Book Review: City of Lost Dreams by Magnus Flyte

City of Lost Dreams (City of Dark Magic #2)

Author: Magnus Flyte
Genre: Historical Fiction/Fantasy
Release Date: November 26, 2013
Publisher: Penguin Books
Source: Finished copy from publisher

Description:

The exhilarating, genre-bending sequel to the sensational New York Times bestseller City of Dark Magic

In this action-packed sequel to City of Dark Magic, we find musicologist Sarah Weston in Vienna in search of a cure for her friend Pollina, who is now gravely ill and who may not have much time left. Meanwhile, Nicolas Pertusato, in London in search of an ancient alchemical cure for the girl, discovers an old enemy is one step ahead of him. In Prague, Prince Max tries to unravel the strange reappearance of a long dead saint while being pursued by a seductive red-headed historian with dark motives of her own.

In the city of Beethoven, Mozart, and Freud, Sarah becomes the target in a deadly web of intrigue that involves a scientist on the run, stolen art, seductive pastries, a few surprises from long-dead alchemists, a distractingly attractive horseman who’s more than a little bloodthirsty, and a trail of secrets and lies. But nothing will be more dangerous than the brilliant and vindictive villain who seeks to bend time itself. Sarah must travel deep into an ancient mystery to save the people she loves.  

City of Lost Dreams is a unique and enchanting novel - it's completely unlike anything I've read before (aside from the first book in the series). The story once again focuses on our leading lady Sarah Weston, a music expert from Boston who is on a mission to get young Pollina into a drug trial for her serious illness. We are reacquainted with several characters from the first book - Prince Max, Pollina, Nicolas Pertusato, and others. Once again, Vienna holds mysterious secrets from the past and twisting adventures around every corner for our characters. While Sarah is hunting for a medical cure for Pollina, Nicolas begins searching for an ancient alchemical cure - and is surprised to find that a very old enemy is attempting the same thing, and appears to be steps ahead of him on his quest. Meanwhile, Prince Max is trying to piece together the reappearance of a saint who died centuries ago and keeping an eye on a pretty historian who has her own secret agenda.

Although this is the second book in the series, it was a completely enchanting and fascinating blend of genres that I immediately fell back in love with the moment I began to read. There is so much going on during this book - murders, mystery, intrigue, mayhem, romance, time travel, alchemy and espionage to name a few - that it sucks you in from the first words and doesn't let go until far after the final word is read. The characters continued to be very interesting and distinct - and I really loved getting to know them each a little more. I felt that they were a great cast of personalities for the book and were incredibly flawed and realistic. I loved getting to know more about the main character, Sarah. She's brilliant and fiercely independent, yet she's devoted to her friends and will do just about anything to learn the truth. Yet she wasn't on a pedestal - she definitely had flaws and character traits that made her feel very real. The same goes with the other major characters in the book.

Speaking of the plot - I don't even know how to describe or explain it. The authors paint such an incredibly vivid and beautiful depiction of both Vienna and Prague that it was easy to immerse myself into the setting and the story within seconds of reading. This series contains some of the best writing I've ever come across. The descriptions are so intricately detailed and vividly imagined that the story comes alive before your eyes. There's really no other way to explain it. There are several story lines that happen at once in the book, all of which are some sort of mystery waiting to be untangled, and all seem to fit together in some way that doesn't show itself to the reader until the end. The main thread of the story is once again magical and breathtaking in it's entirety. I was fully enamored by the way the story was told, the story itself, the cast of characters, and the subject matter that was talked about. All of it intertwined to make an unbelievably compelling novel that will continue resonate with me for a long time to come. Like the first book in the series, it's one of those books that you feel you must re-read over and over in order to pick up on small details you missed before and also just to lose yourself in its pages again. In summary, this is one of the most imaginative and amazing books (and series) that I've ever read. It breaks any genre boundaries and opens the reader up to endless possibilities. I'm already impatiently waiting for the next book in the series to come out so I can find out what mysteries and journeys our characters will stumble into next. Very Highly recommended for fans of all genres - especially those who enjoy historical fiction, fantasy, and mysteries. If you haven't started this series yet, do it NOW!

Magnus Flyte is a pseudonym for the writing duo of Meg Howrey and Christina Lynch. Howrey is a former dancer with the Joffrey II and the winner of an Ovation Award. She is the author of the novels The Cranes Dance and Blind Sight and lives in Los Angeles. Lynch is a television writer and former Milan correspondent for W Magazine. She lives near Sequoia National Park in California.  (Taken from Goodreads)

Website: http://www.magnusflyte.com/ 

 *A HUGE thanks to the awesome people at Penguin for providing me a copy for review!*

 

Book Review: City of Dark Magic by Magnus Flyte

City of Dark Magic
Author: Magnus Flyte
Genre: Fantasy/Thriller
Release Date: November 27, 2012
Publisher: Penguin Books

Description:

Cosmically fast-paced and wildly imaginative, this debut novel is a perfect potion of magic and suspense

Once a city of enormous wealth and culture, Prague was home to emperors, alchemists, astronomers, and, as it’s whispered, hell portals. When music student Sarah Weston lands a summer job at Prague Castle cataloging Beethoven’s manuscripts, she has no idea how dangerous her life is about to become. Prague is a threshold, Sarah is warned, and it is steeped in blood.      
Soon after Sarah arrives, strange things begin to happen. She learns that her mentor, who was working at the castle, may not have committed suicide after all. Could his cryptic notes be warnings? As Sarah parses his clues about Beethoven’s “Immortal Beloved,” she manages to get arrested, to have tantric sex in a public fountain, and to discover a time-warping drug. She also catches the attention of a four-hundred-year-old dwarf, the handsome Prince Max, and a powerful U.S. senator with secrets she will do anything to hide.
      
City of Dark Magic could be called a rom-com paranormal suspense novel—or it could simply be called one of the most entertaining novels of the year.  

Review:

City of Dark Magic is a unique and mysterious thrill ride of a novel - unlike anything I've read before. The plot surrounds the Prague Castle and the army of academics who have taken over for the summer in order to restore the Lubkowicz Palace to its former glory and turn it into a museum filled with centuries old treasures. The story focuses on Sarah Weston, a music expert from Boston who is invited to help with the museum - specifically with the artifacts concerning Beethoven. Sarah can't ignore all the strange happenings that begin soon after her arrival and then people start dying. Who can Sarah trust? Who is the person behind all this chaos? And what is this mind altering drug that the Prince and her mentor were taking? Will Sarah be able to get to the bottom of everything before it's too late?

This novel was an enchanting and exciting blend of genres that I immediately fell in love with. There is so much going on during the book - murders, intrigue, mayhem, sex, drugs, time travel, alchemy and espionage to name a few - that it sucks you in and doesn't let go until the final word is read. The characters are all very interesting and distinct. I felt like they were a great cast of personalities for the book and all played their parts to perfection. I really liked the character of Sarah. She was brilliant and intuitive, but she definitely had flaws and character traits that made her feel very real. There is sex, swearing, and drugs in the novel, but this didn't bother me because it didn't detract from the main story. (Well, the drug in question may have actually enhanced the plot.) 

Speaking of the plot - I barely have words to explain it. The authors paint such a vivid and beautiful depiction of both Prague and the Palace - it was easy to insert myself into the setting and the story. There are several story lines that happen at once in the book, all of which are some sort of mystery waiting to be untangled, and all seem to fit together in some way that doesn't show itself to the reader until the end. The main thread of the story is magical and breathtaking in it's entirety and I was enchanted by the way the story was told, the story itself, and the subject matter that was talked about. All of it wound together to make an unbelievably compelling novel that will resonate with me for a long time to come. It's one of those books that you feel you must re-read over and over in order to pick up on small details you missed before and also just to lose yourself in its pages again. In summary, this is one of the most imaginative and fascinating books I've ever read. It breaks genre boundaries and opens the reader up to endless possibilities. Highly recommended!