in various, brutal, magical battles in the streets of London as he goes... Magic flows through the city, like the arterial movement & the language of tickets & barriers & fares & journeys in the underground; he calls up spirits for protection & the electric blue magical power runs through the ‘phone lines & his blood... it’s all quite rhythmic & flowing to be honest, he taps in to the well worn traces of history’s legacy as he tracks his prey...
I’m torn between finding the ‘ally who’s really an enemy’ (or ‘enemy who’s really an ally’) thing either a clever look at the mixed motivations that come from stress/threat or just a bit confusing & worn out... makes for a bit of intrigue in the action though, which continued apace... Allegiances were not as they seemed, as if our perspective was being toyed with, I even wondered if maybe our hero is really the villain & his target for assassination really the good guy... sadly the title of the book on Goodreads suggests this isn’t the only book in a series, so we suspect he’s bound to survive...
Is this any more than a gory, fiery, magical romp through a series of battles with conveniently, successively more tricky adversaries that’s just intended to distract us from real life or are there any deeper observations & lessons to draw from it? If not, it’s no less entertaining or worthwhile! It’s a long book & I suppose if I’m honest I wanted a bit more; there was a bit of a twist in the conclusion but I was ready to stop long before we got there; it was a bit of a slog by the last third of the book. All the same I did enjoy inhabiting this world; I’d like a computer generated virtual reality version of the London depicted here to explore at my leisure...