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474th out of 489 books
—
1,269 voters
City of Dark Magic
by
Magnus Flyte (Goodreads Author)
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...more
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...more
Paperback, 448 pages
Published
November 27th 2012
by Penguin Books
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I’ve got to admit, when I saw City of Dark Magic on Netgalley, I was lured in by the pretty cover and promise of dark magic. I thought I was getting a fantasy novel set in menacing Prague that would be full of magic and portals to other worlds. This book actually turned out to be more of a contemporary spy novel with some alchemy thrown in to explain a few things. Personally, I didn’t connect with this novel or its characters and couldn...more
I’ve got to admit, when I saw City of Dark Magic on Netgalley, I was lured in by the pretty cover and promise of dark magic. I thought I was getting a fantasy novel set in menacing Prague that would be full of magic and portals to other worlds. This book actually turned out to be more of a contemporary spy novel with some alchemy thrown in to explain a few things. Personally, I didn’t connect with this novel or its characters and couldn...more
This book (received from Netgalley) did not get off on the right foot with me. The publisher apparently thought it would be oh-so-amusing to put this little note at the very beginning:
"The manuscript of the book you are about to read arrived in the mail one day at Penguin headquarters in New York with no cover letter. It was written on stationery from the Hotel La Mamounia in Marrakech using a manual typewriter, and postmarked on the Isle of Mull. The return address was simply 'Flyte, Magnus.'...more
"The manuscript of the book you are about to read arrived in the mail one day at Penguin headquarters in New York with no cover letter. It was written on stationery from the Hotel La Mamounia in Marrakech using a manual typewriter, and postmarked on the Isle of Mull. The return address was simply 'Flyte, Magnus.'...more
1,5 stars
What is it with authors/publishers and wrong labelling of books? This book is a fiction with suspense and historical elements.
Contrary to what the title might let you think, there is no magic and despite what is said in the blurb "City of Dark Magic could be called a rom-co paranormal suspense novel—or it could simply be called one of the most entertaining novels of the year." this is NOT a paranormal novel. Same goes for the romance part.
Saying that a city is a threshold is in no way...more
What is it with authors/publishers and wrong labelling of books? This book is a fiction with suspense and historical elements.
Contrary to what the title might let you think, there is no magic and despite what is said in the blurb "City of Dark Magic could be called a rom-co paranormal suspense novel—or it could simply be called one of the most entertaining novels of the year." this is NOT a paranormal novel. Same goes for the romance part.
Saying that a city is a threshold is in no way...more
I got this book from Penguin through Goodreads First Reads.
This book is entirely driven by the plot. There are no strong characters and the writing is nothing special. That being said, it is a compelling read. The writing is lazy and clunky, but it manages to tell an intriguing story nonetheless.
The character development is clumsy and not subtle in the least. Characters feel more like caricatures - a brilliant, eccentric professor; a passionate Italian roommate; an over-sexed lesbian; a cold-hea...more
This book is entirely driven by the plot. There are no strong characters and the writing is nothing special. That being said, it is a compelling read. The writing is lazy and clunky, but it manages to tell an intriguing story nonetheless.
The character development is clumsy and not subtle in the least. Characters feel more like caricatures - a brilliant, eccentric professor; a passionate Italian roommate; an over-sexed lesbian; a cold-hea...more
The description for this book is fantastic, and I was so excited to receive it through Penguins First Reads program. I could tell, however, after the first 15 pages that this was not going to deliver. City of Dark Magic is poorly written, includes gratuitous sex, and fails to provide any sort of development or motivation in characters. Prague is fascinating - after I read Daughter of Smoke and Bone, I have added it to my list of places to see. This book does not induce the same reaction. Bleh. U...more
Good Lord, this was bad. more later.
Back now. Having slept on it, the book didn't improve. The main character seems to waver between "average grad student" and "clueless tramp". There's a reason you don't often see those phrases describing the same person.
I have to admit: I was disgusted in the first couple of chapters of the book, and that colored my outlook on the rest of it. Sarah, our hapless protagonist sets out to Prague to take over the study of original Beethoven material in Prague start...more
Back now. Having slept on it, the book didn't improve. The main character seems to waver between "average grad student" and "clueless tramp". There's a reason you don't often see those phrases describing the same person.
I have to admit: I was disgusted in the first couple of chapters of the book, and that colored my outlook on the rest of it. Sarah, our hapless protagonist sets out to Prague to take over the study of original Beethoven material in Prague start...more
LOVED LOVED LOVED LOVED LOVED. Ok. Done.
LOVED despite:
1) My confusion until about 1/3 of the way through. It took me awhile to adjust to the language and style of writing and the chapters dealing with Charlotte Yates.
Reasons why this book was crazy awesome:
1) The world build was amazing. Being set in Prague with castles and death and magic made it automatically cool. (And Charlotte was correct. I had to look up the location of Prague)
2) Alchemy. This subject has always intrigued me.
3) It was s...more
LOVED despite:
1) My confusion until about 1/3 of the way through. It took me awhile to adjust to the language and style of writing and the chapters dealing with Charlotte Yates.
Reasons why this book was crazy awesome:
1) The world build was amazing. Being set in Prague with castles and death and magic made it automatically cool. (And Charlotte was correct. I had to look up the location of Prague)
2) Alchemy. This subject has always intrigued me.
3) It was s...more
This mystical mystery was compelling, wry, interesting and just weird enough to be fun and fantastical. Initially, I did expect a bit more "magic" in this book ala witches, warlocks, mages or shamans (well, maybe not shamans in Prague...). The magic in this book is a bit more psychedelic although not of a traditional pharmaceutical persuasion. Given the alchemy that has taken place in Prague over the centuries one has attribute some of the magic to the city itself.
This story had a strong beginni...more
This story had a strong beginni...more
I like this book. It reminded me of Deborah Harkness's book without the vampires thankfully. I think it was well done, well thought out. An interesting take on some history that makes it feel more real, dealing with Beethoven. It was not too paranormal, but just enough to give it kind of a fun, quirky feel. I did think that the relationship between the two protagonists was good. Little bit of gratuitous sex or kind of uncomfortably described sex. It was sort of out of place almost.
I enjoyed this novel. It was a fairly easy read and there was a lot of mystery, magic and history. I found that Nico was very much like the character of Tyrion Lanaster from Game of Thrones (the dwarf character). He was very witty and smart as well as peculiar, which draws the reader into his character. This was my first book that I have read with the setting as Prague and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I can only imagine what it is really like there, with all the castles and old relics. The one chara...more
Sarah Weston is happy with her life as musicologist–deciphering the meaning and composition of music and immersing herself in the idiosyncrasies of eccentric composers and those who study them. When she is offered a chance to go to Prague and catalog an historic collection of Beethoven’s original works, how can she resist?
From the moment she accepts the job at Prague Castle, nothing is what it seems. First off, the other academics working in the castle believe her mentor, Professor Sherbatsky, c...more
From the moment she accepts the job at Prague Castle, nothing is what it seems. First off, the other academics working in the castle believe her mentor, Professor Sherbatsky, c...more
Okay...so the thing you have to understand about this book is you can't take it too seriously (don't let the cover art fool you). Now that I know that, I like it better. It is a fun book masaquerading as a well thought-out historical, cerebral, diabolical, espionagal, everythingal, Tom Clancyal, etc.al, piece of 21st Century Literature. It is not.
It took me a while to figure this out. First, being a little slow on the draw, I didn't realize that Magnus Flyte was really two women writing the boo...more
It took me a while to figure this out. First, being a little slow on the draw, I didn't realize that Magnus Flyte was really two women writing the boo...more
This was recommended to me, it's set in Prague, and is a fantasy/historical mystery to boot, so I had higher expectations than I should have had. The pen name "Magnus Flyte" of the writing duo who produced this confection, Meg Howrey and Christina Lynch, should probably have been enough to make me take flyte. Despite the interesting setting and historical premise about Beethoven's mysterious "Immortal Beloved," this reads like bad YA that's also trying to appeal to the "adult" audience by inject...more
This was an investing read that came close to being a really great book, but had some incongruent issues that tarnished the overall package. IMHO, the plot was great. Finally a plot that actually has merit on its own! The problem: the plot was honestly the best part, and started showing some strain with all it had to carry. Character development was frustrating, with the author(s) giving just enough to start me on the road to understanding nd really liking a character, and then leaving me there,...more
Possibly one of the most bizarre and effed-up books I have ever read, and yet it was quite entertaining. It's hard to resist a book about 'a music scholar, a 400 year old dwarf, a time travelling prince, and a U.S. Senator with a dark past' and how they all come together in a single book.
What I enjoyed most about this book was its insanely creative premise and actual story. There was very little that I found predictable or mundane. The majority of the plot was original, well thought out, and eve...more
What I enjoyed most about this book was its insanely creative premise and actual story. There was very little that I found predictable or mundane. The majority of the plot was original, well thought out, and eve...more
This was a really fun read. I have a very minimal knowledge of Beethoven and Prague, so I am not sure of the accuracy of some of it. But I enjoyed reading about this quirky bunch of academics putting together this museum, and how they all have their own niche. I also like how the author literally jumps right into the story, and gives absolutely no description to the main character. You just know that she "looks good in a bikini" giving you free range to imagine her up for yourself.
The story may...more
The story may...more
Disappointing!
The cover is wonderful and the title sounds like I am going to be reading a wonderful story of dark magic. This story was nothing like I had expected and not in a good way.
Billed as a fantasy, it contained very little elements of this genre to be a true fantasy novel. Magic? It barely contained any magical elements that lived up to the title. Dark magic? Nah, not much of that either. It was more of a mystery but the authors gave so much of the plot secrets away ahead of time that...more
The cover is wonderful and the title sounds like I am going to be reading a wonderful story of dark magic. This story was nothing like I had expected and not in a good way.
Billed as a fantasy, it contained very little elements of this genre to be a true fantasy novel. Magic? It barely contained any magical elements that lived up to the title. Dark magic? Nah, not much of that either. It was more of a mystery but the authors gave so much of the plot secrets away ahead of time that...more
Jan 11, 2013
Suspense Magazine
added it
An unusual title, “City of Dark Magic” is the debut brainchild of Christina Lynch and Meg Howrey—writing under the pseudonym Magnus Flyte—and is a difficult book to classify into one specific genre. Murder and suspense are key, but dashes of paranormal and undertones of fantasy take this book into not often seen territory. For suspense and thriller fans, I’d compare “City of Dark Magic” to King’s The Dark Tower series or to Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” solely because when you thi...more
http://www.themaineedge.com/buzz/myst...
There’s a lot going on in “City of Dark Magic” – perhaps a little too much. While Sarah Weston is a fairly well-realized character, her surrounding cast (with one or two exceptions) is just a bit too vast and varied to allow for much in the way of real development. That’s not to say that the dramatis personae aren’t interesting – they certainly are – but there doesn’t seem to be a lot of growth. That said, there’s not much of nuance required for most of th...more
There’s a lot going on in “City of Dark Magic” – perhaps a little too much. While Sarah Weston is a fairly well-realized character, her surrounding cast (with one or two exceptions) is just a bit too vast and varied to allow for much in the way of real development. That’s not to say that the dramatis personae aren’t interesting – they certainly are – but there doesn’t seem to be a lot of growth. That said, there’s not much of nuance required for most of th...more
I had high hopes for this book and the premise was certainly interesting; after the apparent suicide of her dissertation advisor, a music student accepts a job following in his footsteps documenting historical Beethoven artifacts at Lobkowicz Castle in Prague where she proceeds to have sex with strangers in bathrooms, mostly ignore the work she was hired to do, take drugs (in the form of ancient toenails), and embark in LSD-reminicent trips into the past to observe the flatulent composer.
While...more
While...more
The first comparison that comes to mind when I think of "City of Dark Magic" is another book--"The Night Circus." Readers who were disappointed by that may understand where I'm coming from in regards to this. This book had a lot of good things going for it: mysterious alchemical symbols, ancient artifacts, well-known historical figures given much due credit via flashbacks, an intriguing setting, a cast of quirky supporting characters, and a smart heroine. Of course, our heroine is also a huge sl...more
In future, 20th century popular literature will be divided into two distinct eras: pre and post Harry Potter. In the post Potter age, now that we've established that there is no shame in an adult reader enjoying an intricately plotted but fast moving fantasy yarn, books have been written catered to those of us who find ourselves in the children's and young adult aisles of B&N sooner than we'd consider the latest by Jonathan Franzen. In the last year and a half, Erin Morgenstern's The Night...more
Very good, other than the gratuitous and somewhat off-putting sex scenes. From Amazon: 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...more
Soon after Sarah arrives, strange things begin...more
Sarah Weston is studying neuromusicology at Thoreau College. She receives a job offer to work at Lobkowicz Palace in Prague located in the Czach Republic. Sarah would be involved in the music of Beethoven. This is a chance that Sarah can not pass up. Once Sarah arrives, she learns that there is more to the Lobkowicz Palace then meets the eye. There is mystery and a murder to be discovered.
I have to admit that this book was not boring. In fact, I am still pondering my thoughts on this book. Just...more
I have to admit that this book was not boring. In fact, I am still pondering my thoughts on this book. Just...more
Quick Synopsis: A PhD scholar studying musicology in Boston receives a job offer to catalog and display a collection of items created by Ludwig Von Beethoven, her personal hero, in a palace turned museum in Prague, Czech Republic. She gets there, discovers a wildly crazy plot involving supposed time travel, high-level political types, princes and dwarves (writers word not mine). Shenanigans ensue, murders committed and public squares defaced. It's the first in the series, and the end wraps this...more
City of Dark Magic follows Sarah Weston, a musicology grad student, on a trip to Prague for a mysterious summer job identifying and cataloging items related to Beethoven (her area of expertise). She quickly becomes entangled a complicated web of history, secrets, mysteries, romance, alchemy and...Cold War Era spies? For real?
The sections of the book pertaining to Sarah were the main draw for me. Sarah's curiosity gets the best of her and she finds that there is more going on in Prague than a si...more
The sections of the book pertaining to Sarah were the main draw for me. Sarah's curiosity gets the best of her and she finds that there is more going on in Prague than a si...more
Prague is a wonderful setting for a mystery, a romance, a well, just about anything. Unfortunately, "City of Dark Magic" might as well have been set in Rhinebeck, NY for all the atmosphere it had. While ostensibly we are following the increasingly mysterious adventure of music grad student, Sarah Weston, she's just not that interesting. Her love interest is pretty lame and about as dull as she is. The two most interesting characters in the book, Pols and Nico, seemed wasted as we followed around...more
This book starts out with a bang - an international mystery with a sizzle of magic and intrigue and history thrown in. Musical historian/almost-genius Sarah goes to Prague on the heels of her newly deceased professor mentor, determined to curate a Beethoven exhibit in a castle. She's also going to suss out what happened to make her professor kill himself...because she's thinking there was a cover up. In Prague, she meets an interesting set of characters - including Beethoven. Thanks to a drug po...more
City of Dark Magic by Magnus Flyte - intriguing title, mysteriously intriguing nom de plume! After that, it became a roller coaster ride for me.
The plot idea is fabulous...mystery, history, and the music of Beethoven, with a little murder, mayhem and dark secret societies. Add a 400 year old dwarf, a reasonably intelligent expert of music, an unusual group of museum intellectuals/academics and a mysterious drug that allows the user to time travel...pretty cool! Our heroine is a 'grown up' Nancy...more
The plot idea is fabulous...mystery, history, and the music of Beethoven, with a little murder, mayhem and dark secret societies. Add a 400 year old dwarf, a reasonably intelligent expert of music, an unusual group of museum intellectuals/academics and a mysterious drug that allows the user to time travel...pretty cool! Our heroine is a 'grown up' Nancy...more
City Of Dark Magic
By
Magnus Flyte
My " in a nutshell" summary...
A summer in Prague leads to suspense, magic and mystery and a little bit of danger...for Beethoven crazed Sarah.
My thoughts after reading this book...
So...the castle in Prague is a total disaster...Sarah is there because her professor recommended her but she before she even leaves for Prague she is told that he committed suicide...her professor not Beethoven. Sarah begins her work of sorting Beethoven's stuff believing firmly that sui...more
By
Magnus Flyte
My " in a nutshell" summary...
A summer in Prague leads to suspense, magic and mystery and a little bit of danger...for Beethoven crazed Sarah.
My thoughts after reading this book...
So...the castle in Prague is a total disaster...Sarah is there because her professor recommended her but she before she even leaves for Prague she is told that he committed suicide...her professor not Beethoven. Sarah begins her work of sorting Beethoven's stuff believing firmly that sui...more
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| Shut Up & Read: City of Dark Magic: A Novel | 2 | 113 | Mar 30, 2013 03:13pm |
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.
More about Magnus Flyte...
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“Only the passionate were immortal, it seemed. If you fought, screwed, screamed, laughed, or otherwise experienced life intensely, for better or worse, you left a record. Those who lived a quiet, well-behaved, well-tempered life? Gone without a trace.”
—
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"I don’t know what you know, so I don’t know what you don’t know.”
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