An Unkindness of Magicians (The Unseen World #1)

by Kat Howard

“Sounds serious,” Madison said. “It is. The envelope will smell like roses. Open it once you get inside your apartment, after you shut the door.” “Self-triggering wards?” Madison asked. “Good ones. You’ll receive a new envelope in your mailbox once a week on Tuesday until this is over. Red-bordered, rose-scented. If any one of those three things isn’t right, don’t open it. And after you don’t open it and you get the fuck out of your apartment building, you call me.” “Got it,” Madison said, and swallowed hard. “Look, if this is too much—” Madison cut her off. “It isn’t. Really. I’m just mentally transitioning from, ‘Hey, I feel like a spy, this is kind of cool,’ to, ‘Those fuckers might blow up my cat,’ and it’s a bit of an adjustment.”

This envelope thing is oddly satisfying and the cat reference made me laugh (she has a cat?). I think I'm still kind of getting Madison and Harper confused but it's a lot better now at least.

“I swear to you, Madison, I will not let anyone—fucker or otherwise—blow up Noodle. Actually, you know what, I’m going to make Noodle a warded collar. I’ll messenger it to you at the office tomorrow.”

Love a cat named Noodle.

Still, you’ll receive an email with a 1:13 a.m. time stamp every Wednesday. It’ll have poetry in the body—lines from Seamus Heaney’s Sweeney Astray. The attachment will be an MP3 file. Download the attachment and let the song play all the way through. You don’t need to have the volume on, but let it play.”

Seamus Heaney must be just boring enough not to attract attention. That gosh darn Blackberry Picking will haunt me forever.

“I just hired an associate, specifically to help me deal with the new work for the Turning—lots of Houses trying to get their affairs in order. She seems trustworthy, and I’ve been thinking of giving her some of the peripheral work on your projects, too. Do I need to worry about her?” Madison asked.

Oh dip there's the Harper/Madison connection that I wasn't quite sure about until now.

“It makes you temporarily unfindable by GPS, both mundane and magically enhanced, as well as hiding you from locator spells,” Sydney said, answering the question Laurent hadn’t thought he had spoken aloud. “Oh,” he said again, feeling as if he, too, had been rendered unfindable. Whatever this was, it was not how he had planned to spend his morning.

Wait. Isn't the point that he WAS just rendered unfindable? Or was it Sydney/the apartment? If the latter, that's not how I read it.

Laurent brought over a tray that had two cappuccinos and a plate piled with almond and anise biscotti. “This,” Sydney said, “this is exactly why I’m telling you.” “Because I made coffee?” “Because there are two cups on the tray. Because it wouldn’t have occurred to you for there to not be.”

Biscotti sounds SO GOOD. I miss it and should try making it again.

“Because the families choose the sacrifice. Each House makes one, once a generation. Traditionally, it’s the firstborn.” The uninflected blankness of a teacher reading from a textbook. “The firstborn what?” Laurent asked, setting down his coffee. “Child,” Sydney said. “The firstborn child.” “No.” Laurent stood up. “No. What is that? Sacrifice the firstborn child? Like some fucking Greek myth? No. This is the twenty-first century. That does not happen.”

What the heck else would "firstborn" mean. Even without coffee, this seems very obvious.

“Okay. Let’s say you’re right. I mean, I get wanting things to be easy and not painful, but kids, Sydney? Kids?” “Easier to give someone up when you haven’t gotten to know them.” “That is some fucked up shit.” “Yes,” Sydney said.

The only circumstances in which the requirement is waived is if a member of the House has perished in a Turning—the spell is set up to recognize that as a sacrifice as well, the idea being that their magic returns to that waiting pool.” “That’s why no one treats any of this like a big deal,” he said. “Because losing a challenge is some fucked up get out of jail free card.” She nodded. “Exactly. Otherwise, buying a child is not only an option for those who can’t or don’t wish to have biological offspring, of course. It’s also an option for those who want to guarantee both their bloodline and their access to comfortable magic. With enough money, you can buy anything.”

To be fair, I don't know how much buying a child to sacrifice costs, but it seems weird you'd sacrifice a firstborn instead. I realize this isn't explicitly logical but typing all my thoughts about this on a Kindle keyboard won't happen so I'll try to clarify. What if you already have kids? Will the next one do or do you have to sacrifice the existing firstborn? So many questions.

“Not all of the children die of it,” Sydney continued as if there had been no interruption. “Most do, yes. But some very few of us come out of it quite well. For a certain definition of quite well, anyway. We learn to use our own power, and to wield it in ways most of the Unseen World can’t imagine.” “What’s a—wait. You said ‘us.’ Sydney, you said ‘us.’ You weren’t—” He looked sick again.

I know this is not the point but what the heck "What's a--" question would he have been starting to ask here?

Shadows has been around for more than one hundred years. Long enough for people to be used to the idea, for this to be the way it’s always been done. For people to feel sad, a little, if they actually think about it, but goodness, the way things were before must have been so much worse.”

This sounds like a metaphor for factory farming or sweat shop labor.

He stood alone at the front of the crowd, his hands fisted at his sides, the bones pressing white against his skin. “I couldn’t not be here. I didn’t want to be, but I couldn’t stay away.”

Okay so this use of "fisted" is slightly better than the earlier ones, but still feels out of place and atypical wording.

Though I do wonder: Was it because Grey was the boy and you’re just conservative enough to think that those feudal guys were right about primogeniture, or did you flip a coin to decide which of your kids Shadows would grind up and use for magic?” Sydney drummed her fingers on Miranda’s desk.

So are they twins? Just siblings? Curious about the rules here.

“Shara promised me. I begged her. I bribed her. And she promised me she would tell me if my daughter made it out,” Miranda said. “Shara says a lot of words that sound like promises. I’ve learned it’s smarter to not believe any of them that aren’t written down. Shadows does love its contracts.”

I’m still bound to Shadows—I still owe interest on the debt you sold me into, so when she says ‘jump,’ I don’t even need to ask how high, because my muscles are already coiling.”

“I’ve just found you again.” Tears in Miranda’s eyes. “And what? I’m supposed to believe you feel some miraculous connection to me? That you feel bad about what I went through, what I suffered to get here, and now you want to make amends? Your entire world is built on suffering—the fact that I lived through it changes nothing about that.” “That is the way our world is,” Miranda said. “You can’t change that.” “That’s where you’re wrong.

“Seriously?” He stared. “So are you angry that I fought back, or that I didn’t meet your exalted standards?” He turned away from her, then snapped back, “You could have forfeited.” “You could have. I couldn’t. And before you get self-righteous, Ian, look.” She held up her shadow, displaying the ragged ends. “Shadows owns me. Owns.” Shock on his face. “Sydney, no.” “Did Verenice not tell you that part of it? I can’t blame her—it’s worse, somehow, than being sent there in the first place. Shadows owns me, and my magic, and it wanted this challenge fought, and yes, had I refused, they could have forced me. It’s bad enough that I forfeited at the end.” She shuddered.

I am confused and assume this will be covered, but if you forfeit at "the end," what happens? Nothing? Is it not allowed for other magic to happen during a duel so this is an unusual situation or is it because of the inheritance (but wouldn't she still lose her magic from forfeiting and therefore lose the House inheritance since you can't hold a house without magic) or is it something else entirely? Boy I hope this is explained.

Madison was silent all the way out to the waiting car. Silent as she and Sydney got in, silent as the car pulled away from the curb. Only then did she hit the button to roll up the partition between them and the driver and say, “Give me a dollar.” “A dollar?” Sydney asked, confusion evident. “Yes. Just do it.” Sydney kept a skeptical eye on Madison as she reached into her purse. “All I have is a five. Will that—” Madison plucked the bill from her hand. “And now I’m on retainer. So when I ask you what the fuck you knew and when the fuck you knew it, for example, you can tell me, and it’s covered by privilege.”

Very Saul Goodman of her.

“Someone interfered?” “Yes. Possibly more than one someone—there was some sort of disturbance in the crowd before the spell was cast. Again, I had other things on my mind and missed exactly what it was, but it was loud enough that I noticed it, which means it’s likely other magicians did too. I didn’t recognize the magic that interrupted the spell, so it was no one I’ve dueled. Whoever they were, they were trying to redirect the magic Ian and I were using.

Iiiiiiinteresting that you know the magic of those you have dueled. I wonder if this is fingerprint-level unique or more subjective.

“She’s lying. I don’t have a sister.” “Not only do you have a sister, but you have a twin. Miranda stated under oath that twenty-five years ago she was delivered of a living female child—one born before you, incidentally—who was then taken to Shadows. She also swore to the results of a Perdita spell, which confirmed Sydney’s parentage. The House itself officially recognized her this morning, in front of the required three witnesses from other Houses. I have affidavits from them, as well as an unedited video recording. You’re welcome to review any of it.” Madison slid a file and a tablet toward him.

Ahhhh so they ARE twins. Thought so.

“I don’t want to be the heir. Again. The House should be mine. Maybe it won’t recognize her. Maybe it won’t even let her in the door. My bitch of a lawyer cousin said that it did, but she could have been lying.” He tossed back the rest of his drink.

I was about to say… dude she already got in at least twice but I guess he decided to ignore all the evidence Madison offered him. A true idiot.

“All I know is that this woman came from nowhere, and now she’s the Head of a House. My House. She shouldn’t be allowed to be part of us, especially if she came from the House of Shadows. Do you know what that place is?” Grey sneered. “Do you?” Laurent asked. “The magic of Shadows is corrupt. It’s not like ours. Anyone who uses it can’t be trusted. Plus, Miles says she’s the reason for the failures of magic.” Laurent knew he was going to regret asking, but he let the question out anyway. “How is that possible?” “Because her magic should still be in there. She took it with her when she left, and now we can’t use it.” Confident in the righteousness of his theories.

Is this a metaphor for xenophobia and related conspiracy theories? Or is our world just equally as fucked but in ways we're used to?

Laurent pushed Grey gently into the elevator and stood away from the closing doors. “You don’t understand,” Grey said. No, Laurent thought, he didn’t. He picked up his phone to text Sydney and warn her about the man he had considered to be his best friend, someone who he was pretty sure was not going to be his friend tomorrow, or ever again.

At least Laurent has sense.

A knock on the door announced room service. Both women sat silently as the waiter set up the tea. Miranda signed the bill and looked up to see Verenice pouring whiskey from the honor bar into the teacups. “I beg your pardon.”

Wait so is Miranda in a hotel? Huh? (I had to google "honor bar." I've never heard that term before.)

Shadows were, like finger bones, a concentrated source of a person’s magic, and since she had no plans to live here, this was the fastest way to get the House to acknowledge her magic and build its own around that.

“Are we finished here, you ungrateful brat?” Shara asked. Sydney bent her fingers into one final piece of magic. The glass bottle that had held her shadow, the knife that had cut it, the pen that wrote, caught fire, burned. “We are.” When the last flame died out, Sydney turned and walked out of Shadows. She did not look back.

That seemed... too easy? To just waltz in and fuck shit up completely in one random go? It would have made more sense as a dream..

“No, it’s not that. I just—I don’t want Grey to find me. Or Miles Merlin, for that matter.” “Grey—” Sydney began. The scars on Grace’s hands and arms. The file Madison couldn’t talk about. The utterly broken relationship between Miranda and Grey. “So, we have a lot of catching up to do. And part of that catching up is that I think keeping you safe from Grey is probably my job now. But, if you can, maybe you could explain things to me.”

Wow. She made that connection REALLY fast. I guess the timing of Grace's sacrifice and Grey's disinheritance are probably about the same but I don't know if Sydney would know that or how they would be connected otherwise.

The truly odd thing is that the girls who’ve been killed are all lesser magicians from lesser Houses. They barely have enough magic to remain in the Unseen World. Now, what I don’t understand is, if you’re going to go through the trouble of killing someone for their magic, scraping it from their bones, why go after someone who has so little?” Miles picked up his fork and tapped it against his plate, causing capers to roll from the top of his bagels and lox. Grey pushed his chair back slightly, giving himself room, just in case. “I’m not sure why you’re asking me this.” “An academic discussion, nothing more.” Merlin smiled and draped red onion on his salmon. “We spend so little time fully considering the sources of our power. If this is one, we owe it to ourselves—to magic—to think about the best way to use it. Because, as you know, there have been some recent problems with magic. Indeed, last night there was a complete failure of magic at a challenge.”

Okay I'm confused. Miles wants an academic discussion of magic and the sources of power how to properly use it. Is he implying that they should all start stealing finger bones but from more powerful magicians? It's not like they're discussing Shadows.. they're discussing the magic stolen from barely-magical women. Huh?

“And while these events have increased dramatically since Sydney appeared in our midst, it doesn’t necessarily mean that she’s taken magic from Shadows to help her performance here. It may simply be a sign that it’s time to look for alternate sources of magic. If something is happening, it’s best to be prepared.”

Okay so he IS trying to steal finger bones then because he's getting desperate. Cool guy. Yikes.

She was a magician—Alanna

This terminology bums me out.

She got lucky—if that could possibly be considered the right word in this situation—when she got to the final set of kitchen cupboards. They weren’t even hidden. She guessed that when he had gone through the spells to take down his extra wards when they came in, his lack of focus meant that he’d accidentally taken down all of the wards in his apartment. She found a tiny glass jar. Inside it, three human finger bones.

This seems very lucky but maybe Alanna knew what she was doing. (Meaning him mistakenly removing all the wards, not Harper finding the bones by blindly searching the apartment.)

Sydney waited, barefoot and wearing snug black pants and a loose black shirt. “Very assassin-casual, Sydney. I like it,” Madison said.

Miranda closed her eyes, her lips pressed together, white. “I wish I could say I was surprised. But he never did think he had enough, no matter what he had. He wanted things to be easy. The sort of easy where you don’t have to work, where it just comes to you, and you’re not just adequate, you’re brilliant. He never understood why he didn’t have that, or that hard work might bring him closer to it. “He also never understood why he shouldn’t try to take it from someone else who did, especially if he thought they were less than he was. I very much wish that I didn’t, but I know what my son is.”

"He also never understood why he shouldn't try to take it from someone else who did" - this is a weirdly-written sentence. They had what? Effortless magic? Taken it from someone else? Im sure she just meant taking magic from someone else who has it unless he started by taking it from powerful, studied magicians, but that wasn't his later MO at least..

“Perfect. I love aloo gobi.” She followed him in.

Me too!

There was just something wrong about walking out of a building at ten thirty at night, especially when she’d be walking back in the door by eight thirty the next morning. Actually, more like seven thirty, or maybe even seven o’clock—she’d forgotten about the Goldblatt file.

Agreed.

“Madison! What happened?” “Bad day at work, Hideo.” She sank into the chair he offered her. “Can I break your cell phone rule, and also get the world’s biggest bowl of miso soup?”

What is this? Luke's Diner?

She fisted her hands, then wrapped her arms around her stomach, hiding her scars.

Forever fisting. Le sigh.

They were the ghosts of the women Grey had murdered. Rose Morgan. Hayley Dee. Lena Hermann. Mariah Blackwood. Allison Glass. Sounds of weeping and shock traveled through the crowd as they were recognized. As their names were spoken in whispers and cries. They converged upon him and, like maenads, tore him limb from limb. Stripped his flesh so that all that remained was a pile of bones, the finger bones left separate, scattered. The ghosts faded. The lights came up. Sydney spoke into her phone: “You’re safe now,” her voice clear in the echoing silence of the room. Then she stepped over the pile of bones and left.

Okay this is impressively dramatic but also seemed way too easy. I get that she's powerful but not getting a scratch on her or there being some sort of twin twist seems very anticlimactic.

“I think you are technically my biological cousin. Regardless, you’re the closest thing I have to family. If you hadn’t renounced your magic, it would be yours.” Madison reached across her desk, held Sydney’s hand.

Did I know she renounced her magic? It doesn't sound familiar but I easily could have missed it early on when I didn't know who was who.

If you want to do something more involved, come back after all this nonsense it done, and you can make a full will.”

*is

“Is it that easy, to destroy your home?” Shara asked. “To turn your back on me? All I ever did was make you stronger. It’s because of me you are what you are.” “This was never a home. And I made myself what I am.”

“Hence that first illusion,” Laurent said. “Hence.” One side of her mouth quirked up.

Beginning and ending with mouths quirking. *shudder*

“Is it true the only reason Prospero wound up at the top was because you forfeited to Ian?” “Funny how that worked out, isn’t it?” Sydney said. “Grace will do an excellent job. And there’s no chance anything like Shadows will happen on her watch.”

This took me a second until I remembered that Ian was representing Prospero.

my terrific editor, Joe Monti.

Joe Monti is my nemesis.