Thursday, June 19, 2014

Mini-Reviews: The Neon Court and The Minority Council by Kate Griffin


I like to write reviews for the books I read in a timely manner. The life I live these days often does not allow it – at least without me losing a lot of sleep, something that I really cannot afford to do. So, it comes to me writing up ‘mini-reviews’ for two books by Kate Griffin I read a number of months ago. Why did they get put off so long when I read and reviewed others since? Not because they are bad, or that I didn’t enjoy them. Both are good books that I enjoyed quite a bit. Mostly because they are books from an established series and I don’t really have that much to add to what I’ve already said before about A Madness of Angels and The Midnight Mayor (really, read those reviews, because what I write below is terribly brief and general).

Both The Neon Court and The Minority Council continue the story of Matthew Swift, urban sorcerer and the Midnight Mayor of London. Matthew is an eccentric, half-crazy character (in every sense of the word) who always surprises with his creative problem solving capabilities (think understatement here). In combination with the unique flavor of urban magic that Griffin has created, London transforms from the mundane into a magical wonderland where a pile of garbage just might come alive and try to kill you.

These books feature typical urban issues such as gang turf wars, religious zealotry, drug addiction, business and political conflict, and alderman wrapped in Griffin’s truly modern magical realization. This is a reflection (in part) of Griffin’s continued maturing as a writer, though for me, the biggest draw to these books and the London of Griffin’s vision is simply it being a whole lot of fun to read about.

As I’ve mentioned above, I enjoy Griffin’s version of a magically-infused London and look forward to reading more. While The Minority Council is (seemingly) the last book about Matthew Swift, her world lives on through a new protagonist in a new series – Magicals Anonymous (Book 1 – Stray Souls, Book 2 – The Glass God), and I believe that Matthew makes an appearance or two in them as well.

And I simply must say, Kelly, the Personal Assistant to The Midnight Mayor, is one of my favorite characters in genre. Her role is relatively minor, often comic relief, and perfect.

Matthew Swift Series
A Madness of Angels (my review, Indiebound, Book Depository, Amazon)
The Midnight Mayor (my review, Indiebound, Book Depository, Amazon)
The Neon Court (Indiebound, Book Depository, Amazon)
The Minority Council (Indiebound, Book Depository, Amazon)

Magicals Anonymous Series
The Glass God (Indiebound, Book Depository, Amazon)


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