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    An Unkindness of Magicians
    An Unkindness of Magicians
    An Unkindness of Magicians
    Audiobook8 hours

    An Unkindness of Magicians

    Written by Kat Howard

    Narrated by Madeleine Maby

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    “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.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateSep 26, 2017
    ISBN9781508251149
    Author

    Kat Howard

    Kat Howard’s short fiction has been nominated for the World Fantasy Award, anthologized in best of and annual best of collections, and performed on NPR. You can find it in her collection, A Cathedral of Myth and Bone. She is the author of the critically acclaimed Roses and Rot and the Alex Award–winning An Unkindness of Magicians. She is also one of the writers of the Books of Magic series, set in the Sandman Universe. She lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, and you can find her on twitter at @KatWithSword.

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    Reviews for An Unkindness of Magicians

    4/5

    593 ratings26 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      Tortured kid gets magic and turns out okay? Too far a psychological jump for me. Also dialogue didn’t ring true

      2 people found this helpful

    • 1/5
      Literally had no clue as to what was going on for this entire book and had no real connection to any of the characters. They all felt like meaningless words on a page and I couldn't muster any real emotion towards them. Dull, confusing and disappointing.

      2 people found this helpful

    • 5/5
      One of the best books I've listened to in a while. A perfect mix of magic and intrigue. Characters that wine themselves together in exciting ways. the story was great and engaging. The narrator was wonderful. I started this morning but and didn't stop till I had listened to the whole thing. I will absolutely be looking into more of this authors works.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 2/5
      I just can't get into this narrator's voice and expressions. I can normally just deal with it, but I couldn't even listen. My apologies to this person, but it ruined the book for me.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 1/5
      I really wanted to make this work however the plot was mediocre at best and reading this was taking too much of my energy. it's uneven and dull

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Magic system was intriguing and I loved the variety of characters we follow. Kept me thoroughly engaged! I really liked the narrator as well, she really brought a good voice to Sydney. I’ve followed the author on Instagram since reading this and she is working on on a sequel and I couldn’t be more excited!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Interesting characters, daring plot, twists and turns, and bitchy magicians who are utterly devoid of redemption in the most delicious ways.

      Could use a little clearing up of who’s who as a few times I mixed up characters and their houses, etc. But maybe that’s because I listened to the audiobook, which can make figuring it out harder sometimes.

      Loved the descriptions of things and lexicon of the author, strong voice, clear intention, and I genuinely connected with the imagery and symbolism. Well written thematically.

      Please tell me there are more, perhaps a series?

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Interesting world, good plot. The narration was top notch as well.
    • 5/5
      Fantastic and engaging. So very different from what you would expect.
    • 5/5
      I really liked it. At first it was hard to remember which character was which. But it was a gripping story and I couldn't wait to hear what would happen next.
    • 5/5
      The story was amazing, the weaving and unraveling was masterful. But I disliked the ending but overall was really a good book.
    • 5/5
      Excellent and full of meaningful metaphors very applicable to modern issues of inequality and abuse all wrapped in magic.
      I really enjoyed it
    • 4/5
      Intriguing plot, interesting world building and great narrator. Kept me engaged for 2 days straight.
    • 2/5
      "The young woman wearing Louboutin shoes as a symbol of aspirational power but also sexy cut through the crowd like a cliche."

      This book is very boring. The dialogue is inane, the characters are cliched and unclever, and it's all built on the done to death premise of a magical tournament. Interactions are all unnatural reactions combined with the social graces of gibbons. I don't know how such drivel gets published.

      The writer also doesn't know how to set up things which is why reveals don't matter and you don't root for the characters to get whatever it is they want, which in this case isn't clear. It also feels like complete lack of stakes. Even duels are vague and underdescribed, and the complete lack of setup leaves you with no expectations to be overturned in the course of the action, so everything is flat, dull, and unsurprising.

      The magic system is also dumb as it enables people to do the equivalent of brushing their teeth. Who cares if you can make waiters walk in unison, they would do that if you asked them. If magicians have compulsion power, how come they never use it on each other in a way that has stakes. Who cares that the house makes you coffee, has no dust, or redecorates itself, seriously, that's what decorators and maids exist for. It's a really silly and weak magic system. If the magic can't do anything you can't obtain by buying a mop and paying someone to use it, what is even the point.

      The only reason this book had any success at all is because of Harry Potter fans who miss that world are projecting their memories onto this book, because this one surely doesn't have anything special going for it. In fact it's so barren and barely sketched that I suspect it's a Harry Potter fan fiction.
    • 4/5
      Good book. Main character is a bit of a Mary Sue, and the world is insufficiently explained, but kept me interested throughout.
    • 3/5
      Interesting book but difficult to listen to. The narrarator reads words one by one like an AI program
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this story. The magic system as well as the story progression.
    • 5/5
      this book was amazing! I wish that there were more stand alone fantasy books like it ?
    • 5/5
      The book was well written.. has a beautiful pace and you couldn't help but fall for Sydney, fall for her determination, for her magic, for her grace at finishing what she started.
      The romance was a secondary plot and honestly it didn't matter... i wanted more of the magic... more of HER.
      The ending was good, not epic like i would've hoped for but still GOOD.
      Highly recommend if you wanna fall into a magical world and feel everything about it.
    • 5/5
      I loved the way the author took the idea that magic has a cost to a whole new level. At first I had trouble keeping the characters and their relationships straight, but I have the same problem at cocktail parties in this world. I would love to read more novels in the same world. Highly recommend
    • 1/5
      I so wanted this book to be good but it was uneven and odd and the plot was just dull.
    • 2/5
      The narration here was fine, but the book was not for me. I would call this YA fantasy, not adult.
    • 5/5
      This book was delightful. The ending was bittersweet, but not disappointing.
    • 3/5
      I liked the story line but it felt rushed. The author didn’t give the story the time to truly develop, which reflects why I think the action scenes became increasingly lackluster.
    • 5/5
      a comfortable book with no terrible surprises. a bit abrupt. fun.
    • 5/5
      Loved this easy to follow!! Couldn’t stop listening!!