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Nov 26, 2016Beatricksy rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
This book is a smooshing together of a lot of things, but mostly it takes the more dull parts of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell and Harry Potter, douses them in water, mixes in some ideas from other stories (swashbuckling romance, Doctor Who, ancient mythology) and tips out a book that's mostly boring and sometimes interesting but in general just ends up tasting sort of bland. I've seen the monsters before, the lead is a bit flat, but the banter between characters is very fun--some of the dialogue, mostly Mangus's, is sharp and clever and taken from the best parts of action movies. Also, I'm always a big fan of historical fantasy. If only there had been more fantasy, more of the Queen Mab and the wild, to counter out the rest. It just misses some color. It's harmlessly enjoyable if you can slog through the more slow parts--most of which is attempting to place the book in its setting.