If you haven't figured it out by now, I have a tenacious proclivity for anything to do with magic, fantasy, and all things out of the ordinary. I've been meaning to get around to reading this series for quite a while, as is the usual for me and also the general aim of this blog in terms of getting through my extensive To Be Read pile. Maybe a better title for the blog would have been "Getting Around To It"... In any case, here I am, breaking one of the rules and purchasing another book on my Kindle. That doesn't count as buying books, yeah? If I'm not buying a physical book, and I certainly I never specified as to it's form, I can get away with this technicality, correct? Sure. On we go, with my half price book. Right. London. You know it. Capital city of England, been around a long time. England! The birth place of King Henry the Eighth, the dude with all those wives, see also: Harry Potter. In this series, the London we know is one of several. A template so to speak, of four lands that are connected by magic doorways. Each London holds it's similarities mostly in shape and name only, they differ in culture, names, language, the kind of people that inhabit them... Technically they aren't just different version of London but different worlds that magicians have the power to travel between, and any coincidental similarities are mostly coincidental within the confines of the story, in name and magic only, and in certain replications across the worlds. For example, there is a tavern in the same place in each London, with different names, different layouts and different surrounding streets, but for all intents and purposes it acts as an anchor point between the cities. In the history of magic London's, the magic in one city - Black London, starts to feed on the people instead of the people making use of it. This imbalance grows and grows until the magic takes over the city and the people within, mind, body and soul. The other Londons fear the threat of this wild magic and the doors between are sealed off. Each world lays stacked against the next in a string - Grey London (ours, with the least magic), Red London (a bountiful empire flush with celebrated magic, a whole culture of its own), White London (a starving, brutal place filled with desperation), and then Black London, which falls to the brutal origin of magic and is sealed away, Schrödingers London, if you will. No one knows what happens to the world itself or whether there are still people alive there... What is clear is that travel between the worlds remains possible but only in the hands of the Antari. Antari are specially talented people, they are not a race, one Antari does not beget another, rather they are born with the ability like an extra gene. They cannot open doors for everyone, but can step through and keep a communicative link between the rulers of each land. In our recognisable London, King George the Third is in power - we're talking 1800's here, just to set the tone appropriately. In Red London, a rich royal family thrives, and from here our Antari protagonist comes. Kell is a Traveller, a blood magician with power over the relevant elements - fire, earth, water, air, and bone. He's part of the royal family without being related, a topic that has only been mentioned very briefly half way through the book, and is one of two remaining Antari left across the worlds. We have no idea what his origin is at this stage but I'm sure it will be revealed at some point due to his potential love interest, a thief named Lila who has aspirations that take her away from the dull streets of Grey London and catapult her into potential freedom and certain danger. This story will be more blood thirsty than you think, less childish than you might imagine, and full of gentle plot twists that keep an easily bored reader engaged. At the end of the first book, well, I'd say you could potentially read these as stand alone novels, though there is enough to be getting on with considering there are another two books. I'll read them, because I want to know if Lila becomes a dang pirate, I'm all about that life. 7 out of 10 for non-ground breaking ideas but decent writing and an interesting diversion!
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