Scan barcode
A review by weweresotired
The Midnight Mayor by Kate Griffin
4.0
See the full review at Short & Sweet Reviews.
Once again, this book starts out with Matthew being dropped into the middle of a completely unexpected situation. Just like last time, he has no idea where he is or how he got there; all he knows is that something is trying to destroy him. It seems to be a pretty common situation for him to be in; maybe he should start getting used to it. Matthew is quickly plunged into the shadowy world of the Midnight Mayor, who's tasked with protecting London from all sorts of malevolent types of magic. And something wicked is bent on destroying London, and poor Matthew is the only one who can stop it.
Swift is a fascinating main character because he's not your typical sort of hero. He's never described as dreamy or really, anything other than ordinary; he doesn't have women lined up to chase after him (indeed, his priorities are mostly along the lines of "staying alive" rather than "finding a girlfriend"). He's a very powerful sorcerer but sometimes doesn't quite know how to control it or what to do with it, but he's otherwise got no special skills other than "getting in trouble" and "still not dying". He's sarcastic and kind of bitter and very annoyed with everyone around him. (Just my type, really!)
Griffin's created a rich new world of urban magic that draws on the every-day and the ordinary in the city and turns it into something fantastic and otherworldy. The prose is the same dense, descriptive style that you hopefully came to love in the first book. Griffin's really got an eye for hiding important little details in amongst all those thoughts and observations of Matthew's, and even without that, the writing is so thorough that it's easy to get lost in the very real streets of London that she describes. This series is quickly becoming one of my favorites, and I can't wait to move on to the next book.
Once again, this book starts out with Matthew being dropped into the middle of a completely unexpected situation. Just like last time, he has no idea where he is or how he got there; all he knows is that something is trying to destroy him. It seems to be a pretty common situation for him to be in; maybe he should start getting used to it. Matthew is quickly plunged into the shadowy world of the Midnight Mayor, who's tasked with protecting London from all sorts of malevolent types of magic. And something wicked is bent on destroying London, and poor Matthew is the only one who can stop it.
Swift is a fascinating main character because he's not your typical sort of hero. He's never described as dreamy or really, anything other than ordinary; he doesn't have women lined up to chase after him (indeed, his priorities are mostly along the lines of "staying alive" rather than "finding a girlfriend"). He's a very powerful sorcerer but sometimes doesn't quite know how to control it or what to do with it, but he's otherwise got no special skills other than "getting in trouble" and "still not dying". He's sarcastic and kind of bitter and very annoyed with everyone around him. (Just my type, really!)
Griffin's created a rich new world of urban magic that draws on the every-day and the ordinary in the city and turns it into something fantastic and otherworldy. The prose is the same dense, descriptive style that you hopefully came to love in the first book. Griffin's really got an eye for hiding important little details in amongst all those thoughts and observations of Matthew's, and even without that, the writing is so thorough that it's easy to get lost in the very real streets of London that she describes. This series is quickly becoming one of my favorites, and I can't wait to move on to the next book.