Selenium
Most of the book reviews I put on here are going to be books that I’ve just finished reading. So, you know, quick, casual off the cuff impressions. I’m not trying to be the New York Times here. I’m just me, and I like books. I think I just found my personal slogan. I feel like I should put that on a t-shirt.
That said, Kat Howard’s An Unkindness of Magicians is a book I actually read last summer. Back when I still lived in San Diego (you know, those three loooong months ago), I was completely obsessed with Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore. For those who don’t know, the store is amazing, specializing in all sorts of sci-fi, fantasy, and other genre literature. They’re independently owned, and they have a great packed schedule of author visits and signings all year long. That’s my unsolicited, and unsponsored, sales pitch, if you’re ever in San Diego, look them up. To bring this point home to something relevant here, I was in that store this summer and stumbled across a bookshelf labeled something like, “female fantasy authors you should be reading.” I don’t remember exactly, but it was a shelf that said “these are fantasy book written by chicks, Selena, get over here.” To be fair, I think my husband actually discovered the shelf first and pointed it out, whatever, the shelf made its way into my life, and that was how I discovered this book.
I’m already a pretty big fan of urban fantasy stories, but Kat Howard really takes this one to the next level, layering her magical, “unseen,” world over the mundane in a way that flows very artistically. I also just can’t tell you how grateful I am when an author manages to describe actual acts of magic in a way that isn’t cheesy. This one really fits that bill, the action sequences do move the story forward and change direction of the drama without pulling you away with overblown description that doesn’t make sense. The heroine is perfectly three-dimensional, someone with flaws, scars, an internal sense of justice, and a moral principle. It’s really sad how refreshing it still feels to find that, but hey, that’s why we should all read more books written by women, right? The world building was excellent here. I think the main reason I love urban fantasy is, if it’s done right, it should make you feel like you can look at the world around you and actually see magic there. This is exactly what I’m talking about with the seamless flowing of magical, and real, worlds here. Also, I admit it, I’m a big cheese ball at heart and I want my fantasy stories to include a romance, but I want my heroines to be so busy kicking butt that a romance is nowhere near the most dramatic thing in her life. It should be something that’s there, and works in with the rest of life, but isn’t the motivation itself. That is achieved here.
Honorable mentions include a supporting cast of characters that are truly compelling, and an ending that I really didn’t see coming. I would actually love to see this continued as a longer series, it definitely feels like there is enough here for an intriguing trilogy, but if I don’t get that, I’m still happy that I read this one.
So, the moral of the story? Read more books written by women, in general, and if you need a suggestion for where to start, and you’re a fantasy fan, read this one.
