I read and enjoyed An Unkindess of Magicians ages ago and so when I saw the announcement of this sequel I was shocked! For fans of the first, this was a delight and I enjoyed how it built on the themes. Keep reading this book review for my full thoughts.
Summary
After taking down the source of the corruption of the Unseen World, Sydney is left with almost no magical ability. Feeling estranged from herself, she is determined to find a way back to her status as one of the world’s most dangerous magicians. Unfortunately, she needs to do this the House of Shadows, the hell on earth that shaped her into who she was, the place she sacrificed everything to destroy, is rebuilding itself.
“The House of shadows sits on bones. All of the sacrifices, all of the magicians who died in Shadows, they’re buried beneath the foundations. Bones hold magic.”
The magic of the Unseen World is acting strangely, faltering, bleeding out from the edges. Determined to keep the House of Shadows from returning to power and to defeat the magicians who want nothing more than to have it back, Sydney turns to extremes in a desperate attempt to regain her sacrificed magic. She is forced to decide what she will give up and what she will lose and whether what must be destroyed is not only the House of Shadows, but the Unseen World itself.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
TW: self-harm
A Sleight of Shadows is incredibly nostalgic. I remember reading An Unkindness of Magicians and falling in love not only with the price of magic, but the ways it is built on exploitation. Rotten to the core. A system which is built upon the sacrifice of unwilling victims. So when I saw A Sleight of Shadows I was so excited. And everything I enjoyed from the first was developed in this sequel.
The ways in which we stand by as bystanders in systems of oppression. Or are actively perpetrating these deadly secrets. How just because we can tear the house down without others speaking up, being serious about dismantling that system, we are at risk of bringing it back. Of those who were the ones benefiting, bringing back old habits. A Sleight of Shadows is a story about just that.
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And I loved how Sydney is not fighting this fight alone. She’s also not afraid of calling out those who stood by and said nothing. She knows that we are willing to sacrifice ourselves and those we oppose can only sacrifice others. But in A Sleight of Shadows who can stop this from happening again? Howards allows us to see throughout multiple characters and new perspectives.
It gives the universe context and stakes. While I felt like the ending was hasty – considering the build up, this is a solid sequel. It’s a book which revolves around sacrifice. About figuring out if magic chooses us or if we can choose our own power. Find A Sleight of Shadows on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, & Blackwells.